Vortex Defender-ST™ Red Dot Sight

Whether you're looking for a micro red dot sight for your pistol, to run offset on your rifle or to give your shotgun setup faster target acquisition, you cannot do much better than the Vortex Optics Defender-ST™ Red Dot Sight. This is the standard-sized Vortex Defender, sitting nicely in between the more compact Defender-CCW™ and the Defender-XL™ with its wider window. Like its smaller and bigger brothers, the Defender-ST™ is rated to withstand the recoil from real firearms and is also fully internally sealed with o-rings, making it dustproof, fogproof and waterproof rated IPX7.

With the Vortex Optics VIP Lifetime Warranty, the Defender-ST™ is also clumsiness-proof, being covered for any form of accidental damage which affects the functionality of the sight, even being shot out by a BB. If you insist on treating your kit like it was issued to you but like using the best of the best, the Vortex Defender-ST™ is a fine choice!

The Defender-ST™ is constructed from 7075 aluminium with a low-glare matt black anodised finish applied, avoiding the shiny reflective finish many replica sights have which can give you away in bright conditions. 7075 Alu is much stronger than practically any alloy or 6061 Alu used for Airsoft parts, accessories and guns, meaning the Defender-ST™ should resist scratches far better and is absolutely up for rough handling and a hard, utilitarian life.

On the top of the shroud, we can take note of the polymer insert, known as the ShockShield™. This piece is designed to absorb the shock from recoil and other impacts and prevent it from being transferred to the lens. The ShockShield™ is a great innovation from Vortex and will ensure your zero remains constant and that recoil forces are dampened to the extent that the lens will survive far more of a thrashing than any Airsoft gun can give it.

Surrounding the front of the objective lens we can find what Vortex term Fast-Rack™ texture, designed into the Defender-ST™ to allow the sight to effectively be used as a charging handle when mounted to a pistol slide. This gives you more purchase on your slide and better control when racking, with less chance of slipping off in wet weather. The Fast-Rack™ texture is machined directly into the 7075 Alu housing for optimum strength and can even be used to rack your sidearm with one hand by bracing the sight on a pouch or belt with confidence that the Defender-ST™ will stay mounted firmly, ready for action.

The objective lens measures 23x20mm, giving you a decently sized window despite the absolutely tiny form factor of the Defender-ST™. This lens shape is known as "Aspherical", and is hard coated to provide a distortion-free view of your target and add strength to the lens itself. The two variants of the Defender-ST are the 3MOA (Minute Of Angle) reticle and 6MOA reticle, meaning it is sized to cover a 3-inch or 6-inch diameter circle on a target at 100 yards. We recommend the 6MOA Defender for pistol mounting and the 3MOA for use on rifles. 

As far as brightness settings are concerned, the Defender-ST™ provides 12 brightness levels; 10 for daylight use and the lowest 2 settings for use with night vision devices. The brightness controls can be found on either side of the sight, taking the form of rubber buttons with raised arrow markings. The power up the Defender-ST™ you can press either of the two side controls and to turn it off you will need to press and hold the down arrow for 5 seconds.

Both of the side controls sit slightly recessed into the housing of the Defender-ST™, minimising the chance that the controls will be pressed inadvertently during drawing or carry. If you are still concerned that the buttons can be inadvertently pressed you can engage Button Lockout mode which locks both side controls for maximum security. Button lockout mode can be activated by holding the up arrow down for 3 seconds and will be indicated by the red dot sight turning off for 0.5 seconds and then back on. To deactivate button lockout mode simply press and hold the up arrow again for 3 seconds and the buttons will be active again. The Defender-ST™ will let you know the buttons are active once again by blinking on and off twice within 1 second and will remain on afterwards.

Similarly to the Defender-CCW™, the Defender-ST™ has an auto-shutoff function which activates after 10 minutes of inactivity, along with motion activation. The auto-shutoff mode can be activated by holding both of the side brightness controls down for 3 seconds. While the buttons are held down, the optic will cycle through the lowest to the highest brightest setting, and once it reaches the brightest setting auto-shutoff is enabled. This means you won't be wasting precious battery power when your sidearm is holstered but when it comes time to draw and engage, the dot powers on automatically!

After the Defender-ST™ shuts off automatically it is now in motion activation mode, meaning it will turn on again as soon as the sight detects movement. While this is far more useful for real steel concealed carry than for Airsoft skirmishing, it is still a neat feature, elevating the Defender-ST™ above its rivals. Turning the sight off manually will deactivate the auto-shutoff and motion detection feature, so if you don't want your sight turning on every time you want to fondle your sidearm, make sure you turn it off yourself!

