Gonna Have To Give Up On Red Dots

[Mydogmax]

I've tried the Vortex Strikefire, the Aimpoint Pro (returned both) and most recently the Primary Arms MD AD. All of them are red splotch sights. Was advised by Primary Arms to flip up the rear sight and look thru that. With the rear sight down the splotch was sitting just on top of the front sight. With the rear sight up the splotch actually moved about 1/16 " down the front sight. I still can shoot decent groups with it but the splotch changes shape all the time and I have to guess where the POI is going to be. Looks like my eyes & red dots just don't get along. Going to throw the Primary Arms sight in my drawer and forget about it. Now that that is out of my system I think that I stick with a scope. I have my eye on that Nikon P223 3x. Small scope (only 8 inches long) and it's got good reviews. Good price too. Rant over and on to something else.

 

[shawn mccarver]

You should perhaps try a mil spec red dot instead of these others mentioned. Aimpoint and Trijicon seem to be quality items. If the military and Larry Vickers cannot destroy them, that speaks well of the product. The Aimpoint T-1 and the Comp M4 will hold up well. The RMR from Trijicon also holds up well. No splotches, either, with these models.. They are, however, expensive. On the other hand, as you may have heard, "you get what you pay for."

 

[Krogen]

Do you have astigmatism? If so, is it adequately corrected with glasses or contacts?

I have it fairly bad, but it's corrected with glasses. Still, I need to look through the optic center or I get a red splotch. The splotch isn't so bad that I'll dump my red dots, though. Iron sights are much more troublesome due to presbyopia (i.e. age-related short-arm syndrome), but I fix that by wearing computer glasses.

If ya can't see it, ya can't hit it!

 

[Dave]

You should perhaps try a mil spec red dot instead of these others mentioned. Aimpoint and Trijicon seem to be quality items. If the military and Larry Vickers cannot destroy them, that speaks well of the product. The Aimpoint T-1 and the Comp M4 will hold up well. The RMR from Trijicon also holds up well. No splotches, either, with these models.. They are, however, expensive. On the other hand, as you may have heard, "you get what you pay for."

I don't think his problem is the quality of the sight. What he describes is pretty much a classic description of how the red dot looks if you have astigmatism, which is a common problem that most people have to some degree. With astigmatism, the highest quality red dot sight in the world will look like a "splotch" unless you wear corrective lenses or get lasik surgery

Edit: I see krogen beat me to it

 

[coltle6920]

Do red dots really serve a purpose other than quicker acquisition of a target? I would guess that if one has good eyesight you could do just as well with the iron sights.

At my age I prefer (and need) a scope when shooting at 100yds or better.That fuzzy red hairball just didn't cut it for me.

 

[Mydogmax]

Astigmatism is so slight that my Optometrist says it can't be corrected.
I'm just going to go with the Nikon P223. Decent eye relief and I really don't do any fast shooting (yet). I'm still going to hold on to the red dot. Maybe some outdoor shooting in natural light will help.
Guess it just can't be fixed. Frustrating. Just looking for a shoulder to cry on.

 

[Seraphim]

I went to the shop the other day, to check out red dots. I had corrective, polarized sunglasses on, but too them off to sight, and I got the red splotch. When I looked through the sunglasses (which aren't very dark) the red dot looked fine. I have a slight astigmatism in my left eye, but aim with my right. Don't know if this info helps at all, but...

 

[Seraphim]

I'm considering the RMR as well.

 

[2hawk]

Both eyes open when sighting is helpful with RDS or holographic sights. But, an illuminated 1-4 is hard to beat for a wide range of conditions.

 

[Krogen]

OP: I note that all of your candidates were tube-type red dots. Have you looked at a C-More? For me, its dot is perfectly round. In spite of this, I prefer Aimpoint Pro and Ultradot sights because of their windage & elevation adjustments. While C-more's Railway has a great image, I find it's "fiddly" to adjust.

