Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Optics red dot vs red dot

other than dot size...help me understand the difference...I will use leupold as the example...take a deltapoint pro vs the rds ....other than size is there an advantage to one over the other....bob

Commonly evaluated criteria are window size, dot (size and/or shape), brightness controls, on/off controls, weight, weatherproofness, waterproofness, battery life, ease of sighting adjustment, ease of battery replacement, ease of installation, suitability... potential durability... and cost.

For example, closed emitter may be more weatherproof/waterproof than an open emitter. But then again, may weigh more, and may "close" the sight picture somewhat, etc. Another example, big dot might be better for faster target acquisition and large/close targets, small dot might be better for improved accuracy at smaller, more distant targets. Et cetera...

-Chris

If you're using the RDS on a pistol I'd say durability and warranty support is an important consideration. A dot sight on a semi auto pistol takes a lot of abuse due to the impact from the slide motion. If you use one a lot you may need to send it in to be fixed at some point.

On most rifles, hard kickers excepted, this isn't a big consideration.

Ranger and bowman.....I wouldn't use the rds on pistols.....should have said that in the beginning just rifles ....I see both being used on rifles non kickers and heavy kickers.

planning on making a switch from scopes....shots 150 max I dont shoot long range...

and trying to weigh all the options...thanks

Slide mounting it on my 1911 is why I bought the Trijicon RMR Type 2 because it was battle proven for durability. I wanted to see what all the hype was about because every gun magazine is full of pics of red dots. I wasn’t ready to mill the slide so I opted for a Novak sight plate mount. Yes, it made it into a more accurate .45 in my hands, but guess what? The Novak rear sight is back on and that RMR is back in it’s original box. I don’t shoot it enough to justify that chunky thing sticking up on the top of a short range handgun.

I'd guess that even on heavy recoiling guns, a rifle is much easier on an RDS than 10,000 rounds of 9mm through a Glock. You're not likely to shoot large volumes through a .458 Win Mag.

Aimpoint.

I've mounted reflex sights on rifles, too. Aimpoint closed tube, C-More and Burris open emitters... each has that list of pros/cons...

I most recently used one of the Burris open emitter types mounted on the receiver ring of a very lightweight bolt-action rifle intended for deer hunting, usually within 100-150 yards (and likely much less), probably 200 yards max. Worked well enough for sighting in, the very light weight was in keeping with the rifle's intent... but in the woods I discovered (yet again) that the lack of magnification doesn't help much when it comes to trying to thread a shot through brush. I could see game, but I couldn't easily distinguish small limbs and twigs in between.

Different from when I used an Aimpoint on an earlier javelina hunt in AZ, where targets aren't huge, and where distances could be longish but bullet paths would have been mostly unobstructed.

Not a recommendation, just observations...

-Chris

Ranger....good info....lot for me to think about...want to put a dot on my dw 10mm for deer and antelope etc.

I am also wanting to put in for ham hunt in az.....then predator calling on a 222 rifle where I call pretty open.

shotgun same thing close.....going to africa in 2 years for elephant so there's another consideration...while the shot is not long have to shoot possibly in tree/brushy area.

couple more scenarios also.....so I am going to put alot thought in this.....good info...thanks....bob

Have one on my 1911 EDC
Have one on an old Win 94
Have one on a dedicated Turkey Gun

Each red dot has made the underlying firearm more accurate, faster and more useful. Not a long range affair, but cannot imagine going back to irons on any of the above... I was a confirmed skeptic until a few years ago. Now I am a convert...

S&A...definitely going to put one on my 1911 10mm...1911 carry 45 and on a ruger 22 pistol....and calling shotgun. now in the stage of which rifles should stay scopes or dots.....bob