In my opinion a non-magnifying red-dot sight (or scope) is the best choice for quick acquisition and moving targets. As excerpted from my book Awesome Air Pistols! (but just as true on rifles)-
"Though you wouldn’t know it in today’s political climate, compromise is not a four letter word. Sometimes compromise is the best course of action, and non-magnifying red-dot sights may be the best compromise to handle the widest array of handgun applications and scenarios. In my opinion, red-dot sights are the best choice for speed-shooting, moving targets, and most offhand shooting. I feel they are also second only to magnifying scopes for long-range and/or precision shooting, and fall between iron sights and magnifying optics in size, weight, complexity, durability and dependability.
Tube-type red-dot sights are available in 1”, 30mm, and 33mm diameter tubes; all shorter than magnifying scopes. Miniature, or sometimes called ‘reflex type’ dot sights are the smallest, lightest optics; some small as 1” x 2”, and light as a few ounces.
The smallest dot size I’ve seen available in a red-dot sight is 1 minute-of-angle, and some are available with dots as large as 8 MOA or more. But in my experience, the dots actually cover more target area than their published minute-of-angle specs. Sometimes considerably more target area.
That said, dot sights are not conducive to shooting smaller groups than the dot covers. Consequently smaller dots do better as priorities shift from from speed to precision, or from offhand shooting to rested. In my opinion even a small, 2 MOA dot sight makes little sense on a gun capable of 1 MOA accuracy unless the rig is being used for close-range or offhand shooting like hunting and NRA silhouette competition. Larger dots are used more in competitions emphasizing speed over accuracy, as small dots can be slower to locate in a sight’s field of view in quick-action situations."
BTW, I'm also a Steel Challenge competition shooter; and red-dot sights are the fastest sighting system on pistols and carbines in speed-shooting games.
