Red Dot Sight For 617

First, I have no experience with red dot sights and only know what I have been able to research. I shoot my new 617 well with iron sights but I am thinking that a red dot sight might help my senior eyes, especially under certain conditions. I would only be using this gun for informal target shooting, indoors and outdoors and maybe some local competition sometime down the road.

What is your experience with red dot sights and is there a benefit of reflex over the tube types? What about battery types? Size of dot? I know there is wide variance in price on things. I just need something reliable and of good quality that works for the type of shooting I want to do and of course, maybe after I do enough research and get some input, I'll be just as well off to stick with the iron sights.

Any input would be appreciated.

Thanks!

I put a Burris FastFireIII on my 617-6 and it shoots one hole when I can hold it still enough.

I also like the Burris FastFireIII with the Allchin mount. It took some practice to find the dot at first but once I got used to it I can shoot faster than iron sights. I have the 8 MOA dot.

Sight selection depends on the mission.
My 617 is used for precision indoor games (golf balls and bullesye matches at 50 feet).
For that mission, I have found the best is the 30mm MatchDot with the 2 MOA dot. Also has 4-6-8.

Outdoor speed games (steel challenge) reflex sights rule.
I like this TruGlo multi-reticle sight:

Use them on my carbine, shotgun and pistols/revolvers.

I have a lot of experience with red dots (Burris FFII & FFIII, Aimpoint Micro, Matchdot, Ultradot, Bushnell) on revolvers, pistols, and rifles from .22lr to .45 and .308. Shooting for fun as well as Bullseye and Steel Challenge. I have a 617 currently sporting a Matchdot. The previous owner had installed rings for a scope as he shot silhouettes. I kept the mounts and installed the Matchdot in them. Sorry - no picture handy.

First, if you have vision issues, a dot will change your shooting life! I have an astigmatism and both far and near sightedness. My shooting glasses are no-line bifocals. A dot allows you to shoot with both eyes open and focused on the target. For me, this is huge. The target and the dot are both in focus and I don't have to keep lifting my head up and down to find the sweet spot in the bifocals. The only way I can shoot irons accurately is to use my "computer" glasses which make everything beyond about 2 feet blurrier than no glasses at all.

The Burris FFIII is a great sight and a great value. Don't get the FFII as changing the battery requires removing the sight from the gun and you can't adjust the intensity. The only issue with reflex sights is finding the dot in a hurry. The area of the objective lens is small and it takes some practice to get the dot in the view area quickly when getting on target. You will see guys swinging the muzzle around in a circle while looking down the sight. They are "hunting the dot". With some repetition you will find it less of an issue. I use 3 MOA on my Bullseye guns and 8 MOA on my race guns. Once I didn't properly install the screws on a Burris FFIII for my CZ P01 (below). During firing, the sight came off the slide, bounced off my forehead and then landed on the concrete shooting pad. It wasn't damaged and is still in use today (properly installed!).



With a tube such as the Matchdot, hunting the dot is a lot less of an issue. The tube itself assists in lining up the sight and once there the dot is visible but the sight also obscures more of your field of vision than the Burris. The Matchdot has more options on intensity and dot size compared to the Burris. I also have an Ultradot which adds the ability to choose your reticle so you aren't restricted to just a dot. The price is higher than the Burris.

The Aimpoint Micro is a little tank. Solidly built, waterproof, with phenomenal battery life. It has a short tube and good range of variable intensities so has the benefits of the Matchdot in a smaller more durable package. I have one on a Ruger 22/45 Lite for Steel Challenge. The price is very high. The dot costs more than the pistol but it is an awesome combination. It's my wife's favorite range toy too.



The Bushnell TRS 25 is a cheap imitation of the Aimpoint. I have one on a 10/22 style race gun I use in steel. It works but the quality is not great. It might be a good way to start though. There are several rails to choose from that would work and allow you to upgrade the dot to an Aimpoint or Matchdot later. For the Bushnell or Aimpoint, I like the looks of this one from Weigand - Smith Wesson Revolver Mini Mount. For the Matchdot you would need the longer rail version from Weigand or others.

