RED DOT ON PISTOL

WHY I RECOMMEND RED DOT

Red Dots or holographic sights have been the new rage in guns and for good reason. Look I am not advocating that you remove your “old reliable” iron sights and replace them with the newest Trijicon RMR, but maybe add just a red dot to allow you to do more with your tool. Let me explain in another way, in a way that maybe makes more sense.

Airplanes used to be controlled via physical wires running inside the plane that physically pulled flaps and controlled the plane. Those types of systems, while functional, are not comparable to the newest systems that are on planes today. The red dots are the same. Initially, much of the reluctance towards red dots was due to improper mounting, hazy glass, and battery life. With newer technology, many, if not all, of those issues have been remedied. Red dots allow shooters to acquire multiple targets faster, maintain situational awareness, and remain target-focused as compared to front-sight-focused iron sights.

CONS OF RED DOT

Cons of red dots do exist. The glass could break due to being knocked around or dropped. Red dot batteries do need to be changed regularly, and other issues could happen, which could result in the optic going down, but the pros, in my opinion, far outweigh the cons. In addition, I advise all my students who are adding red dots to also change their front sights to be able to co-witness their iron sights through their red dot, because the red dot may fail. Another major con with red dots is cost. An average good-value mid-tier red dot runs roughly $350.

The issue with red dots is similar to the rest of the gun gear that is available. A lot of it is trash. The cheapest reliable red dot I would recommend is Holosun. I know many people say Holosun is Chinese, and I agree, but they make a good product. I have owned red dots from every company, good and bad, and Holosun is just my budget recommendation. If you are looking for the highest quality, I would look at Trijicon SRO, RMR, or Aimpoint Acro. Delta Point is also highly reputable. I would stay away from anything cheaper than $250 if you want a reliable optic.

MOUNTING AND ZEROING

Mounting and zeroing a red dot is another issue that comes along with adding a red dot. In order to mount your red dot, most pistol manufacturers will require a mounting plate. Mounting plates for optics are different from brand to brand, so you will need to know what footprint your optic is prior to buying the mount for your gun. Some manufacturers will include plates with the gun, but most of these are cheap and have a tendency to break or crack when mounting, so just be careful when torquing in your optic. USE BLUE LOCTITE when mounting your optic, or else it will come off at the range, or when you fire, blue is semi-permanent; if you use red, it might never come off, and if you don't use any, the screws will work loose as you fire.

MOA ON RED DOT PISTOL OPTICS

Minute of Angle or MOA represents 1/60th of a degree. In practical terms, it equates to approximately 1.047 inches at 100 yards or roughly 1 inch at 100 yards for ease of calculation.

MOA is a suspension measurement used to determine the size of an object or the adjustment needed on the optic. Usually, when you are looking at pistol red dots, the larger the MOA, the larger the physical dot you will see in the window. I personally prefer a smaller dot because larger dots tend to drown out my field of vision.

Smaller MOA dots also allow for more precise shooting at farther distances, while larger dots are easier to acquire. There are pros and cons to both. On scopes and holographic sights, MOA is used to indicate the amount of adjustment per click of the windage and elevation turrets. Each click typically corresponds to a specific fraction of an MOA, commonly 1/4 MOA or 1/2 MOA. This allows shooters to make precise adjustments to compensate for bullet drop, windage, and other variables.