The enclosed emitter, red dot sight market, is getting packed with options. One of those options is the Viridian RFX45. Because it is from Viridian, it uses a green dot, not red, as green is what Viridian is known for. The RFX45 is mainly designed for pistols, but can be used on rifles. I’m mainly going to focus on it as a pistol optic.

As mentioned, the RFX45 is a closed emitter dot style sight. Some people have nicknamed them “mailbox” sights, since they look like a mailbox sitting on top of your pistol. This is due to the square, boxy shape of the sight. The closed emitter sight has some distinct advantages over the open emitter style. For instance, the RFX45’s emitter won’t get dust or moisture on it. So the image of the dot stays clear. Yes, dust and moisture can get on the outside lenses, but this doesn’t affect the emitter itself and is easily cleaned off. I find enclosed style dot sights are easier for me to find the dot. This is due to it being easier to look down a tube, since my eyes find the center of a tube naturally. I know the RFX45 is technically a rectangle, but it still works better for me. To me there are only two disadvantages, and they really are small ones. Enclosed style sights, like the RFX45, can weigh more than open emitter style. The RFX45 only weighs around ¾ oz more than most open reflex sights. The RFX45 is still light enough that, most likely, you won’t have to change recoil springs, I didn’t. The next disadvantage could be their size. You might be more likely to hit it on something. Or, it might be harder to conceal under a shirt. Other than that, mailbox style sights, like the RFX45, are a great sight option.

Most of the closed emitter sights you encounter will have the ACRO footprint, the Viridian RFX45 is no different. The ACRO style footprint is a little unique, in that it is kind of like a mini picatinny rail. This means that you will need an adapter if your slide is not specifically cut for an ACRO. Do not fear, Viridian has different options as to what adapter plate the RFX45 comes with. Either a MOS, RMR, DOCTOR, or a low or high mount. The high mount is to mount it on an AR style rifle. The RFX45 I was sent had the MOS adaptor as the RMR ones were not out yet. I used a Primary Machine plate and it worked just fine. I do like how Viridian uses an “Industry Standard'' mounting platform for the RFX45.

Bottom dot is from the fiber optic front sight.

The Viridian RFX45 is packed with useful features. First, the RFX45 has Instant-On. So whenever the sight senses motion, it turns the green dot on. If it sits for 2 minutes, the dot goes off until it senses movement again. This feature worked flawlessly in the RFX45. I had zero problems with it. Next up is the 50,000 hr battery life. This long battery life is also attributed to the Instant-On capability and its CR2032 battery. The green dot size is listed as 5 MOA which is slightly larger than some others. Since this is a green dot, the 5 MOA dot appeared to be slightly smaller to me. But either way, the 5 MOA dot size worked fine for everything I did with it. The RFX45 has 10 brightness settings, 2 of which are night vision compatible. At the highest setting, the RFX45 can be seen in direct bright sunlight. During my shooting experiences, some in bright sunlight, I could see the green dot just fine.

Window size can play an important role when choosing an enclosed red dot/green dot sight. The Viridian RFX45 has a 24mm wide x 15.5mm tall window size. This window size is wider than most of its competition. Most are 15mmx15mm. As mentioned previously, this window size makes the sight super easy for me to pick up. This includes under recoil, the draw stroke, and transitioning between target to target. The clear green dot probably helps a little with that too. All I can say is that I pick up the RFX45’s dot faster than my open reflex sights.

Being the RFX45 is one of those mailbox style sights, I better explain some about its style. Yes, it’s square. But more on point is that the battery is housed at the top of the optic. So no removing the sight to change the battery. On the left side is a rubber pad with the up/down brightness buttons. The glass has an ever so slight tint to it. I never even noticed the tint, even on darker days. It’s super clear. Speaking of clear, the dot is extremely clear also. I have an astigmatism, and the dot doesn’t star out as much as some of my other green dots. For those of you with normal eyes, you will get a super clear round dot. I mounted the RFX45 to a Grey Ghost Precision slide that was cut for an RMR. Even with an adapter plate, the RFX45 sits level with the top of my slide. This allows me to still use the tall iron sights that are on the pistol.

So, if you are in the market for a “mailbox” style sight, do take a look into the Viridian RFX45. It may cost a little bit more than some others, but you are getting a quality enclosed green dot sight. I used it quite a bit and it never failed me, something I can’t say about the ammo I was using. You get a lot of high end features in the RFX45. You can check it out at Viridianweapontech.com

Firearms Insider Reviews - 8 Key Points

Claim to Fame:

Enclosed Green Dot reflex sight

Target Market:

Pistol shooters of all types, Law enforcement, Concealed carry, Competition

FNBs (Features & Benefits of this product):

ACRO footprint
Dimensions 1.9" x 1.1" x 1.13"
Lens Dimension: 24mm x 15.5mm
Unlimited eye relief
Fully Multi Coated Glass
90 MOA of adjustment
5 MOA Green dot
1 x CR2032
Battery Life: Up to 50k+ hours
Settings: 10 | 8 Visible and 2 Night Vision
Operation: INSTANT-ON + User Controlled brightness
Weight: 1.73oz / 48.19 grams
6061 Aluminum w/ Hard Coat Anodization
IPX6 rated
Operating Temperature: -4F to 130F
Limited Lifetime Warranty
MOS, RMR, Doctor, & Picatinny mount versions

What other aesthetic options or finishes are available?

