Back in June I reviewed Shield’s RMS, or Reflex Mini Sight. I think it’s one of the best (if not the best) red dots on the market for pistol use. It’s a perfect fit for my G19 MOS and is narrower than most, but would still hang off the sides of a G43, Shield, or other single-stack, sub-compact pistol.
With the growing popularity of equipping pistols with optics — even sub-compact CCW guns — Shield has released an even skinnier version of the RMS, called the RMS-C (compact). It’s designed to fit these diminutive guns without increasing the width of the slide. Shield Sights‘ press release follows . . .
SHIELD SIGHTS ANNOUNCES THE RMS-C RED DOT SIGHT FOR SUB-COMPACT PISTOLS
For Immediate Release – Dorset, England, U.K. – Shield Sights is pleased to announce the release and full production of the RMS-C. The RMS-C is a compact variation of the RMS that has been specifically designed to be a perfect fit on sub-compact or slim frame pistols.
The RMS-C is an answer to the rising demand for red dot sights on compact EDC pistols. Until now there has never been a red dot sight that maintains full functionality in a slim and aesthetically pleasing package for sub-compact pistols like the Glock 43 and Smith & Wesson Shield.
“After years of declaring that we make the smallest sights we noticed a space that was not being serviced by anyone. Brought to our attention because the customer base was now happy to mount the RMS on to sub compact pistols and accept the sight overhanging the slide, this was not acceptable to Shield so we set the task of miniaturising our RMS to fit the century old 1911/2011 slides, Glock 43’s, Smith & Wesson Shield’s and other single stack pistol slides”
The RMS-C has the same bolt pattern as the original SMS/RMS so users with slides already cut for the RMS can easily swap sights if they choose to.
Features:
– The RMS-C is machined from strong aerospace grade aluminium.
– Very fast automatic brightness adjustment
– No overhang on G43 or S&W Shield
– Very low profile to Co-Witness standard iron sights
– 2-3 year average battery life with standard CR2032 battery
– Weight: 17 grams / .60 ounces battery includedThe RMS-C is available with the option of 4 MOA or 8 MOA dots with an MSRP of $430.
About Shield
SHIELD was formed in the early 1980’s in Great Britain. Shield continues to manufacture the world’s smallest, lightest, toughest mini red dot sight. Sold under other brand names for many years, you may know the Shield Mini Sight as the Firepoint, Tasco Optima, Trijicon RedDot or JPoint. Based on our in-depth knowledge, accumulated through 30 years in the industry, we are continually seeking to develop innovative products that will enable you to hit the target early.
Jeremy, how is yours holding up?
Bueno. My JPoint’s lens is now scuffed from using it a lot — EDC’ing it for multiple years, and just generally not taking very good care of it (e.g. it goes in the range bag with other stuff and usually isn’t protected with a lens cover) — but it isn’t noticeable when you’re actually shooting with it. Only if you’re focusing on the lens instead of shooting normally. I haven’t had the RMS long enough to comment on its long-term durability but so far it’s 100% as-new. I’ll go ahead and expect the lens to wear the same way over time, though it’s possible that, since it’s like 4 years newer, the anti-scratch coating is even better. I do like the aluminum frame of the RMS better than the polymer frame of the JPoint. I change my JPoint’s battery every year now even though I don’t have to…it went a lot longer on its first battery and was still just fine when I swapped it out.
I like these units. I think their only shortcoming is that they aren’t submersible or rated for use in extreme wet conditions. I do believe Shield is going to be releasing a solution for that, but for my use I never much cared. I’ve used mine in the rain and it was fine.
Thanks! These seem small enough for concealed carry, and my eyesight isn’t what it use to be, so regular irons are tougher for me to pick up than they use to be.
This is the wave of the future. Someday this will be stadard equipment on a carry gun.
Seriously? Who has time to look down a barrel, let alone through a red dot, in a defensive gun use? It’s point and shoot. Simple as that.
All this does is add another distraction and bulk up your carry piece, giving it that many more angles and edges to get snagged on.
stadard must be a new word for you.
Seriously?
