AllOutdoor Review: Vortex Defender-CCW, ST, and XL Micro Green Dots

Something that has gained a lot of traction in recent years, and is quickly becoming all the rage are green dots. There are a bevy of purported benefits that shooters are looking to gain in all aspects of their shooting: hunting, defense, and target shooting. So, it only makes sense that one of the preeminent leaders in optics – Vortex Optics – is paving the way for green dot glass. Vortex Optics has announced new versions of their Defender series micro dots to now include green. Today, we are going to take a look at the Vortex Optics Defender-CCW, ST, and XL Micro Green Dots to see if they are everything that they are billed to be. Let’s dive in!

Vortex Optics Coverage on AllOutdoor

Specifications: Vortex Defender-CCW, ST, and XL Micro Green Dots

For all of the Defender-CCW, ST, and XL Micro Green Dots, they share very similar specs because they are so close in size and use. Depending on how you want to deploy any of these, they all have a distinct purpose and valid use for their size and footprint. All of their attributes can be read below as presented by Vortex Optics:

Mounting Footprint: DeltaPoint® Pro (Defender-XL, Defender-ST) | Shield RMSc (Defender-CCW)
Dot Size: 3 MOA
Dot Color: Bright Green
Battery Type: CR2032 (Defender-XL, Defender-ST) | CR 1632 (Defender-CCW)
Battery Run Time: 25,000 Hours (Defender-XL, Defender-ST) | 9,500 Hours (Defender-CCW)
Magnification: 1x
Reticle: 3 MOA Green Dot

Eye Relief: Unlimited
Adjustment Graduation: 1 MOA
Travel Per Rotation: 25 MOA (Defender-XL, Defender-ST) | 30 MOA (Defender-CCW)
Max Elevation Adjustment: 120 MOA (Defender-XL) | 115 MOA (Defender-ST) | 110 MOA (Defender-CCW)
Max Windage Adjustment: 115 MOA (Defender-XL) | 145 MOA (Defender-ST) | 105 MOA (Defender-CCW)
Parallax Setting: Parallax Free
Length: 2.03″ (Defender-XL) | 1.83″ (Defender-ST) | 1.59″ (Defender-CCW)
Weight: 1.93 oz. (Defender-XL) | 1.48 oz. (Defender-ST) | 0.95 oz. (Defender-CCW)

While we are looking specifically at the Micro Green Dots in the Defender series today, Vortex Optics does have 10 options within the Defender series as whole (both red and green dots). Again, for clarity, we are playing with the Micro Green Dots, but you have 10 potential offerings listed below:

Micro Green Dots

Micro Red Dots

The Vortex Optics Defender-CCW, ST, and XL Micro Green Dots are waterproof, fogproof, and shockproof to endure everything that Mother Nature (and you) can throw at them. Additionally, you have beneficial features like a top mount battery and an auto-shutoff. All of the features you can enjoy from these green dots are listed below as presented by Vortex:

Bright Green Dot – Targets quickly in varied lighting and diverse backgrounds.
Large Viewing Window – For fast target acquisition and large field of view.
ShockShield™ Polymer Insert – To protect against hard, daily abuse.
Fast-Rack™ Texturing – Aggressive texturing on face of optic for racking slide off any surface.
Button Lockout – Prevents accidental brightness adjustment during use or transport.
10 Daylight Bright Brightness Settings – Daylight bright, illuminated center dot aids in faster center-point acquisition in bright daylight conditions.

Night-Vision Compatibility – The lowest 2 settings are night-vision compatible.
Parallax Free – All green dot and holographic sights will exhibit some small amount of parallax. Matching current industry practice, this small amount would be considered “parallax free” and will make a negligible difference in performance.
Unlimited Eye Relief – Non-critical eye relief for rapid target acquisition.
Low-Glare Matte Black Anodized – Corrosion and wear resistant anodization provides low-glare matte surface and helps camouflage the shooter’s position.
Single-Piece Chassis – Compact and lightweight.

Vortex VIP Warranty: Vortex Defender-CCW, ST, and XL Micro Green Dots

In the rare event that your red dot should ever require service, warranty, or replacement of any kind, Vortex Optics has set the bar for customer service. The Vortex VIP Warranty that covers all of their optics also covers your Defender-CCW, ST, and XL Micro Green Dots as an unlimited lifetime warranty that is fully transferable to future owners of products and no receipt is needed. So, whether you gift something to a friend or pass it down to a family member, the next owner in line is still covered. Whether these green dots take a tumble out of a treestand, or down the side of a mountain trail.

