Red dot sights dramatically improve accuracy for both rifles and pistols. For anyone who doesn’t have one you’ll immediately level up your shooting ability overnight.They are a great tool for any and all of the models we will review in today’s writeup are designed for durability. Long battery life, scratch proof, water resistant and made to take a hell of a beating red dot scopes are probably one of the best add-ons to any tactical kit.What red dots offer is increased ability to acquire a target and aim while maintaining a very clear field of vision. With your stereotypical sniper scope design you need to look down the barrel and you severely limit your field of view.Not with a red dot.

1. Aimpoint Red Dot

Designed for military use they offer a MASSIVE tactical advantage for those looking for faster reaction time and shooting efficiency. How We ReviewFirst off, if you’re looking for even more info read our post on. Second, all these products are tried and tested by yours truly.While some of you might not agree with some of my product choices, that’s fine.

Just remember to leave a constructive comment below and no angry “your scope sucks” rant.If you’re looking for a quick list of our top picks here they are in order/score. ​ GET MY DISCOUNTS ProductWhat We LikeScoreTop Pick for Quality/Price5/5Great Pick - Great 2nd Choice5/5Best Value4.5/5Reliable and Great Price4/5Tactical Choice Winner4/5Good Long Range Option4/5Overall Best AR-15 Red Dot Sights and Optics 1.The Winner hands down. The RMR offers extremely high quality design, rugged features all for a price point that offers tons of value. I have two of these on my own rifle as well as my wife’s.At around five hundred it might seem a bit pricey but this is an optic system that you’ll be using well into the future.This Adjustable LED red dot sight from Trijicon RMR stands out from the crowd due to its unique house-shape, crafted from aircraft aluminum, protected by a patent.It promises more durability and a longer life for the sensitive parts, minimizing the effect of the recoil. It can be attached to handguns, rifles or even optic pieces.

Most shooters put in on top of an S&W, Glock MOS, Springfield Armory OSP or FNH Tactical.It is versatile; you can use it for self and home defense, hunting, competitions or even law enforcement. The 6.5 MOA that is easily adjustable by 1 MOA per click, with no special tools. Extremely clear and functional designIt has an auto-brightness mode which can be adjusted in two ways for night-vision or intense light through simple buttons and a true-color lens. This is practical when switching scenery fast (indoor/outdoor or bushes/open field).It has no parallax, which means just point, click and shoot. 🙂The only drawback can be the high price tag ($500+) which is fully justified by the technical abilities.At a glance, the Trijicon RMR has:Pros.

Excellent and fast target acquisition. Adjustable brightness setting with NV and super-bright mode. Eight brightness settings with 6.5 MOA. Shock-absorbing case that protects the lens from recoil. 4-years of battery life at medium brightness settingCons.

Expensive. Battery placement requires re-sighting when changed2. Top choice for SEAL teamsThe Micro Red Dot sight stands out through its motion-activation feature; it will automatically turn on when you pick up the rifle and shut down after 8 hours of standby. This low-cost Chinese alternative promises up to 5 years of continuous use with the same battery.It is crafted from aluminum and comes with two mounts (low and 1/3) which you can strap directly to your AR. A great feature for such a budget option is the parallax free.That means that you only must get the red dot on the target and you are ready to take the trophy home.Take some time to consider this budget option for the following:Pros.

Comparable quality to higher priced options. Can be used in hunting near water due to being waterproof and even submersible (max. 100 feet).

Aimpoint Red Dot

Useful both during daytime and at night with multiple brightness settings. Clean lens, supposed to be at an angle to better absorb the shock. Ergonomic battery placementCons. Necessary to secure screws with Loctite, some become loose after a hundred rounds. Shooters who have astigmatism will see the red dot quite blurry. Is not compatible with Aimpoint HT mount or railed handle. The battery compartment should have the +/- signs for enhanced user experience3.

Great optics system and rugged designThis is one of the preferred red dot sights for competitive race gun shooters and is marketed at a higher price point than a budget option. Its quality level is apparent as soon as you open the box.It guarantees fast acquisition, and you will most likely be impressed with the dot. It is versatile; you can adjust the size and intensity, change orientation to match your necessities and make it fit your intended shooting goal.

I just bought a new Bushmaster AR-15 and it came with no iron sights and a red dot. I do not know much about red dots but have been wanting to try one, so that is one reason I bought this rifle. They took a new battery out of the package and installed it for me. I now have the rifle and scope home but not sure this red dot is working right. I know the battery is fresh but it almost looks like it is weak. I look through the sight with both eyes open, as instructed, and turn the knob on the left side towards me till I see a red target shaped circle. I thought that was turning it on and I just had to take it to the range and adjust the windage and elevation as I put the dot on a target and fired small groups.

