AR-15 Red Dot Sights – Fundamentals
The next logical action of anyone who has purchased an AR-15 is to take it up a notch by acquiring requisite upgrades. The best option would be to go in for quality products over inexpensive ones and choosing an optic would and should be the starting point of any upgrade. There are a wide range of choices available for optic upgrades and red dot sights are one among the best.
Their inexpensive nature makes red dot sights a preferred initial upgrade for many. With difference in its size and color and technologies like fibre optics and holographic reticules, it is vital to understand the nitty gritties of the sights to choose what is best for your specific weapon and your individual needs.
Red Dot Sights – Blueprint
Size
Choosing a dot of the right size for your use is crucial in ensuring accuracy. As much as small dots are difficult to perceive, larger ones block your view of the targets especially if you operate from longer distances. Few companies like the EOTech have come up with the idea of using a bigger ring with a smaller central dot to solve this problem.
For normal and common uses, a 4 MOA dot that ensures accuracy at medium ranges with its reasonably large size will suffice. Though there are products that let you to change reticules, it is not a viable choice due to its potential of bringing in errors and glitches in performance. The Lucid Red Dot sights are turning out to be an exception with their good feedbacks.
Range Assessment
By identifying the ideal red dot sight for your weapon, it is possible to obtain great accuracy in assessing ranges and holdovers that in turn works well to enhance accuracy to even up to 400 yards on human sized targets.
Arrangement and stance
The ideal way to get the greatest level of accuracy from red dots is to place them quite father from your eyes to avoid the tube effect. Since most of the superior variety red dot sights are devoid of parallax, you will be able to hit the target regardless of distance, odd locations and stance.
Reflex Style
The reflex style red dots have the advantage of being free of batteries which essentially means that they would not encounter electronic failure. The drawback in using such sights lies mainly in the non availability of manual intensity-improving facilities for different conditions of lighting. It is therefore better to use a backup of regularly deployed irons to counter their failure.
Electronic
The Electronic type red dots are fast becoming the most trustworthy and durable choices. With frequent augmentation in quality, endurance and accuracy, electronic red dots like Aimpoint CompM4 have ensured a greater level of acceptance over fibre optics.
Micro Red Dots
The constant trials to reduce the sizes of red dots have resulted in Micro Red Dots which are significantly lighter in weight and also undersized. The Aimpoint H1 and T1 are perfect examples that have resulted in bringing down the overall weight of weapons to a great extent.
Highpoints of Red Dots
Red Dot Sights offer a great deal of advantages in terms of accuracy and weight over iron sights and magnification options. Red dots ensure a quicker and better support with minimal damage to eyes. Another major plus is their relatively affordable price range. If at all you require a bit of flexibility, you can append a magnifier to your red dot at a later stage. These options ultimately depend on your specific needs.
For an initial upgrade to your AR-15, a Red Dot is a fantastic choice. With EOTech, Aimpoint, Meprolight, Trijicon, Lucid etc., providing a variety of choices in terms of technology and quality, it is essential to arrive at a decision based on your shooting needs and requirements. For a highly reliable and robust sight that is also far superior in terms of accuracy, red dots come at an attractively economical price range which is sure to make them a perfect choice for the first enhancement to your AR-15.