Red Dot and RMR Sights for Dangerous Game Rifles
View attachment 515571
View attachment 515574
Above photos are Trijocon SRO on Heym 88B
I have been contributing information concerning Red Dot and RMR Sights for Dangerous Game Rifles on a couple of other threads that some AH members may have missed. I figure that this information warrants its own thread, so here you go!
Warning, this isn’t an article about every sight available. I am not a professional writer, as evident my often lack of editing! Nor do any manufacturers send me stuff to use so that I will give them free advertising. Rather, this is based on my experience of a subject that it seems many at AH are not experts. Well neither am I but here’s what I know!
There are Red Dots and there are Red Dots – Reflex and RMR
First there were Reflex sights, commonly known as Red Dot sights that cast an illuminated red dot of light against an almost clear coated screen. There are many other brands available of varying quality. I have seen other competitors suffer a red dot failure during Precision Pistol (Bullseye) matches. Ouch!
Buy once, cry once! Fifty years ago Bell motorcycle helmets’ magazine advertisements catch phrase was, “If you have a $10 head, buy a $10 helmet.” At the time a Bell helmet cost between $30 and $50. Nuff said?
Within the field of Red Dot sights there are what are known as Reflex/Tube and RMR
Reflex Red Dot Sights
While both RMR and Reflex are indeed reflex sights, the larger type is known as Reflex, Tube Red Dots, or simply, Red Dot sights. Technically these are within the category of Reflector Sights:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reflector_sight
There are also holographic sights which I have never used;
https://www.pewpewtactical.com/red-dots-vs-holographic-sights/
https://www.sportsmansguide.com/article?key=weapon-sights-article
Maybe holographic sights will withstand the recoil of a .500 Nitro?
For bullseye Precision Pistol the Match Dot brand is popular and much less expensive than Aimpoint.
I have a SIG Romeo Reflex. These were on sale for a little over $100 so I bought one. I mounted it on an AR-15 carbine and for that, it works well. If I were seriously relying on this weapon in combat, I would mount a Trijicon or Aimpoint, or brand with similar PROVEN reliability such as the German Docter. This logic is even more applicable for any dangerous game hunt!
This is an Aimpoint Reflex “Red Dot” or “Dot” H-2 sight.
https://aimpoint.us/micro-h-2-red-dot-reflex-sight-6moa-standard-mount/
View attachment 515557
I have a few of the older Aim Point H-1 dot sights that I have competed with.
I may try one of these sight on a double rifle or maybe the CZ 550’s.
View attachment 515558
The bottom two Aim Point H-1 shown above are mounted in LaRue quick release Picatinny rail mounts.
View attachment 515559
All have sun/weather shade tubes pressed into them. These are available from National Pistol Champion John Shue. The shades keep direct sunlight from glaring on them and rain drops off.
The two 1911’s show are from Accuracy X:
http://accuracyx.com/
The 6” M1911 in the center is a 10mm Auto that Accuracy X built for me.
The 6" 10mm pistol with a Leupold 2-8x scope is featured in this video hitting NRA 500-yard Silhouette Rifle targets from 500 yards!
.
Ruggedized Miniature Reflex sights (RMR)
Larger Reflex sights were followed by the Ruggedized Miniature Reflex sights or RMR. The term RMR is Trademarked in the USA by Trijicon. They marketed the first RMR. Their current generation RMR Type-2 is used by the US Special Operations Command (USSOCOM, Navy Seals, US Marine Raiders, Green Berets…). I remember the fictional character Rooster Cogburn yelling across the impending field of battle, “
Don’t you bet your life on it!” Good logic for dangerous game hunting.
RMR Type-2:
https://www.trijicon.com/products/product-family/trijicon-rmr-RM06-RM07-RM09
SRO:
https://www.trijicon.com/products/subcategory/trijicon-sro
Below are Trijicon SRO and RMR Type-2 sights in 14-16mm Trijicon mounts. This size mount fits the ribs on my Heym and Merkel double rifles.
View attachment 515560
JJ Perodeau
https://jjperodeau.com/ can mill your double rifle’s rib to accept these mounts.
