Spot On!

Learning To Love Red-Dot Sight

By Payton Miller

The first reflex or red dot sight I ever saw was on a “race gun” in the late ’80’s, or maybe it was the early ’90’s. The term was and generally still is employed to describe Open Class guns for Bianchi Cup competition, which has now kind of morphed to include “Action Pistol.”

The gun, like most race guns back then, was a seriously tricked-out 1911. By “tricked out,” I mean Buck “Rogered” to the point of being hard to recognize as anything resembling Browning’s original creation at a distance. But since I wasn’t interested in anything handgun-wise beyond a reasonably easy-to-acquire set of adjustable iron sights on top of a platform I could easily stick in a holster, I didn’t pay them much mind. Of course, if I would’ve known then what age was eventually going to do to my vision, I would’ve.

Naturally, I’d seen and used handgun scopes well before then, but anything requiring a superstructure atop a handgun was more of a curiosity than a serious option.

Since then many, many models have appeared, spanning a wide geographic swath in terms of countries of origin, as well as a wide price range, indicating by and large what you could expect in terms of quality. But they all do one wonderful thing, they put your target and your aiming dot on the same focal plane or a pretty good illusion of it. No need relying on your eyes to try and focus on a rear sight, front sight and target simultaneously (well, kind of simultaneously).

I’ll be straight here. My experience with red dot sights on handguns has been fairly limited. As far as I can see, they really reach their full potential on rifles. Particularly in situations when yardages are not excessive and the targets are not excessively … well, small. In that regard, the upside to a red dot sight is considerable. I’m a big fan of ghost ring sights and ultra-low powered scopes, but a red dot setup is faster to acquire than the former and a heckuva lot less bulky than the latter.

Leupold’s DeltaPoint Pro stood up to the recoil of a .50 AE Desert Eagle,
but is equally useful on more conventional pistols as well as shotguns and
rifles. Fifty-yard groups (below) were better than what we could get with
irons at that distance with practically any handgun. Well, provided you
discount that lone “operator error” shot to the left! Photo: Joe Novelozo.

This SOCOM 16 .308 may be capable of slightly tighter 100-yard
groups with a scope aboard, but our best effort with Aimpoint’s
Micro H-1 was pretty impressive.

For out-and-out “compactness,” it’s pretty tough to beat Aimpoint’s Micro H-1. With a Micro Mount LRP (Lever Release Picatinny), we’re talking a total weight of 105 grams—that’s 3.7 ounces to the Non-Metric Club, of which I happen to be a member in good standing. Basically, the one I’ve used features a 2 MOA dot (they also offer a 4 MOA model) with 12 illumination intensity settings. I’ve used it on a Ruger 10/22 Takedown and a Springfield SOCOM 16 and found it to be just about dead-solid perfect.

Aimpoint, incidentally, was the first o offer a red-dot sight back in 1975, and they’ve stayed right at the top of the heap. Windage and elevation adjustments are graduated in one click per 1/2-inch at 100 yards. But regardless, I’d strongly recommend starting out at 25 yards. When I had one on a Ruger 10/22, I did that anyway, figuring 25 would be a pretty good small game zero.

However, when I put it on a .308 SOCOM 16, I started right off at 100, figuring I could “rough zero” my way and forego the time-honored “short-first” procedure. I’ve gotten away with that kind of nonsense with scoped deer rifles, but with the Aimpoint Micro, that mistake cost me a box of ammo, until I gave up in exasperation, brought the target in and did things the right way.

Granted, I can’t shoot teeny tiny photogenic groups with it as well as I could with a conventional scope, but for hitting moving stuff in a hurry there’s no comparison. The Micro’s 1X magnification (translation: none) and small configuration help make both-eyes-open shooting practically mandatory. And I’ve shot 100-yard groups with it, very close to what I could’ve done with a scope. The trick is to dial down the illumination intensity so you’re dealing with a crimson pinprick rather than a crimson blob covering up way too much of your point-of-aim. For big game, at shorter distances, in dim light, however, just dial up the dot until it screams: “Here I am.”

Compact, effective and idiot-proof, Aimpoint’s Micro-H-1 is a premium
Swedish import. The efficient and rock-solid Micro Mount LRP latches
quickly onto a Picatinny rail.

