Iron sights vs red dot holographic sights

[drjoker]

O.K. I got a red dot holographic sight for the first time in my life. At first I wanted to refund it because the red dot was blurry. Then, I realized, I shouldn't focus on the dot likt it's an iron front sight. I should focus on the item I am shooting at. After I focused on what I was shooting at, the red dot came into focus.

Anyways, am I crazy or what? I feel more comfortable shooting with irons than with the red dot. The red dot is supposed to be better, right?

[jmra]

The red dot is great in low light.

[steveincowtown]

Is your red dot set up for co-witness? If you like you iron sights I would set it up this way.

[jmra]

Is your red dot set up for co-witness? If you like you iron sights I would set it up this way.

I have several setup with magpul popups.

[The Annoyed Man]

O.K. I got a red dot holographic sight for the first time in my life. At first I wanted to refund it because the red dot was blurry. Then, I realized, I shouldn't focus on the dot likt it's an iron front sight. I should focus on the item I am shooting at. After I focused on what I was shooting at, the red dot came into focus.

Anyways, am I crazy or what? I feel more comfortable shooting with irons than with the red dot. The red dot is supposed to be better, right?

1) What is the RDS mounted on?

2) What kind of RDS is it?

3) What kind of iron sights?

4) Generally speaking, I am guessing that as you age and your eyesight begins to deteriorate, you'll come to appreciate an RDS. That said, iron sights are a basic skill that should be mastered.

[drjoker]

1. mounted on an S&W M&P AR 15-22
2. The $25 one Cabela's had on sale at today's doorbuster, Center Point Tactical 32 mm Reflex Sight http://www.cabelas.com/product/Center-P ... 412024.uts
3. standard AR 15 iron sights that came with the gun
4. I have old decrepid eyes. I actually shoot custom printed 8 inch red targets for 100 yard iron sight shooting. I have trouble seeing the target if it is smaller than 8 inches.

I dunno. I actually shoot better with irons than with the red dot sight.

O.K. I got a red dot holographic sight for the first time in my life. At first I wanted to refund it because the red dot was blurry. Then, I realized, I shouldn't focus on the dot likt it's an iron front sight. I should focus on the item I am shooting at. After I focused on what I was shooting at, the red dot came into focus.

Anyways, am I crazy or what? I feel more comfortable shooting with irons than with the red dot. The red dot is supposed to be better, right?

1) What is the RDS mounted on?

2) What kind of RDS is it?

3) What kind of iron sights?

4) Generally speaking, I am guessing that as you age and your eyesight begins to deteriorate, you'll come to appreciate an RDS. That said, iron sights are a basic skill that should be mastered.

[PBR]

red dots take some time to get use too if never tried or used one -- i was like yourself and used plain old sights but after time and age i like the red dot but still use the iron as back ups

[The Annoyed Man]

1. mounted on an S&W M&P AR 15-22
2. The $25 one Cabela's had on sale at today's doorbuster, Center Point Tactical 32 mm Reflex Sight http://www.cabelas.com/product/Center-P ... 412024.uts
3. standard AR 15 iron sights that came with the gun
4. I have old decrepid eyes. I actually shoot custom printed 8 inch red targets for 100 yard iron sight shooting. I have trouble seeing the target if it is smaller than 8 inches.

I dunno. I actually shoot better with irons than with the red dot sight.

I like the M&P15-22. I don't really know anything about the Center Point Tactical sight, but for $25, it just may not be that reliable. That said, an awful lot can depend on what size the dot is. A 2 MOA dot is going to cover a 2" circle at 100 yards; a 4 MOA dot covers a 4" circle. . . . .meaning the area of the target that will be obscured by the dot at a given distance. Generally speaking, the smaller dot will give you more precise aiming, but it might also be harder for you to see. Also, different dot colors are more visible depending on the background. That's why some sights offer both a red and green dot. Yours also apparently offers different kinds of reticles. You might just try experimenting with different reticle/brightness settings. But if you are using a red reticle against a red target, it might be pretty hard to be accurate.

All of my rifles had magnified optics only until I bought my first AR, so I'm comfortable with optics, and I can't see crap with irons. My M1A came with irons, and I shot it at 200 yards before putting a scope on it, but the target was a 10" steel plate, and the front sight totally obscured it. I got to where I could hit it reliably, but I would not say that it was of much use to me beyond that distance, particularly with any regard to accuracy.

[jjminch]

A quality aimpoint isn't fuzzy. Make sure you turn down the brightness from "max" when running it in the day. At full brightness they tend to blur and became more egg shaped then circular.

[MechAg94]

I have found that crimson trace lasergrips make quick follow up shots easier. You can focus on the target and as soon as that dot comes back down on the target, you fire again. With that, I am sort of looking over the sights and focusing on the target.

[TDDude]

I have found that crimson trace lasergrips make quick follow up shots easier. You can focus on the target and as soon as that dot comes back down on the target, you fire again. With that, I am sort of looking over the sights and focusing on the target.

Wrong kind of "dot"!

I have an non magnified Aimpoint on my AR and I see it as a tool for faster target aquisition. The red dot is way too large for any kind of precision shooting at over 50 yards. Even at it's lowest brightness setting, it covers about an 8" circle at 50 yards. A high quality precision iron sight system will be much more accurate, especially at long distances.

BUT, if I've got a moving hog at that 50-100 yards and I need to come up fast and fire, a good quality red dot cannot be beat. Both eyes open, bring up the rifle, wherever the dot is, that's where the bullet goes.

It's a tool for a specific application and doesn't cross over very well.

2c