New From Shield: RMS – Reflex Mini Sight

1. So…. If you drop it in the mud and it gets over the LED, is it easy to wipe off and continue working? Or is it fubar at that point?

   • My advice would try not to drop the pistol in the mud, but mud happens. Lol. But, it looks like stock profile sights can be used as a back up; which could be a huge bonus.

   • Anything with a battery is a no go for ME ON HUNTING / SD firearms. I have one of the SEE ALL sights and love it and need more. Fantastic on a zombie turkey gun. Glow in the dark irons are way better.

     • So, you like the See All? I read the reviews here on it. They seemed pretty practical. It would cool to experiment on one my pistols.

     • Many of the non-magnifying red dot sights will co-witness with iron sights, so when they are powered down you just use the irons and look right through them.

     • I understand your hesitation to use batteries, especially on an HD gun, but consider, if you can afford it, something proven like an aimpoint or rmr, especially on a pistol if you can get the sight to co-witness, and you train properly, you will be faster on target. Its also way easier to shoot both eyes open with a red dot. There’s a reason our Spec Op guys have been using them on rifles for years and are now slowly but surely transitioning to rmr’s on their pistols. If its reliable enough to survive the riggers of war its good enough for HD. The See-All looks intersting, but can you shoot both eyes open? I know it blocks more of your sight picture than a red dot. Can u adjust the intensity of the dot? Can the see-all stand up to the level of abuse that a t-1 or rmr can, as has been proven by numerous professional pipe hitters? Anyway, YMMV, take care.

       • FWIW, Shield Sights have been used in combat by various branches of the British military for decades. The optics they use like Shield’s CQS, CQB, and SIS are effectively the same as this RMS but have a housing over the entire thing and a rear lens, sealing the LED and interior of the lenses from the elements. I don’t know if the military / LE community uses Shield’s RMS (the subject of this post and press release) or the previous version of it, or not.

         Regarding the mud thing, simply blowing it off would probably resolve it. Worst case, as long as the lens is clear enough to see through you can use the iron sights. One of the nice things about the RMS is how slim it is — how low it mounts — which makes co-witnessing iron sights very easy. Even factory-height sights will co-witness in many cases (e.g. on my Glock 19 MOS). For close-in self-defense sort of use, you don’t even need the dot *or* the sights — just use the frame of the optic as a ghost ring sort of a sight. “Window of death” as some call it. If you’re inside of like 15 feet, if your target is inside of the frame of the optic it’ll be hit.

   • They are only warranting them for 2 years. That’s really sad compared to the lifetime warranties offered by the likes of Trijicon, Leupold, Burris, & Vortex for their competitive offerings. If they came with a decent warranty I definitely buy one but apparently, the manufacturer itself doesn’t believe these sights will hold up.

2. There are lots of “red dot” type sights out there, with prices ranging from $30 to well into four figures. Reflex? Holographic? Flux capacitor?

   It would be great to see a TTAG article that describes and explains the different technologies used in these things, and why there is such a broad spectrum of pricing.

   • I second this. I bought an EOTech with my first AR and my buddy spent 60 bucks on a small reflex sight and, aside from a durability standpoint, I could never figure out what that extra 240 bucks got me.

     • Cause they can!

     • My red dots are so much more reliable than my EOTech was, that I sent it back for a refund.

3. As my, well, just say over 50 year old eyes have more and more trouble with iron sights. I just may HAVE to adopt these Buck Rogers, new flagged “thingies”. Damn.

   • That’s what happened to me. Up until I was around 60, with either pistols or rifles, I could automatically focus on the rear sight, the front sight, and the target, all at the same time. Near vision has dived for the dirt since then, to the point I need reading glasses to align the iron sights, to the extent that I can then not clearly distinguish the target. Electronics or scopes become necessary, lasers, red dots, green dots, I’m still experimenting. My hands commencing to shake doesn’t help. Hey, getting old is a bitch, but beats the alternatives, yes?

     • YEP.

4. Anything that helps me see sights better cant be bad. I find it an interesting option.

5. Does this one use a plastic lens, like prior models?

   • Yes. From the website:

     Parallax free, clear polymer optic, which can withstand up to ten times greater shock impact than products using glass optics.

     It definitely weighs less than glass and may very well be stronger.

     • All plastic products will handle more shock than glass. Pick anything made out of plastic. That is more shock resistant than glass. The glass, I’m sure, will hold up better to scratches than the plastic. After all, people need to be able to see through the sight right?

       • Shield RMS may be able to pass muster, but until scratch resistance is proven, that would be a concern.

