Red Dot Scope :: Illuminated Reticle Scope :: Laser Sights :: Reflex Sight

A Word On Red Dot Laser Sights

The mere mention of laser sights seems to conjure up visions of Hollywood scenarios in which the ominous red spot upon someone's body is soon followed by a bullet (and later green laser sights).

That now familiar red dot has many other applications, and these may range from medical, precision tooling or wheel alignment, where dead-straight lines are required.

It is this straight line that makes the laser an excellent choice for a firearm sighting system. The fact that the best red dot sight can be seen at considerable distances is a big plus when shooting in dull light situations.

"For Close Quarter Battle, SOF commandos rely upon red dot sight technology allowing the rapid engagement of adversaries in built-up areas © US DoD"

The laser spot should be zeroed as one would zero a scope on the rifle, shotgun or handgun. On a clear day, the red spot could be seen at almost 50 yards, but it was difficult to see with the naked eye past that. No such problems with a scope. In dim conditions, and when spotlighting, it was a much better proposition.

If one is fortunate enough to have night vision equipment, the laser dot will appear as a light green mark. For situations such as feral pigeons in a dark shed, this is a deadly combination when used in conjunction with a powerful air rifle.

"Aimpoint's Micro T2 red dot sight has been introduced in response to calls from maritime SOF units for a more ruggedised solution for close quarter battle and underwater insertions ® Aimpoint"

No lights are required and the kill rate should be excellent. A similar situation should occur with rabbits in a warren at night. The spotter with the night vision merely directs the shooter until the dot appears upon the target and then gives the advice to fire.

NOTE: The red dot scope sight that uses an illuminated reticle is different to the tactical red dot scope though both are brilliant as a fast aiming sight - basically "point and shoot"...

About Reflex Sights

WHAT IS a reflex sight? It was created in 1900 as a better gunsight for pilots and anti-aircraft gunners.

Based on a visual collimator that reflects the image of a reticle on a pane of glass, it allows the shooter's eye to move in relation to the reticle while maintaining the point of impact.

In the 1970s, when LEDs were refined, reflex sights pioneered by Aimpoint could be used in total darkness. By 1990, professional handgunner Doug Koenig began using them to eventually win 10 world titles.

"Red-dot sights are fast, superior in low light, and allow the shooter to simply focus on the target," says Koenig. They also have virtually no parallax, a huge field of view, and long eye relief.

And they allow aging shooters with presbyopia—those who wear reading glasses—newfound accuracy. The downside has been their bulk and dismal battery life. Plus, they required custom mounts and were too bulky for routine carry.

But when circuitry was miniaturized, manufacturers made sights an inch tall. Most now have a battery life measuring in months.

Currently, Glock, Smith & Wesson, FN, Kahr, and SIG Sauer make guns that easily accept them. No special holsters are required. Certainly the mini-reflex rage is here, and more products are sure to come.

NEW AR 15 SIGHTS FROM BUSHNELL

Bushnell has introduced two new red dot sights designed for AR-style rifles. The AR Optics TRS-25 and First Strike HiRise sights include a riser block that elevates them to the proper mounting height for a flat top rifle.

The TRS-25 HiRise features a 3-MOA red dot with 11 brightness settings, making it effective from low light to bright sunlight. Multi-coated optics enhance light transmission while the Amber-BrightTM lens coating reduces glare.

The sight is waterproof, fog proof and shockproof, providing all-weather performance and long-term reliability in the field. The First Strike Reflex features a 5-MOA dot with an automatic brightness adjustment based on variable light conditions.

Fully waterproof and designed to withstand heavy recoil, shooters can count on the First Strike Reflex to be a durable, high-performance sight. The integrated HiRise base can be quickly mounted on a Weaver-style base or Picatinny rail.

LaserLyte Sight Ryder Center Mass Laser Light :: Red

Anyone who's ever been in a tense situation or done realistic training under stress knows that, when the adrenaline's pumping, fine motor control flies out the window. Enter the Lyte Ryder Center Mass Laser Sight for shotguns and rifles.

LaserLyte says it's the world's first rail-mounted laser sight with built-in pressure activation. Switch on its nine-laser spread pattern by simply squeezing the 2.3-inch pressure pad — no tiny lever or button to feel for.

