Gear Review: Taking the Hi-Lux Optics TD-3C for a Spin

There’s no denying that the optics market has been flooded with products from manufacturers new and old. While competition breeds success (and a market that’s great for consumers), it also means some products are going to struggle against established brands. This can even be true for the descendant of a famous brand such as Leatherwood/Hi-Lux, which got its start producing rifle scopes for snipers during the Vietnam war. Today’s review product is a little more close-up oriented, the Hi-Lux TD-3C pistol red dot sight.

Let’s take a quick look at the Hi-Lux TD-3C’s specs, to make sure I’m not about to mount a Toyota Hilux to my gun (common mistake).

Tech Specs

• Machined from solid 7075-T6 aluminum billet
• RMR footprint
• 28mm x 19mm window
• Side loading CR2032 battery compartment
• 2 x Reticles, 34 MOA segmented circle with dot, or only 3 MOA dot
• 50,000 hour battery life
• 2 ounce weight
• 1 MOA travel per click
• 90 MOA elevation/windage travel
• Low picatinny riser available
• 11 brightness settings
• Hi-Lux is HQ’d in California

Where To Buy

Big Performance in a Small Package

Any optic this size is going to feel a little like a toy when you unbox it. I mean, this thing is two ounces. I’ll hand it to Hi-Lux, this feels as solid as any tiny optic has ever felt. It won’t add much heft to your gun, roughly the same weight as four rounds of 9mm.

A couple things I noticed right away: The max brightness setting is sufficient. Seems like a gimme, but some optics have been coming up short on this lately. I like the side loading battery compartment. I see no reason someone should have to dismount an optic to re-up the battery. Including the picatinny low mount at no extra cost is a nice move, since picatinny is a lot more prevalent than RMR footprints.

I would like to see this with some version of “shake awake.” With such a long battery life, I see no downside to adding in a feature that’s quickly approaching “industry standard.”

The Hi-Lux TD-3C came with the 34 MOA circle with dot reticle programmed.  I swapped to the 3 MOA dot alone, but found I liked the bigger reticle more and immediately switched back.

I mounted the TD-3C to a Ruger Mark IV 22/45 dressed out with a suppressor, using the included picatinny riser. I feel like the Hi-Lux TD-3C is a natural fit on such a small, light firearm. The reticle is well suited to such a gun as well, providing a large illuminated circle to center the dot quickly for reactive fire, and a small, bright dot for more precise aimed fire.

I kept the TD-3C on the Ruger Mark IV for a handful of range days, and I really liked it there. I get paid to shake it up a bit more than that though, so I mounted it on an MKE/Zenith Mp5k clone next.

If I liked the TD-3C on the Ruger, I loved it on the Mp5k. This is already a chonky gun, so adding a full-sized (full weight) red dot just exacerbates the issue. The TD-3C lives happily on the Mp5k clone now, and I won’t be taking it off. This is a big upgrade over the standard HK iron sights, and not only sped up CQB drills but made pinging a mini E-type target at 100 yards much easier.

Wrap It Up

Three months isn’t a long time to test longevity on an optic. Sure I’ve left the battery on the whole time (2,000+ hours), but I still have ~47,000 hours to go. Neither the .22 LR nor the 9mm represents a strong challenge in recoil, but the TD-3C is more likely to be run on smaller guns anyhow. I have let it sit out all day when it was 105°F, just to see if some version of thermal shift could be induced (it wasn’t).  I do plan on getting some rounds on target with this optic on a Ruger SFAR in .308, but I have to wait on a couple more range days before that happens. If there’s an issue with the TD-3C holding zero with stiffer recoil, I’ll update this article ASAP.

Until then, I consider the Hi-Lux TD-3C worth checking out if you’re in the market for a tiny optic with a big window and a bright reticle. The Hi-Lux TD-3C runs $219. Check it out!

Check out more articles from Jens “Rex Nanorum” Hammer or visit him on Instagram @Rexnanorum.

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