View attachment 515561
Trijicon SRO mounted on a Heym 88B
View attachment 515576
Light Transmission
The coating on a Trijicon brand sight's view screen is iridium. It may be the same for other brands but I do not know for sure. A red dot is cast or illuminated onto the screen for our eyes to see. The iridium coating does darken the view screen by a small amount that one won’t notice until they try to make a shot at dusk. Then, rather than seeing the game animal, a silhouette may be the only thing visable! It’s happened to me hunting in Limpopo. I still made the shot!
Red Dot Size
A RMR (micro) or traditional Red Dot sight with 3.25 and 6 MOA dot are liked by many shooters, especially for the new trend of RMRs on concealed carry handguns. At 5 yards, these larger dots should be better for instant target acquisition than a more precise, 1 MOA dot. It would be the same if facing an elephant at 20 yards! I prefer 1 MOA dots.
The dots seem to increase in size as their intensity increases. At 100 yards on a bright day my Trijicon RMRs the 1 MOA dots are clearly bigger than that at 100 yards. At 50 yards on a bright day, maybe I could reduce the dot to 1 MOA, maybe. On a dull day or at dusk, I can click those dots to a very tiny size. Bottom line, the brighter the dots, the bigger they appear to my eyes.
I carry my rifle with the dot set at a medium brightness for worst case situation, like an impromptu meeting with Mr. Buffalo! For long shots when I most usually have more time, I click the red dot intensity down to where I can just see it clearly against the target. This gives me a more precise sight picture. I have shot buffalo, giraffe, wildebeast, all at 100 yards to 150 meters. Further, I snap shot two running warthogs with it. Dot intensity is much like the power of a variable rifle scope. Keep them set for worse case, close range shooting!
Trijicon SRO on sale 1 February 2023
Primary Arms has the Trijicon SRO with 1 Minute Dot on sale for $465.
https://www.primaryarms.com/trijicon-sro-sight-adjustable-led-1-moa-red-dot
With my state sales tax and Priority Mail shipping the total was $502.
This is the sight I use on my Heym double. The red dot has dozens of adjustments. It can be reduced to a super tiny barely able see pin prick or crank it up to a mini-sun on the extra large view finder. This makes it dynamite for close range and with a tiny dot, very accurate for a double rifle at 100 to 150 meters.
A bonus is that the battery loads from the top! My RMR Type-2 has to be removed from the mount to replace the battery. Granted, this is a once a year task to be safe, and a two to three year task if one waits until a battery fails. Still, one should check their rifle’s zero after removing the RMR from the mount. Chances are due the mounting bosses in the mount and alignment holes in the RMR, it will shoot within an inch or so at 50 meters, it not dead on!
Trijicon SRO RMR
View attachment 515563
RMR mounting Compatibility
There is no standardization of mounting interfaces in the Reflex and RMR industry! The best Reflex or RMR won’t do you any good if you can’t get the right mount for your rifle!
This is a good guide for RMR mounting compatibility:
https://www.cz-parts.com/cz-red-dot-plates-mounts-compatibility-guide
Trijicon SRO and mount
View attachment 515564
Trijicon SRO/RMR mount available on Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004W59ZL4?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details
Trijicon RMR for CZ550 from American Hunting Rifles. Notice the quick release lever.
View attachment 515565
Size Difference of Trijicon RMR and SRO
The Trijicon RMR Type-2 (and the older Type-1) have a lower profile than the SRO. The difference is less than 8mm or a third of an inch. The RMRs' shown are in the mounts for 14-16mm Ribs.
I hunted with the SRO in Limpopo, Kalahari, and Zimbabwe. I also mounted both to double rifles and shouldered them dozens if not a hundred of times each in a side by side comparison. The result was that I bought a second SRO.
Trijicon SRO and RMR Type-2
View attachment 515566
View attachment 515568
View attachment 515569
So there it is! I hope this information helps Africa Hunting members make good decisions about Reflex and RMR Red Dot Sights for their dangerous game rifles!
