Anyone else like red dots on long guns..?

[Scrumbag]

Yes, slug gun, "poor man's double, but it shoots decent slug groups at 40 yards with a fiber optic front bead. With a red dot, it will be easy as eating cake.

I think with a red dot (I'm leaning toward a Burris Fastfire III), it will enhance duck hunting.

I like!

Though must admit, I tried a few rounds of clays with a red dot and didn't like it. The Burris Fastfire III is nice, I have several...

 

[BeeMaa]

I've seen one guy at the skeet/clays range that had a red dot on a shotgun, but I didn't see him shoot. I'm sure it would work fine, but with shotgunning I've never been concerned with "aiming". Typically if you are looking at the front sight (or red dot) you are not focusing on the target...which is where your eyes need to be.

 

[Scrumbag]

Yeah, I improved with shooting clays with the dot, not convinced it would be my first choice though...

 

[Rick HOlbert]

That sounds like a good solution to the problem. Nice and quick handing, too.

Thanks much. Yes sir, it works a treat.

 

[Tanks]

Pictures or it didn't happen...

 

[Scrumbag]

Thanks much. Yes sir, it works a treat.

Excellent!

 

[Scrumbag]

View attachment 572366

Seeing is believing!

 

[RR 314]

You tell yourself that, cupcake

(Note there's an "R" in my handle..."

Haaaa. Sorry about that. Racking it up to autocorrect.

 

[Safari Dave]

I have them on pistols and AR's, but as long as I can see with open sights or scopes without batteries, they are not going on my safari rifles!

I'm very nostalgic about my African hunting.





However, I'm about 59, so I reserve the right to change my mind in the future!

 

[Scrumbag]

I have them on pistols and AR's, but as long as I can see with open sights or scopes without batteries, they are not going on my safari rifles!

I'm very nostalgic about my African hunting.





However, I'm about 59, so I reserve the right to change my mind in the future!

if it suits!

 

[mdwest]

Ive only got red dots on 2 home defense ARs (mine and wifes) and a ruger 10/22 that is set up for small game (rabbits/squirrel primarily)..

Im not opposed to them in any way.. I just havent made the transition on anything else (yet)...

I do really like leupolds fire dot option in scopes.. and have 3 fire dots mounted on hunting rifles..

 

[Scrumbag]

Ive only got red dots on 2 home defense ARs (mine and wifes) and a ruger 10/22 that is set up for small game (rabbits/squirrel primarily)..

Im not opposed to them in any way.. I just havent made the transition on anything else (yet)...

I do really like leupolds fire dot option in scopes.. and have 3 fire dots mounted on hunting rifles..

I like the illuminated dot rets as well

 

[shootist~]

I have never used a red dot. I have a number of scopes that are true 1x with illuminated dots. What is the advantage of the red dot over these scopes?

I would say not much to none on the more modern 1x-xx scopes with Daylight Bright dots. For most of my life only a Red Dot had a good visible dot in both bright daylight as well as low light.

Smaller and lighter would be the primary advantages on the RD. The disadvantage of course is the inability to turn up the power above 1x on a typical RD.

I have RDs on a FAL and a self-defence AR. Both allow Co-Witness use of the Iron Sights. So at least some advantage there. (I can plink out to our 500 M steel using the irons on that FAL for example.)

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

Is anyone else more and more liking red dots on their long guns. I've suddenly noticed I've gotten rather a few.

It started with me looking for a way to put an optical sight on my 9.3x62 - an old hunting rifle that wasn't drilled and tapped so a scope wasn't an option but a good buddy of mine suggested a reflex dot on a custom cut dovetail mount to replace the front sight.

So, I tried it and liked it:

Next came the pump shotgun. Here in the UK we shoot pump actions and semi autos at turning targets with slugs. I tried my supernova with an iron sighted slug barrel but hated the sights (just grey on grey and lost them) so a bit of "googling" turned up the Burris Speed Bead and a Fast Fire III (3MOA)

And a big improvement in enjoyment and scores. Not the last time I’ll put a red dot on a shotgun it turns out...

Then there came the lever action.

Started off with a red dot, went to a scout scope then decided to go back to a red dot (mainly because of local range rules it isn’t so easy to shoot shotgun slugs but a 44 mag lever action is no problem). So, for the same sight picture as my slug guns, have gone back to another Burris:

(Must get a better picture)

Them came the idea of what to do with a rifle I had that I wanted to use for hunting but I had a 6-24x56 scope on with a very fine ret and I had an 8x56 fixed scope sitting around. This 8x56 is great for sitting in a dark wood but not great for quick target acquisition if you bump a deer on the way in or out. So, borrowing from the tactical and 3 gun crowd I put a red dot on the side of my 8x56 and took it hunting:

(That’s actually on my little Brno .22lr that I used to practice / work up with to see if I liked the concept). It went on the 7x64 Mausingfield after that).

Finally, there’s the other shotgun.

It’s a Fabarm H368 (Not sure they went to the US). Anyway, with a 26” multi choke and a 24” rifle sighted barrel for not a lot of money it was too good to pass up.

Think it looks cool “naked” using the man sights (fibre optics and really need to see when I can get it zeroed with those as well).