Not every DGU is an old-west-style quickdraw event. Almost every DGU you read about in the National Rifleman magazine is a slow event — slow enough that most folks have time to go and get their gun from wherever it is. And just about every DGU that doesn’t end in firing is a slow-enough event that a red dot would not hurt and would probably help.
The bulk comment I agree with. Those things have got to get flat and flip up before I’ll consider one, as I pocket carry 95% of the time. But if they do — and they’re proven reliable — I’ll be all over something like that.
J-H, for those quick self-defense cases where you’re shooting inside of 5 yards (out to 7-ish if you have a consistent presentation), you don’t bother with the dot. The entire frame of the optic becomes a giant ghost ring sight. If it’s in the ring, it’s getting hit. If you even go to that level. Like you said, contact range stuff is often point shooting and there’s no reason to think a dot prevents you from doing that. If you can ignore your iron sights I assure you you can ignore a dot.
Despite practicing with an optic on my pistol, I’m not faster with it vs. iron sights inside of about 15 yards. It’s about a wash, or possibly a bit slower with the optic if I’m trying for A-zone hits vs. self-defense just-keep-it-on-the-torso shots. At least on that first shot. Subsequent shots it’s about a wash with any nod going towards the dot. Beyond 15 yards, though, I’m faster and more accurate with the dot. I’d take and hit a head shot at 50 yards with the dot. I’ll hit a silhouette torso all day long with the dot at 100 yards. It may be a wash at close range, but it’s a HUGE benefit at long range. Even at 25 yards, my confidence with the dot is way higher than with iron sights. I switched to it when I also switched (on most days) to carrying a compact, double-stack gun instead of a sub-compact, single-stack gun as my EDC. Which was in somewhat of a response to random acts of terror and viewing that as a potential threat, whereas before my envisioned potential threat was a close-up, personal attack on me or someone I’m with. In adding the public shooting sort of scenario to the “reasons I carry a gun” list, I made that decision to increase round capacity and increase my ability to make precision hits at longer ranges.
Shooting someone at ranges of 25 yrs or more are likely to have you defending yourself on a murder charge or at least a civil suit explaining why you couldn’t escape the situation. Mikey
Mikey,
I think that totally depends on the circumstances. Shoot a muttering, gesticulating homeless dude at 20 yards, claiming you felt your life was in danger? Good luck with that. Shoot a dude that just jumped out of a truck, yelled Allah Akbar!, and downed a couple folks – from across the street, and depending on location you’ll be arrested, ignored by the media, or given a medal.
I feel like having that on a gun as small as a Shield kind of defeats the purpose of it, it’s also one more thing to snag when drawing from concealment.
Anyone know where to get slides that are aleady cut for the RMS? I see them for the RMR, but haven’t found any pre-cut for RMS. I just find places that will cut your slide to fit it.
Try Lone Wolf. Call ’em if it isn’t on their site. I know I’ve been seeing RMS-equipped Shields and G43s on their Instagram feed and such.
Lone Wolf sells the RMS regularly. Off and on relative the RMSc. If you need the RMSc (for single stack
pistol) Brownells is the official distributor for Shield and they usually have the RMSc in stock. They’re
becoming popular however, so sometimes the RMSc is backordered. Mine was.
These work for me. I have 3 red dot sights on a m&p 9, Glock 23 and a cz-75 d compact. I carry each of these pistols both inside waist band and outside waist band with no problem. These give me back the accuracy I have lost over the years as my vision goes south. Difficult to get a good sight alignment and sight picture with bifocals. Would love to have a smaller red dot version for my commander size 1911.
I’m seriously considering this. As I get older, I’m having more and more trouble with the front sight. A red dot might be the solution. I know it is for rifle and competition pistol; why not for carry guns?
The Shield RMS and RMSc is for EDC pistols. They’re smaller than other reflex (red dot) sights and
specially designed for pistols. I have them on my carry pistols and they cause no increase in printing.
As a company, Shield has never answered ANY communications I have sent via their website form or even direct emails.
I own several of their red dots.
Not great customer service to people who actually own their product.
I’ve communicated with the Shield company in the UK several times. The responses were always fast and
always contianed all of the information I was interested in.
