If you are in the market for an inexpensive red dot, Gowutar is something to take a look at. I had never heard of Gowutar before they contacted me. They sell Chinese manufactured red dots on Amazon. Since a lot of the well known red dots are manufactured in China, that part didn’t bother me. So I headed over to take a look at them before I decided to review one. I then decided that the A17 micro dot might fit the bill. The A17 uses an RMSc footprint and is right at home on smaller pistols.

The Gowutar A17 has all the same features as the top name red dot’s. Most notably is its Motion Activated Illumination. This functions just like one would expect. After 4 minutes of no movement, the A17 turns off. Just slightly move the A17 and the red dot turns on. This helps give the CR2032 battery a 30,000 hour lifespan. It does use a bottom mount battery, so to change it you will need to take the optic off. There is a built-in seal to help keep moisture out of the battery, but no seal plate. The A17 also comes with a low picatinny rail mount and a bunch of screws for mounting it to different firearms. The various screws were a nice touch.

Gowutar is using a 2 MOA dot size in the A17. I like the smaller dot size. Being 2 MOA it is easy enough for me to see, but still gives pretty good accuracy at a distance. The red dot inside the A17 is really clear. It also has 10 brightness settings, 2 of which are night vision compatible, so you can adjust it to your liking. To adjust the brightness, on the left side is the “up” button, and on the right side is the “down” button. Zeroing the A17 is easy enough, but the adjustments are just friction and not clicks. The window size on the A17 is 17 mm high by 21 mm wide. I’m guessing that’s where the A17 name comes from. The window size is also on par with other red dots in this class. The A17 is also one of the sight types that has a built in rear iron sight. I like this feature and surprisingly it lined up pretty well with my front iron sight. I was able to get decent hits at 10yds using the rear iron sight on the A17.

Construction and durability are always a question of mine, at least for these inexpensive red dots. The Gowutar A17 has an outer shell made from 7075 aluminum, so it’s quality stuff. Gowutar states the A17 is shockproof to 1800G’s. But is it? The first A17 I had started having problems after about 3 months and about 400 rounds of 9mm. It started going off after a shot was fired. Then you had to smack it pretty hard to get it to turn back on. I contacted Gowutar and they immediately sent out another one. The new one has been good so far, with close to the same round count. Since I now had an extra A17 that kind of worked, I proceeded to take it outside and drop it on the concrete from about 8 feet. I did this 7 or 8 times and the glass didn’t break. Now it wasn’t on a firearm, but it still says something about the durability. It even turned on after the drops. Because of this, I wouldn’t recommend it for a “Duty” use application, and Gowutar doesn't sell it as that. But for something you use at the range, it should be a good fit.

For an inexpensive micro red dot, the Gowutar A17 is better than I expected. Yes, it had problems, but Gowutar’s customer service was great. The A17 has all the features you want in a red dot, like Motion Activated Illumination and a standard mounting footprint. Plus, it can usually be had for just over $100. I was impressed with its value and features for a range ready micro red dot. If you are in the market for something like this, check out what Gowutar has to offer.

Firearms Insider Reviews - 8 Key Points

Claim to Fame:

Inexpensive Micro red dot

Target Market:

Those wanting a RMSc red dot for the range

FNBs (Features & Benefits of this product):

2 MOA dot
RMSc footprint
Motion activated illumination
Built in rear sight
Lens Height: 17 Millimeters
7075 aircraft grade Aluminum
Fully Multi-Coated Ruby Red lens
Windage/Elevation Movement Range: ±45 MOA
10 Illumination Settings: 8 Daytime/2 NV
Shockproof: 1800Gs
Waterproof: IPX8
Battery Type: CR2032
Battery Life: 160h-30000h
Net weight: 25g/0.88oz
Length: 37mm/1.44in
Width: 24mm/0.94in
Height: 26mm/1.02in
3 year warranty

What other aesthetic options or finishes are available?

Green dot

What others are saying?:

3 out of 5 stars on Amazon

Decent

I will say if you want a red dot and it’s what you can afford it’s pretty good. My problem is the battery mounts on the bottom and you can see the edge of the battery. To me it’s a little bit too exposed so I decided it would be fine on a gun I am only going to use at the range. Also you could use it on a gun that has a plate like a Canik that seats really well and covers the battery to protect it a little better.

