Every year, tens of thousands of people descend upon Las Vegas for SHOT Show. The show is the place to go for all things shooting, hunting, and the outdoors. While at SHOT Show this year, I was tasked with seeking out the best in this year’s optics. Here is what I found.
Leupold VX 6HD Gen 2 Series
Leupold further advanced its premium VX 6HD hunting riflescope product line by launching the second generation of this product line. The incoming Leupold VX 6HD Gen2 family has six different models, all built around 34 or 30mm tubes and second focal plane reticles. One of the key features in this latest iteration of VX 6HD hunting scopes is the switch to Leupold’s CDS-SZL2. As a result, this allows hunters to easily adjust windage and elevation turrets on the fly without any tools (like those tiny hex wrenches).
Hunters can easily install custom dials on the new VX 6HD turrets, and Leupold will send customers two vouchers for custom dials with proof of purchase of a new VX 6HD riflescope. These dials are tailored to a specific rifle and cartridge combination that basically allows the hunter to dial their rifle to their unique DOPE.
Visit Leupold.com.
Holosun ARO-EVO
Enclosed emitter 1×20 red-dot sights are some of the most popular in the industry. While the original Aimpoint Micro (T1) deserves the credit for pioneering this highly practical format, the rest of the industry has run with it due to its size and utility. One of Holosun’s new optics for 2025 is the ARO-EVO.
The “Advanced Rifle Optic, Evolved” or ARO-EVO takes the basic 1x20mm red-dot format and increases the objective window by an additional 6mm to increase the optic’s field of view. In addition to lining up perfectly with Holosun’s new magnifiers, the ARO-EVO can be had with Holosun’s Special Purpose Reticle that incorporates bullet drop compensators and ranging.
Visit Holosun.com.
DNT Optics “The One” 7-35×56 FFP Illuminated Riflescope
Upstart company DNT Optics is rapidly becoming known for its affordable thermal optics. But they’ve also recently launched a fully-featured precision 7-35×56 first focal plane riflescope they call The One. DNT’s new scope can be had in an MOA or mil format, and it features a precision grid reticle with illumination, matching angular unit elevation/windage turrets, a zero-setting mechanism, a left side focus/parallax knob, and a beefy 34mm diameter maintube.
With its sub-$700 price point and feature set, the DNT Optics The One seems to bring some competitive heat against some of its other rivals in that same pricing tier.
Visit us.DNTOptics.com.
Mecanik M04 Enclosed-Emitter Red-Dot
Canik’s Mecanik division recently introduced its fourth micro red-dot, the new Mecanik M04. The M04 is also Mecanik’s first fully-enclosed emitter unit. M04s make use of a multi-reticle emitter, allowing the shooter to use a 32 MOA ring with a 3 MOA central aiming point, the 3 MOA dot only, or the 32 MOA ring only.
In addition, the top portion of their housing units includes solar charging cells as well, and the M04 feeds off a CR 1620 battery. Like the rest of the Mecanik product line, save for the big-window M03, the Mecanik M04 uses a coated aspheric lens and a Shield Sights RMSc optics footprint pattern. Its external housing is built from durable 7075 series aluminum and is shaped to protect the lens from strong impacts.
Visit Mecanik.com.
Winchester Supreme Optics THSD 384 Thermal Hunting Scope
Winchester Supreme Optics unveiled a few different thermal units at this year’s SHOT Show. One of them is the Winchester Supreme THSD 384 Thermal Hunting Scope. This optic melds sophisticated thermal imaging technology for a very reasonable price.
The THSD 384’s sensor can easily detect heat signatures through barriers such as fog, smoke, or challenging environmental lighting conditions. Hunters also have the choice of various reticle options and color palettes. The THSD 384 runs from a single 18650 Lithium Ion battery and supports the modern USB-C format for its data needs.
Visit WinchesterOptics.com.
Primary Arms HTX-1
Primary Arms is best known for offering an entire suite of different types of weapon optics that are priced fairly affordably. This includes pistol-mounted red-dots, prismatic sights, and full-power precision riflescopes. For 2025, they announced the new Primary Arms HTX-1 enclosed emitter pistol dot.
This new red-dot sight can be had with a single 4 MOA central aiming point or Primary Arms’ unique ACSS Vulcan reticle (which has oversized corrective rings to help guide shooters). The HTX-1 also incorporates its own chassis system with unique interchangeable plates that fit most optics-ready handguns on the market.
But the new Primary Arms HTX-1’s most important detail? Every last circuit and piece of glass used to build these is 100% made in the United States of America.
Visit PrimaryArms.com.
EOTech Vudu 3-9×32 SFP
EOTech kicked off its 2025 by launching the extremely compact second focal plane EOTech Vudu 3-9×32 tactical riflescope. Externally, this optic shares a similar size with the typical ACOG or full-size Aimpoint red-dot unit. However, it’s a fully-featured riflescope that comes equipped with EOTech’s HC1 “lightweight grid” reticle. All windage and elevation adjustments are graduated in ¼ MOA clicks.
Due to its size, it is also compatible with mini-ACOG mounts, and with an upper ring mount, the end user can easily piggyback as a smaller reflex sight to boost targeting capabilities. (EOTech offers the Vudu 3-9×32 paired with their EFLX red-dot sight and the corresponding mount as a turnkey package).
Visit EOTechInc.com.
Aimpoint COA
Exactly two weeks prior to SHOT Show 2025, Aimpoint officially announced the new Aimpoint COA enclosed-emitter red-dot pistol sight and its year-long exclusive partnership with Glock, Inc. The Aimpoint COA red-dot sight flips the script on the concept of what an optics-mounting footprint looks like with the new A-cut footprint.
Unlike conventional factory slide cuts which rely on differing patterns of threaded holes and recoil bosses (the tiny raised posts), the new Aimpoint COA’s A-Cut pattern instead wedges into the clearance on the slide. Holding down the rear end is a combination rear sight that uses a pair of screws on its far end providing maximum leverage. Due to the A-Cut’s divoting wedge, the COA sits very low on slide and doesn’t require the use of taller auxiliary iron sights.
Visit Aimpoint.us.
Burris XTR PS
Coasting off the success of the Burris Veracity PH riflescope, Burris this year is expanding that technology into tactical riflescopes with the launch of the new Burris XTR PS. The new XTR PS series has two 34mm scopes, with variable zoom magnifications and objective lens of 3.3-18×50 or 5.5-30×56, respectively.
XTR PS scopes use the BurrisConnect app just like Veracity PH scopes do. Similarly, the shooter gets to see a built-in HUD (heads-up display) while “scoped in” with all the pertinent data displayed in front of them. Finally, these new Burris XTR PS units use clickless electronic turrets that work off digital sensors and can provide the shooter with extremely precise 1/30th mil click values, which is a finer adjustment than even ⅛ MOA clicks.
Visit BurrisOptics.com.
Gideon Optics Valor Mini
As another upstart, Gideon Optics has been diligently gaining traction and popularity in its own segment of the red-dot optics market segment. One of their brand new red-dot sights revealed at SHOT Show 2025 is the Gideon Optics Valor Mini. It is a very minuscule enclosed-emitter red-dot sight meant for those “thinner” ultra-compact carry pistols that are so popular nowadays.
It uses the cosmopolitan Shield Sights RMSc mounting pattern, which is arguably the most popular in that category. Despite being an enclosed-emitter optic, the Valor Mini was designed with an extremely low deck height, making it very easy to match with most standard-height handgun iron sights, too.
Visit GideonOptics.com.
