rec dot sights

**rey** · September 24th, 2022, 10:00 PM

never thought i would use red dot sights . just like i never thought that I would get old but they both happened.
started having trouble seeing my sights so i ordered a Sig Romeo 5 red dotfor my Mini 14. Works great,easy to sight in and very accurate to 100 yards. now i can enjoy shooting again

**JaySmith** · September 24th, 2022, 10:07 PM

Good job! I still won't use red dots on pistols, but rifles inside 100 yards without magnification, it's like cheating. Target acquisition is so quick and easy, it's crazy.

**Emptymag** · September 24th, 2022, 11:05 PM

Cool.
As I was reading and you mentioned getting older and having trouble seeing sights, I figured this was going to be about how the red dot is all blurry for you.
Lots of us with aging eyes have issues with the red dots. My dots don't appear crisp, but my eyes aren't bad enough that it's a big deal.
It's not the dots - it's my eyes.

**imashooter2** · September 25th, 2022, 02:55 AM

Holographic sights are still clear for those of us with astigmatism. Also, I find the farther from my eye, the less of a smear a standard red dot becomes. Arms length on a pistol is pretty good. Back of the receiver on a rifle is just a blur.

**Ronin** · September 25th, 2022, 08:00 AM

Originally Posted by Emptymag

Cool.
As I was reading and you mentioned getting older and having trouble seeing sights, I figured this was going to be about how the red dot is all blurry for you.
Lots of us with aging eyes have issues with the red dots. My dots don't appear crisp, but my eyes aren't bad enough that it's a big deal.
It's not the dots - it's my eyes.

You probably have a minor astigmatism. Try a green dot sight, instead. The eye can see green better than red and there is less blooming or blurriness. For rifles where I haven't switch to an LPVO or a prism optic, I run a green dot sight. Those are mostly on fun guns, and not something I would normally use for HD/SD, but would definitely work in a pinch.

**Emptymag** · September 25th, 2022, 10:59 AM

Originally Posted by Ronin

You probably have a minor astigmatism. Try a green dot sight, instead. The eye can see green better than red and there is less blooming or blurriness. For rifles where I haven't switch to an LPVO or a prism optic, I run a green dot sight. Those are mostly on fun guns, and not something I would normally use for HD/SD, but would definitely work in a pinch.

Yes, I obviously do.
I hadn't heard about the green before, so I just went and checked one of my guns. (it has a cheapo Pinty red/green dot on it)
The green is actually worse than the red. Ha.
It could very well be the "mechanics" of how it switches between red/green that causes it though.

What I see is more or less a "dash" that is just out of round enough to notice that it's not a circle. I get a bit of blurring, but not much.

Pretty much like the fourth example here, but the angle and length of the dash is less pronounced.

https://atibal-optics.com/blogs/atib...nd-astigmatism

**Ronin** · September 25th, 2022, 05:02 PM

Originally Posted by Emptymag

Yes, I obviously do.
I hadn't heard about the green before, so I just went and checked one of my guns. (it has a cheapo Pinty red/green dot on it)
The green is actually worse than the red. Ha.
It could very well be the "mechanics" of how it switches between red/green that causes it though.

What I see is more or less a "dash" that is just out of round enough to notice that it's not a circle. I get a bit of blurring, but not much.

Pretty much like the fourth example here, but the angle and length of the dash is less pronounced.

https://atibal-optics.com/blogs/atib...nd-astigmatism

Odd. For me, a green dot is about what is depicted on the far right; maybe a little crisper, depending on the optic. With a red dot, it's a combo of the second and third from the right. I know that if I put that on a target I will probably hit something, but I couldn't make precision shots. I still prefer a prism optic in place of any red/green sight. Eye relief and price are always a consideration, though, when buying something for a gun used mostly for range play.

**imashooter2** · September 25th, 2022, 06:23 PM

I get the big smear second from the right with a rifle. With a handgun, far right or maybe a little better.

**arjohnson** · September 25th, 2022, 07:02 PM

I have astigmatism and found that if you keep the brightness as low as possible and still easy to pickup it*s much better.

**ray h** · September 25th, 2022, 08:24 PM

Originally Posted by rey

never thought i would use red dot sights . just like i never thought that I would get old but they both happened.
started having trouble seeing my sights so i ordered a Sig Romeo 5 red dotfor my Mini 14. Works great,easy to sight in and very accurate to 100 yards. now i can enjoy shooting again

I went to red dots a few years back when I realized I couldn't see iron sights as clearly as I used to. Recently I started having trouble seeing the dot on some red dot sights as clear (astigmatism? probably) so I spent the bucks and went to holographic. Some day I may not be able to see at all. I hope they have echolocation sights by then.