Choosing a Red Dot Optic - help me decide

Plinker1962 said:
I don't know if you know but red dots are good for close to medium range targets. Tuning down the red dot (smaller) you may be able to have good shots out to 100 yds. Red dot sights are used for quick acquisition of a target and actually took the place of iron sights when it was first introduced. If your battery takes a dump, all you're going to have is an empty tube unless you can find a red dot to fit your 15-22 that co-witnesses. Hey, you didn't ask for this info now, did you? LOL
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Yes, thanks. The UTG medium riser is supposed to co-witness the TRS-25 perfectly.
 
Red dot sights can be used for ranges exceeding the capabilities of .22LR. While they do dominate in close in they are not restricted to 100 yards. The main problem is the original H/T 1 was a 4 MOA dot, and things like the RMR's were up to 8. This pretty much means you are stuck with that sort of inaccuracy. The new crop of 2 MOA H/T 1's more or less alleviates that problem.

I have no idea what the Prmary Arms or the Bushnell dot size is but there are a coupleof 2 MOA dot sizes available from Aimpoint. With most bulk ammo the M&P 15/22 isnt 2 MoA capable.

Remember, magnified opticts dont let you shoot better, they let you SEE better.....
 
Kayback said:
Remember, magnified opticts dont let you shoot better, they let you SEE better.....
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And, if you can SEE better.....

I can't imagine anyone who can't see, and shoot, better with a scope than a red dot. Doesn't mean red dots don't have their place, or aren't a lot of fun. Basically, at 100 yards, I'll shoot (and do better with) the scope. That doesn't mean that I shoot entirely within the 2 MOA dot; it means I can see exact areas of the target much better with the scope. I use a lot of the 5-bullseye targets, that have a bout an 8" center, and four 2-3" centers. At 100 yards, I can't see the small centers without magnification, so using the red-dot, I'm just guessing on their location. With the scope, I can not only see them, but I'm aiming at their centers. Obviously, hits at that distance are much better using the scope.

I use always the red-dot at 25 yards, and of course it's much quicker for target acquisition.
 
I have a Strikefire on my 16" AR 15, no problems there. I wouldn't hesitate putting one on my 15-22 in place of the 3-9x42 on it currently.
 
rraisley said:
And, if you can SEE better.....
.
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You can see better. Read your post again. Nothing in it talks about shooting better. Shooting relies on things like trigger control, breathing, reading range and wind correctly and a myriad of other things. One thing it does not rely on is SEEING better.

All a magnified optic does is allow you to see what you are shooting at better. The accuracy is still up to your shooting skill.

KBK
 
Kayback said:
All a magnified optic does is allow you to see what you are shooting at better. The accuracy is still up to your shooting skill.
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I guess I still disagree, and that's okay. I feel if you can't see it, you can't shoot it. One example would be a golf ball at 100 yards. Neither my shooting buddy or I can see it without a scope, and therefore have no way of hitting it. With a scope, we can hit it a good bit.

Without a scope, I'm aiming at a big, black dot, and trying to judge where the center is, or where the corner bulls are; with a scope, I'm picking which area of the target to shoot at.

Maybe your groups are no better with a scope; mine certainly are!
 
Again you are only talking about see-ing better.

You obviously have the skill to make the shots. That's shooting. Being able to see the target clearer means you can see better. It does not improve your ability to move the trigger backwards without disrupting your sight picture.

My groups are better with a scope, but that does not mean putting a scope on magically makes me able to shoot better. It just means I can see what I am shooting at clearer.

I guess you could argue it is semantics, but buying a scope and installing it will not make you a better rifleman. If you mess up the fundamentals it doesn't matter if you have the Hubble Telescope mounted on your rifle, you won't be able to shoot properly.

KBK
 
Kayback said:
Again you are only talking about see-ing better.

You obviously have the skill to make the shots. That's shooting. Being able to see the target clearer means you can see better. It does not improve your ability to move the trigger backwards without disrupting your sight picture.

My groups are better with a scope, but that does not mean putting a scope on magically makes me able to shoot better. It just means I can see what I am shooting at clearer.

I guess you could argue it is semantics, but buying a scope and installing it will not make you a better rifleman. If you mess up the fundamentals it doesn't matter if you have the Hubble Telescope mounted on your rifle, you won't be able to shoot properly.
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Okay, well, I obviously wasn't talking about buying a scope, yet still not being able to shoot, and expecting good results. Trigger pull, steadiness, sight picture, breathing, ammo, rifle, scope/sights, they all make a big difference. Any ONE of them will not make a great shooter. But if you've got a number of them down right, then any one of them will help.

I don't really think it's semantics. Saying a scope will not make a better shooter is like saying a good trigger pull will not make a better shooter. All other things being equal, they will. And it's simply a way of improving one of the many variables.
 
Good way of putting it. But I have met people who believe a better scope = a better shooter. If you do not do your part then no whiz bang part will help you.

Generally throwing money at bad shooting won't help unless you are paying for ammo and a trainer.
 
The greatest marksman in the world would make a terrible shot if he couldn't see what he was shooting at.
The farther away the target is the more control and accuraticy is required. At 200 yards a 2" target will be impossible to see without a scope but will be impossible to hit without control.
 
Red dots for quick close shooting and scopes for accuracy at longer ranges. Like has been said - the better you can see the better you can shoot! This is especially true for us with older eyes.
 
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