First Look At Sightmark's Solar Powered Red Dot Rifle Sight

The new Sightmark Volta first debuted at the 2020 SHOT Show. It was among several new products showcased at the 2020 Athlon Outdoors Rendezvous in Driggs, Idaho. Mounted on a sexy-looking AR-style rifle (pictured here), the Volta offers some special features that set it apart from other red dot sights.

Sightmark Volta Details

Tagged by Sightmark’s Kevin Reese, as “the best of both worlds,” the Volta is a solar reflex sight that’s also battery-powered. The dual power system offers use both day and night.

Solar cells sit directly atop the Volta’s housing. They power the unit during the daytime without the need for batteries. Or, with a simple button press, the Volta powers up to run on two AAA batteries if you step inside or need to run it after dark.

Toggling back and forth between brightness settings to match optics use to the setting is a necessary evil with battery-powered red dot sights, but the Volta offers some new solutions. Sightmark’s technology leadership is evident with the release of their new Eclipse Light Management System (ELMS). This capability automatically adjusts reticle brightness to match the light of the present environmental light conditions.

This writer didn’t exactly take a hammer to the Volta during use. However, it feels pretty bomb proof in its construction. It’s got an aluminum chassis, and offers a rubber cover for added protection. Its shock-proof design provides operation in temperatures between -22 and 122 degrees Fahrenheit. Scratch-resistant lenses just add more to the unit’s durability. It also offers an anti-reflective lens coating.

Testing the Volta

Users access windage and elevation adjustments on the unit’s side. Mount height is adjustable with either a low Picatinny mount or slightly higher see-through mount to allow cowitness of iron sights.

Sightmark Volta solar red dot sight, side

Athlon’s Rendezvous is a pretty good environment for testing equipment such as the Sightmark Volta. I had an opportunity to shoulder a weapon with it mounted during bright, sunny conditions as well as during the event’s night shoot. The Volta performed as advertised.

Keep an eye out for more Volta coverage in Athlon’s print magazines coming soon. I plan to mount it on a hard-kicking handgun to see how it holds up. For even more info, please visit Sightmark.com.