Tuning Red dot on pistol

[airgunmike56]

I am an old instinst shooter, I can pick up a pistol and roll a coke can just shooting no aiming 10 20 30 yards, Now I start aiming when I want to make a small hit like a rattle snake head.
Now with a fast shot you have to uncover the red dot turn it on find the dot and shoot,, But for me I have not trained my hand arm and mind to hold the gun down below the target..
Shooting with a red dot , To put the dot on the target it feels like you are holding the pistol below the target,, Maybe its just me anyone else have this problem??
Mike

 

[Moog]

Your a better instinctive shooter than me. Beyond 8 yards I need the sights. My red dot sight also has to be turned on manually but they have electronic sights today that come on automatically when you grip the pistol.
My air pistol is just a back yard toy so I don't worry about it much.

I also need to tilt the gun low in order to acquire the red dot. For the reasons you mentioned is why I have never put a red dot sight on a powder burner pistol.

I really do enjoy the red dot sight on my 2240 because I actually can shoot it very accuratly.

 

[rsfrid]

I adjust my red dot to coincide with the iron sights. I am trained to shoot iron sites on PBs so it just makes sense to set the air pistol up same way.

 

[MikeVV]

Yeah...just adjust the "dot position" to be under...the desired target...simple.
Pretend the "dot" is a "chevron" (a triangle, point up), and the round dot, is the top of the chevron.

I...used to be a pretty good shot. Pick up my ol Browning Hi Power, and bounce a can all over while it was running down a slow moving stream. Quite fun.
But alas, those days are long gone for me.

Mike

 

[airgunmike56]

Adjusts my red dot to match my Iron sights, I have had two drinks tonight, and my brain is hurting trying to figure this one out,,
Please explain this to me, I will read it tomorrow, LOL.
Mike

 

[JBHC]

Red dots are a level faster in acquiring accurate shots.

 

[MikeVV]

Adjusts my red dot to match my Iron sights, I have had two drinks tonight, and my brain is hurting trying to figure this one out,,
Please explain this to me, I will read it tomorrow, LOL.
Mike

Imagine a very thin, horizontal line, about 1" long.

Your target is resting on the top of the line.
The red/green dot is touching the bottom of the line.

Got it ?

Mike

 

[steve-l]

There are red dot sights and then there are more red dot sights. They are all much better than iron sights, especially on air gun pistols because they allow target viewage all around the target which allows instant compensation for hold over, hold under and Kentucky windage without blocking the target. The best red dot sights use good glass without aberrations and multiple intensity levels , which is very important. I also prefer a very small dot for longer distances. I just changed the one on my GK1 for a physically smaller model that mounts close to the barrel line which automatically turns on and off with motion. These also are much better than iron sights in low light conditions. I find no problem holding a 1" group off hand in low light at 25 meters with my GK1.

 

[marflow 777]

when red dots first came out they were huge and Aimpoint made them but what they gave you was to be able to shoot with one point of aim the dot
if you can-could see the dot POI was where the dot was at that point meaning that you could shoot faster
speed shooter were the ones that made the red dot what it is
now the red dot is not as precise as open sights but for fast target acquisition they are but then you lose field of vision
and there is where Reflex sight will help smaller and better field of view
and everyone likes different sights and optics and of course in the field scoped pistols are hard to find holsters for

 

[AirNGasman]

Maybe its just me anyone else have this problem??

Yes; but to varying degrees depending on which pistol and which red-dot sight, specifically how high the sight sits above the bore.

Perhaps not totally relevant to your post, but hopefully worthwhile to most readers of your post (few of which shoot instinctive), this is a quote from the chapter titled Air Pistol Sights, Insights And Incites from the book Custom, Classic And Otherwise AWESOME AIR PISTOLS-

"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."

 

[Steveoo]

Couldn't have put it better myself but there is a but.....
Based on too many years experience, you need to go high quality with that dot sight. The most you can afford.
I have had so many alter zero, phase out, or lenses falling out on me when going sub £100 sterling.
You need a good branded one. Bushnell, Hawke etc..
The Chinese Amazon stuff best avoided.
It's to do with the tiny electronic components delicately mounted inside not present in your regular cheap Tele sights.

