Do you like red dot sites?

[CWLONGSHOT]

RED DOT!!

Be they standard tube style in either 1" or 30mm or even BIGGER! (Remember those beer cans!!)

Reflex

Prism

Be this for a Rifle/Pistol/Shotgun or even a Different choice for each.

I have been using them since the 1980's. About since they came to be. It started and my first one was for my NRA Bullseye shooting right after they where authorized. Scopes had paralax and the magnification magnified movement. So a zero magnification or 1x (Same as eye site) was perfect.
Back then it was Aimpoint 2000. They had no ir very slight parallax! Then as they improved we had 3000 then 5000. Then guys started with ULTRA DOT...

Today we have THOUSANDS of manufacturers!!!

I still prefer a Aimpoint BUT they have grown to be too costly for most folks. (Self included.) I have found deals on used units for the last few I own.
I bought a used Trijicon and it broke allowing me a Warrenty replacement. I got a bonus check one time and decided to treat myself to a SRO and MRO! I HATED the SRO!!! Traded that off in a week!! 500$ and it was aweful!!! Surprised myself, as I liked my RMR reflex. I liked the MRO but ended up trading a buddy for the Leupold RDS, Because the dot was much smaller. (My preference since Bullseye.) He wanted bigger dot. I have two from Sig and like them. Who doesn have the excellent Bushnell trs-25!?!? I think I have three!! (Beware of knock offs!!)
Now I find myself needing new dot and I looking at a Riton and a Primary Arms.

So whats YOUR favorite and for/on what. Do you have a Riton or Primary Arms?

CW

 

[Rick H]

I have a Holosun 2minute dot (with a funky interrupted circle of maybe 12-15 moa surrounding it) on one of my AR's. It is supposed to have a 50,000hour battery life. I turn it off when it isn't in use so I will never find out. I am still using the original battery.....I don't remember exactly 5-7 yrs. now? It works. Sighting it in was simple and it has held zero. The AR has pop-up auxiliary co-witness sights that work even if the unit goes dead on me. It is an extremely quick sight to use and has become my favorite predator calling rifle.

I really wished it had 2 1/2-3X magnification and kept the other features of light weight and small size. I do have a Vortex 3x illuminated cat scope on another AR that works well but I swear they made the thing out of lead. It is HEAVY!!! Couple that with the 15" M-slot aluminum fore end makes the package uncomfortably heavy for carrying around. No co-witness sight arrangement works with the magnification.

 

[Winelover]

Also started off with red dots in the early 80's. First foray was the Armson/Trijicon OEG's. Liked them so much I had accumulated a half dozen on various bows and handguns. Sadly, Trijicon made a decision to quit supporting/re-lamping them. They were the best fully automatic red dot sight that retailed for less than $160, IMO.

Have tried a whole host of red dot sights, after that. Most were found lacking. Settled on Ultra dot's for firearms or bows that were already set up for one inch rings. Biggest issue I have with them is the manual rheostat. I want a red dot that is always ready. No switches to manipulate.

Currently, have a couple of full size Trijicon fully automatic reflexes. Fine for carbines, too large for handguns. Haven't used their MRO's or SRO's. However, it the Sig Romeo 1 (that came standard on my P-320) were to give up the ghost, I'd seriously be looking at Trijicon's miniature reflex offerings.

For an relatively inexpensive red dot sight, I recommend the Sig Romeo 5 model. They can be had for less than $100 if you shop around. They have the shake awake feature, with long battery life. Currently, have three of them. Two on carbines and one on my X-bow.

Did purchase a Bushnell TRS-25. Just OK in my opinion. I find the manual rheostat very hard to operate and I don't get a round dot, either. More like a comet, with a tail.

 

[MW65]

I have an older aimpoint which has been a fav on many rifles... easy to use, and reliable. My ultra dot is for bullseye shoots... it works...

No other red dots, although another aimpoint might makes its way onto another rifle... will have to see! I know they're expensive, but learned that sometimes it takes a little more investment to get something that lasts.

 

[300BLK]

When I wanted a very small, lightweight "optic" for a carbine, I bought a Holosun 407 with picatinny mount. It goes right on a RARR, or works on an AR with a riser block. It is "shake awake", remembers previous brightness setting, and can be adjusted to a round dot. I tried a Bushnell TRS26 thinking it would better than the TRS25, but simply gave it away.

 

[Rushcreek]

I’ve used this Burris FF3 on a Blackhawk.41 magnum, an AR15, a nylon 66, a Topper 44-40,a Winchester 94 38-55, and lately…this!
Kind of a “What if?”
It is a handy sight for sure.

 

[Jeff H]

I do, for certain applications. They're a boon for carbines chambered for handgun rounds. For predator/varmint/vermin control at ONE to fifty yards, they are the berries.

I bought a Sig Romeo 5 this spring or summer to put on my 357 Mag carbine, but it's still sitting on the bench. It's a real toss-up between the dot and the 1-3x20 scope that's on it now. I have an older, bulky Tasco red dot that I've used on 357 Mag and 300 BLK carbines and was surprised at how well I could actually group with it at 50 yards. It served well on both carbines, but both of those are gone.

Some day, Id like to try one of the tiny pistol dots (like @Rushcreek shows above) on a carbine, since they are SO compact and light.

I think my solution would be to get another Contender, find a 20+" TAPERED 357 Mag barrel and set it up for dot/peep. If I drill two more holes forward of the exiting ones, I could chop a 92A base, move it forward and mount the dot, leaving the two back holes for the peep.

