Red dot is among the very popular accessories especially for sports and tactical shooters. It replaces classic fixed sights. Aiming with a red dot is intuitive and easier, although fixed sights still have their die-hard followers.
Should I install a red dot on my firearm?
Red dot will move your shooting to a higher level. However, it has its specifics and you may find that it simply does not suit you. We will now look at cases where it will simplify your shooting life, and also situations where you probably will not want it on your firearm.
Advantages of a red dot
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Aiming with both eyes: Thanks to the red dot, you do not have to close one eye to aim, you can have both eyes open.
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Focusing on the target: You do not have to refocus from the sights to the target. It is enough to follow the red dot on the target or goal, which is more natural for a human than following the firearm.
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The dot does not cover the target: The red dot's dot does not cover the target even at longer distances. Fixed sights cover a larger area of the target as the distance increases.
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Error indicator: When you follow the dot during a shot, you immediately see where and how much you flinch the firearm.
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Faster aiming: By not having to align three points into a line, your shooting will speed up.
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Correction of eye defects: If it is harder for you to refocus from the sights to the target, this problem disappears with a red dot.
When a red dot is not very suitable
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Concealed carry: Even the most compact red dot increases the dimensions of your firearm. If you carry a firearm concealed for self-defense and small dimensions are key for you, you will probably not appreciate a red dot.
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Historical firearms: If you have a historical or collector's piece, it would be a sin to place a red dot on it.
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Specific disciplines: The rules of some disciplines do not allow the use of a red dot or its installation automatically moves you to a different category (for example IPSC Production Division, LOS Pistol division).
How to install a red dot?
Installation of a red dot depends on whether your firearm is optics ready or not. Optics ready models have a slide prepared in the slide for the installation of optics, non-optics ready models do not.
Optics ready models
If your firearm is prepared for the installation of optics, you just need to get the corresponding optic plate on which you attach the red dot. Watch out for compatibility with the firearm and the red dot – the optic plate must correspond to your type of firearm and also the footprint of your red dot (e.g. Trijicon RMR, Shield RMS etc.). We deal with the selection of the correct optic plate in detail in the article under the
Optic plates category. Installation is simple and you can do it yourself.
Non-optics ready models
On pistols that do not have optics preparation from the factory, you attach the red dot using a
red dot mount, which replaces the rear sight in the dovetail of the slide. You can also install it yourself, take a look at the
video tutorial. Again, choose the mount according to compatibility with the pistol and the red dot.
How many MOA?
The MOA number indicates the size of the red or green dot in minutes of angle – that is, what area of the target it covers: 1 MOA at 100 meters is approximately 3 cm.
The decision of which MOA size to purchase depends primarily on what kind of shooting you practice:
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For precise, accurate shooting and shooting at greater distances, a smaller dot (2 MOA) is better suited.
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For self-defense and dynamic shooting disciplines, on the other hand, a larger dot (6 MOA and more).
Why?
The larger the dot is, the faster your eye finds it and you can shoot. This is useful for rapid shooting. If, however, your priority is high accuracy, choose a lower MOA number, where the dot covers a smaller area of the target.
