Most pistols sold as optics ready leave the factory with a pocket in the slide and a cover plate on top. The cover keeps the cut closed, but it does not hold an optic. An Optics Ready plate takes its place and gives your red dot a seat that matches both the slide and the screw pattern of the optic.
Why a plate matters
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A red dot without milling - the cut is already there, so you only swap the cover for a plate.
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A low optic - the plate sits in the cut, so the red dot stays low and flush on the slide.
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A solid hold - a plate made for your slide sits without play or tilt, which keeps the zero when the slide cycles.
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Freedom of optic - you choose the red dot first, then the plate made for its footprint.
The footprint decides which optic fits
Every red dot has a footprint: the pattern of screw holes and recoil lugs on its base. A plate is made for one footprint, or for a few at once. Any optic built to that footprint fits, whatever its brand. A Trijicon RMR plate, for example, also takes the many other optics built to the RMR pattern.
Our plates cover the Trijicon RMR, Shield RMSc, Leupold DPP, Docter, C-More RTS, Holosun K-series, Holosun 509T, Aimpoint Acro, Aimpoint A-CUT and Vortex Razor footprints. Some take several, and their titles name a type letter with the footprints in brackets. The letter is only a name, so read the brackets. To check your optic, the red dot pages are sorted by footprint, for example Red dot sights with Trijicon RMR footprint, Red dot sights with Shield RMSc footprint and Red dot sights with Holosun K-series footprint.
The slide decides which plate fits
Every maker cuts its slides differently, and the cut can change between generations. The Walther PDP 1.0 of 2021 and the PDP 2.0 of 2022 take different plates. So do the Tanfoglio Stock 2 Optic before and after 2022, and the Glock MOS gen.6 compared with earlier MOS slides. Choose by your exact model, then by footprint.
Brands: Optics ready plates for American Precision Firearms, Optics ready plates for Arsenal Firearms, Optics ready plates for Beretta, Optics ready plates for Browning, Optics ready plates for Canik, Optics ready plates for CZ, Optics ready plates for Dan Wesson, Optics ready plates for FB, Optics ready plates for Glock, Optics ready plates for HK, Optics ready plates for HS Produkt, Optics ready plates for Kimber, Optics ready plates for KMR, Optics ready plates for Phoenix, Optics ready plates for Ruger, Optics ready plates for Sig, Optics ready plates for Smith & Wesson, Optics ready plates for Springfield, Optics ready plates for Tanfoglio, Optics ready plates for Walther.
Plates with an integrated rear sight
A few plates have a rear sight machined into the plate body, for the CZ Shadow 2, Dan Wesson DWX, Springfield 1911 DS Prodigy and Sig P320. You keep a usable iron sight behind the optic without adding height.
When you need no plate at all
Some optics are made for one maker's cut and sit in it directly, such as the Holosun SCS models for Glock MOS, CZ P-10, Sig P320, HK VP9 and SFP9, Walther PDP 2.0 and Smith & Wesson M&P M2.0. One part less means a lower optic and fewer screws. See Direct fit red dot sights.
If your slide has no factory cut at all, a plate cannot help. A dovetail mount, which sits where the rear sight was, is the answer then: see Red dot mounts.
Fitting
Remove the factory cover plate, set the new plate into the cut and screw it down, then mount the optic on the plate. CZ sells its own plate screws as a pair; other screws are in Screws. If optic and plate do not match, a footprint adapter bolts one pattern onto the other: see Footprint adapters.
Makers
Our plates come from European makers such as 2BME, Toni System, Eemann Tech, KMR, Evo Arms and Phoenix, from gun makers Beretta, CZ and Walther, and from American makers such as Impact Machine, Outer Impact, EGW and Night Fision. They are steel or aluminium.
Frequently asked questions
Does an RMR plate only take Trijicon optics?
No. It takes any red dot built to the RMR footprint, from any maker.
My Walther PDP is from 2021. Does a PDP 2.0 plate fit?
No. The PDP 1.0 and PDP 2.0 cuts differ, and each has its own plates.
Can I fit a plate to a slide without a cut?
No. A plate needs the factory optics cut. For a standard slide, choose a red dot mount.
Will my factory sights still be visible?
Usually not through the optic window, because the red dot sits above standard sights. Taller co-witness sights stay visible through the window and give you a backup if the dot fails. See Sights.
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