Some shooting buddies have Aimpoint micros on their ARs and although I’ve handled them I’ve not shot with them to any great extent. I can fix that by borrowing one for a range trip. If I had to voice a concert prior to shooting it, it would be the size of the lenses. They seem small, like looking through a hole the size of a dime or maybe a nickel. Part of the reason for this concern is that I’m essentially blind in my left eye and always prefer a bigger tube for all the field of view I can get. Only a trip to the range would settle the matter.
As far as the open emitter type red dots goes, maybe I have an unfounded worry about rain or their performance when wet. I’m in Alaska and can pretty much count on getting rained on but again, maybe it’s an unfounded concern.
For what I think is excellent information on red dot systems, durability, and how we function with them, try Aaron Cowan’s website:
https://www.sagedynamics.org/
Scroll down and download his white paper: “Miniaturized Red Dot Systems for Duty Handgun Use, Fourth Edition, 2021.” There might be something in there that will help you make a choice even though you need the dot for a DG rifle, not law enforcement work.
You probably do want a closed emitter. For a topical fix with condensation and light frost on your lens try Z-Clear or Cat Crap. I’ve tried both and like the latter better.
There are units with larger glass real estate. With Holosun, for example, compare window size. The popular 509T for handguns is .66 x 0.9. For rifle choices, the HS510C (open) and HE512T (closed) are .91 x 1.26.
With dot sights we are superimposing the dot on the target; our eyes stay “target focused” not “dot focused.” Since we are “target focused,” the outer metal edges of our dot sight will be blurry; our target will be crystal clear. (Exact opposite of front sight focused.) We are not narrowing our vision into the area of the dot glass. The field of vision you have now—without a dot sight—should be the same.
There are models that use an inverted “V” instead of a dot. Some think that provides easier acquisition. It might also help users with astigmatism. You might want a unit with the option of having the dot inside a 32 MOA circle for an acquisition aid, or the inverted “V” with a rim “halo” that will help you more quickly acquire your target as you get used to the unit or are in a stressful situation. One reason for a dot sight is fast acquisition. Also, you might want a unit with built-in solar backup.
Though Cowan’s white paper is for duty guns and defensive situations, I found a lot of information transferrable to different situations. It is a good read for those who use dot sights on self-defense guns.
Alaska Ammo in FBX has staff with excellent red dot knowledge for many applications, so I’d think the Anchorage store would have the same. If something sounded interesting to you, I bet they would order it for you to take a look at in person. Maybe they would open the package so you could try it on your rifle at the store, or on a rifle there.
I’m in the process of choosing several dot systems for my rifle, and I’ll write in after I’ve made my choices and tested them.
Laura