The battery compartment of the Defender-ST™ is located on the top of the sight, just behind the window/objective lens. Accessing the compartment is nice and easy thanks to the included Vortex adjustment tool, and to make things even better Vortex even includes a CR2032 button cell to get you powered up and ready. The cell is inserted with the positive terminal facing upwards, and the cell insertion direction is also indicated on the inside of the battery cap, avoiding all confusion. The advantage of having a top-mounted battery compartment is that you don't need to remove the entire sight to change batteries and re-zero your sight afterwards, making the Defender-ST™ far more convenient than many of its rivals.

The zero adjustment dials can be found at the top rear and on the right side of the unit, with the top dial controlling elevation adjustment and the right side dial controlling windage. These dials are very small, and as such require an adjustment tool to operate. Thankfully, the Vortex Optics Custom Tool provided with the Defender-ST™ has this covered, as well as battery cap removal and mounting the sight. The wings on either side of the tool are designed to interface with the dials, the cross protrusion between the wings is for the battery compartment and the Torx head at the opposite end is for mounting the sight to either its 20mm Picatinny mount or the slide of a pistol.

The pre-installed mount is designed for 20mm Picatinny rails, though the Defender-ST™ itself adheres to Leupold DeltaPoint Pro® footprint/mounting standard. This means you have the option of mounting the Defender-ST™ to a pistol slide using a DeltaPoint Pro® mounting plate or mounting it directly to a 20mm Picatinny rail.

If your standards for optics are high and you like to skirmish with the assurance of a lifetime warranty, the Vortex Optics Defender-ST™ Red Dot Sight will suit your needs perfectly. Flawlessly made from CNC 7075 aluminium, recoil-rated and sealed against dust and water ingress, you'll have to work very hard to hurt the Defender-ST but if you do manage to break it under normal use (including BB impacts) Vortex will get you back on target in no time!

Features

• 3MOA or 6MOA Red dot - Depending on your choice of variant
• 7075 Aluminium shroud - Exceptionally strong and lightweight
• Polymer ShockShield™ insert - Protects the lens by dampening recoil transferred through the shroud
• Integrated 20mm Picatinny rail mount - Ready to mount on any 20mm Pic rail
• Leupold DeltaPoint Pro® mounting standard/footprint - Ready for slide mounting on DeltaPoint Pro® mounts
• Fast-Rack™ texture on the front - Allows you to use the optic to rack the slide, even off a belt!
• 23x20mm Aspherical lens - Hard-coated for strength and perfect light transmission
• Recoil rated - Can withstand real firearm recoil, perfect for slide mounting on a GBB pistol
• Shockproof - Rugged 7075 Aluminium shroud and ShockShield™ insert to withstand recoil and impacts
• Dustproof - Internal O-rings prevent dust, dirt and debris ingress
• Fogproof - Designed to be operated in a wide range of temperatures and conditions
• Waterproof Rated IPX7 - Can survive being submerged in 1-meter deep water for 30 minutes
• Auto-shutoff after 10 minutes on - Saves your battery if you forget to turn the sight off
• Motion Activation mode - When Auto-shutoff is used, the dot will power back on when it detects movement
• Button Lockout mode - Locks the buttons out to prevent accidental brightness adjustments
• 12 Brightness settings - 10 for daylight use and 2 for use with night vision devices
• Parallax free - The dot stays on target despite head movements or imperfect alignment
• Night vision compatible - The two lowest brightness settings are optimised for NVG/NODs
• Low-glare matt black anodised finish - Professional and discrete looks, prevents glare from giving you away!
• Top-mounted battery - Change your battery without needing to remove the sight or re-zero afterwards
• Battery: 1 x CR2032 Button cell (included)
• Vortex Optics VIP Lifetime Warranty - Your optic is covered for all forms of accidental damage which affects function, even being shot out by a BB!

Package Includes

• Vortex Defender-ST™ Red Dot Sight
  • Vortex adjustment tool
  • Mount shim
  • Various screws
  • Cleaning cloth
  • 1 x CR1632 Button cell
  • Rubber optic cover
  • User manual

Vortex Optics VIP Lifetime Warranty Cover

No matter who ends up owning this product, you do not need a receipt to make a warranty claim when going direct through VORTEX. The warranty is fully transferable and if you decide to sell the optic, the new owner can still make a warranty claim through VORTEX.

Alternatively, if you would prefer Patrol Base to handle your claim we would require proof of purchase from ourselves to avoid any delay. You do not need to keep a paper copy, we can find your original sale from your name and address.

Your new purchase is covered for absolutely any accident that impairs the operation of the product and any feature. This includes lens damage from BB impacts. Cosmetic damage that does not impair functionality is not covered.

If the product becomes discontinued VORTEX will replace your product with a newer version completely free of charge.

You are even covered if you decide to custom spray paint your optic as long as no paint has made contact with the lens.

Further details are available on the VORTEX Optics website.