Vortex Crossfire Red Dot Review – 2022 Guide

Vortex Crossfire Red Dot Sight

Vortex Crossfire Red Dot Specs

•  Eye Relief: Unlimited

• Adjustment Options: 1 MOA per click

• Parallax: Parallax free

• Windage: Adjustable dial on the side

• Elevation: Adjustable dial on top

• Type of Reticle: 2 MOA red dot reticle

• Magnification: Fixed standard 1x power

• Focal Plane: Single

• Objective Lens: 21mm objective lens

• Field of View: Maximum

Pros

Below are the main pros:

Unlimited Eye Relief

The Vortex Crossfire Red Dot has unlimited eye relief. Unlimited eye relief means that you don’t have to place your eye directly against the sight's ocular lens to get a clear view. Pressing your eye directly onto the sight or very close to the sight will cause the sight to impact your head or eye from the recoil of pulling the trigger. Unlimited eye relief on the Vortex Crossfire Red Dot keeps you safe and protected.

21mm Objective Lens

The objective lens is the lens that points in the direction that your rifle will be pointed. It is not the lens that you will be looking through to give you eye relief. The Vortex Crossfire Red Dot has a large 21mm objective lens. This gives you a maximum field of vision for when you need to locate your target while looking through the sight.

Brightness and Battery Life

The brightness level can be set from 1 to 11, with 11 being the brightest. This makes the Vortex Crossfire Red Dot the ideal rifle sight to use in daytime or nighttime conditions. The battery life for the Vortex Crossfire Red Dot is approximately 50,000 on one CR2032 battery. The CR2032 battery is included with the sight.

Cons

Below are the main cons:

Permanent 2 MOA Reticle

A 2 MOA reticle is a small, 0.6mm red dot that can’t be adjusted. It is permanently set to 2 MOA. This can prove difficult if aiming at a target a few hundred yards away, as you won’t be able to adjust the size of the red dot on your shot. Many red dot sights allow you to adjust the reticle, which can be beneficial to a marksman who is taking a long shot.

A 2 MOA reticle can be intimidating to marksmen who aren’t comfortable making a long shot, as they may not be able to see the small 0.6mm red dot located on the target. 

The upside, however, is that smaller reticles typically prove to offer a more precise target location. This means that where you see the red dot will be the entry location of your shot. This ensures that you have the probability of making a cleaner kill instead of inflicting an injury on the game, causing you to spend time tracking it when it runs.

Adjustability is 1 MOA per Click

We’ve listed this as a disadvantage of the Crossfire Red Dot simply because 1 MOA per click doesn’t allow you to adjust for those times when you need to make a half adjustment.

Sometimes you don’t need to make a full MOA adjustment for the distance you are shooting. With a sight that has ¼ or ½ MOA adjustments, you can make adjustments for those times when your bullet may fall 6” low when shooting a target at 400 yards, as the adjustment for this would be 1.5 MOA.

Best Uses for the Vortex Crossfire Red Dot

The Vortex Crossfire Red Dot is one of the most versatile red dot sights on our list because it can be used on both handguns and long barrels. The size of the sight allows it to easily mount on larger handguns. For hunters or sharpshooters, you can add the Vortex Crossfire Red Dot to your AR-15 or rimfire hunting rifle. The Vortex Crossfire Red Dot is perfect for both applications.

Magnification: How Does it Play a Role in the Vortex Crossfire Red Dot?

The standard magnification for the Vortex Crossfire Red Dot is standard 1x power. Just as a minute of angle is 1 per 100 yards, the magnification is also standard 1x at 100 yards.

If using the Vortex Crossfire Red Dot on a rifle, just remember that the magnification won’t increase beyond 100 yards. The good news is that the reticle is bright, so you should be able to see the red dot on your target even without magnification.

Yardage: What is Yardage and How Does it Relate to the Vortex Crossfire Red Dot?

The Vortex Crossfire Red Dot has optimal accuracy with no adjustments needed at 100 yards. To put it simply, if you are shooting a target up to 100 yards, your shot will be 100% accurate according to the red dot, as no adjustments will have been made to the windage and elevation.

When you’re shooting a target further than 100 yards, you will need to make adjustments. This is when you need to understand MOA and how to calculate it for the type of gun you are shooting. Remember, different bullet calibers have different flight patterns, so it’s important for you to know where your bullet will land in relation to the target to ensure you calculate the right MOA. 

Understanding Minutes of Angle and How to Calculate it

MOA stands for a minute of angle, and it measures the distance the projectile will fall over a measured distance. MOA is called minute because it is 1/60th of a degree, and it equates to approximately a 1” drop per every 100 yards traveled.

Because the Vortex Crossfire Red Dot adjusts at 1 MOA per click, you will need to know how many clicks you need to make for the amount of drop you are making up for.

Without going into too much detail about MOA, we’ll use a quick and simple example to tell you how many clicks to make on your Crossfire Red Dot.

If you are shooting a target at 300 yards and need to account for a 9” drop, you will need to adjust for 3 minutes of angle, or 3 clicks, on your sight.

Is the Vortex Crossfire Red Dot Compatible With Any Rifle?

The Vortex Crossfire Red Dot is compatible with all rimfire rifles because of its small design. This includes rimfire ARs, which makes it a great sight to add if you need a small, lightweight, and affordable sight for your .22 LR AR.

What Do I Need to Know About Mounting the Vortex Crossfire Red Dot?

The Vortex Crossfire Red Dot has two mounting options: a low mount and a skeletonized mount. The low mount should be used when attaching the red dot to a handgun, while the skeletonized mount should be used for rifles.

Before you can attach the mount to your firearm, you will need to make sure your firearm has a Picatinny or Weaver-style rail/base. Both of these rails/bases are compatible with the Vortex Crossfire Red Dot mount.

A T-10 Torx wrench is included with the sight so that you can properly secure the sight to the mount. Make sure you use the included wrench to properly tighten the four screws on the mount to secure the sight in place. Failing to do so can result in the sight tilting or detaching during use.