As a matter of fact, they’ve been quicker to respond to the form (email form) than any of my regular
companies here in the states.
Are you asking a specific question or stating a concern? Simply voicing an opinion may not warrant
an anwering email.
I just wrote these guys an email on their website and the response was amazing. Within one minute I received an email from one of their folks answering my specific question about how their products leave their factory. They may have changed their mod of operande’ over the last year. Now I have to go back to the company Springfield, sold me the sight.
I just wrote these guys an email on their website and the response was amazing. Within one minute I received an email from one of their folks answering my specific question about how their products leave their factory. They may have changed their mode of operations over the last year. Now I have to go back to the company Springfield, sold me the sight.
I’ve gotten fantastic responses from Shield every time and unusually quick ones.
I have the RMS on my M&P shield and the RMSc on my G43. Both are carried
concealed with absolutely no problem bringing it to action and no additional
printing.
I have the Sig Romeo 1 on my Sig P320. I’ve always considered Sig products high
quality but the Romeo 1 takes a back seat to what Shield offers.
Did you get your slide milled for the RMSc? Did you buy a slide from Brownells? Just wondering what I’d have to do to make my plain jane G43 slide ready to use the RMSc. Thanks.
The Shield RMSc is specifically designed for smaller autos….and the G43 and M&P Shield are actually mentioned as examples. Lone Wolf Distributors did mine. (Haven’t found anyone with lower prices)
I bought my Shield RMSc (The small one you’ll need) from Brownells. They are Shield’s official distributor
in the United States. $400. Shield is like Apple in that whoever sells their products the price is locked in.
Now, sometimes Lone Wolf sells the RMSc bus always sells the RMS. I have the RMS on my M7P Shield
put on by Lone Wolf too. That was before the RMSc became available. It works fine on the M&P Shield but
do have the RMSc put on your G43…..it fits perfectly with no over hang.
Lone Wolf charges a few cents less than a hundred dollars to mill your G43. I had the “Race” milling done on
both of mine. That totally and forever removes the dove slot! It does allow the sight to set as far back as possible. Also, on the G43 (Not stainless steel like on the S&W Shield) Lone Wolf will “suggest” having your
slide CareKoted. Don’t do it. ( I did!) All you have to do is when your G43 comes back, just remove the sight and put some tiny bit of gun grease on that milled area and replace the sight, using a bit of Loctite on the
screws.
Having the CareKote done will take about three weeks longer as they send the slide off.
Its been my experience to find the Shield sights superior (for me) than ANY OTHER regardless of price. Shield made red dot sights for the Brits military and special forces for thirty years before (about 18 months ago) deciding to sell commercially. The RMS and the RMSc has no Off or On button nor no buttons for changing the brightness. No buttons at all! You choose the dot’s MOA when you buy it. I chose 8 MOA for close in
SD shooting.(25 yards max)
The Shield adjusts the brightness automatically instantly for the atmosphere. (Really works) Once you zero it in___that’s it. Also, it has a tougher “window” than any other…. ten times tougher than glass ones.
These sights are originally designed for pistols. They are actually smaller and will not add to the weapons
printing.
G’luck and stay safe
Poli Viejo
As a retired police officer, I am required to “qualify” on the police range every year. This is in accordance with Federal law, in order to be able to carry a concealed firearm in any State. My old department’s PRESENT police chief, requires RETIREES to shoot a more stringent course than active police officers! (I don’t know why this is). I have to shoot my pocket-pistol at up to 25 yards! The department’s indoor range is not exactly very brightly lit and I now have 67 year old eyesight. I will be looking into purchasing a small semi-auto, which can be equipped with the RMSc sight. I do agree with those who don’t desire a bulky sight on a pocket gun. But my situation is beyond beyond my control. SINCE I retired 17 years ago, I have only needed my pocket gun one time. (It kept me from being stabbed). That was at about 20 feet – not 25 yards! But I must “qualify.”
You can quality at any range! You don’t have to qualify at your old one. like in my case I now live in
Arizona not Kansas City where I worked. Choose any LE range.