 

[AirNGasman]

you need to go high quality with that dot sight

Agreed. Cheap ones don't even make good trotline weights (like cheap scopes do).

.

 

[CharlieF]

The thing I like the most about the red dot is that I can keep both eyes open. It makes it a lot easier to keep track of a moving target like a tree rat moving from limb to limb. Agree, high quality is the only way to go if you really want to quickly engage a moving target.

 

[Steveoo]

I know someone who has been using the Hawke micro Reflex with the new large diameter outer ring and tiny inner dot aim point with zero issue for a good few months now...
Worth a look..

 

[ThomasT]

I am an old instinst shooter, I can pick up a pistol and roll a coke can just shooting no aiming 10 20 30 yards, Now I start aiming when I want to make a small hit like a rattle snake head.
Now with a fast shot you have to uncover the red dot turn it on find the dot and shoot,, But for me I have not trained my hand arm and mind to hold the gun down below the target..
Shooting with a red dot , To put the dot on the target it feels like you are holding the pistol below the target,, Maybe its just me anyone else have this problem??
Mike

Hello @airgunmike56

Unlike you I do not have the skills to just point and shoot and be accurate. My eyes are old and worn out so trying to see a squirrel at 20-yards and accurately aim through a set of Iron Sights are many years gone. With a Red Dot scope the local squirrels have at best a one - in - five chance of safely getting off my property .

ThomasT

 

[steve-l]

When instinct shooting sights are not used at all. The gun barrel is peripheral to the target view. What does help when instinct shooting is a mounted laser. If quick target acquisition with the sight picture is the real thread's subject, there is no sight system better than a reflex sight..

I recently changed my reflex sight on my GK1 for a physically smaller unit that mounts much closer to the barrel line and with a smaller dot. That change eliminated the necessity to hold over for short distances and the dot turns on and off automatically with gun motion. A reflex sight eliminates the requirement to align front and rear sights and the reflex sight allows a large field of view all around the target increasing situation awareness and the ability to sight over, under, left or right to compensate for distance and target motion without losing sight of the target. My new sight also has 12 levels of dot intensity to compensate for all ambient light conditions including near darkness. The reflex sight encourages the use of both eyes. This allows depth of view or instantaneous distance perception. There is no question which sight system is better. In the end, it's all about getting use to all these advantages. In other words, practice.

 

[RAMJET66]

Steve-1 , may i ask wich one you have & the cost ? thanks , roger

 

[steve-l]

Steve-1 , may i ask wich one you have & the cost ? thanks , roger

I got this new sight on AliExpress. It appears that the better sights only want to mount on a picatinny rail and the GK1 uses an 11mm rail. That usually is solved with a adapter that mounts on top of the rail and that raises the sight unacceptably (to me), but I found a spring loaded spacer adaptor that does not. For me, that was the decision maker. At the moment I cannot recall which item(s) I chose, but I will get back to you after I search AliExpress. I think the total adapter and the sight was around $55.

 

[MRaccurate]

Please don't take offense that I cut and pasted your post. You have many good points that I wanted to expand on.

When instinct shooting sights are not used at all. The gun barrel is peripheral to the target view. What does help when instinct shooting is a mounted laser. Lasers are all I shoot with now. I have improved my instinct shooting from my hip with the help of lasers. I'm comfortable shooting out to 15 yards hitting a soda can. If quick target acquisition with the sight picture is the real thread's subject, there is no sight system better than a reflex sight. Target acquisition is better with lasers, IMO. The sight radius is much longer, starting from the lasers to the target. There is no sight frame obstruction to look around and field of view is 100%.

