The Vortex XL Defender (Part 2)

^{Continued From Part 1}

Practical Experiences With The Defender XL 

The Defender XL’s Sight Picture 

Putting aside all of the Defender XL’s features and extra accessories, the real icing on the cake for this reflex optic is the user experience afforded by its large, clear window which measures 25.5 mm wide by 23.5 mm tall. When held out at arms’ length in a natural shooting stance (and mounted on a pistol), its profile looks like a tall, upright square with a massive field of view.

The top edge of the lens has a slight curve that isn’t really noticeable when the shooter is properly target focused anyway. Everything about the Defender XL seems to be designed in such a way that when staring through it at the target, the dot just naturally centers itself. In other words, it’s extremely easy to find the dot within the window.

In addition, the 5 MOA dot on my specimen is very crisp, even with my astigmatism. With the ten different intensity levels, it’s not hard for the Defender XL’s emitter to project a daylight bright dot. Likewise, the glass is clear and free of noticeable distortion. Candidly, the shooting experience I’ve had afforded by the Defender XL has been extremely positive.

Vortex Defender XL Range and Match Time

Even though some of my pictures show a Canik Rival-S wearing the Defender XL, 80% of my use on the range involved the HK VP9 Match pistol. I used a factory HK #4 Delta Point Pro plate to mount the Defender XL to the VP9 Match’s slide before starting its review.

In addition to the “nuts and bolts aspect” of my VP9 Match review, I participated at USPSA match where I ran this gun-and-dot combination as hard as I could. At the time, I was also concurrently reviewing the Gen5 Glock 17L, and took advantage of the included Glock MOS plate found in the Defender XL’s packaging. So I yanked the dot off the HK VP9 Match and switched it over to the Gen5 Glock 17L and shot another match with it.

Between piggy-backing the sight from the HK to the Glock for match shooting (along with the rest of my review-shooting), the total aggregate round count to date is somewhere north of 800 rounds. In the great scheme of things 800 rounds in itself isn’t much, but it’s always a good sign for a pistol mounted reflex sight to sail past the first 300-500 rounds without issue.

Big Window Considerations

The best part about the Vortex Defender XL is its large window and how easy it is to shoot. However, I’ve noticed that the window works so well that it can also inadvertently catch “false dots” from other sources or lights. Similarly, it can reflect “artifacts” from the emitter that can show up in the window.

However, most “big window” dots are susceptible to false dots, especially from overhead lighting hitting the window at certain angles.

Frankly, as a unit designed for fast-paced match shooting around a USPSA stage, I’m happy to live with the trade-off of having a big, beautiful window that’s easy to look through. The false dots have never been a handicap, and it also bears mentioning that this sight is easily daylight bright anyway.

The Takeaway

I don’t really have too many complaints about the Vortex Defender XL.

In the paragraph above I disclose its propensity to catch false dots or weird artifacts due to its massive window, but I also don’t consider it a deal-breaker. From the different dots that I’ve been shooting and reviewing this year, subjectively I will concede that the Vortex Defender XL is probably my favorite of 2024.

I haven’t had any problems running it hard between the HK VP9 Match or Gen5 Glock 17L. More importantly it’s big window, crisp red dot and included accessories at a medium-tiered price point make the Defender XL a considerable option.

Some might say that it has a fairly tall deck height not unlike the actual Leupold Delta Point Pro, but that’s hardly a concern for match shooting and the like. Obviously, with its larger size, it’s probably not ideal for concealment due to printing issues.

Perhaps a potential “downside” may be that the Delta Point Pro footprint can limit some shooters, especially those whose slides are directly milled for a different mounting pattern.

Postscript: Vortex Defender XL vs Holosun HS 507Comp

Because the Vortex Defender XL has a similar real-world retail price to that of its closest “rival” the Holosun HS 507Comp, people love to compare and contrast both of them. Others ask themselves which one to buy—simply google “Vortex Defender XL vs Holosun 507 Comp” and see.

Above all else, the primary difference resides with their respective mounting standards since the open-emitter Holosun unit uses a Trijicon RMR footprint. Otherwise, both optics are actually fairly comparable. Both are made in China and show good quality in their manufacturing.

Unlike the 507 Comp, the Defender XL doesn’t have any multi-reticle capabilities, but it does slightly edge it out by offering larger 5 or 8 MOA dot reticles. Similarly, I think the Vortex Defender XL may also edge out the Holosun 507 Comp in window size. However, the difference is marginal in a practical sense. There’s also the question of battery securement. The Vortex XL’s auxiliary latch is bullet proof.

I did notice that the Holosun 507 Comp’s window doesn’t seem to be as sensitive when it comes to picking up false dots. This sight is also slightly shorter and more compact. Truthfully, I like both and still do shoot with either. As far as a “new” product for 2024, the Vortex XL Defender red-dot sight does get my vote. I think Vortex hit a homerun with it.