Reflex Sight (?)

oldfella

oldfella

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I bought and am returning an inexpensive ("Firefield") reflex sight ($39.99). It works intermittently, and the red dot is not solid - looks like a star or a splash. I need a small, lightweight open red dot sight that will not cost me an arm and a leg... for my .22 handgun plinking needs. Your suggestions and recommendations are welcome and appreciated. Thanks.

Pete

Edit - I'm thinking about this one, ATN Digital:

http://www.opticsplanet.net/atdigulsigwi.html


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Even a minor vision problem can cause a red dot to look like a red blob. Try it before you buy it.
 
Get an eye exam first, see what degree of astigmatism you have and whether it can be corrected. Personally, I'd suggest paying for a C-More. Decent quality and while not cheap, not the most expensive thing either.
 
If I have my contacts in that's the same view I get. If I take my contacts out my Accudot works fine. Like others have said, it may just be your eyes!! At first I thought the red dot was malfunctioning, until I happened to look through it without my contacts or glasses. YMMV :)
 
Fellers - my eye doctor tells me that my eyesight rivals that of a healthy man of 50, I got 43 years over that man. I've owned several red dots in the recent past, from this cheapo to a grown-up toy of $350+ - all have given me a solid dot. This last one started as a glob, then quit altogether, within couple of minutes. Now, lets get back to your recommendations for a decent red dot at a reasonable price. Thanks, much appreciated.

Pete
 
I have the eyes of an unhealthy 93 year-old. I've had good service from the Burris Fast-Fire. Optics Planet had the best price at the times of purchase, though they are about $50.00 more than I gave. I have one on my M41 and Colt OM Target.
 
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I thought you might like to know, I decided on the Bushnell TRS-25 Red Dot; It is receiving high marks, great reviews. On sale at Cabela's, $99 bucks. Thanks. Pete

s7_713198_999_01.jpg
 
If you want a cheap reflex that's suitable on a 22, Gander Mountain sells the Sightmark 4 reticle reflex sight for about 70 dollars. I had one on my 617 and the reticle image was VERY crisp. However, on my 610 it wouldn't hold zero, so I can't recomend it for anything with more recoil that a 22.

I've now replaced that Sightmark with a J Point reflex in a direct mount. The dot is NOT as sharp or distinct as that on the much cheaper Sightmark, partially due to the J Point only featuring 4 automatically selected illuminition levels as opposed to the 9 or 10 presets on the Sightmark. Also the J Point features an acrylic lens in order to shave a bit of weight instead of a glass lens like that on the Sightmark.

However, one feature of the J Point that makes it a hands down winner for me is that it's only offset from the bore axis by about 0.9 inch. Currently I have J Points on my 617, 620, and 610 and all 3 guns will shoot within one inch of the dot from 20 feet out to at least 130 feet. That's something that I couldn't do with any rail mounted sight that I tried. The converging sight line relative to the bore axis made the guns quite sensitive to distance. Set the sight for 100 feet and they would shoot between 3 and 4 inches low at 25 feet. Sight them closer and they would shoot high at long range.

As for the slight fuzzy dot, I'll admit that I would like a sharper dot to shoot with. However, it's certainly good enough to do what I want to do. I've managed a 1.75 inch group at 35 yards with the 620, and IMO for me to group any tighter at this distance would require using a handgun scope with 2 to 3X magnification.

Bottomline, if your only shooting at one distance, a cheap reflex such as that Sightmark will work quite well. However, if you shoot at a variety of distances, a sight with a large offset from the barrel will start to drive you bug eyed nuts.

When that happens, you might want to look at the J Point. While it's not perfect, it's the best shooting all around reflex I've tried even if the dot is a bit fuzzy in some lighting conditions.

BTW, if you didn't see my report, here's the link. Scroll down a bit and you'll find pics of the way the J Point can be easily fitted to a standard holster.

http://smith-wessonforum.com/lounge/155300-purchased-2-more-j-point-reflex-sights-range-report.html
 
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