There is never a time when I go into the woods for hunting or off-roading that I am not carrying a handgun – and more often than not these days – it will be equipped with a red dot. I was fairly late adopting pistol mounted red dots, but even in that short amount of time, there have been massive improvements to them. All the rage now are enclosed red dots, offering a more rugged design and protection for the LED emitter, enclosed red dots bring plenty of positives with very few drawbacks. One of the pioneers in red dots, Shield Sights, has released two new enclosed pistol red dots for their popular footprints on both full size and compact handguns. The two new models are the Shield Sights AMS for full size, and Shield Sights AMSc for compact models. Both of these enclosed red dots offer some attractive features, including an integrated rear peep sight for co-witnessing iron sights, 20,000hr battery life, side battery, and night vision compatibility.
Optics Coverage on AllOutdoor
NEW Enclosed Pistol Red Dots – The Shield Sights AMS and AMSc
“The AMS and AMSc (compact) are fully enclosed pistol sights that share the standard SHIELD footprint and maintain a co-witness with standard height iron sights. The AMS Line series of sights combine the best features of the military-proven SIS enclosed carbine sight and RMSw pistol optic to create a compact yet fully sealed pistol sight. This combination integrates the patented no-click adjustment mechanism, 3 auto brightness settings, 12 manual brightness settings, and NGV compatibility.
The all-aluminium frame houses 23mm x 17mm (AMS) and 19mm x 16mm (AMSc) all-glass objective lens, features an integrated rear peep sight, and a mounting interface for fitting aftermarket accessories like a roll cage, lights, lasers, or protective lens covers. The housing is also nitrogen-purged and waterproof to depths of 30 feet for 30 minutes.
Weighing only 37g, 1.3 oz (battery included), the AMS and AMSc boast a calculated battery life of 20,000hr with CR2032 battery on manual level 7 setting. The side battery compartment is easily accessible and capable of using CR2025, CR2032, and CR2050 batteries.”
Current Available Models
- AMS
- AMSc
- AMS Multi Reticle
- 2 MOA
- 2 MOA + 65 MOA Ring
- 8 MOA
- 8 MOA + 65 MOA Ring
- 8 MOA Horseshoe
- 8 MOA Horseshoe + 65 MOA Ring
Technical Specifications – Shield Sights AMS – MSRP $599.99
- Mounts to Standardized SHIELD footprint
- Co-witness to standard iron sights
- Large crystal clear 1x Glass lens
- Weighing only 34g, 1.2 oz (without battery)
- 12 stage manual brightness adjustment, including 3 NVG settings
- 3 stage auto brightness adjustments
- 20,000 hours battery life calculated using 2MOA LED on setting 7 using CR2032 Battery.
- Uses CR2025, CR2032, or CR2050 batteries
- Nitrogen purged Aerospace Grade Aluminum housing
- Submersible to 30 feet for 30 minutes
Technical Specifications – Shield Sights AMSc – MSRP $569.99
- Mounts to Standardized SHIELD footprint
- Co-witness to standard iron sights
- Large crystal clear 1x Glass lens
- Weighing only 21g, 0.75 oz (without battery)
- 20,000 hours battery life calculated using 4MOA LED using CR2032 Battery
- Uses CR2025, CR2032 or CR2050 batteries
- Nitrogen purged Aerospace Grade Aluminum housing
- Submersible to 30 feet for 30 minutes
For additional information, head over to Shield Sights’ website
The AMS and AMSc are also available from Shield Sights dealers
