Red Dot Only for Buffalo

[Nevada Smith]

Do collared shooting glasses and/or polarized glasses help with the astigmatism? I have found that the greed helps quite a bit. Brian

For my astigmatism: 1) no joy using polarized glasses; 2) yes, a green dot is much clearer than a red dot.

Re: polarized glasses, here's a pull-quote from this article:

This may or may not work for you as astigmatism conditions vary. The idea is that polarized glasses help to straighten out scattered light rays before it actually enters your eye. This helps to focus entering light into single focal point helping to reduce the effects of astigmatism. However, polarized glasses vary in quality so there's no guarantee that a $15 pair from the gas station will be your "swear-by" solution. Worth a try? Maybe - you tell us.

See also (video is queued to discussion about polarized lens):

 

[Brian]

Nevada Smith, Thanks. That is very helpful. Brian

 

[Nevada Smith]

Follow-up:

1. Reflex sights have unlimited eye relief, and you can mount it anywhere on the gun. A prism optic requires the eye to be at the correct eye relief distance to acquire the sight picture. Eye relief specs vary from manufacturers to models. They’re generally in the 2-4” range. The eyebox could be small, so a consistent weld will help to acquire an unobstructed sight picture.

2. Whether using a reflex sight, a holographic sight, or a prism sight, focus on the target, not the dot!

3. Consider a green illuminated dot instead of red (although green dots cost a bit more).

 

[JD Noblin]

I've used both the Trijicon RMR and the SRO models on my Heym 500 and I love it. I use a small MOA red dot and keep it on bright until it starts to get dark and I turn it down. The small MOA allows me to shoot out to 100 yards if needed. Here are two different buffs from my May 2024 trip taken with the Heym and SRO.

 

[zephyr]

One more article

An Official Journal Of The NRA | Red Dot Sights and Astigmatism

How does astigmatism affect your ability to see the dot?

www.shootingillustrated.com

 

[Sideshow]

I've used both the Trijicon RMR and the SRO models on my Heym 500 and I love it. I use a small MOA red dot and keep it on bright until it starts to get dark and I turn it down. The small MOA allows me to shoot out to 100 yards if needed. Here are two different buffs from my May 2024 trip taken with the Heym and SRO.View attachment 613433View attachment 613434

Nice colour hardening on your double there @JD Noblin

 

[Rule 303]

Just my two bobs worth on red dot sights. people seem to want to limit them to 100 yards, why? Most would happily use open sights to a far greater distance so why not the red dot. One range I use to go to had a steel ram at 500mts. With an aimpoint on my 35 Whelen I use to hit the ram every time once I worked out the hold over.

I have taken an Elephant with the Aimpoint on my 416 Rigby. Where a scope shines over the red dot is when failing light or if plenty of vegetation about as you see your aiming mark easier with a little magnification. The scope I interchange with the Aimpoint on the 416 is a Trijacon 1.25-4X20 Picket post reticle. 5" eye relief. Fast shooting just cover where you want to hit with the triangle, fine shooting just use the tip of the triangle.

 

[Rafiki]

So my eyes are good better than 20/20 apparently.......unless watching the All Blacks then apparently I'm 1 eyed
Ive a question. Which is part of the title.
Red Dot only for Buff! Who has done it?
I'm not talking the fire dot scopes I'm talking about red dot sights not scopes.
I have one of these and am seriously thinking of giving it a go on my 375

HE503CU-GR-Holosun

Ive used it on driven boar fine.
So looking to see if anyone else has had any real world experience with them as a main site option.
Cheers

I can't think of a reason not to use it on whatever; fast accurate, what's not to like. It doesn't say "use only for buffalo" on the box.

 

[Mark A Ouellette]

My Heym 88B in .458 Win with Trijicon SRO with 1 MOA dot.

