Red dot stupidity (mine)

[41Dude]

I decided to add a nice red dot to my rifle. I wear eyeglasses for a slight astigmatism but have a habit of taking them off to see up close.
Viewed several red dots. Some expensive some not. All I could see were a variety of smeared blobs where there should be a dot. I was getting REAL frustrated. An older (my age) salesclerk came by and said try it with glasses on. Duh Nice clean almost perfect dot. No longer smeared dot.
Sooooooooo if you wear corrective lenses please remember my brain fart.


P.S. A nice suggestion from below. Try the green dot. I did just that. Green worked out better than the red for me.

 

[blume357]

What I've learned with a red dot on a rifle is don't make it too bright, dim is better and more accurate for me.

 

[gjgalligan]

You might want to try a green dot. I see them much clearer then the red ones.

 

[41Dude]

You might want to try a green dot. I see them much clearer then the red ones.

I changed my post. I purchased the green after viewing the red and the green.
Green worked better for me. Thanks.

 

[contender]

I see a lot of young shooters using dot optics. But the ones who seem to benefit the most are us older shooters who sadly,, no longer enjoy good eyesight.
Variable brightness, and different dot sizes assist in allowing a user to set one to their preferences. And for many the green dot does seem to be sharper & easier to see.

While not as precise as a thin crosshair of a scope,, they can be adjusted for pretty good accuracy for many applications. Just remember,, the dot size,, 2MOA, or 6 MOA means the dot will cover that many inches at 100 yds. If longer range accuracy is desired,, always go with the smallest dot size.

And of course,, as noted,, if you wear corrective lens glasses,, use them when using a dot.

 

[Fox Mike]

I have only tried one red dot sight and honestly do not care for it. I had to "search' to see the dot where with out it the pistol come right up and I am looking at the sights. I was 'quicker' on target with iron sights than the red dot.

 

[41Dude]

I have only tried one red dot sight and honestly do not care for it. I had to "search' to see the dot where with out it the pistol come right up and I am looking at the sights. I was 'quicker' on target with iron sights than the red dot.

I agree. I have been out with kids and grandkids shooting red dots on handguns.
I do MUCH better with the iron sights on handguns.
But I had much fun and did better with red dot on rifles. Old eyes picked up dot and target better than iron.

 

[375hh1973]

I put a Delta Point on my Benelli M4 house gun.

At first it was because I got a helluva deal on the Delta Point and just wanted to play with it. After shooting it a bunch and then going back and forth with and without, it was a no brainer. The Delta Point is staying on.

 

[Mike J]

I've had a red dot on an AR for about 11 years now. I like it. Contender does have a point about the size of the dot. I have a friend with a 300 yard range. The first time I shot with them there I had to turn the dot off & use the irons to hit at 300. I do like the dot. After he extended his range to 375 I wound up acquiring another AR & an inexpensive LPVO so I could hang. It got rough trying to see out there.

Recently I put a dot on a pistol. The dot is fine. The problem is the pistol does not point naturally for me. I am in the process of making an adjustment to the grip so that the dot will come up correctly. I believe even if the pistol does point well for you it takes time & practice presenting the firearm to pick up the dot. It is just another skill set to be learned.

 

[RoninPA]

Mike 's last sentence above is spot one, just like anything else new, you have to get use to it and practice and maybe change a few things that you have grown accustomed to (like a certain grip on certain handguns).

 

[XUSNORDIE]

I like dot optics. When my eye sight started going several years back I stopped speed shooting steel. Which is some of the most fun you can have on the range, IMO. Now I have dot optics on a GP100, MK111 22/45, MKIV 22/45, and two PSA Dagger builds. I also put optics on some of my hunting revolvers and a G40L. I have expensive high end, mid priced and a couple cheap ones. I can't see too much of a difference between them, but I will put faith in the high end expensive ones to be far more durable and those go on my hunting revolvers/pistols. The cheaper ones are on the fun guns.

My Wife enjoys shooting. She was with the Sheriffs Office years back prior to transferring over/retiring as a ACO/Cruelty Investigator. She has her own AR and pistols, but she stopped going to the range as much due to vision issues. I put a dot optic on her AR and she loves it. I am currently building up a PSA Dagger for her which will have a dot.....it will be under the Christmas tree this year. Looking forward to range time with her.

