Me personally i don’t see the RDS doing evolving much more but rather getting smaller and lasting longer (and maybe offering green options in addition to red)…i know me personally would love something like a Trijicon “RMR-c” that could fit on a Glock 43 or Shield. 
Do ya feel red dot sights will be able to hold their own with the advent of low power variables? The lpvos seem to be advancing at a pace that may overcome the red dots…
Just a question I have…
Thats a very good point and one only time will tell.
I think we will see rds migrate and evolve to become pistol optics as the lpvos continue to improve and become more common on most rifle patterns.
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The problem with LPVOs is weight. My Accupower 1-8s are almost 2lbs with mounts. An Aimpoint Micro with mount is about 5oz.
This looks very likely at this point in time, i for one however will wait until lpvos reduce in size and weight a little bit before i jump aboard fully.
I think the LPV has a ways to go before replacing the RDS on certain rifles.
It really depends what you want the rifle to do.
Weight is obviously a factor, as is eyebox / shooting from unusual positions, NVD compatibility, and durability.
I think LPVs are a good ‘do all’ optic for a rifle intended to be used mostly 50yds and beyond, but is still able to do 50 yards and in respectably.
I think RDS are still king up close and with NVDs, or on a really lightweight rifle like an SBR, etc.
While I don’t think the Leupold D-EVO was a success, I can see a more streamlined option of a dual RDS with fixed or variable optic possibly being a solution, should another company attempt that kind of thing.
If Eotech can put their reticle in a pistol sized RDS with an easily changeable battery for obvious reasons that’d probably be pretty gnarly. And I have no idea if the science of lasers will ever make that possible.
I don’t know that it’ll be next… but eventually I do expect to see full holographic Heads Up Displays like fighter pilots have in a rifle-mount package. We’re already partway there with Google Glass and the monocle HUD’s on Apache pilot helmets… The trick is going to be figuring out sensor packages for things like ammunition count–best thing I can think of would be RFID tags in the follower and floorplate, with some kind of smartphone-or-smaller reader (compugeeks out there, would a Gumstix-based system work here?) and microcomputer unit using the distance between those tags and data encoded into them to calculate rounds remaining.
War is not Nintendo, but a lot of Nintendo Generation hardware and ideas have been adapted to modern combat-training techniques.
I agree… A LPV is the last thing the guys breaking down doors would take to work.
I can see this happening. Or having a floating projected reticle so you have no body or lens to fog up or break. And round counters do exist, cobalt kinetics brought one out but it’s still expensive and bulky, but technology will correct that as time goes by.
They had a now stalled pistol RDS program that needed more R&D funding, but the truth is there’s so much competition in the marketplace as it is.
We’re not there yet technology-wise to shrink holographic sight down to the size of a RMR.
Keep your eye open at SHOT Show… there will be something totally new from an Israeli optic company.
Making the sight more knock-proof is the next step in my opinion… on a carbine they are generally so vulnerable. Getting it shielded while keeping it small. The attached is basically a quick fleshing-out of a concept that could be made quite a bit smaller and lighter in a subsequent iteration but as-is, gets “protected” done pretty well. An MRDS has a lot of offer for certain applications and the limit is not a hard line, I mean, I’ve pushed a similar setup to 300M on pop-ups and it was far from ineffective.
I think motion sensing power on and off will be the first thing perfected. Some makers are already dabbling in it. I also see future optics taking advantage of all power options: battery, tritium, solar, whatever, all on the same optic. I also see optics continuing to miniaturize.
Meprolight MOR is tri-powered and has been available for a while.
Meprolight M5 RDS has motion sensor and it’s standard IDF issue optic.
Bingo–it’s not implausible that someday we’ll see shooting glasses with integrated “Augmented Reality” systems (ie, Google Glass caliber, projected into the viewfield of both eyes) akin to the info displays in a present-day First-Person Shooter game. And then from there, incorporating windage, range, temperature, humidity, leading for target movement, etc. correction… “just put the dot where you want the bullet to go and pull the trigger.”
I think, personally, one of the biggest evolutions we will see is digital processors.
Say goodnight to astigmatism and low light shooting with a digital optic that turns on with movement, uses quick buttons to zoom in and out, and holds it’s digital zero with no moving parts to break, stretch, or get knocked around.
It won’t need “Glass”, outside of the digital camera lens, and the feedback on range, angles, etc, will be factored in with it’s programming to accelerate the shooter’ abilities.
It will take another 20 years, is my bet, but with the increasing options of NV, Digital Optis with Auto Range/Tracking capabilities, it’s really only a matter of time before that technology get’s solidified and they’re offering compact "RDS"s that can go to 10x Zoom and back to 1x with a tap of a button.
ETA: 4-5 Years ago, I broke out the pen and pad, and drew out a design which incorporated wireless (or wired) control panels that mount to your rail for quick zoom features and programmable zoom settings.
It’s a dream, for sure, but one that I really hope to bring to fruition at some point in the near future. Conceptually, it’s fantastic, but I know electronics are harder to work with than that.
YES! I was going to say build it a roll cage! My aimpoint C3 in a wilcox mount fell over on tile and got knocked 10-12 moa out of zero.
Roll cage. Roll Cage. That’s what I’m gonna call it, thanks!