With her we've taken lioness at 50 meters

A running warthog at 5 meters

Buffalo cow (cull) at 100 meters

Giraffe (cull) at 106 meters (my lovely wife hamming it up with my Heym)

Wild-e-beast at 150 meters

So, yes a red dot reflex or prism sight is as accurate as the rifle and marksman. That is as long as one can get the dot small enough for really precise aiming. Add to that the astigmatism that age gifts to us older guys which makes a bright red dot appear larger than it actually is.

On a .375 H&H one could easily shoot accurately at several hundred meters in open country with a red dot optic. A low power variable optic (LPVO) such as a 1-6X does however provide better clarity especially at dawn, dusk, or picking a shooting lane through thick brush.

 

[Sideshow]

I can't think of a reason not to use it on whatever; fast accurate, what's not to like. It doesn't say "use only for buffalo" on the box.

Hang on I’ll get my sharpie

 

[The Shootist]

Finding suitable bases to put a Trijicon RSO on a Winchester Model 70 is challenging. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

 

[Hunt anything]

Finding suitable bases to put a Trijicon RSO on a Winchester Model 70 is challenging. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Check out skinners sights, I don’t know if they make one for the model 70 but they make bases for a lot of rifles.

 

[Kevin Peacocke]

Explanation: Understanding Prism Scopes

See also: Red Dot Sights vs Prisms

ETA: this is an interesting video and accompanying article

Very useful info, thank you NS

 

[Kevin Peacocke]

I've used both the Trijicon RMR and the SRO models on my Heym 500 and I love it. I use a small MOA red dot and keep it on bright until it starts to get dark and I turn it down. The small MOA allows me to shoot out to 100 yards if needed. Here are two different buffs from my May 2024 trip taken with the Heym and SRO.View attachment 613433View attachment 613434

Forget the dot, that is one gorgeous Heym!

 

[Rule 303]

Finding suitable bases to put a Trijicon RSO on a Winchester Model 70 is challenging. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Simplest way is to get rid of the RSO and put an Aimpoint on. Can get with a Weaver base mount on it or just get any rings to suit a weaver style cross slot base. Sorry could not resist.

I do not know what sort of base the RSO has. I have seen pics of them fitted to what look like cross slot bases.
Just did a quick search on google for Trijacon RSO bases. Came up with this image, made by Trijacon I believe.

 

[Tokoloshe Safaris]

Both my wife & myself have used red dot mounted on CZ550’s caliber s .404J & .416 Rigby. Trying to get around to mounting Trijicon on 89b
.470.
One our well seasoned PH has used his old British .470N for over 20yrs. About 10 yrs ago he had a machinist remove his original leaf sights and mounted a Trijicon RMR in the slot. That is about as low as you can go. If you ask Lou what he thinks of it he will clear his throat and say one word, “magic”. End of story.

It is difficult to mount rmr’s down to factory level.

Lon

 

[The Shootist]

I have the Trijicon adapter shown above by “Rule303” with a Talley 2 piece picatinny bases but would like to find a direct mount to eliminate the unnecessary added height. I’d really like to find something like this Leupold Delta point Pro mount.

 

[Doubleplay]

I’ve seen nothing but either open sights or rmr on PH doubles. I also have a Trijicon rmr one my double installed by JJ.
I would not change it with anything else. As far as accuracy, distance, practice etc.. I say this: if you can hit a paper plate with both barrels at 75 yards you are good to go.

 

[Tanks]

All I use are red dots on buffalo and elephants.

 

[KurtVH]

This is my RMR on my Krieghoff Big Five in 470 NE. A red dot at the breach of a double works best and it should be mounted as low as possible to keep its optical center close to the line of sight of the original open sights, thus preserving the original stock hold and cheek weld that existed when using the open sights. In the photo above you can see that my RMR dot is only a fraction of an inch above the original line of sight and the front sight. I took this rifle to Zimbabwe in 2020 and took a nice 42” bull with one shot at 69 yards. The Bull ran 40 yards and tipped over with a loud death bellow. Since then have taken waterbuck, sable, a few warthogs and a reedbuck with the Krieghoff. Shots well to 100 yards.

That looks a bit out of place on that beautiful rifle, but form follows function, right?