jaybe

I've seen red dot scopes mentioned numerous times, and I could probably do a search to try to sort out info, but I'd like to post this as a question:
What is your favorite red dot scope, and what are the pro's and con's connected with them (price, user friendly, reliability, etc).
Any info is appreciated.

IM jaybe

cayugad

Red Dots are on a couple of my muzzleloaders. I use the Bushnell Trophy RED DOT with the 11 brightness settings and the 4 recticles. 99% of the time I use the 3 MOA dot. My friend has a BSA RED DOT on his CVA inline and I have shot that also. It seems like it works just fine. There are also RED DOTs made by Millet and Winchester. The Winchester I looked at since it was a 40mm and gave a much bigger field of vision. Also it was very reasonably priced. I did not pick it because it is made in China and I could find no field testing anyone did with one. Muzzle loaders have some stiff recoil and I wanted something I could send back to the company should there be a problem. I will add that Bushnell has excellent customer service.

If you hunt in areas of low light like cedar marshes, balsam thickets,alder groves and such,where it can get dark real fast, the red dot will be a definite advantage. Especially if your shots are 100 yards and under (I personally prefer 50 yards and under). Late afternoon in some of these areas you will think its much later then it actually is until you start walking out and realize you had another twenty minutes of light.

I have done some very late afternoon/earlyeveningshooting with the red dot to see if it was an advantage. Thistook place in my yard when I returned from hunting at the end of the day. I put a fluorescent orange green index card on a box out at 30 yards. I then drew an X from the corner to corner on the card. Since the card could be see in the yard light reflections, all I had to do was center the red dot on the center of the card, squeeze off the trigger and have an instant hole in the center area of the X. What chance would an animal have at that distance? That is the only low light of shooting I have ever done.

Disadvantage are, the red dot brightness is a very important factor. If too bright and the area you are looking into is dark, the red dot grows a half moon tail. You have to learn to ignore the tail and concentrate on the dot. Also my RED DOT is a 30mm tube. With it's colored lens, at night when the shadows move in, you have to really concentrate on your sight picture because it gets hard to see through the tube. So late late afternoon snap shots are out of the question.

I consider the max range of the RED DOT to be 100 yards. Even that is my max limit where with good fiber optic sights, I would shoot further then that. At 100 yards you can expect a 4-5 inch group off a bench rest. Now consider you are in the woods without a bench rest. Another reason I do so much shooting off shooting sticks.

If you hunt in places where most your active gamemovement is late in the afternoon in shadows, then the RED DOT is a real advantage. You put the dot on the back of the shoulder and squeeze the trigger. I can do the same shooting with a fiber optics sights but the red dot does seem easier to do.

If you're one of these that like to tinker with new toys and like to shoot different things at close ranges, then the RED DOT is a good advantage. If you are just a person who walks along and tries to walk down a deer, stick with the fiber optics.

These are just my opinions...

lemoyne

Jaybe, I have several the Ultra Dot on my contender pistol [44 mag]is truly excellant I can get groups smaller than the dot by using the right target at 200 yds but sad to say a lot of them are junk I have one that is a very popular brand that I have tried on several different guns and is laying in the draw of the gun chest and I will wait for some one I don't like to come along before I'd give it away. If you get a really good one they are good for some one who is far sighted and can no longer focus iron sights they are also good for close fast shooting and running shots[which I try to avoid]. Lee

mayguy

I have used red dots on hand guns with pretty good success. I can shoot quite alot better with a red dot than open sights--- can't see the open sights very well any more. I don't like having to worry about batterys going dead but if you keep track of them you will do okay. One nice thing with the red dots is you can shoot with both eyes open.

There is another type of lighted site, Bushnell Hollo Sight. They are quite expensive but I have hadgood success with one on a 44 Mag pistol. I agree that they are best for 50 or 60 yds. but with practice you can get quite good out to 100 yds.

AQUATECH

Jaybe: I talked with cayugad & did a lot of looking
when I was looking into a red dot sight for my Omega.
I finally got the Bushnell Trophy red dot mounted.
As I posted earlier, my old eyes needed the help,
but I hunt where most all of my shots are 50yds. or
less. The Bushnell really works well for me, takes a
little getting use to, but it really helps. I use the
crosshair & circle reticle & as cayugad said you have
11 brightness selections. I've onlybeen able.to take it to
the range twice. But after I got iton paper at 50yds.
3-shot groups could be covered by a quarter. I shot a
2-shot group at 100yds using a tree fork for a rest
they were about three inches high but bout 1/2 inch
across. Before I bought I contacted the folks at
Bushnell, told them it would be mounted on a 50cal
ML, they said mount it shoot it if you have any
problems we will take care of them promptly. But
there are many red dots out there, some with 2x power,
some 40mm & 50mm tubes. But I have to give the
Bushnell a 5-star award for quality. Good luck my
friend, and good shooting. Danny