Red Dot Report

Red Dot Report:

I was looking for a lighter weight Red Dot to replace my old and heavy Tasco Pro Point on my target pistol. I didn’t need anything that could handle center fire ammo or shotgun rounds. I looked into these red dots from a target shooting perspective and reviewed a number of web sites and message boards. I thought I’d pass along what I learned.

Holographic sights allow you to impact the same point of aim without having the dot or other image (circle, cross, X) in the center of the sight. They are more (very) expensive and battery life is significantly reduced compared to regular red dots.

Tube type red dots are common, they are reliable, hold their zero, some are reasonably priced and the battery when used in indoor shooting can last more than a year (two years). The disadvantage is you have to keep the dot centered in the sight and are relatively heavy.

A new, lighter weight red dot is the screen type with the mount built into the red dot. They weigh less but they are very difficult to zero and they lose their zero or the zero wanders.

The lightest weight red dot is under an ounce and doesn’t have a manual brightness adjustment. Some (many) complain that the setting is too bright. Others complain that in dark indoor ranges they go into sleep mode at inconvenient times.

Pros and Cons:

The lightest weight screen type, under an ounce, would be great if you could manually adjust the brightness and it had a manual on/off. They don’t so I crossed them off my list.

The next lightest screen type has the screen and laser assembly resting on non-linear springs that then connect with the built in mount. All the message boards I read found them unworkable. I had the same experience. I crossed them off my list.

The lightweight tube type is now about as light as the heavier screen type ones. The difference is the tube type has the added weight of the mounting hardware. The message boards had a link to an article that said the two most popular red dots for pistol competitions are the Ultra Dot and Tasco Pro Point. The article did a study showing that when the dot deviated from the center of the sight, the Ultra dot point of impact changed less than the Tasco Pro Point.

Ultra Dot has a competition model that has multiple dot size selection and the smallest dot is 2 moa. It is heavier than the single dot version that is offered with a 4 moa dot. Natchez Shooters Supply had a discount on Ultra Dots with the 4 moa which I am use to so I went with that.

It’s half the weight of my old red dot. It is smaller so its weight sits closer to the pistols balance point. So far, I’m happy with it. Your mileage may vary. Thanks for everyone’s input on my previous posting..