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When the Leupold DeltaPoint Micro was announced I was intrigued. To some, it seemed like an answer to a question that was never asked. However, I think these people were not asking the right question. The Glock DeltaPoint Micro version solves some interesting problems which we will dive into.
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Glock DeltaPoint Micro
Down in Refugio Texas, we got a chance to shoot from a Little Bird. TFBTV star, James Reeves, used this opportunity to torture test his sample Leipold DeltaPoint Micro. He installed it on his Glock 19X and tossed it, empty of course, out of the helicopter. He then picked it back up and test fired it. To no one’s surprise, the Glock worked just fine and the Glock DeltaPoint Micro shrugged it off and held zero.
That is pretty impressive but I had other plans for the Leupold Glock DeltaPoint Micro. It looks like a perfect solution for Glocks that you cannot attach a red dot to the slide. Either you cannot get the slide milled or you just don’t want to bother milling a slide. Most red dots that attach to a non-milled slide are not a very good compromise. They either attach to the rear slide dovetail or attach to the frame. The only frame-mounted optic setup that I like is the ALG Six Second Mount.
So there was a specific model of Glock that I wanted to add a red dot. However, it was not possible to mount one on the slide when it came out. The Glock 44 chambered in .22LR. At SHOT Show 2020, Glock lent us some Glock 44 pistols and I brought my ALG Six Second Mount along to try it. As you can see in the photo above and below, it works and it works well. With the light recoiling slide and a frame weight, this is a neat little competition setup.
However, holsters for an ALG Six Second mount equipped Glock are not common. I use a SureFire MasterFire holster which is similar to a competition holster. But now we have an alternate option for a red dot on a Glock 44. The Leupold Glock DeltaPoint Micro.
Installing The Glock DeltaPoint Micro
Installation is relatively easy. Remove the factory rear sight and slide in this threaded bar. It is a slightly loose fit to make it easy to install it without needing a rear sight tool. Once the bar is in place, you simply bolt the Leupold Glock DeltaPoint Micro to it.
You can drift the Glock DeltaPoint Micro left and right and when you got it set, just tighten the two screws.
In order to zero the red dot, the elevation and windage adjustments are on the left side of the Glock DeltaPoint Micro housing.
The battery compartment is underneath the optic. See the rubber circular switch? Press up to turn on the Glock DeltaPoint Micro. It has eight brightness settings. There lowest power level is night vision compatible.
A CR1632 powers the Glock DeltaPoint Micro for 30k hours on medium level.
You do need to remove the battery cover/switch if you want to remove the slide.
Aiming With Glock DeltaPoint Micro
The Micro has two circular indentations in the rear of the housing. You can use these to line up with the front sight and use them as iron sights.
It isn’t pretty but it works, I used a paint pen to add white dots to the rear. I don’t plan to use the iron sights but this will give a bit more contrast if I have to use them.
Solving Problems You Didn’t Know You Had
The Glock DeltaPoint Micro is not just for a .22LR training Glock. The Micro is rather low profile and actually works well for use on Glock’s micro compact series like this Glock 43.
I have an original Glock 17L slide and while it would be nice to have the slide milled for a red dot, I feel like it would be a waste for this uncommon Glock. So the Micro works well and is not a permanent modification.
Something that even I did not consider until I shot it on my Glock 44 is how clean it stays. .22LR is not clean burning ammo. I am sure many of you have probably experienced this by now with .22LR handguns, a lot of residue is ejected upward and rearward of the ejection port.
This slide-mounted red dot, pictured below, gets coated with residue quite easily because it is near the path of the ejection port venting gases. It is worse with .22LR guns as they are much dirtier than centerfire guns. This setup gets covered rather quickly and necessitates frequent cleaning.
That is not the case with the Glock DeltaPoint Micro on the Glock 44 since the objective window is much further back on the slide.
Final Thoughts On The DeltaPoint Micro
For $399, the Glock DeltaPoint Micro is not the cheapest red dot on the market but it is rugged and low profile. It is completely enclosed so there is no way for debris to obstruct the emitter. If the small window lenses get covered up it is easy to wipe them clean. Shooting the Glock DeltaPoint Micro is rather easy since you do not have to hunt to find the dot like regular optics on handguns. The Micro acts like a rear sight so you can just bring the front sight into view and make your normal presentation as you would with iron sights.
While the aesthetics do seem odd, it is all functional. The battery hangs off the back of the Glock slide and other than an FFL with a post sample Glock running a full auto backplate you can use this on any factory non-MOS Glock slide. This keeps the DP Micro rather slim and gives the shooter a relatively unobstructed point of view.
One of my biggest concerns was whether this would work for the Glock 44. James mentioned this in his TFBTV video about the Glock 44. 17 mins into the video he mentions that Glock was unsure if a slide-mounted dot would affect reliability. Well, I used CCI clean and it worked great. I did have a couple rounds not lock back on the last round but that might be due to the ammo and I am sure the weight of the DP Micro isn’t helping. Other than that minor hiccup I never had cycling issues.
There is an odd characteristic with the DeltaPoint Micro at full brightness it projects a small dot, like a laser, out the rear. It is easily seen with night vision.
If you have a Glock that you would like to add a red dot to but do not want to have to get your slide milled or run a frame-mounted optic setup, then the Leupold DeltaPoint Micro may be an option to consider. Check out their website for more information.
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