       • My JPoint has been on my EDC Glock for 11 months now and is carried and used regularly. I clean it with my t-shirt. It is entirely unscratched. The lens is relatively protected by the protruding edges of the frame. I’d have to check with Shield to see if there’s an anti-scratch or other coating on it, but in general plastic can be easily buffed to remove scratches and restore clarity. There are plenty of plastics — like what most prescription glasses lenses are made from — that are quite scratch resistant. …some scratching, of course, being preferable to cracking. I haven’t seen as many cracked reflex sight lenses as I have iPhone screens, but I’ve seen a handful of ’em!

6. These sights might be helpful for an oldtimer like me with eyes to match. But hey, I just had my vision tested and I’m 20/20 (corrected) with no indications of diabetic damage, so I can squeeze a couple more years out of my iron sights. Probably. Maybe. But it’s good to know that help is available if needed.

   • Ralph, I am still 20/20 or better *uncorrected*, does not help if you’re so nearsighted you can’t see your nose without glasses which make you blind at distance. ie, I have to choose whether I can see near or far. I do not need glasses to see a red dot, for example, so I’m good to go.

7. Am I the only one who has never heard of Shield Sights? In what price range is this? Is this their only product?

   • The “about Shield” last paragraph of the press release has some good info in it. They’ve been around forever and make the red dots for the British military and/or special forces groups. The first Trijicon red dots were manufactured by Shield, and JP Rifles has been importing their little reflex sight (similar to the RMS in this post) for years and selling it as their JPoint. Shield’s own optics under their own brand are just starting to hit the U.S… I believe their SIS and CQS, perhaps other models, are available on Brownells or Midway. Pricing is competitive, and they’re effectively the same units used by the British military/special forces IIRC.

     I’ve been playing with a CQS for a few months now and will be writing up the review soon. I just borrowed an SIS with the BDC red dot reticle and will start putting that through its paces this weekend. I’ve had a JPoint for nearly a year now and it has been great on my G19 MOS.

     Anyway, they’re a known quantity and have significant experience. They just haven’t been in the U.S. — at least not under their own brand name. But that’s changing.

8. So if you have an older Glock/Springfield/HK, with out the build in mounting plates for these types of sights, what does it cost to send the slide out to get machined to accept the base plate?

   Can a gunsmith do this type of work?

   Anyone know?

   Thanks

   Bill

   • Definitely an option, but not strictly necessary. For instance, Shield/JP Rifles sells a bunch of mounting plate adapters (for $39.95) that simply replace the rear sight, dovetailing into place and holding the optic on top: http://jprifles.com/1.6.1.php?menu_select=mounts#adapterP . Above and below where that link takes you on the product page, there are dozens more mounting solutions, too. The JPoint only weighs 14 grams, so sight dovetails and such have no issue holding it solidly in place.

     • Thanks Jeremy

9. But will the shield work on a SW shield?

   • If the sights are the same as the M&P, then they do make a mount for it. See link in my comment just above yours.

10. Is this thing $49, $99, $199, $399? Unless this is significantly less than a Burris FastFire III, don’t know how interesting it is to me. For $215 the FF III is a great product. Never seen a micro dot that performs better, even the $500 ones.

11. Nevermind – this thing is double the price of the FastFire III. I didn’t think it was available yet, but pricing is out there on the net. Shield is about the same price as a Trijicon micro dot sight. Not for me, but maybe perfect somebody else.

    • Don’t rely on converting the price on Shield’s site from GBP to USD. That isn’t how the pricing on their other optics that have been available here has worked. My guess is it will be available right at $299 to $335-ish.

12. I’m new to the micro red dot world .I am former military and I and now a LEO for the past 20 years I have been a firearm s instructor for about 15 years and have had the chance to fire alot of different weapons. I just recently purchased a G19 MOS and a Shield RMS .Zeroing was easy and I was quick to become a fan of the sight. Then I attend a class I know there’s going to be transition drills and can wait to try my new system out .Then during a break I allowed some of the guys to check out my new Shield RMS and Murphys Law one of them drops it from about 3 ft it lands on the sight and bends the hood of the sight distorting the polycarbonate lens and now you can’t see the dot. So needless to say I was very disappointed but at the same time glad it was on the range and not on the street when it happened . So next thing is to contact Shield Sights and see if this will be covered under warranty .

    • Well Good news is that shield has great customer service in my opinion . They took my damaged sight back and sent a new one in its place . The turn around was about 3 weeks. That was expected due to the company being in England. They were very helpful and curtious in all correspondence. ??

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