The ambidextrous device has momentary-on and constant-on modes and can be set up where your support hand naturally goes — so long as your fore - end has at least 4 inches of Pic rail. And thanks to its ledge-shaped design, it also doubles as a grip stop. Made of 6061-T6 aluminum a nd glass-filled nylon, the Lyte Ryder weighs 1.76 ounces with the included three 357 batteries installed.

LaserMax Micro II

Don't want to carry a laser on your sub-compact because you don't want to add weight? The LaserMax Micro II is the latest and lightest laser system by LaserMax. It installs onto any Picatinny rail system, with auto shut off and constant - and pulse-mode among its features. The Micro II is less than 1" in length and weighs less than a half-ounce. This means no snagging, and the only thing you're "adding" is versatility.

Steiner R1X Tactical Sight

STEINER'S NEW-FQR-2017 R1X RED-DOT TACTICAL sight is a perfect choice for any AR-style rifle or patrol carbine. It co-witnesses with a gun's front sight, and it's lightweight (19.4 ounces), compact (3.1 inches long, 2.5 inches wide, and 2 inches tall), and easy to install.

The true 1X optic comes with two reticles (a single 2-MOA center dot and a center dot with three 4-MOA stadia dots), and they can be changed instantly via the center selector button located on the left-hand side.

The reticles are powered by two CR2032 batteries, and the unit has seven brightness levels (five daylight and two night vision) that are adjusted via the UP or DN selector buttons.

Windage and elevation are adjustable via low-profile screws, with click adjustments in 0.25-MOA increments. The R1X's matte black housing is made of strong aluminum, and the unit is waterproof, shockproof, and fog proof. It's covered by Steiner's Heritage warranty. MSRP is $630.99.

TRUGLO TRU TEC Red-Dot Optic

TRUGLOs new TRU TEC red-dot optic his a20mm objective lens and a 2-MOA reticle for precision shooting. Powered by one CR2032 battery, battery life is extended by motion-sensing auto on/auto off technology.

The dot is adjustable for windage, elevation, and brightness, and the unlimited eye relief and integral Weaver/Picatinny-style mounting system (includes both high and low bases) allow use on a wide variety of firearms. It's waterproof, fog proof, and shock-resistant to 1,000g.

Trijicon MGRS Reflex Sight

The new Machine Gun Reflex Sight (MGRS) is a non-magnified optic that mounts to M2 and M240 machine guns, and the optic is designed to aid the shooter in rapid target acquisition and engagement by keeping both eyes open from a natural shooting position.

Accuracy is enhanced by use of the machine gun-specific interchangeable Range Dials. The sight has a strong 7075-T6 forged aluminum housing, a large objective lens with a 3x2-inch viewing area, and a 35-MOA segmented circle reticle with a 3-MOA center dot.

The unit is waterproof to 6.6 feet and adjustable for windage and elevation. It s powered by a single CR123A battery with a runtime of about 1,000 hours of continuous operation.

SHIELD SIGHT CQS MINIATURE REFLEX CLOSE QUARTERS SIGHT

CHINESE CLONED SIGHTS CAN BE UNRELIABLE AND WILL FAIL AT THE FIRST SIGN OF ADVERSE CONDITIONS. A BIT OF MOISTURE OR A SHOCK FROM A DROP WILL SOMETIMES KILL THEM STONE DEAD AND MANY AREN'T EVEN ALL THAT CHEAP ANYMORE, THEY CAN CERTAINLY BE A FALSE ECONOMY. AT OVER $500 , IT MIGHT SEEM LIKE A LOT, BUT A REAL STEEL SIGHT LIKE THE SHIELD CQS MIGHT SAVE YOU MONEY IN THE LONG RUN.

Miniature red-dot sights are fast becoming the default choice for CQB shooters and longer-ranged shooters looking to add a secondary sight for faster, closer ranged engagements.

The days of the Aimpoint M2-styled, cylindrical red-dot seem to be over and instead the smaller, lighter and less bulky "RMR" style sight is gaining prominence.

As an airsofter shooter, there's a school of thought that says you don't really need much more than 1x magnification, especially when shooting on the move.

Because of the range and speed of our projectiles, there is little to be gained. Certainly I personally never really feel the need to go above a modest 4x magnification even with high-power sniper rifles.

