You will be surprised to know that a red dot sight is nothing new; they’re older than dirt!
You may be a shooter who takes close-range targets. If you’re so, then you may have heard about the red dot sight Or maybe you’re a newbie in a shooting range and don’t know how do red dot sights work?
Either way, you need the necessary information about this optic. Don’t worry! We are here to help you.
Having a high-quality sight will help you aim and shoot the target. That’s why the soldiers use the sights to hit a perfect shot.
When you’re in a shooting range, it will surely keep your eyes open for being aware of your surroundings.
You’ll find so many great things about red dot sights when you look at the use of them.
In this article, we’re going to give you a brief guide about red dot sights: what they are and how they work.
What are Red Dot Sights?
To get to the point, we, first off, have to make sure that we have a clear understanding of what we are talking about.
The term Red Dot Sight only refers to one of the sights, which uses a red dot while aiming to the target.
You can see how this term doesn’t exactly help us to understand it clearly.
this dot sight comes with an LED that projects the image of the reticle onto a lens that reflects back at the shooter’s eye.
If it’s a stretch for you, you can cover your iron sights with a red sticker and call them red dot sights.
Although the dot can often be green, you have to call it a red dot sight for the sake of simplicity.
Red dot sights are simple and considered as one of the best optics to train new shooters.
As they’re 1x optics, they don’t come with built-in magnification, and you cannot call them scopes.
Hopefully, you’ve got a clear picture of red dot sights. Now, let’s have a look at different types of them.
Different Types of Red Dot Sights
You can keep most red dot sights into two categories: One is open sights, and the other is tube sights.
Open Sights
An open red dot sight is a unique type of optic that offers shooters infinite eye relief. It comes with lenses and a wide field of view to see your targets.
As the LED emitters of these sights are open, they may prevent dirt and debris.
Tube Sights
On the contrary, a tube dot sight is located at the back of the weapon, reflecting the objective lens to your eyes.
You will find two lenses and some essential parts inside the tube:
While aiming, the larger the tubes, the more room you will have to find the dot.
You may also find some sights that are pretty similar to red dot sights, like reflex sights, holographic sights, etc. Let’s check out some of them below.
Reflex Sights
Reflex sights tend to be round and rather short. Inside the housing, there will be a curved mirrored lens that you will look through.
On the lens, an LED is used to illuminate a single dot or reticle. Most often, you will find red ones, but there are other color options available.
The best thing is:
When you’re using a reflex sight, other people won’t see where the weapon is aimed.
Holographic Sights
This is another option available on the market.
As it’s related to the reflex sight, the holographic sights are generally short. But, since they don’t need a curved mirror, you can easily make them in other shapes.
This system uses an LED to illuminate a special film between two layers of glass.
That film will produce a holographic reticle that you can see for aiming. You can only see precisely where you aim your weapon.
Laser Sights
Laser sights are usually attached to the weapons. When you turn a laser sight on, it will shine a dot on the spot where the weapon is aimed. Everybody can see the view of the target exactly.
On sunny days or for a slightly farther distance, you may not get a good view of where you are aiming. In these cases, a laser sight won’t give you good results. In the night shooting, it’s one of the best to use.
How Does a Red Dot Sight Work?
When you’re going to know how red dot sight work, you’ll be pleased to know that it entirely depends on whether it’s an active system, which uses a power source or a passive system operated by solar power.
Let’s start with the passive system first!
A passive system features an image inlaid or etched onto the reflective glass, typically made of copper material. It’s because the image is either placed at the front lens’ focal point or at an angle.
It also projects around the focal spot of the image, meaning it’s the center of the optic. But, what about the active system?
When the power source activates, the active system projects a focal object into the center point of the optic.
Most importantly:
Either way, this sight projects an image onto the focal point of the optic.
The image and the optic are fixed in place to the barrel and receiver of the gun. This means the image will move if you move the gun.
Now, let’s move to the zeroing of a red dot sight.
Zeroing of a Red Dot Sight
A layperson often misunderstands modern shooting aids, including the red dot sight and laser sights. A lot of people purchase and use both devices because they’re lazy shooters.
Laser sights indeed magnify a dot in low light, but only a bit right. You may use Kentucky windage when you’re going to shoot in the dark.
So, choosing and mounting a red dot optic depends on what you’re going to use it for.
This sights have several reticle sizes and shapes. The two most common shapes are the dot and triangle measured in minutes of angle.
That’s why we can say that the farther the target, the more extended area the bullet will land.
On the other hand, the smaller the dot, the harder it indexes quickly.
So, before getting an optic, you have to understand what the application is.
Can you assume using red dot sight for pistol in short and long-ranges? If you can so, you want a medium size, such as 3 MOA. Between sight acquisition and long-range accuracy, it would be the right balance.
Keep in mind that 1 MOA is roughly 1 inch (1.047 inches). It means you’ll need a 1.5-inch group at 50 yards and a 3-inch group at 100 yards.
If you’re looking to have a fast and close shot, pick a 5 MOA reticle or more.
Many renowned manufacturers offer a variety of reticle sizes. Sig Sauer’s Romeo sights come with 3 MOA and 6 MOA reticles.
The RMR and SRO optics of Trijicon are offered in sizes ranging from 1 MOA to 13 MOA, while the Deltapoint Pro of Leupold is provided in 2.5 MOA and 7.5 MOA reticles.
The Acro optics from Aimpoint Red Dot have a 3.5 MOA reticle.
Might Be Helpful
- How to zero a scope without firing , don’t forget to read for more gun scope using information.
Frequently Asked Questions: how Dot sight work
We have been asked a lot of questions related to this matter. We’re going to answer some of them below.
Q. Do red dot sights work at night?
Answer: Yes. Many red dot sights are available in the market, which can be used at night. Some of the sights come with night vision so that you can shoot your targets in the dark. If you use a laser sight at night, it will provide you with more desired results.
Q. Can you put a red dot on a Glock?
Answer: Nowadays, you can! You will find red dot optics that allow you to instantly and permanently install this sight in minutes to your favorite Glock.
Q. Are red dot sights accurate?
Answer: To answer the question, we will say, of course, they are accurate. this sight can make your targets highly visible for you, allowing you to shoot it very quickly.
Wrapping Up
All in all, red dot sights are one of the simplest optics that a beginner can train by himself or herself.
But, if you’re a professional shooter, mounting this sight on your weapon can increase your speed and accuracy while shooting.
As this dot sights are operated on easier technology, it’s less expensive than other optics, like holographic sights.
However, we hope you’ve already got the answer of the question, “how do red dot sights work?” If so, then you may leave a comment below to let me know your opinions and thoughts.