Disclosure: This is SHOT Show floor coverage. We have not yet tested a unit on the range. Video footage provided by F5 Productions. C-MORE has no editorial input on this article.
If you’ve spent any time around USPSA Open or 3-Gun, you’ve probably seen a C-MORE sitting on top of someone’s blaster. The company has been building competition optics since 1993, and their dots have been on more winning guns than we can count.
At SHOT Show 2026, C-MORE rolled out the RTS3 V2—an updated version of their already popular RTS3 platform. We caught up with Todd Jarrett at their booth to get the rundown on what’s actually changed.
The original RTS3 built its reputation on that aspheric lens—the one that gives you a clean dot without the ghosting or starburst effect you get from cheaper optics. That hasn’t changed. What C-MORE focused on with the V2 are the durability and usability features that competitors have been asking about for years.
Here’s what’s different:
Housing and Construction. The V2 uses aircraft-grade aluminum throughout, with a reinforced structure. The battery tray is now aluminum instead of the previous design, and they’ve added an integrated baseplate. If you’ve ever worried about a plastic battery door failing at the worst possible moment, this addresses that concern directly.
Button Lockout. Ever accidentally bump your brightness controls mid-stage and suddenly find yourself staring at a dim dot under full sun? The V2 adds a button lockout feature. Small thing, but anyone who’s had this happen knows it’s not small when you’re on the clock.
Lower Brightness Settings. They’ve added two night vision brightness levels and expanded to 10 daylight settings. More granular control lets you dial in exactly what you need for conditions. The MSS (shake to wake) feature carries over from the original.
Shorter Footprint. The V2 sits in a smaller package than previous generations. If you’re running an optic-ready pistol with limited real estate on the slide, this gives you more flexibility in mounting options.
For those who want the numbers:
That 30-year warranty is worth noting. C-MORE has been around since 1993 and is still supporting products from their early years. A warranty only means something if the company is around to honor it.
For those who don’t know, Todd Jarrett is one of the most accomplished action pistol shooters in the world. Four world titles, somewhere north of 13 U.S. National championships, and the only USPSA “Triple Crown” winner—capturing Open, Limited, Production, and Limited-10 national titles. He also won the IPSC World Championship, USPSA Open Nationals, and USPSA Limited Nationals in the same calendar year (2003). Safe to say he knows what works under match pressure.
Jarrett has been running C-MORE optics for years, and his take at the booth focused on that aspheric lens. The clarity you get looking through the glass matters when you’re pushing speed and trying to call shots. Ghosting or distortion slows you down because your brain has to work harder to process what it’s seeing. A clean dot on a clean window just works.
He also mentioned the control layout—everything accessible from the side without having to break your grip or dig around for buttons.
Open Division Shooters: This is C-MORE’s wheelhouse. The large lens window and clean dot are built for fast target transitions. If you’re building or upgrading an Open gun and considering optics in this price range, the RTS3 V2 belongs on your short list.
3-Gun Competitors: Same logic applies to pistol stages. The dot size options (3, 6, or 9 MOA) let you pick what works for your eyes and your typical engagement distances. A 6 MOA is the most common choice for general purpose work—big enough to find fast, small enough to be precise.
Carry Optics / Limited Optics Shooters: This depends on your division’s optic size rules. The shorter footprint helps, but check your division requirements before ordering. The RTS3 V2 is still designed as a competition optic, not a compact carry dot.
Budget-Conscious New Competitors: At $549, this isn’t an entry-level optic. If you’re just getting into competition and still figuring out what division you want to shoot, there are less expensive ways to get started. Spend that money on match fees and ammo first.
Enclosed Emitter Fans: The RTS3 V2 is an open emitter design. If you live somewhere with lots of rain, dust, or debris and want an enclosed emitter for reliability, this isn’t that. Different design philosophy, different use case.
Here’s where we have to be honest: we picked this up on the SHOT Show floor. We haven’t put rounds through it. We haven’t run it through a match season. We haven’t tested battery life in cold weather or durability after being dropped in a dump barrel.
C-MORE has a solid reputation, and the RTS3 platform has proven itself over years of competition use. The V2 improvements make sense on paper—aluminum construction, button lockout, better brightness options. But we’ll reserve final judgment until we can put one on a gun and run it hard.
When we get a unit for testing, we’ll follow up with a full review including actual round counts, match performance, and any issues that show up over time.
The C-MORE RTS3 V2 looks like a thoughtful evolution of an already proven platform. They took what worked—that clean aspheric lens, the reliable electronics, the wide window—and addressed the common complaints about durability and accidental brightness changes.
At $549 with a 30-year warranty, it’s positioned at the upper end of the competition red dot market but not at the bleeding edge of pricing. For shooters who have been running original RTS3s and want to stay in the family, or those building new competition guns and looking for a proven optic, the V2 deserves serious consideration.
We’ll have more to say once we actually run one. For now, if you’re at SHOT Show, swing by booth 15049 and take a look for yourself.
