Red dots

[Mister Bill]

I have several scope-sighted break-barrel .177’s that I use for back yard plinking and paper punching, nothing more except for an occasional varmint in a tree at night. I am thinking about removing the scope and going to a red dot on one just for fun. Does anyone else do that? Any advice? Any downsides? I see red dots in all price ranges. One Hawke is $189, which is more than I spent on their scope. How much should I plan on spending to do it right the first time?

 

[Renman]

I have several scope-sighted break-barrel .177’s that I use for back yard plinking and paper punching, nothing more except for an occasional varmint in a tree at night. I am thinking about removing the scope and going to a red dot on one just for fun. Does anyone else do that? Any advice? Any downsides? I see red dots in all price ranges. One Hawke is $189, which is more than I spent on their scope. How much should I plan on spending to do it right the first time?

I got a couple red dots, Christmas giftsI would guess they are $50 or under. I have used them On rifles & a marauder pistol. Neither lost zero. Batteries last a long time. Ive used them for basement shooting & short range posting. Put pellets in the same hole at 30/40 ft. Easy to see , but…….no magnification. Great for plinking, not so much for hunting as I like the magnification for pellet placement. Good luck
reman

 

[ChrisT]

Personally anything over a 1 minute dot is to big. Some units have more than just a dot and I find those more usefull. The open types I find to get hung up on stuff , much perfer the enclosed units which act more like a scope particularly with elevation and windage adj.

 

[JohnL57]

How do red dots hold up to the double recoil of a springer? The only red dot I have is an Ultradot and I don't want to break it.

 

[Septicdeath]

I have used them for years on many of my springers. They hold up well. My preferred optics. Here is just a few.

 

[Mike_Lenardon]

I put a cheap BSA (30 bucks) red dot on a Ruger Air Hawk. Has held up fine for a few years now.

 

[Ricklin]

I think the Sig Sauer Romeo 5 punches above it's weight class, I can get a very tiny dot at low intensity with it, I also find less of the double dot phenomena with it. It is rated at 2 MOA, I've not run it on an air gun yet, might give it a try after late deer season. So far I like it a lot about 125 if you shop, buy from a Sig dealer. My brother liked mine a lot, he found one much cheaper @ 75, will not hold zero and a 30 day return window.

 

[MikeVV]

I have a LOT of various red/green/amber dot sights. I also have a couple of "holographic" (EoTech) sights, a;ong with a few Prismatic sights.

I've had cheaper dot sights, My most expensive red dot is an Aimpoint. Yeah, only one...of those.

NONE of my guns have cheap sights on them. I've given them away or they sit in a corner of a shelf.
Most of my red/green dot sights are made by Holosun. They are of a VERY high quality, with a reasonable cost.

When looking at buying, you not only have to look at the "visual", what it looks like), but what type battery, how long will the battery last, wiill the sight take a pounding ? From being dropped to handling a high "G" load.
And as one above notes...about the dot size. While on one hand, he comments about a1 minute dot, vs larger (he doesn't know how to use a dot sight!). MOST current, quality sights use a 2 minute dot. The EoTech does have a 1 minute dot, they are...expensive, and many/most do not understand the "holographic" reticle.

As I sort of mentioned, most of today's "quality" dot sights WILL withstand a .458 magnum rifle (which will bruise your shoulder after two shots !!). There's NO...pellet rifle that will put out the "G force" that a .458 Mag. rifle will. YES, a quality red/green dot sight doesn't care if the force is forward or backward.

You mention the Hawk dot sights. They are a higher, low, or lower high grade of sight. Their cost is very welcoming to most. I know they are rated to at least a mig high "G" force capability, and stand up to it. Again, backward / forward motion doesn't matter to a good sight. I've never used one on a firearm, but I have one on a pellet rifle.

One other thing to consider... Do you have an astigmatism ? Where your eyes have a difficult time seeing close AND far at the same time. Astigmatism and dot sights don't always go together. A higher quality dot sight, can be used if you understand the problem. Occasionally, the dot is "round", if you get lucky.
Otherwise a "prism" sight is the best way to go. These are sort of a cross between a dot sight and a scope. Most are of a high quality, and your eyesight isn't a bother.

One other thing about the "dot" sight. There is a design of "dot" that is a "chevron" (or upside down triangle). These have the "point" up. VERY easy to gain a sight picture. Bot some red/green dot sights and some prism sights have the chevron. Normally indicated by the initials "ACSS" in the title.

Hope this helps some.

Mike

 

[longdog]

I think the Sig Sauer Romeo 5 punches above it's weight class, I can get a very tiny dot at low intensity with it, I also find less of the double dot phenomena with it. It is rated at 2 MOA, I've not run it on an air gun yet, might give it a try after late deer season. So far I like it a lot about 125 if you shop, buy from an Sig dealer. My brother liked mine a lot, he found one much cheaper @ 75, will not hold zero and a 30 day return window.

Just have to say that I 100% agree with your assessment of the Romeo 5. I’ve got 2 on a couple of different airguns and love them.
Take care when purchasing as there are counterfeits out there.
Oh and I’m 70 with astigmatisms.

 

[Ricklin]

Yup I only see one very tiny dot with my genuine Romeo 5. My never listens to me brother found a "better deal" he did not bother to be certain he was buying from a Sig-Sauer dealer. I paid 50 bucks more, mine holds zero, his....does not. You can tell him, but can't tell him much. He did not buy from A Sig dealer. For ANY popular scope or red dot, there are more fakes than real deal. I promise you can't tell the difference, well until you actually use it. To avoid my brothers plight buy ONLY from an authorized dealer. Buy the vendor before buying the product.