None

What others are saying?:

Couldn’t find anything

Link to other reviews:

GunDeals YouTube

Price point:

MSRP = $459.00

Retail = $399.99 at GunMagWarehouse

I need it now! Availability:

Viridian or GunMagWarehouse

Our Rating:

Pros:

Crisp clean dot
Enclosed so dirt and water do not get on emitter
Decent size window
Actual click adjustments
Battery life
Instant on motion activation

Cons:

Price
Needs adapter plate for most applications

Score: 8.00 Great

Favorite Link: Viridian RFX 35 review

Swampfox has been making a name for themselves over the last few years. Over these years, they have been greatly improving their optics lineup. One of these is the Liberty green dot, an open reflex mini-sized dot sight. The Liberty is a welcomed improvement over their previous mini red dot. It is essentially a new streamlined, updated, and improved version.

The Liberty covers all the normal bases when you think of a mini red dot, or green in this case. It’s small (size below under FNBs). It uses a RMR mounting footprint. The RMR footprint is what I think should be a standard. Because of this footprint, many aftermarket companies make pre-cut slides for most of the popular pistols out there. Making it an easy process to get the sight mounted up and in use. It also gives various mounting options for if you were to use it on a rifle. The Liberty is made from 7075-T6 aluminum, and then anodized. Pretty typical in today's market. Of course it has no magnification, or 1x, and is parallax free. The window size is 16x22mm, which works well for something like a carry pistol.

Besides all the “normal” mini dot stuff, the Liberty has some useful upgrades. First off, it is a green dot. Yes, you can also get red if you like, but this one is green. The dot is 3 moa, a really good size for a pistol. It has 10 brightness settings, all accessed by 2 recessed buttons, on the left side of the sight. Swampfox also put a CR1632 battery in a top mount, so no pulling the sight off to change the battery.

Auto on/off is one of the best improvements Swampfox made to the Liberty. They call this “Shake ‘N Wake”. What the Shake ‘n Wake does is automatically turn the sight on and off. After around 4 minutes of non use, the sight goes into a power save mode. To power up the green dot again, just move the sight. The movement it takes is very minimal. Just tapping on it with your finger will wake the sight up. It also wakes up on the last brightness setting that you had it set on. So if the Liberty is on the highest setting, it wakes up there, and so on. If you really want to turn the Liberty completely off, you can hold the brightness down button for 3 seconds to turn it off. Then you must touch the brightness up button, to turn it back on and into the Shake ‘N Wake mode. I personally really like this function. The sight is ready to go when I need it. It has always displayed the green dot when I pick up the pistol it is mounted on. Battery life is stated at 4000 hrs on the medium setting. Since it has the Shake ‘N Wake function, the battery actually lasts longer than you would think. Swampfox says to change the battery about once a year. I don’t know if I’d go that long. Maybe every 6 months. The batteries are super cheap anyhow. I have had the original battery in it for 3 months without any problems. I also leave it on the second to the highest brightness setting.

Sometimes sights, like the Liberty, can be prone to accidental droppings. This doesn’t always seem to do anything to the sight, but sometimes it can. So Swampfox came up with their “Ironsides” protection shield. The shield is made from 304 stainless steel. 304 stainless is pretty darn strong from my experience. The Ironsides literally wraps itself around the Liberty. It leaves a tiny space around the optic to help keep the Liberty from the abuse of drops and other impacts. It does this without really adding much size to the total package. Thankfully I haven’t dropped it yet, but I do feel protected if I do.

Since Swampfox knew that I might mount the LIberty on a number of different pistols, they included their “ultimate red dot screw pack”. The screw pack contains a plethora of red dot mounting screws. Both different thread pitches, and lengths. They also include a few extra long screws for “custom mounting”. Of course I had to cut a couple of the extra long screws down to get the Liberty and Ironsides to mount up on the Strike Industries slide. But that’s what the longer screws were for. The screw pack is a nice thing to have around, especially if you mount up a lot of these size sights.

Dot reflection can be seen right on top of front sight. Dot in center is actual dot and very clear.

Now, you probably are wondering what my thoughts are on the green dotted Liberty. It works well. The green seems a little nicer to the eye, not as harsh as red. I can still pick up the dot easily. There is a small reflection of the dot in the bottom of the viewing window. This is a little annoying. The reflection is not near as bright, so it's not like you can mistake it for the dot. I really like the Shake ‘N Wake feature. The green dot is bright enough to be seen in direct sunlight, a good thing. The window is super clear, without any real noticeable tint. The Ironsides shield is great, I’d definitely say it’s worth the extra money. The Liberty also uses a RMR mounting footprint, so there are plenty of mounting options available for it. I’d say the Liberty is a good little mini green dot sight.

Swampfox has done some good stuff with the Liberty. The Liberty is leaps and bounds better than Swampfox’s first mini red dot. Between the Ironsides protection and green dot availability, you have plenty of options to choose from. Go check out the complete line of Swampfox optics over at their website.