BUT, the dot blinks at times and if I move the rifle up and down it disappears and reappears, Is this what a red dot does? I am not even sure if I have turn the scope off or just moved the dot out of view with the wheel I am turning. The red dot does not have very many markings accept a serial number and 'made in Chine' along with 1x30ST on the top, but I think it is the standard red dot that comes with the Bushmaster. All advice and lessons on Red Dot 101 are welcome. I hope I didn't make a mistake, but I won't learn unless I try. I am just thinking I probably should have gotten a rifle with iron sights also.

Your dot is not working correctly.it should be the same brightness all the time. It should not flicker or dim.

You zero it just like a conventional scope and you can shoot it w/one or two eyes open. The dot is the same thing as crosshairs on a scope.you line up the dot and shoot. You do not have to line up the dot w/your front sight post, the center of scope tube, the moon, the sun, or the stars to get it to work (I say that because I know people that tried to line it up with other objects, like the front sight, even after I told them that they don't need to).Again, the dot is just like your scopes cross-hairs, you put the dot on the target and shoot.but, you do not have to be looking through the center of the tube, like on a conventional scope.I'd say that you need a new battery, or a new scope.

You should have at least one 'wheel' on your scope. An on-off reostat.say zero through 11, w/11 being the brightest. You may also have another 'wheel' that gives you a dot, a dot in the center of a circle, or a dot w/crosshairs. That wheel may also give you all of those options in red or green.The dot's location, in the center of the scope should not change when you turn either 'wheel' on your scope. They type of reticle will change, and the brightnesss will change, but not its center. Some of the cheaper red dots don't work very well in bright sunlight, it wouldn't hurt to replace the battery most use one or two CR2032's.

And yes you have to turn it off when your not using it. You have to position your head exactly in the same position to see the sight, once you get used to using one it is a very fast sighting system.

It is not a precision system your groups will be about the same as shooting iron sights. If it turns out you don't like it you can sell the sight and either put iron sights or a different sighting system in just a couple of minutes. Well, I found out my problem but have a few zeroing in questions. I was at a gunshow today and saw my same bushmaster rifle with the bushmaster supplied red dot attached. It was mounted on a bipod and I looked through the sight and saw the dot clear and stable, so I knew the flicker on my red dot was not normal and the optic is capable of better behavior, even it if was not the most expensive scope available. I picked up another red dot just in case but came home and pulled checked out mine.

I remember at the gun shore they just untwisted the battery cover by hand and slipped it back on by hand. I reseated the battery and replaced the cover but this time gave it a half turn with a screw driver after i couldn't twist by hand anymore. THAT CLEARED IT!

It was just a matter of the battery not being seating properly and tightened properly.Now that I have a two functioning red dots, I want to zero them with a laser bore sighter I purchased. I was experimenting with lining up the red dot with the laser dot on the wall of my condo, but was probably only setting at 10 or 12 yards.

I will take it to my indoor gun range, but that is limited to 25 yards. Is there some kind of formula I can use to get the rifle zeroed at 100 yards by setting it say half an inch high on the 25 yard range? I do have access to a 100 yard outdoor range but it is often a 2 hours wait on weekends and I am not sure a laser show at 100 yards in the sun light.

It would be much easier to zero my rifle in at the indoor range. I live in Florida and it is not the good old days. 30 years ago we could just drive west of town till the paved road turned to dirt and set up targets against a mound of dirt from a dredged out canal and pop away. If any cops came by they would just ask how we were doing, what kind of rifles we had and we would share shooting stories. But now I have been warned I would get a night in jail, loose my car and gun plus face a judge later and be fined. I have even asked my friends that live in up the less populated Central Florida and have been told not to chance it, find a friend with private property or stick to the ranges.

I will probably take a day off work to drive out to the outdoor range just to avoid the crowds at the public range. I have also been reading about trajectories and apparently if I zero at 25 yards, I am not too far off 100 yards due to the fact that a.223 is still moving up at 25 yards and descends enough to be back on target at 100 yards. I will experiment with this. It sounds like you've got the same red dot that came with the Bushmaster I bought.

The '0' is the off position, '1' is the dimmest and 11 is the brightest. If it's real dim on the 11 position, you need a new 2032 battery. The one they installed my not be any good. A new battery will read approx. 3.2 VDC on a digital meter. When it gets down to 2.8 VDC, it will be fairly dim. Mine only had to be left on a couple of times for a couple of days and the battery would be wasted.

Maxell and Energizer have the two highest maH batteries.If yours is a crappy as mine, the dot it going to look more like a red blur than a dot.To zero it, you screw those little covers on back side and top off. I think it was One click is 1/2' @ 100 yards but can't swear to it, it may have been 1 click was 1 inch. Mine is in the junk pile and I don't remember.