First Look: Leupold DeltaPoint Micro Red Dot

Among the lowest-profile options available, the Leupold DeltaPoint Micro Red Dot give shooters a carry-ready aiming solution.

Evolving from novelty to critical upgrade, red dots have come a long way. Look no further to the contemporary handgun market as proof. Not only have rugged and carry-friendly sights swamped the market in recent years, but the aiming solution has also literally redesigned firearms. What major manufacturer doesn’t offer a slide-cut, optics-ready iteration of their most popular pistols?

The crowd has spoken on red dots—they’re the wave of the future. Or are they? Despite their potential to enhance accuracy and their improved designs, a majority of handguns of a practical bent cruise around without one. Even in the most micro format the sites are clunkier than irons—a deal-breaker for many. Though, Leupold might have changed the game.

Shake hands with the DeltaPoint Micro Red Dot Sight. Breaking from convention, the famed optics maker rethought the sighting system and in doing so aimed at creating the most carry compatible option available. At least when it comes to size.

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Certainly, the length of the DeltaPoint Micro Red Dot is greater than a rear iron sight, but it’s height isn’t. At 1.25-inches tall, it is among the most compact systems on the market today, which vastly improves its potential on defensive pistols. On a gun that can’t get hung up on the draw, the new DeltaPoint cuts down on the probability of being a snag-o-matic upgrade.

Of course, there are trade-offs. Again, the DeltaPoint’s length—2.25 inches—is greater than all but vintage specimens of traditional red dots. Much of this is due to Leupold moving the battery housing and adjustment controls to the rear of the slide. The fly in the ointment here is it potentially raises the specter of a pistol printing, particularly under lighter garb. Furthermore, it renders most retention holsters incompatible. The focal point of the Delta Point might prove an issue too, given the window is much more abbreviated than what has previously been offered.

Leupold took real-world resilience into account in the micro red dot’s design. The DeltaPoint is completely enclosed, lessening the possibility to lens damage or fouling that impedes traditional red dots’ performance. Furthermore, the company has done away with the need to upgrade your backup sighting system. Essentially, if the DeltaPoint poops out for whatever reason you simply use it as a ghost ring with your front sight. Redundancy as elegant as it is simple.

As to installation, Leupold reduced the headache by a magnitude. No mounting plates or slide-cut specific to a particular red-dot footprint, instead it utilizes the pistol’s existing rear-sight dovetail.

Other notables of the Leupold sight include 3 MOA dot, 8 brightness settings, 3.5-year battery (CR1632) life, motion senor power and DiamondCoat II scratch-resistant lenses. At present, the DeltaPoint Micro Red Dot is available for Glock and Smith & Wesson pistols. It also carries a hefty price tag, with an MSRP of $519.

For more information on the Leupold DeltaPoint Micro Red Dot, please visit leupold.com.

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