About three months ago I got my hands on the then brand-new ZeroTech Trace H.A.L.O. Enclosed Reflex Sight with a bright, crisp, green reticle and I’ve run it on a bunch of different guns since. The verdict? It’s a definite “yes” from me.
[ZeroTech has provided our readers a coupon code — SNW20 — good for 20% off on their website They sent this nearly two years ago after a previous review, and it’s still active as of this writing.]
First of all, just look at this kit. Seen in the photo above are some of the shims and screws that the H.A.L.O. ships with. Not only does it come with effectively every length and thread size screw you’ll need to mount the Shield RMSc footprint H.A.L.O. to your pistol, but they’re all in nicely labeled bags that detail which pistol models each set of screws is compatible with. This is awesome.
But wait! There’s more! The Trace H.A.L.O. also ships with a Picatinny rail mount, which allowed me to pair it with far more firearms than the handgun footprint alone would have. ZeroTech makes compatible risers, too, should you want to run the H.A.L.O. on a firearm like an AR-15 that needs the optic mounted higher above the Pic rail.
H.A.L.O. stands for Heavy-duty Aspherical Lens Optic. It’s an enclosed emitter style, meaning the LED emitter is inside of a sealed and purged ‘box’ with both a front and rear lens (as opposed to a reflex sight, which has an exposed emitter and only one lens). The housing is machined from 7075 aluminum.
What you get from the H.A.L.O.’s aspherical lens design is a super wide, entirely distortion-free field of view that’s extremely forgiving. Your eye can be way the heck off-center in any direction without losing sight of the 3 MOA dot. A parallax free design, that dot stays dead on your point of impact even if your eye isn’t aligned with the firearm. A demo of this can be seen at about 1:15 into the video embedded at top.
The fully multi-coated glass lenses are crisp, clear, and bright, with no noticeable color or other distortion.
ZT’s H.A.L.O. packs some premium features into a tiny, well-priced optic, including auto sleep and shake-awake functionality, a 50,000-hour lifespan (particularly great for a green dot!), an IPX7 waterproof rating, 80 MOA of adjustment, and more. Not to mention that great mounting kit and a solid warranty.
I shot the H.A.L.O. extensively on my Silencer Shop Host Ruger MKIV pistol, including on a couple of rabbit hunts, and it paired great.
Dan and I shot it on the Henry LASR for that review (on YouTube HERE, coming to the SNW website soon).
I shot it on my ridiculous little Rossi Brawler SBR in 300 Blackout. This is where the optic has found a permanent home, in fact. It’s awesome on a handgun but it’s just perfect for me on this little thing.
We even put it on the Benelli M2-G1 for a spot of testing. I’m tellin’ you, this thing has made the rounds.
Hate having to remove your reflex sight and risk losing your zero in order to swap the battery? No such worry here, as the CR2032 compartment is located right on top of the SCUBA helmet, alien spacecraft looking (not an insult) ZeroTech Trace H.A.L.O..
If you haven’t used a green dot, it’s great! Dan and I both strongly prefer it over a red dot for everything except use in the dark with night vision / clip-on thermal (though the H.A.L.O. does have two night vision-compatible brightness settings). The human eye picks up this green color about six times better than red, and it’s less likely to blur or halo from astigmatism or other eye wonkiness.
In bright Texas high noon sunlight, even the brightest of red dots often look dim. That’s not at all the case with a good green dot like the H.A.L.O.; it still pops like crazy, yet it remains crisp. Apparently it can also reduce eye strain as compared to a red dot. That said, if you’re a red dot purist ZT makes the H.A.L.O. in red flavor, too.
I’m really happy with the ZeroTech Trace H.A.L.O. green dot and it has earned my full endorsement! If I could change anything about it, I’d say that the 3 MOA dot is great for handgun use but, given the choice, I’d go with maybe a 1.5 MOA dot for my Rossi Brawler or other rifle use.
Specifications: ZeroTech Trace H.A.L.O. Enclosed Reflex Sight
| MSRP | $399 (“street price” typically $359, and there’s always the SNW20 coupon) |
|---|---|
| Magnification | 1x |
| Footprint | Shield RMSc with Additional Picatinny Rail Mount |
| Objective Lens Diameter | 28mm |
| Reticle type | 3 MOA Green Dot |
| Brightness Settings | 10 levels, including 2 for night vision |
| Controls | Digital with auto on/off |
| Auto Sleep/Auto ON | Yes |
| Illumination | Green |
| Illumination Function | Digital |
| Battery | CR2032 |
| Battery Life | Max 50000 Hours |
| Turret Index Value | 1.5 MOA |
| Windage/Elevation Adjustment | 80 MOA |
| Material | 7075 Aluminum |
| Eye Relief | Unlimited |
| Field Of View | Unlimited |
| Lens Coating | FMC |
| Operational Temperature | -20°C to 70°C (-4°F to 158°F) |
| Parallax Adjustment Range | NA |
| Color | Black |
| Available Reticles | 3 MOA Green Dot |
| Mount Type | – |
| Recommended Use | Hunting – Bush / Scrub, Offset / Co-Witness Setups, Pistol |
| Waterproof Rating | IPX7 |
| Product Weight | 2.75oz (78g) |