Anyway, given how much I liked my pump with a red dot, thought might as well stick a Burris on that. Given the receiver has ~11mm dovetail grooves, thought I might try and use those.

You can get a dovetail mount from people like Recknagel and Rusan in Europe that lets you mount red dots to dovetails quite easily but they have a little retaining pin in the underside:

So, there needed to be a small hole drilled in the receiver of the Fabarm:

After that, it became a simple matter of mounting the red dot on with the QD dovetail mount.

So, I like that system as don’t have to have a bulky rail in the way if I want to go from slug shooting to wing shooting and that appeals (The Benelli with the Speed Bead you have to unscrew stuff to take the red dot off, rather less neat).

Here's sort of the sight picture:

And the gun in it’s entirety (Stock actually fits me well so need a bit of lift to be aligned with the red dot)

So, apparently like I like red dots. A lot…. (Hello. My name is Scrumbag and I’m a red-dot-aholic…) Anyone else using red dots on their long guns more than they thought they would?

Scrummy

@Scrumbag
Scrummy I love the red dots on bot my 12 bores with slugs BUT I did notice that when sighted for slugs the position of the pattern for pellet loads. Not enough to notice out to 30 yards but get out to 40 especially with sssg buckshot the pattern is a bit to the right.
Could just be my old eyes tho.
Bob

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

I don’t have one yet but I am strongly looking to put one on my old Ruger 44 Carbine. I think Luepold makes a 1moa dot that is small and compact. The 44 is a great thick brush carry rifle, nice and short and light to carry. I think a speed bead or red dot would be awesome in tight spots.

@Boyd Brooks
I use 2moa and a 3moa Bushnell TRS25 on my 12 bores and find those sizes ideal. Doesn't cover the target much and still allows good aiming out to 100yds. For fast shooting out to 50yds I know where I put the dot the round will be roughly in that dot.
I call it paint and shoot. Paint the dot on the target and pull trigger. With both eyes open far quicker than any scope or iron sights in my play book, but what do I know. Just my opinion.
Bob

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

So far, I was biased against red dots. I think because I read on internet that they have too much parallax.
So, I said to myself repeatedly, no I dont need that. Because everybody on internet says they have too much parallax, and not too much of magnification.

But things change.

I bought SF19 (new version of popular XDM pistol), optics ready model, and installed red dot, vortex venom.
When tried, I improved accuracy with that pistol. Surprise, surprise!
So, thats how I started changing my opinion on red dots. Suddenly, I dont care about parallax.

So, I am now in process of transition thinking for red dots on my long guns.
I have plan. This is the plan.

To install Red dot on AR15, 223 - now using tactical scope, so to install RD for rapid fire matches (will have to work out which model of RD to take, I am open to suggestion)

Red dot on Benelli argo 9.3 semi auto for driven boar hunts. (now using wide angle scope) I am open for suggestions which RD to take.

@Mark Hunter
To me for what it's worth I took a while to learn to shoot red dots with BOTH eyes open. Once I got used to it my shooting with them greatly improved. Natural field of view, just put dot on target and shoot plus you can still see every thing that is going on around you. To me RDs allow me to engage multiple targets quicker and easier.
Bob

 

[Scrumbag]

@Scrumbag
Scrummy I love the red dots on bot my 12 bores with slugs BUT I did notice that when sighted for slugs the position of the pattern for pellet loads. Not enough to notice out to 30 yards but get out to 40 especially with sssg buckshot the pattern is a bit to the right.
Could just be my old eyes tho.
Bob

Could well be a thing. My 3" chambered semi-auto really doesn't change POI much with different brands / weights / Cartridge lengths of slugs.

The 3.5" chambered Benelli is sensitive to different loads (particularly length changing windage). I'm wondering if the jump to the forcing cone doesn't exacerbate the issue..?

 

[BeeMaa]

I've had one red dot on a shotgun and another on a pistol, both experiments failed miserably. Considering the brand, I shouldn't be surprised. Needless to say that experience turned me off red dots for a while, but recently I've started to come around. Technology has advanced significantly along with battery life and reticle options. Today was a completely different experience than the ones from my past. Starting with the fact that it was mounted to a rifle...

The optic is an Aimpoint T2 mounted on an AR platform rifle. Wicked easy to zero...took 3 groups to dial it in. After that I was just punching holes wherever that dot landed...pretty cool. I know it's not exactly an "African" hunting rifle, but still pretty neat.

I need to get to a range that has something longer than just 50 yards for conformation, but for the close in stuff I'm pretty good to go.

Next project is to get the wife shooting this because I know she will absolutely love it. That will give me leverage to have her pistol slide machined for a RMR-HD.

 

[IvW]

I believe Aimpoint produce the best optics availible....

 

[BeeMaa]

I believe Aimpoint produce the best optics availible....

Judging by the price, I'd say that Aimpoint believes this as well.

In all seriousness, they are top quality pieces of kit along with Trijicon for their RMR/SRO series of red dots that I plan on using on our pistols. If I were looking to outfit just about anything from hunting to self defense, these two companies would have you covered.

Some other companies are making top quality stuff but not to the level of those two.