Red dot basics

Here is a short introduction to red dot sights for all the newcomers to the market. Hopefully, this will help you with your decision on brand, mounting options and dot size.

Red dot brands

Slide mounted optics live a hard life and the technology is still being refined. We sell a lot of red dot optics, and we process a small but steady stream of warranty claims. If you shoot your optic a lot, the chances are that you will experience the warranty process. Simple as that.

The choice of a brand rests on two dimensions: The reliability of the product, and the quality of the after-sale service. We sell only brands where both of these contribute towards keeping problems to a minimum.

Mounting Options.

There are three different mounting options available for red dot optics.

Most manufacturers offer pistol models that are specifically designed to accept red dot sights. Since sight manufacturers use a wide variety of mounting patterns, adapter plates are used to match the sight to the pistol. Although you’ll pay a bit more for this type of pistol, it will give you more options down the line.

For pistols without red dot capability, you can use a dovetail mounting plate by removing your rear sights and sliding the plate mount into the dovetail and securing you optic on top of the mount. The concerns most often voiced around this option is the sight height and the fact that it does not leave the possibility to install back-up iron sights. Changing between optics, or back to iron sights, will however be fairly simple.

Lastly, you can have the slide milled by a gunsmith. He will cut a section away on the top of your slide and drill and tap the holes for the mounting screws. This option will give you the lowest possible height, but it may be difficult to switch between optics later on.

Red dot Size (MOA)

You get different size red dots from 1MOA up to 8MOA. MOA stands for "Minute Of Angle," which is a unit of angular measurement. To make things easy, a 1MOA dot will cover roughly 30mm at 100m. This works out to 6mm circle at 20m, with an 8MOA dot covering about 50mm at the same distance.

Small dots are obviously better for accurate, long-distance shots while larger dots are better for close, fast shooting. Unfortunately, every person seems to have their own preference within these parameters, and what works for somebody else won’t necessarily work for you. The best rule of thumb is that smaller dots (1MOA – 3MOA) works best for rifles, while larger dots (3MOA – 8MOA) works best on pistols.

So the best is to look at all of them and choose the one that works the best "FOR YOU." It is possible to increase the intensity level on the dot and bleed it so a more significant size like a 3MOA to a 4.5 MOA, but that might not work under bright conditions

Summary

In summary, when choosing a red dot, you should take the following into serious consideration.

What will you use the red dot for most, and what size will work for me?

How long does the battery last on the lowest to highest setting?

I hope this short introduction helped and if you have any more questions, please feel free to contact us at Jizni CZ Accessories for more information.