 

[Yaworski]

I started using a dot for bullseye back in the 90s and I was in my 30s. I was skeptical but my scores went up.

Being able to find the dot is just a matter of practice, just like finding sights.

 

[contender]

Several comments here discuss the inability of finding the dot.

I too had a few issues the first time I tried one. AND,, I thought that you had to try & get the dot centered in the optic window.

Later on,, I discovered it was MY gripping methods that needed adjustment to allow the dot to easily be found. A proper, repeatable gripping method,, that properly aligns your gun will allow the dot to easily appear. But I see it often where a shooter is "hunting" for the dot. An improper grip is the culprit.
In USPSA,, dry fire practice is a common method of getting better for the game. And part of that,, is always gripping the handgun the very same way each & every time. Repeated dry fire skills teach your motor memory (brain) the correct skill if you do it the same way each time.
On a rifle or shotgun, you have additional support to assist in aligning everything. That has a quicker learning curve.

Oh, and once you get a dot zeroed you soon learn that "when the dot is on the target,, where you want the bullet to go,, no matter what part of the optic window it's in, pull the trigger. It means that you have the dot centered where it needs to go, and you grip is a little off.

In USPSA,, many speed shooters use a larger MOA dot for speed. They don't need 100 yd accuracy. A 6 MOA dot allows a shooter to find the dot quicker and get it in the center area of the paper easily.

 

[Hawk-in-Wi]

for those of you that don't like just a Dot in your reddot sight , take a look at this sight

https://www.primaryarms.com/holosun-he507c-x2-pistol-green-dot-sight-acss-vulcan-reticle

 

[Fox Mike]

I have read and heard reasons why I may not be seeing the 'dot' but I feel that I shouldn't have to 'relearn' how to grip a pistol/revolver, in order to see a light, when my grip now naturally comes up with the iron sights aligned.

 

[Mike J]

@41Dude Thanks for starting this thread. I had put a dot on my pistol & zeroed it but I was having a hard time finding it when I presented. I had decided to build up an area of the grip to change the grip angle some. Everything I tried hasn't worked well. I was actually thinking of making a mold & filling it with resin then attaching it to the polymer frame but something occurred to me tonight. I ditched all that & just thought about pointing the knuckle of my finger under the trigger guard at whatever my target is. I tried that when presenting & the dot comes up where I can see it easily. Now all I have to do is practice that about a million times without a magazine or any ammunition around & I should be good to go. It will be good to work on my draw anyway.

 

[contender]

"I have read and heard reasons why I may not be seeing the 'dot' but I feel that I shouldn't have to 'relearn' how to grip a pistol/revolver, in order to see a light, when my grip now naturally comes up with the iron sights aligned."

A VERY valid point for many people. Trying to re-train the motor memory skills already ingrained after decades of doing something one way,, to a new method is HARD! It takes a LOT of work. But for newer shooters,, or those who have issues with accuracy,, or even many who aren't too skilled,, the dot's can truly help a lot. And many people who, as they age,, want to be a more accurate shooter to what they used to enjoy,, it can help a lot too. Dot's are NOT the end all, be all for everybody. They are just another tool. And they are often used instead of open sights by many because some people fail to truly learn to use open sights.
I've often taken guys at my range,, who shoot USPSA with just a dot,, and put a SA handgun in a bigger caliber (.45 quite often,) and let them take a few shots. First,, the recoil surprises them. But accuracy eludes them. When I say; "Hit that steel swinger down there,, (at 100 yds,) they say; "No way!" I demonstrate,, banging & clanging it. Then they want to try. Often they just plainly fail. They haven't learned to use open sights well enough.
Yet,, I can easily teach them how to use them, because they already have a good gripping method. Once they understand what's necessary,, they surprise themselves with how they too bang & clang the steel.

So,, not dots aren't for everybody. And I'll freely admit it took me a lot to get over my problems with them initially.

 

[Hvymax]

I have only tried one red dot sight and honestly do not care for it. I had to "search' to see the dot where with out it the pistol come right up and I am looking at the sights. I was 'quicker' on target with iron sights than the red dot.

I use Foam blocks to fit the gun to my hand so I don't have to search for the dot. Hopefully the CSX-E won't need them.