Earlier this year, Vortex Optics released a third addition to the Defender line of red dot sights (RDS). Having already done a long-term test on the smaller version, the Defender CCW, as well as obtaining one for myself, I was very interested to see how its much bigger brother, the Defender XL, would perform. The Defender XL is a 1X red-dot optic mainly intended for handgun use, but equally applicable to rifle or Pistol Calibre Carbine (PCC) or even shotgun use.
The first thing you notice about the Defender XL removing it from the well-presented packaging is: “That is a big screen!” Designed mainly for competition use in IPSC or IDPA, the XL truly lives up to its name. The large screen has crystal clear, distortion-free glass, with the faintest…