Budget Optic Review: Riton X3 Tactix MPRD 2
I have red dots on a lot of my pistols and most of my AR15s and pistol caliber carbines like the Smith & Wesson M&P FPC. Most of them are Holosun, Sig Sauer or Eotech. Recently I decided to try out some of the budget optics that were popping up in sale emails. One of the ones I have done some testing on is the Riton X3 Tactix MPRD 2. Let’s take a look at how it did.
Why This Red Dot?
I kept seeing it pop up in sales emails from Palmetto State Armory. I hit it on a day when it was on sale for $80 and I wondered if a red dot at that price could be worth carrying. Since I had decided to start carrying my Smith & Wesson Shield Plus on a regular basis, I needed a red dot in the RMSc Shield pattern and the Riton X3 Tactix MPRD 2 happened to be that footprint, so no adapter plate would be needed. I checked some reviews of some other Riton products and decided to give it a try.
Buy The X3 Tactix MPRD 2 here.
Read about the Smith & Wesson Shield Plus here.
About the Riton X3 Tactix MPRD 2
As mentioned, the red dot is an RMSc footprint, common to many red dots for sub-compact and micro-compact pistols. The version I bought is a 3 MOA dot, which is my preferred size. The MPRD 2 housing is made of 6061-T6 aluminum, and it’s powered by a single CR 2032 battery. Riton claims a 50,000-hour battery life.
PSA said the sight would be shipped in a generic box and would not include Riton-branded packaging. But the one I received was in a Riton-branded box. It came with a new battery, a small wrench, and 2 mounting screws. The fit and finish of the sight was good. No visible blemishes.
A Deeper Look
The MPRD 2 is an auto-adjusted red dot, meaning that the user doesn’t control the brightness of the dot. I’ve never used a red dot with this feature and a lot of users have concerns about it. That also means there are no external buttons for adjustment.
The optic also has a shake-awake feature. Since there is no on/off button, the dot goes off after 3 minutes of no movement. It instantly comes back on when moved. This is a common feature on red dots and one I appreciate (I’m looking at you Eotech) as it conserves battery life.
Contributing to the slick outer appearance is the fact that the Riton X3 Tactix MPRD 2 has a bottom-loading battery. This means that I will have to remove the optic to replace the battery in a couple of years.
Read The Truth About the Eotech EFLX
Success…Delayed.
After some struggle with removing the optics cover plate on the Shield Plus, I finally had the gun ready to go. The sight fit perfectly in the optics cut. I put the included screw into the MPRD 2, only to find out that the screw was too large for the holes on the slide. Well crap! I had stripped one of the Smith & Wesson screws in the removal, so I needed another screw. After searching through everything in my parts stash, I found I had nothing that would fit.
Using my mad Google skills, I found the right size screws. (6-32 x 3/8 if you care) Of course, they don’t want to sell you 2. So, I now own a box of 30. Fortunately, they were cheap, and Home Depot shipped them to my house for free.
The red dot got mounted. It’s slim, so it fits well on the Shield Plus slide without unnecessary overhang.
As a side note, I decided to not go with the Torx head this time. I got the screws in Phillips head. It may look a little redneck, but I truly don’t care.
Read about the Sig Romeo Zero Elite Red Dot
Shooting the Riton X3 Tactix MPRD 2
I took the new setup to an indoor range to zero it. Since this is a sub-compact carry gun, I opted to zero it at 10 yards. The optic was not far off from the beginning. It only took a few 3 round strings to get it where I wanted it. The adjustments were ok, but I don’t feel like the adjustment screws gave me a lot of feedback.
The optic sits pretty low. Since an adapter plate wasn’t needed, I was able to still have a lower 1/5th co-witness if that is important to you.
The dot was clear. It was maybe 1 click brighter than I would have put it manually, but not bad. The glass has a little bit of a blue tint to it, but nothing distracting. I put about 75 rounds through the gun and found the optic very easy to use. So far, it was looking promising.
Going Outside
Later in the week, I took the optic to an outdoor range. I was anxious to see how it would handle the bright Florida sun. The Riton X3 Tactix MPRD 2 did not disappoint. The red was bright and easy to pick up. I shot a bunch of drills, and the optic did well. No visible flickering and I never noticed adjustments when I moved to shade or during cloud cover.
About Automatic Adjustments
Some people have reservations about red dots that automatically adjust. The most common concern is if you were in a situation where you are in a position much darker than your point of aim. For example, if were in a dark room while your target was in a well-lit room that you haven’t entered yet. In that case, the red dot is adjusting for dark (dimmer dot) but where you are looking is bright.
I can understand the concern. If this were a gun I was planning to take into combat, I probably would stick with manual adjustments. But for my general carry purposes, I’m ok with this.
What Would I Change?
Not much. The Riton X3 Tactix MPRD 2 is a pretty solid little optic. I don’t love the bottom-loading battery, especially with the struggles I went through getting it on the gun. But 50,000 hours is a long time. Even if the battery life is only 25k, that’s 2.8 years. So let’s call this future Alan’s problem and move on.
Read about the Pitbull Tactical Mag Carrier
Will I Trust My Life to It?
I admit that I am surprised. I expected to have reservations about the optic, but I don’t. The Riton X3 Tactix MPRD 2 has done everything I’ve asked of it so far. To this point, I have about 250 rounds through it. Since it hasn’t shown any issues, I’m going to start carrying it. So yes, I am willing to trust my life to it at this point.
Get the Pitbull Tactical Universal Mag Carrier seen in the photo here.
If anything changes with the optic or problems arise later, I will pass those on as well.
I’m not holding the mounting difficulties against the MPRD 2. That was a combo of bad luck and my impatience.
If you are looking for a budget red dot that has some nice features and performs as advertised, the Riton X3 Tactix MPRD 2 is worth a look. Buy The X3 Tactix MPRD 2 here.
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