The Dragonfly is the larger of two red dots being offered from Hex Optics, by Springfield Armory. The Dragonfly and its smaller sibling the Wasp differ not only in size but also in purpose and features. The Wasp, previously reviewed, is designed primarily as an optic for concealed carry use, while the larger Dragonfly is better suited for competition, hunting, or recreational shooting on handguns, rifles, and shotguns.
Though larger than the Wasp, the Dragonfly is still small enough to be used on full-sized handguns, and will also be a great option on pistol caliber carbines (PCC) or AR15’s. At 1.2 ounces the Dragonfly certainly won’t weigh down a firearm or make it slower to get on target.
A push button on the forward portion of the left side functions to turn the dot on and off, as well as adjust intensity. The 3.5 MOA dot is adjustable for brightness to one of eight settings. The setting range allowed proper dot intensity for lighting conditions from the indoors to full sunlight outdoors.
Holding the button in for 5 seconds turns the dot off. In case you forget to do that, as I have done too many times, the Dragonfly has an auto-off feature to shut off the optic after 16 hours. Obviously, battery life varies based on the selected intensity, but the 100,000-hour battery life on the lowest setting is estimated to give users about 3 years of general use.
The battery is mounted on the bottom of the optic, so it has to be removed to be replaced. Though with such a long battery life, checking zero after replacement shouldn’t be much of a task.
Like the Wasp, the Dragonfly has a pair of small serrations on the side of the optic to aid in racking the slide. These serrations seem small and almost insignificant but surprisingly allow a strong hold for racking the slide.
The housing of the Dragonfly is machined of 6061 T6 aluminum and sports a black hardcoat anodized finish. The lens is made of glass for a crisp clear view of the target and the projected dot and also has a scratch-resistant anti-glare finish.
The HEX Dragonfly can be mounted with an included Picatinny Rail Mount or Springfield Standard Footprint. This footprint makes it compatible with Vortex Venom or Burris Fastfire mounting options as well. The Dragonfly is mounted to the Springfield XD-M Elite by 2 Torx screws securing it to a mounting plate screwed on the top of the slide.
| Specifications | |||
| Length | 1.9 inches | Dot Size | 3.5 MOA |
| Width | 1.2 inches | Settings | 8 Levels |
| Height | 1.01 inches | Battery | CR 2032 |
| Weight | 1.2 Ounces | Battery Life | 100,000 Hours on Low |
| MSRP | $249 | Operation | 16 Hour Auto Shutdown |
Zeroing the Dragonfly to the pistol is accomplished by rotating the very visible windage and elevation adjustments screws. The dials are in 1 MOA increments to allow making more accurate changes and the adjustments have 160 MOA of travel.
The Dragonfly was tested on a Springfield Armory XD-M Elite 9mm. The HEX red dot functioned flawlessly atop the pistol while engaging a variety of steel targets from 5” plates to steel silhouettes.
Whether slamming back and forth on a slide or sticking up on top of a long gun, red dots tend to take a bit of a beating. Luckily, the Dragonfly is covered by a HEX Lifetime Warranty, so don’t be afraid to use it, just try not to abuse it. The electronics are covered by a Limited 5-year Warranty.
The Dragonfly resulted in a significant improvement in the engagement of the smaller plates. Allowing the eyes to remain focused on the target makes a tremendous difference for those of us having challenges with focusing on iron sights due to age or vision issues.
The bright dot and larger lens allowed for easy tracking of the dot during target engagements. The new breed of red dots is far better than the ones we used once upon a time on Open division guns in USPSA.
The evolution of red dots has made many improvements in the last few years, and now having an experienced company like Springfield Armory providing its influence is sure to help that trend continue. Red dots are here to stay so get out and try the new models from HEX Optics.
For more information HEX DRAGONFLY RED DOT SIGHT – 3.5 MOA
Howdy! great article about the Hex Dragonfly. My question is, where did you find the suppressor height sights for the Springfield XDM??