Kinda trying to NOT buy more guns at this point, but I'm not sure how I fit that brand new red dot into the current selection. The 223, 30/30 and 357 Max are all intended for longer ranges, so another 357 sort of makes sense, right? And two of the same counts as ONE, right?

 

[RicinYakima]

Only one I have ever owned is a Leupold Gilmore, 1". Used it on a Contender for many years, but when I sold the barrel, it stayed. Thinking about putting it on my new Martini 25/20.

 

[Jeff H]

THAT would be a great application for something like that. I still inwardly resist electronics on rifles/carbines, deep down, but cannot deny how well they complement the system. I suffer a little cognitive dissonance when putting one on, but when using it, I can't present a logical argument NOT to.

 

[CWLONGSHOT]

I was looking more this AM and grabbed a Riton Tatix RRD 80$. Most was 100 some more. I told my buddy he found same thing for 60$!!!!! Now Im frettin its some kinda Chinese copy! I thinking Im a google mastah and mighta been caught the fool!!! I looked and they accept returns so guess just time lost if bad.

Could still use one more but not urgently.

CW

 

[Petrol & Powder]

I’ve had a few red dot sights and I believe there is a place for those devices, but I’m not totally sold on the concept.

My ambivalence to red dots sights is due to the bulk of the devices. Even the latest generation sights that are relatively small and typically mounted on handguns, add considerable bulk to the gun. I’ve had red dots on handguns, and they are great for what they do but, in my opinion, are not replacements for iron sights.

I had an early Aimpoint on a Ruger MKII target pistol, and it was super fun but that was purely a range toy. It was useful when teaching new shooters trigger control because it removed most of the struggles of sighting and allowed the student to concentrate on just trigger control. But it added a lot of bulk to the gun.

I just don’t care for a lot of gadgets on a handgun.

Today’s red dots are much smaller but, on a handgun, they still add considerable bulk to the gun.

NOW, on a carbine…red dots are awesome!

On a rifle, an optical scope is still my first choice.

 

[todd]

my dad (RIP) had a hard time finding the deer with TC Contender with a 14" barrel and a 2.5x Swift pistol scope. since he was color blind, he couldn't find a red dot site. but a green dot, now that's another matter!!!! he bought a TruGlo reflex site that could be either red or green. he killed deer with it, but he had reduce the range to 50ish yards. the 7x30 Waters at 100 yards was like 3 - 4" group (5 shots) with the green dot. with a 2.5X scope , 1/2+/-" group at 100 yards (5 shots) was standard for him. so he reduced his range.

i have a red dot reflex sight somewhere. i used to put it on my Ruger SBH, but now i have an aperture sight (Warren One Hole Sights). i used to have a red dot Aimpoint scope, but that was in the mid 1990s.

 

[CWLONGSHOT]

Humans will always see Green better its how our eyes are made. Unless you have some genetic disorder. Predisposed to not see blues and greens.

 

[JWinAZ]

I do like them. While they do add bulk, they work well for me. I have used reflex sights on both pistols and carbines. Vortex Venom and Viper. 6 moa dot for pistol, 3 moa for carbine. Also have a Bushnell RXS-100 reflex on a S&W Model 22, .22 LR. A less expensive sight that is working well so far. Also have a Sig Romeo 5, modestly priced tube type, on a carbine. The benefit to me is not having to focus on the sights. I had always used open and aperture sights with no problem until a few years ago. Wanting to keep shooting dispelled my (considerable) reluctance to use these.

It does take some experience to get the hang of getting the sight picture. Much easier with the carbine than the pistol.

 

[Edward R Southgate]

Red Dot Sights. Web Sites.

 

[Brad]

I have 2 Vortex red dot sights. Been very happy with both.

First one went on my wife’s 686 to let her shoot better- hard to see sights as she ages. Now she shoots well enough I may take off the training wheels. She shoots irn sights handguns pretty well now.

 

[358156 hp]

Mine are Holosuns, I have an HE407C with a green dot, and an H5507C with a red circle/dot type reticle. The 407 is off duty for the time being, but the H5507 is on one of my carry guns. I ran into an interesting situation on the carry gun, it had a red fiberoptic front sight that looked too much like the MRDs dot for comfort so I ended up swapping out the light pipe for a green one to cure the situation. I'll probably use the green dot on a house gun since it's much clearer in the dark than the red one for me.

 

[RicinYakima]

Put the red dot on the 25/20 Cadet this morning. Lots of advantages; weights 12 ounces less than the Weaver stainless Micro-Groove scope (balance is better), it is easier to load not having to push the cartridge in under the scope with my little finger, not so reflective shinning in my face in the sun.

 

[L Ross]

Put the red dot on the 25/20 Cadet this morning. Lots of advantages; weights 12 ounces less than the Weaver stainless Micro-Groove scope (balance is better), it is easier to load not having to push the cartridge in under the scope with my little finger, not so reflective shinning in my face in the sun.

.25-20 Cadet?!?! How neat is that?

 

[popper]

Got a sightmark yrs ago, never used it much. Batteries were a pita to replace and didn't last long. Recently got another with different battery and added 3x magnifier for BO pistol. Magnifier moves out of the way for 1x. Was shooting pretty good at steel with the carbine that blew up, red dot, surprised me how easy @ 50 yds. Pistol @ 50 shot pretty good too, recoil without any stock is kinda wild with full super loads, scope dings the eyebrow.