micro red dot or ultradot?

A little advice if you please. Starting to take my bride of 33 years to the range again. She really enjoyed the Ruger MKIII hunter (shorter barrel) the most and was getting some good hits with it. I think she (and me) would benefit from a red dot and see some quicker improvement. So, does the brain trust here think the 4 oz weight of the Ultradot would make the pistol a little too unwieldy? She's not a weakling by any sight. Anyone have experience with both a micro-dot and an Ultradot? And particullarly for a woman? My thanks in advance. I'll just sit back and learn. Kyle

I don't think the added weight will be a big deal.

That steel pistol is substantial already... a few more ounces shouldn't be a deal breaker, especially since the weight will be more or less directly above the shooter's hand.

I like the UltraDot tube sights. I've owned three (still have two of them, the first was sold for college tuition money in the early 1990s). The battery life is incredible, but always try to have a spare battery in your range bag/box.

I've never used a reflex style sight, but I'd sure like to try one. They look very "clean" to my eye. Trying one is definitely on the "to do" list.

Reflex sight offerings from Burris and Vortex seem to enjoy a good reputation, at a fairly reasonable price. Do some research, as the models have undergone some evolution. For instance, some older models (of at least one of those two makers) needed to be removed from the gun in order to change the battery...

Based on my experience with the UltraDot tube sights, I have to believe that the UltraDot L/T reflex sight would also be a quality choice.

I think some time holding sight-equipped pistols (the closer the gun is to your MKIII, the better) in a gun shop, or better yet, shooting at a range, should give you BOTH the answer that you seek...

I know that at my club, members are often willing (even eager!) to have you try their toys. If you're not a member of such a club, maybe a commercial range nearby might have a rental gun w/a sight that you could try.

Good Luck, and Happy Shopping!

Just noticed the UltraDot L/T has an "auto-brightness" feature.

That's exactly the type of feature that I usually hate... don't know if it can be manually adjusted (overridden), and also don't know if the auto-adjust is typical with the reflex style sight.

I would be interested to hear other folks' experience or opinions on that "feature."

IME the weight will not matter with your pistol. I have limited experience with the ultradot-used a friend's. I've used both the tube and reflex sights. A tube gives a bit better sight picture in bright sun or when using a tactical light. The reflex is a bit faster. The auto brightness can be over ridden in the RMR, but I'm not sure about the ultradot. The problem is that when using a tactical light it washes out unless set manually. Most pistol front sights are ~6.5 MOA so between 5 and 7 MOA is about right for most use. I have a 1 MOA on a 10mm I use for hunting; it's too fine for regular use except for hunting or target.

Try to tryout a couple different sizes before buying.

Most of this type of sight use a common button battery e.g. 2023. Having a spare suffices for plinking or targets, but not for home defense of hunting. For those the ability to use the stock sights is essentual. (You can't tell the game or BG " wait while I change batteries"). Either get a high mount or quick change mount.

I have Vortex Venom red dots on two guns, a 3 MOA dot on my S&W 696 revolver used for target competition and a 6 MOA dot on my S&W M&P 9 mm used for Steel Challenge and falling plate matches. They are small, light, have excellent battery life and do not have to be removed from the gun for a battery changes. They do require a Picatinny rail and won't work on a Weaver base but ShopRuger sells an excellent Picatinny base for the MkIV. Consider them seriously.

On my own MkIV I have a C-More "Railway" with an 8 MOA dot which was chosen for speed, not fine target precision. Smaller dots are available for it if you plan on target use.

Finally, the best modest cost red dot I know of is the Bushnell TRS-25. They have a 3 MOA dot, a wide range of user selected dot brightness, excellent battery life and, best of all, are available for only $50 from Amazon.

I've only dealt with 'cheap' sights and very few of those. Have no idea about the differences you are asking about... but I do know that I've gotten better accuracy when I turn the brightness down to a minimum.... brighter is not better.

blume357 said:

I've only dealt with 'cheap' sights and very few of those. Have no idea about the differences you are asking about... but I do know that I've gotten better accuracy when I turn the brightness down to a minimum.... brighter is not better.

Click to expand...

That's true of any red dot sight. You want to adjust the dot brightness to the minimum you need to see it clearly. Too bright causes the dot to flair and give a "star" rather than a clean circle.

Uncle Howie,

I also own a Vortex Venom mounted on a Browning Camper.

It has the 'auto' feature that I was certain I wouldn't care for.

I was wrong.

It's great.

It accurately adjusts to the ambient light conditions.

Well, the Pup and I tried a 2.5 MOA red dot holo on the Mark I Target. It is a great shooter, I bought it new in 1976. It has a bull barrel and a 2.5 lb factory trigger that breaks like glass. We used the red dot for about a year or two, we liked it. We subsequently discovered that we both shot better with the stock iron sights, and we went back to that.

And yes, I am at the age where eyesight is an issue with sights.

Thanks all, good info here. I can't say I've made up my mind, however. 60% leaning to the ultradot matchdot for the ability to dial up size on the MOA dot. Probably find the setting I like and won't touch it again. If it keeps my bride improving and going to the range with me, it'll be money well spent. Might be able to talk her into an EMP or CZ75 (for her of course).

Conservative-

Thanks for sharing your experience with the auto-brightness feature.

Sooner or later I plan to try a reflex style sight... now I'm more likely to consider one with auto-brightness!