A Word from Vortex Optics on the NEW Defender-CCW, ST, and XL Micro Green Dots

While I can regale you with all of my thoughts on these green dots for days, sometimes it is best to get it straight from the horse’s mouth. So, this is what Vortex Optics has to say about their new Defender-CCW, ST, and XL Micro Green Dots:

Barneveld, Wisconsin – Whether it’s due to personal preference, lighting conditions, or your native shooting environment, more and more shooters of all abilities are choosing green dots. Now, green fans can mount their favorite Defender in their favorite color.

What’s in the Box? Vortex Defender-CCW, ST, and XL Micro Green Dots

One of the most common and recurring questions I receive reviewing firearms and their related products is, “what’s in the box?” Meaning, what do you all get with your purchase. This is important because what you do and do not get will dictate what type of accessories you need to additionally buy depending on what you want your end-product or hunting setup to look like. All this being said, this is everything that you will receive:

Included in the Box:

Picatinny Mount
Custom Tool
1º Shim Plate (Defender-CCW)
Most Common Mounting Screw Sets
Lens Cloth
Battery: CR2032 (Defender-XL and Defender-ST) or CR1632 (Defender-CCW)
Rubber Cover
Glock MOS Plate

Mounting: Vortex Defender-CCW, ST, and XL Micro Green Dots

When it came to mounting these green dots on host firearms for testing I turned to some of the most reliable pistols in my stable from Springfield Armory:

These 3 pistols run the gamut of self-defense to competition to bear defense for me. From small to more than large, they were the perfect collection of handguns to test the 3 different sizes of Micro Green Dots that Vortex Optics has released.

The beauty of all of the Defender series optics – red or green for that matter – is Vortex gives you all of the necessary screws you will need to mounts these dots to the most popular handguns on the market today. So, between what was already present in each box and the firearms themselves, I had everything I needed to get these mounted up. Even the necessary wrenches and tools to tighten everything down. I love that about Vortex.

Sighting the Green Dots In

When it came to sighting in these pistols it was an absolute breeze. I sighted them in at roughly 7 yards (~20 feet) and I immediately was hitting paper in a “pie plate area” of probably within 10″ of the bullseye. From there, I could use Vortex’s provided tool to adjust the externally adjustable windage and elevation. All 3 pistols I was able to positively sight-in within 10 rounds or less. I found that to be very reassuring.

Field Use: Vortex Defender-CCW, ST, and XL Micro Green Dots

To put the Vortex Optics Defender-CCW, ST, and XL Micro Green Dots through a more thorough test, I ran a bunch of Remington’s Range 9mm 115 Grain Full Metal Jacket for the Echelon and Hellcat. I’ll gladly give Remington a shout-out quickly because I’ve been running this ammo for awhile and it’s been reliable, clean, and consistent. All good attributes you’d want and expect from your range ammo. So, thank you to Remington for providing that ammo.

Remington Range 9mm Luger 115 Grain Full Metal Jacket 1,145 FPS | R27778 | MSRP $24.99

While I do not have any vision impairments, I did find that the green dot optics were brighter on a sunny day at an outdoor range. I never felt like I was chasing the dots or “fishing” to locate them within the glass. They were prominent in their appearance and very easy to see. Even with a lot of lush green foliage on the range, the vibrant green dots performed well for me.

The physical glass on all 3 green dots was very clear and crisp. Even when I got them dirty, you could easily clean them off with a lens cleaner (or, let’s be honest, a clean portion of the T-shirt I was wearing).

Sometimes people will complain about the refresh rate of dot optics – generally – not specifically about Vortex. For these new green dots, I found the literal dot you were looking at to be bright and constant. There was no perceptible ‘refresh’ or ‘flicker’ that could be seen. So, in that regard, these green dots were terrific.

Final Thoughts

So, what are my final thoughts on the Vortex Optics Defender-CCW, ST, and XL Micro Green Dots?… Overall, I enjoyed them quite a bit. As I previously stated, I thankfully have perfect vision (today), but that doesn’t mean I am going to have stellar eyesight forever. I can see the touted benefits and I witnessed them in action as well. Whether you have good vision or not, I believe the popularity of green dots is growing for a good reason. I would absolutely recommend these new Defender-CCW, ST, and XL Micro Green Dots from Vortex Optics.

In closing, I want to say thank you to Vortex Optics for allowing AllOutdoor and myself the opportunity to try out their new Vortex Optics Defender-CCW, ST, and XL Micro Green Dots. That is greatly appreciated. Also, we would like to know what all of you guys and gals think? Do you believe that the Vortex Optics Defender-CCW, ST, and XL Micro Green Dots are something worth spending your money on? Would you deploy one on your next turkey hunt? Use one for a league or competition? Potentially add it to your home defense shotgun? As always, let us know all of your thoughts about Vortex Optics and the new Vortex Optics Defender-CCW, ST, and XL Micro Green Dots in the Comments below! We always appreciate your feedback.

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Adam Scepaniak