I recently changed my reflex sight on my GK1 for a physically smaller unit that mounts much closer to the barrel line and with a smaller dot. That change eliminated the necessity to hold over for short distances (This point is so important for close range targeting. I have designed a sight that achieves 0" vertical offset. This allows the sight to be used accurately from the end of the barrel with extreme precision. There are no sights on the market that can achieve this level of accuracy at extreme close range.) and the dot turns on and off automatically with gun motion. Because the lasers project a beam, I am using a remote wired switch to activate the system to reduce the time the visual signature is on the target. I am developing a wireless switch to reduce switch activation impact on hold position. A reflex sight eliminates the requirement to align front and rear sights and the reflex sight allows a large field of view all around the target increasing situation awareness and the ability to sight over, under, left or right to compensate for distance and target motion without losing sight of the target. My new sight also has 12 levels of dot intensity to compensate for all ambient light conditions including near darkness. Laser intensity can be an issue that can be addressed electronically to soften the brightness at close range. The reflex sight encourages the use of both eyes. This allows depth of view or instantaneous distance perception. Lasers accomplish these goals along with the ability to shoot accurately without the need to align the sight to your body. I have young kids shoot while holding the pistol behind their back and under their legs. Using prototypes, I have successfully shot from 5-100 Yards with a PB rifle, and the projectile zero hold is <+/- 1/2" at any distance from the end of the barrel to 100 yards. This sight maintains the accuracy at close range that other sights are not designed to do. There is no question which sight system is better. In the end, it's all about getting use to all these advantages. In other words, practice.

I make a number of claims that I can defend, if you would like to know more. My sight is not on the market yet, so I won't be going into excessive detail. Many of the points I have made applies to conventional use of lasers. You did an excellent post, and I thought you would like to hear another point of view. Brad

 

[steve-l]

Please don't take offense that I cut and pasted your post. You have many good points that I wanted to expand on.

When instinct shooting sights are not used at all. The gun barrel is peripheral to the target view. What does help when instinct shooting is a mounted laser. Lasers are all I shoot with now. I have improved my instinct shooting from my hip with the help of lasers. I'm comfortable shooting out to 15 yards hitting a soda can. If quick target acquisition with the sight picture is the real thread's subject, there is no sight system better than a reflex sight. Target acquisition is better with lasers, IMO. The sight radius is much longer, starting from the lasers to the target. There is no sight frame obstruction to look around and field of view is 100%.

I recently changed my reflex sight on my GK1 for a physically smaller unit that mounts much closer to the barrel line and with a smaller dot. That change eliminated the necessity to hold over for short distances (This point is so important for close range targeting. I have designed a sight that achieves 0" vertical offset. This allows the sight to be used accurately from the end of the barrel with extreme precision. There are no sights on the market that can achieve this level of accuracy at extreme close range.) and the dot turns on and off automatically with gun motion. Because the lasers project a beam, I am using a remote wired switch to activate the system to reduce the time the visual signature is on the target. I am developing a wireless switch to reduce switch activation impact on hold position. A reflex sight eliminates the requirement to align front and rear sights and the reflex sight allows a large field of view all around the target increasing situation awareness and the ability to sight over, under, left or right to compensate for distance and target motion without losing sight of the target. My new sight also has 12 levels of dot intensity to compensate for all ambient light conditions including near darkness. Laser intensity can be an issue that can be addressed electronically to soften the brightness at close range. The reflex sight encourages the use of both eyes. This allows depth of view or instantaneous distance perception. Lasers accomplish these goals along with the ability to shoot accurately without the need to align the sight to your body. I have young kids shoot while holding the pistol behind their back and under their legs. Using prototypes, I have successfully shot from 5-100 Yards with a PB rifle, and the projectile zero hold is <+/- 1/2" at any distance from the end of the barrel to 100 yards. This sight maintains the accuracy at close range that other sights are not designed to do. There is no question which sight system is better. In the end, it's all about getting use to all these advantages. In other words, practice.

I make a number of claims that I can defend, if you would like to know more. My sight is not on the market yet, so I won't be going into excessive detail. Many of the points I have made applies to conventional use of lasers. You did an excellent post, and I thought you would like to hear another point of view. Brad

Of course, feel free. I also benefit from other's opinions.