Anyone else like red dots on long guns..?

[IvW]

Yip check some reviews on Aimpoint they take it off throw it as far as they can twice put it back and it is still on song.....
User friendly with both eyes open whats not to like.....

 

[John Telford]

Run this on my .505 - so far so good.
Have an older model on the .458 Lott but I’m having my doubts about that one..

 

[Tintin]

Has anyone had experience with EOTECH EFLX Mini Reflex Red Dot Sight on a big bore rifle?

 

[Rule 303]

I run an Aimpoint 9000SC 2 moa dot on my 416 Rigby and a Micro4 2 MOA dot on my sportetized No 4 SMLE and a CompM3 on my 35Whelen. All 3 are very quick, stuff all parallax. Once zeroed if the dot appears to be away from center of optic but on target you are on target. Yes they can take some very ruff handling.

Also if you can see your target at any distance and you know your hold over you can shot it. Once I established the hold over at 500mts I use to regularly shoot the Ram targets at 500 mt's at the range with my 35Whelen when I had the Aimpoint on it.

 

[BeeMaa]

I run an Aimpoint 9000SC 2 moa dot on my 416 Rigby and a Micro4 2 MOA dot on my sportetized No 4 SMLE and a CompM3 on my 35Whelen. All 3 are very quick, stuff all parallax. Once zeroed if the dot appears to be away from center of optic but on target you are on target. Yes they can take some very ruff handling.

Also if you can see your target at any distance and you know your hold over you can shot it. Once I established the hold over at 500mts I use to regularly shoot the Ram targets at 500 mt's at the range with my 35Whelen when I had the Aimpoint on it.

Did you mean a Micro H-2 with 4 MOA dot?

500 meter hits on just about any target with no magnification is saying something, let alone doing it with a 35W. Well done.

 

[Rule 303]

Did you mean a Micro H-2 with 4 MOA dot?

500 meter hits on just about any target with no magnification is saying something, let alone doing it with a 35W. Well done.

Opps, good pick up. Micro H-2 with a 2 MOA dot.

Thanks for the compliment. But when in the Army Reserve, from the prone unsupported position, using the standard peep sights on a SLR (Modified FN FLA) I could continually hit 12" square steel targets. Managed it at 600 mts but only got to shot that distance once. My section was much the same, so once you are use to those sort of ranges with open sights it does not become a big deal. Stuffed if I could do that now 40 years on and lacking the practice and the eye sight.

 

[BeeMaa]

Opps, good pick up. Micro H-2 with a 2 MOA dot.

Thanks for the compliment. But when in the Army Reserve, from the prone unsupported position, using the standard peep sights on a SLR (Modified FN FLA) I could continually hit 12" square steel targets. Managed it at 600 mts but only got to shot that distance once. My section was much the same, so once you are use to those sort of ranges with open sights it does not become a big deal. Stuffed if I could do that now 40 years on and lacking the practice and the eye sight.

Shot steel myself in the Navy with the M14 and M16 out to 300 with irons and youthful eyes to qualify expert. Those days are long gone and I’m embracing the new technology of red dots so I can continue to enjoy shooting a rifle with both eyes open.

I’m seriously considering getting another T2 for the Blaser R8 in 375H&H as a backup to the scope.

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

Shot steel myself in the Navy with the M14 and M16 out to 300 with irons and youthful eyes to qualify expert. Those days are long gone and I’m embracing the new technology of red dots so I can continue to enjoy shooting a rifle with both eyes open.

I’m seriously considering getting another T2 for the Blaser R8 in 375H&H as a backup to the scope.

@BeeMaa
Compared to @Rule 303 and my self you are still a pup and should be able to still shoot those distances with peep or open sights.
You need more range time mate.
What are you going to do when you get to our age mate seeing as your complaining now. Maybe you should sell Barbie and give it away now as it's only going to get worse as you get older.
HA HA HA HA HA HA
Bob

 

[BeeMaa]

@BeeMaa
Compared to @Rule 303 and my self you are still a pup and should be able to still shoot those distances with peep or open sights.
You need more range time mate.
What are you going to do when you get to our age mate seeing as your complaining now. Maybe you should sell Barbie and give it away now as it's only going to get worse as you get older.
HA HA HA HA HA HA
Bob

You best watch your mouth talking about my Barbie like that mate. She's not going anywhere.