As mentioned, there's a healthy amount of cloned optics on the market, replicas which help us build up weapon systems that LOOK the part but in use they might not meet expectations.

How many people do you see on the field who don't even have batteries in their fancy sights or haven't tried to get them close to zero'd?

There are numerous reasons for this, usually battery failure or a wandering zero (the corresponding position of the sight dot or reticle compared to where the shot actually goes) usually put people off worrying about the hassle.

A reliable, functional sight that holds a consistent zero point and will actually turn on when you need it to can make an unbelievable difference to the accuracy of your shots and the success of your game though.

Recently I was talking to a college, and he commented on how his immediate team mates were amazed by the accuracy of his AEG.

He simply pointed out that the difference was that he had bothered to zero his red dot and laser before use.

If you can safely say that if your dot is over the target and your bullet will land somewhere near that, you will get more hits on target in a shorter frame of time, it's just logical!

SHIELD CQS US4

The COS sight price from Shield PSD might seem steep, it's enough to buy a whole new gun after all, but when did we ever let that stop us from treating ourselves? With that said, the sight might not be as frivolous as you would think.

With clones running up into the $50-$60 region easily and maybe lasting as little as a couple of months it doesn't take long for replacement costs to add up and that's all to get yourself a sight that probably doesn't hold a zero, will need babying in poor weather conditions and will chomp through batteries.

"The CQS red dot, reflex sight is a close relative of the Shield CQB used by the British Armed Forces, but with a universal mounting system. It is smaller and lighter than the competition (66g/ 2.3 oz including battery), but still meets the harshest military environmental specifications. We supply a variety of mounts, including Picatinny and bespoke fittings for a variety of magnifying scopes. A range of spacer heights are available so that you can adjust the height of the red dot, for example to co-witness with iron sights or align with an in-line 3x magnifier."

What you get is technology based on that used and trusted by the British Army, in the form of the Shield COB sight, a lightweight, rugged package designed to stick it out in real-world situations, on real world firearms, under all weather and environmental conditions.

It's not a complex piece of kit, like all good military tech. It simply runs on a single CR2032 coin battery and it stays on constantly, giving a rumoured solid year of function.

There's a simple switch on the front so that you can switch the projected dot from high (automatically adjusting to ambient light) to low power, for day or night use.

The COS sight has a relatively small viewing window and a large, chunky frame which brings the viewing angle down by quite a bit, but thankfully there are a number of mounts and spacers so you can position the sight at the height your eye naturally rests at, making it easy to acquire the dot.

There are a number of dot/reticle styles on offer, we tested the middle ground of the 4M0A one, which although not a massively precise point in terms of real steel shooting, balances ease of viewing and useable accuracy in airsoft terms.

Compared to clone or replica sights, the dot does seem very small though and we think this might take a little getting used to.

THE SHIELD CQS SIGHT COMES PACKAGED WITH THE VENTED STACK MOUNT SYSTEM ALLOWING YOU TO ADJUST THE HEIGHT TO YOUR PREFERENCE OR CO-WITNESS WITH IRON SIGHTS. OTHER MOUNTS, INCLUDING PIGGY BACK SYSTEMS TO TEAM WITH OTHER OPTICS ARE AVAILABLE AND CAN BE USED TO ADD VERSATILITY TO THE SHIELD CQS IN USE.

The COS uses large and easy to adjust windage and elevation screws which are recessed to prevent them form being knocked in use along with a tooless battery cover that makes it easy to switch the cell in a hurry.

Of course the biggest worry is that bad luck meets you around a corner and you get your sight window shot out.

With a small viewing window this makes the CQS harder to hit and also tougher, but we still wouldn't venture onto the field without protection... it's just not worth the risk.

IS IT WORTH A BUY?

If you aren't massively fussed about creating a gun that looks exactly like something DEVGRU or the SAS carry, you won't necessarily be too fussed about fitting scope or sight used by those units.

If something that works takes priority over the aesthetic, you will undoubtedly get more value out of something like this Shield COS.

It'll outlast more than its equivalent value in replicas and what's more, it will hold a second hand price far higher for longer than any Chinese clone. It's a investment for sure, but it won't take long to earn its money back in use.