My sole handgun experience with a compact red-dot unit has been with Leupold’s DeltaPoint Pro. What I had it on was the behemoth Desert Eagle in .50 AE (March 2016 issue), and it performed flawlessly under considerable recoil. It can be had with a 2.5 MOA dot or a 7.5 MOA red triangle (which would seem to be a natural for tactical shotguns). The DeltaPoint Pro can be had with a plethora of mounting systems for most popular pistols and revolvers as well as Picatinny-friendly mounts for long guns (including, naturally, AR’s). Both the Leupold and the Aimpoint units use the commonly available 3-volt lithium CR2032 battery.

Stepping up on the scale in both size and price, I’ve also had the opportunity to use Trijicon’s SRS02 still with 1X “magnification,” but with a 38mm objective, giving it a big-time field of view. The “SRS” stands for Sealed Reflex Sight, and it features a 1.75 MOA dot. This unit features a QD mount, which brings its curb weight up to 13.8 ounces. It also runs off a photovoltaic cell, supplemented by either a AA alkaline or lithium battery, as light conditions call for. This one is military grade (Trijicon, after all, supplies the US military with the battle-proven ACOG series) and would be the one to put on a tactical rifle (or a defensive one, in civilian-ese). I had one on both a SOCOM 16 and an AR-15 and it was awesome—although probably a lot more than I’d need for hunting or whacking plates.

I admit I came late a bit to the red dot party, but I’m glad I finally showed up.

Silver Screen Legend XIX Raffle

The Colt’s are engraved with Roy’s “Double R Bar” brand behind the
hammer at the top of the backstrap and Silver Screen Legend XIX
along the backstrap.

Want to contribute to a worthy cause and have a chance at winning a matched pair of factory-engraved, consecutively numbered SAA revolvers from the Colt Custom Shop? They’re the prize for Silver Screen Legend XIX, dedicated to the great Roy Rogers King of the Cowboys, and feature “Happy Trails” on the ejector rod housing and Roy’s “Double R Bar” brand on the backstrap. Proceeds go to the Happy Trails Children’s Foundation for abused kids, the only known children’s charity in the country actively supporting the shooting sports. Roy and his wife, Dale Evans, loved children and spent a lifetime devoted to children and children’s charities, including the Happy Trails Children’s Foundation.

Two engraved, consecutively numbered, silver-plated Colt SAA revolvers
in a custom double buscadero rig. Jim Lockwood and Conrad Anderson
worked their magic on the double buscadero rig and silver buckles and
studs. The set will be raffled off December 17, 2016 to raise funds
for the Happy Trails Children’s Foundation.

These 5-1/2-inch barreled sixguns (in .45 Colt, naturally) feature ivory grip panels and silver plating. Jim Lockwood of Legends in Leather crafted the hand-carved and sterling-silver-mounted double-holster rig. Conrad Anderson of Rocktree Ranch provided the magnificent silver embellishments and buckle-sets on the belt and holsters. Ron Love made and donated the prop cartridges.

Tickets are $10 (11 tickets for $100). Order tickets online, by phone or mail. Discover, MasterCard and VISA accepted. The drawing will be held on the evening of December 17, 2016. You need not be present to win. If you’re the lucky one, you’ll be notified by phone or you can check the website after the drawing.

Happy Trails Children’s Foundation, SSL XIX
10755 Apple Valley Rd, Apple Valley, CA 92308, (855) 788-4440,
www.happytrails.org

Shooting Facilities provided by Angeles Shooting Ranges
12651 Little Tujunga Rd., Lakeview Terrace, CA 91342,
(818) 899-2255
www.angelesranges.com.

Aimpoint Inc.
14103 Maria Ct.
Chantilly,VA 20151
(703) 263-9795
https://gunsmagazine.com/company/aimpoint-inc/

Leupold & Stevens Inc.
14400 NW Greenbrier Pkwy.
Box 688, Beaverton, OR 97006
(503) 646-9171
https://gunsmagazine.com/company/leupold-stevens-inc/

Trijicon Inc.
49385 Shafer Ave.
Box 930059
Wixom, MI 48393
(800) 338-0563
https://gunsmagazine.com/company/trijicon-inc/

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