It's all about having the best tool for the job and there's a big difference between a scope at 1x and a red dot (no magnification) and the ability to put one where it counts QUICKLY with both eyes open.

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

You best watch your mouth talking about my Barbie like that mate. She's not going anywhere.

It's all about having the best tool for the job and there's a big difference between a scope at 1x and a red dot (no magnification) and the ability to put one where it counts QUICKLY with both eyes open.

@BeeMaa
Good shooters shoot bot eyes open even when using a low powered scope so stop complaining. Even peeps are best shot both eyes open.

I can see you sitting at at the local bar telling your your mates you go home and fondle Barbie and give her a rub down with oil every now now and then and the wife doesn't get jealous or think your strange.
It would be an interesting conversation with them..
HA HA HA HA HA HA
Bob

 

[Rule 303]

@BeeMaa
Good shooters shoot bot eyes open even when using a low powered scope so stop complaining. Even peeps are best shot both eyes open.

I can see you sitting at at the local bar telling your your mates you go home and fondle Barbie and give her a rub down with oil every now now and then and the wife doesn't get jealous or think your strange.
It would be an interesting conversation with them..
HA HA HA HA HA HA
Bob

Hold on there Bob, if you have twenty, twenty vision both eyes open is not good. If you are using your right eye, after a couple of seconds the left eye tries to take over. So you end up with the left eye holding the front sight in focuse and the right blurring it out. Its why with scopes and irons I have to squint the left eye. Red dots not a problem.

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

Hold on there Bob, if you have twenty, twenty vision both eyes open is not good. If you are using your right eye, after a couple of seconds the left eye tries to take over. So you end up with the left eye holding the front sight in focuse and the right blurring it out. Its why with scopes and irons I have to squint the left eye. Red dots not a problem.

@Rule 303
Try holding both eyes open on peep mate especially a ghost ring. Your eye automatically centers the post plus you retain full vision. You will be amazed. I was taught to shoot both eyes open wher possible.
Bob

 

[Rule 303]

@Rule 303
Try holding both eyes open on peep mate especially a ghost ring. Your eye automatically centers the post plus you retain full vision. You will be amazed. I was taught to shoot both eyes open wher possible.
Bob

Tried it, same problem, I need to squint the left eye or it tries to take over the focusing. If I use my left eye to sight and keep the right open I end up with the same problem, hence I need to squint the other eye. Pistol shooting when target is close both eyes open and shoot over the sights/slide. 20 mts and I have to focus on the front sight so squint the other eye.

 

[Kevin Peacocke]

Red dots must be mounted as low as possible so that the dot is naturally in the centre of the window with a firm cheek weld. That will mitigate a lot of the problems with alignment and focus.

 

[Pondoro]

After succesfully shooting ele at night with a .375H&H with an Aimpoint I chose to scope my .470 Krieghoff with a Leupold red dot..

 

[Rule 303]

Red dots must be mounted as low as possible so that the dot is naturally in the centre of the window with a firm cheek weld. That will mitigate a lot of the problems with alignment and focus.

Maybe with most, not so Aimpoint. Yes mounting low as possible is preferred but the dot does not have to be in the center of the window. Once they are zeroed the dot can appear anywhere in the window and if the dot is on target you will hit where you are aiming.

 

[Rule 303]

After succesfully shooting ele at night with a .375H&H with an Aimpoint I chose to scope my .470 Krieghoff with a Leupold red dot..

View attachment 579949

Just a question if I may? With the scope mounted so far back does it not get in the way of your thumb when you go to break the action open?

 

[Pondoro]

Just a question if I may? With the scope mounted so far back does it not get in the way of your thumb when you go to break the action open?

In a word..no. And no Weatherby eyebrow either..

 

[Rule 303]

In a word..no. And no Weatherby eyebrow either..

Thanks.

 

[HankBuck]

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

Scrum, there is a good video out on Utube that shows top Sporting Clays shooters testing out a Red Dot (Amipoint?) on their shotguns —— including George Digweed (World Champion Sporting Clays). George commented (before even testing it) that he didn’t think he’d like it. Most of the Top Shooters shot it very well (George never missed - but he rarely does anyway). Now, I think the video was made by AIMPOINT so it’s Not “objective” but it was interesting.