 

[shawn mccarver]

I don't think his problem is the quality of the sight. What he describes is pretty much a classic description of how the red dot looks if you have astigmatism, which is a common problem that most people have to some degree. With astigmatism, the highest quality red dot sight in the world will look like a "splotch" unless you wear corrective lenses or get lasik surgery

Edit: I see krogen beat me to it

Well, you learn something new every day. My eye glasses (invisible line bifocals) are fixed up so that I do not have that problem at the range of distance from my eye to front sight or red dot. My eye doctor is not a "gun guy," but once explained, he understood and fixed my prescription accordingly. Thus, I can still use open sights, red dots, Scout Scopes, and most optics without difficulty. Thank you for letting me know.

 

[gm272gs]

I'll give you $20 for the lot of them. I'll even go so far as pay for shipping, brother!

 

[Mydogmax]

I'll give you $20 for the lot of them. I'll even go so far as pay for shipping, brother!

I wondered when I'd hear that. And of course from a fellow Jug.

 

[stealth01]

You're not the only one with the "red dot splotch" issue! I had to put away all of my red dots for now... I have sever astigmatism, glaucoma and cataracts. when I look at a red dot I see a figure 8 elliptical! I'm having my first cataract surgery in two weeks, as part of the surgery my surgeon is making some "radial incisions" in the cornea to relieve the tension aka astigmatism. I have high hopes that I'll be able to use red dots again after my surgeries are completed.

 

[Harkrader]

I have astigmatism and presbyopia and have to wear my glasses to shoot accurately.
I use a Bushnell Holosight on my Springfield M1A and it works well for me. It's sold under a different name these days.

I have an Ultra Dot with 11 levels of adjustment for the dot, and with glasses have no problems.

Don't ask me how I know this, but clean glasses help, too . . ..

 

[Rastoff]

I went to the shop the other day, to check out red dots. I had corrective, polarized sunglasses on,...

Polarized sunglasses work by collimating the light. Basically, they align the light to go straight rather than in a random pattern. This could be why the dot got better when using the glasses.

All of them are red splotch sights.

Have you tried a Holographic Weapon Sight like an EOTech? Because it is drawn with a laser rather than an LED like the ones you mentioned, some people see the dot more clearly. It's worth a try. Red Dots are much easier to use than scopes.

 

[one eye joe]

Mydogmax, BEFORE YOU CAN THE IDEA OF A RED DOT, I WOULD HAVE A DISCUSSION WITH YOUR EYE DOCTOR. I AM BLIND IN ONE EYE (HENCE MY USER NAME) AND MY "GOOD EYE" HAS GLAUCOMA AND AN INOPERABLE CATARACT. I DO WELL WITH AN ULTRA DOT, 30MM RED DOT, INDOORS @ 50'. I NEED A SCOPE FOR 100 YARDS AND BEYOND……..

ALSO, THANKS FOR YOUR SERVICE, BROTHER……..

 

[JaPes]

Max,

I have an astigmatism. LED dots look fuzzy to me. I can shoot them, but they're a bit annoying. I have less of an issue with an EoTech Holographic sight. I highly suggest looking through an EoTech to see if it will work for you.

 

[lawdog45]

Red Splotch

I have a Trijicon RMR on a X Frame 500.
I also see a splotch for want of a better term.
But I can shoot it accurately.
I think better than irons to my 70 year old eyes.

 

[Mydogmax]

I've been to the eye doctor. Nothing can be done. Also tried the EoTech. The 60 MOA circle (what ever it is) looks like a coil spring wound up in a circle. The BDC dots, instead of being 2 or 3 separate vertical dots (again can't remember how many dots) looked like one long vertical coil spring.
I have worn contacts lenses for many years. Never had an issue with up close or distance until I looked thru red dot sights. Just for the giggles I took a picture thru the lens of the red dot. Perfect circle.
The long and short of it is......no red dots for me. Just asking for a couple of crying towels to be thrown my way.
Actually not that big of a deal. Went out a bought the Nikon P223 3x scope. Nice & small. I'll give it a try in a couple f days.