Link to other reviews:

Yellow Belly Tactical

Price point:

MSRP = $118.99

Retail = Same

I need it now! Availability:

Amazon

Our Rating:

Pros:

Motion activated illumination
Standard footprint (RMSc)
Uses standard 2032 battery
Battery Life
Durability - passed drop test

Cons:

Stopped working after 3 months (sent replacement with no problems)
Bottom mount battery

Score: 6.50 Okay

Favorite Link: Magne-Tech Rigel II

Primary Arms has come out with a couple of new reflex sights. Both of these are from their value priced “Classic” line of optics. The two new red dots are the Classic Mini and Classic Micro. Both have 3 MOA dot sizes and are on common mounting footprints, making it easy to mount on various pistol slides.

I’m putting the Micro and Mini together since they both function the same way. These reflex sights are your common “open” style. The main difference is size, weight, and mounting footprint. But as far as function, they are very similar. To turn them on, just push the brightness up button, marked with a plus sign. For off, just hold down the brightness down button for a few seconds, the one marked with a minus sign. If you forget to turn the sights off, they will automatically turn off after 12 hours of use. If you push a button anytime in that window of time, the sight resets the 12 hours. These two red dots both have 10 brightness settings. From sunny daylight bright down to midnight dark. You really can see and use all 10 of the brightness settings, if that’s what you want. The Mini’s up/down buttons are located on the left side of the reflex sight. The Micro has the up button on the left side and the down button on the right side. This is because the Micro is quite a bit smaller than the Mini.

When it comes to small red dot sights, people seem to want to know about battery life. I would tend to say that this is because everyone hates changing batteries. On the Primary Arms Classic Mini and Micro, the CR2032 battery is located on the bottom of the mounting surface. So battery life is more important because the sight must be taken off to change it. I’m not keen on the bottom mount battery, but since the battery lasts approximately 40,000 hours on brightness setting 5, I’m okay with it.

The 3 MOA dot size is a good option for the Micro and Mini. I like the precision that a 3 MOA dot allows. Yet it isn't too small to see on a handgun. I pick up the dot pretty quick with these reflex sights. Surprisingly, the dot on the squarer window of the Micro is easier for me to pick up, even though it is smaller. Don’t get me wrong, the red dot on the Mini’s more rounded window is still easy for me to pick up, but the window size is also noticeably larger. These reflex sights use fully multi-coated lenses to help make that red dot as bright and clear as can be. You do notice a very, very slight tint to them, but it doesn’t distract from seeing your target or the dot. To sight in the dot, they both have 1 MOA adjustment screws at the back and right side of the sights. They use a small allen wrench to adjust them, but they are not click adjustable.

The Classic series Mini is mainly for standard size pistols. It uses a RMR footprint to mount the red dot to a slide, or possibly a picatinny riser. The width is about 1.2 inches, when measured to the outside of the buttons, so it fits nicely on most compact and full size pistols. I really like how Primary Arms designed this for the RMR footprint, as it is one of the industry standards. So finding a slide or pistol to mount the Mini on is super easy. The Mini also has a decent sized window, at 24x17mm. This window is also slightly curved at the top to give you a better view of the red dot. This larger window also makes it easier to find the dot, so to speak. Being the larger of the two red dots, the Mini still comes in with a weight of 0.97 ounces.

Mini size compared to a penny, Micro is smaller yet

Now onto the Classic series Micro. This is the smaller version mainly for use on sub-compact and micro pistols. It measures 1 inch at the buttons, but is actually a little slimmer in real life. Primary Arms uses the RMSc industry standard footprint for the Micro. Using the RMSc footprint is by far the best choice for this red dot. The window size comes in at 21x15mm. Even though the window isn’t very large, the squarer viewing window is easier for me to pick up. I mounted it on a glockish 43 and it looks right at home. The Micro is pretty much half the weight of its larger brother, coming in at 0.56 ounces. The height profile of the Micro also allowed me to use standard height backup sights. It does cut the sight’s viewing angle off some, but they still can be seen fine. So you may not have to purchase new iron sights with the Micro, a definite plus in my book.

Both the Primary Arms Classic Mini and Micro red dots work great. They both handled recoil fine and I didn’t break them. I would recommend these to anyone looking for a cost effective red dot for range, competition, or just “fun” use. With no way to leave them on continuously, carry use is out for me. Look into the Primary Arms RS-10 if you need something for carry or home defense, as it will always be on. For what they are, the Mini and Micro are both great budget friendly options for a reflex style red dot.