Allchin is great for the Burris as it keeps the sight low and looks clean. I have an Allchin mounting an FFII on a 686 similar to some of the photos others have posted.

Keep in mind you will have to remove the rear sight no matter what you do. It is possible to go back to irons but it isn't a quick change. You'll be committing to dots in the short term.

So figure out your price range and do it.

I appreciate everyone's input and expertise. Thanks!

First of all, most of my experience is based on bullseye type shooting at 25/50yds. I've used both reflex and tube-type Red-dot sights and prefer the tube types, as I find them easier for me to "find" the dot when sighting. Also, the reflex types seem to come more commonly with different styles of dots, which really doesn't add much for me for bullseye shooting.

Burris FFIII has a good reputation and Matchdot/Ultradot series is the gold standard for tube type. Advantage (for me) of them is that they come with a screw-on polarizing filter and an eye shade which does help in some lighting conditions. Not that you'll need it on a 617, but the Match-dot's are known for their ability to hold zero under severe recoil. 2-4-6-8mil dot sizes pretty well cover my needs and for bullseye work I find the 6-8mil dots work best. YMMV

Be careful of the cheap red-dots though. Their downside is that (1) they often need to be removed to replace batteries, (2) don't handle recoil well and will have dot drift and (3) aren't click adjustable for windage/elevation.

I have used tube red dots for many years. This year I tried the Burris FastFire III. It took a little time getting good with it but now much prefer it over the tube red dots.

The photo below is the Burris on my 617 using the low profile mount that we manufacture. I really like the compact size and low profile vs. a tube red dot.

Red dots.....

....love the tube red dots on my 6" 617 and 686. Makes a great target gun. Added second sight since picture taken.

I've used the Fast Fire III but found the dot looked too much like a star then a circle.

I switched to a C-More Railway with a 12 minute dot. The C-more is only $239 direct from the factory. Holds ZERO and is easy to adjust. The brightness nob is much easier to use than the button on the FF-lll.

I have a 929 with a Vortex Razor and a 617 with a Burris FF and while the FF is good I am leaning towards the Vortex
the Vortex is built like a tank and the larger window with a 6MOA dot is a great combo for the matches I compete in
S&W 929 by John Hermesmeyer, on Flickr

617 by John Hermesmeyer, on Flickr

I have used red dot sights extensively with rifles and with Ruger Mark pistols. Haven't tried them on revolvers yet.

Here are some of my experiences.

Firstly, the best pistol red dot sight that there is is the Aimpoint H series. These are military-grade red dot sights that will never, ever let you down. The battery life is phenomenal due to a patented technology. More importantly, the unit is overbuilt and super-reliable. This is a small "tube" type of red dot sight and due to its small size it is perfect for a pistol or handgun such as the 617.

The Ultradot Matchdot is a good red dot sight if you do not mind the size. It costs maybe half or a little less as much as the Aimpoint. The Ultradot is not military-grade, but it is fine for most civilian uses. Incidentally, I tried the Ultradot Matchdot with a Ruger Mini 14 and it did not hold up -- the recoil eventually loosened some parts. But for a .22 rifle or handgun it should be fine if you do not mind the size.

When I first got into red dot sights, I tried some of the cheap ones that you can pick up for around $100-$150. They always crapped out. With red dot sights you really do get what you pay for.

I have not tried a red dot sight on a revolver yet, but the 617 should be a perfect platform for a good red dot sight, as the 617 is a large revolver and revolvers do not have a slide recoil to jolt the red dot sight. This is why the Ruger Mark pistols are such a good platform for red dot sights -- the recoil mechanism is inside the frame housing so the RDS sits on a stable platform, unlike most semi-autos.

One of my Ruger Mark IIIs with an Aimpoint H-1 RDS. This is a really nice combination.