Which Pistol Red Dot Looks Best? and WHY?

[stomridertx]

TheHumbleMarksman doing the Lord's work with this new video. His findings mirror my own as I've developed a strong preference for the bigger 6 MOA dot.

https://youtu.be/Dz8LPDm6Of0

[Archer1440]

Crikey! Can we put together a fundraiser to get that boy a bottle of Zeiss lens cleaner and a decent microfiber cloth? Or just a freakin' LensPen?

The condition of his lenses was jaw dropping.

[WDR]

Crikey! Can we put together a fundraiser to get that boy a bottle of Zeiss lens cleaner and a decent microfiber cloth? Or just a freakin' LensPen?

The condition of his lenses was jaw dropping.

<hides his RMR back under his cover shirt>

[SoCalDep]

Meh…

A 1 MOA that’s distorted to two times its size is more precise than a 6 MOA that’s distorted to 20% more than its size.

I like a lot of what the video says. I hate big dots unless I’m wearing correction. A 407CO is rad with correction. It’s stupid for me without.

Of course, that is me… my screwed up and astigmatic eyes… and no one else’s. No one should take what I said as an endorsement for them because we are different. I HATE when people try to tell me what dot size is”best” for me… it’s like some internet person making a video on the “right” weight for bicep curls.

To top it off there are contextual aspects of running a dot’s brightness depending on the application (competition, carry, duty, home defense, etc) that impact brightness choice beyond his description.

The best part of the video was when he said to go try different optics and dot sizes. That’s good advice.

[WDR]

The best part of the video was when he said to go try different optics and dot sizes. That’s good advice.

Very true.

I thought I'd like small dots vs bigger dots, but after starting with 3.25 MOA, and then having a 6.5 MOA RMR... I almost wish all of mine were the larger dot. Caveat: I can make the 3.25 MOA dots work just fine too, but the bigger dot isn't a detriment for almost all the shooting I do, and I think the bigger dot is marginally "faster" for me to shoot at closer ranges and faster speeds (my most likely real world use).

[Clusterfrack]

Meh…

A 1 MOA that’s distorted to two times its size is more precise than a 6 MOA that’s distorted to 20% more than its size.

I like a lot of what the video says. I hate big dots unless I’m wearing correction. A 407CO is rad with correction. It’s stupid for me without.

Of course, that is me… my screwed up and astigmatic eyes… and no one else’s. No one should take what I said as an endorsement for them because we are different. I HATE when people try to tell me what dot size is”best” for me… it’s like some internet person making a video on the “right” weight for bicep curls.

To top it off there are contextual aspects of running a dot’s brightness depending on the application (competition, carry, duty, home defense, etc) that impact brightness choice beyond his description.

The best part of the video was when he said to go try different optics and dot sizes. That’s good advice.

Thanks for saving me the time of not watching that video.

I've tried pretty much everything except the new Holosun 507 Comp multi-reticle. As an admitted glass whore in precision rifle optics, I really wanted there to be a reticle that was better than a dot. I'm still using a dot.

Dot size doesn't make a big difference to me, but I prefer a larger dot (~5moa) for faster shooting and a smaller dot (~2-3moa) for precise shooting. A smaller dot has been less problematic when going from bright to dim conditions. A too-bright small dot is more usable than a too-bright big dot.

I'm happy with 5moa dots on my competition guns and 2-3moa dots on my carry guns. A bias toward precision in a defensive handgun seems like a good thing to me, but I understand why people like bigger dots.

[RJ]

I like David and think he is a pretty good guy.

That said, I think he is trying a bit too hard on generating content for his channel lately. Just seems to me this does not rise to the level of needing a "video", unless you have to keep your subscriber's clicks / revenue stream going. Or I just got up on the wrong side of bed. Or both, I dunno.

On topic; I've been all in on irons the last 18 months. But I liked a 6 MOA dot for EDC previously. I picked up a EPS Carry MRS recently so I could relearn my index for perhaps restarting action pistol this fall. I've left it on the 32 MOA circle for dry practice and a few range sessions, for now.

[Archer1440]

Man, it’s a trip to witness folks griping about a mere smidge of shade in their optic while presumably both peepers are wide open, and you got enough fuzz clinging to that scope to knit a damn sweater. Is this hombre stashing his piece in the dryer’s lint trap?

And what about the sheer cascade of powder residue, which if bottled up, could probably gum up YVK’s trigger bar for the umpteenth time? 😄

Ah, but never you mind my ramblings, friends. Seems to me like part of the whole red dot existence involves giving those bad boys a rubdown once in a blue moon, though I’m starting to think I’m some kind of outlandish outlier. This kinda shenanigans looks as common as tumbleweeds in a yewtoob video.

Didn’t even bother wrapping up my spiel in the initial comeback, ranting about how foolish it is to transpose one’s wonky astigmatic escapade onto another bloke’s anticipations. I’m just grateful I ain’t suffering that affliction, but I reckon it hits folks in a whole mess of peculiar ways, and I saw no sense yammering the self-evident.

[GearFondler]

I was in a pawn shop last year where the guy behind the counter was open carrying a 2011 with an RMR and he was a smoker... That RMR was literally an ashtray.

[crosseyedshooter]

I found the video interesting, if mis-named, as I don't get to hear a lot of different perspectives on astigmatism and red dots. The comment I've read the most on forums is "green is better for astigmatism" with the occasional "I have astigmatism and red looks better". He makes many points in his video but maybe it's up to the viewer to pick and choose the take-aways. He sorta kinda compares a bunch of various red dots, which I didn't find helpful, then tries to explain his results with science(!).

1. Dot brightness relative to environmental brightness affects astigmatism. (Brighter dot appears more distorted)
2. Larger dots can be seen more easily at lower brightness levels, so appear less distorted. (see point number 1)
3. Some sciency stuff about blue light saturation and notch filters. Bluer lens should be worse for astigmatism.
4. Some sciency stuff about rods and color sensitivity. Green dot should be worse for astigmatism.
5. Wear corrective glasses.
6. Shooting with a distorted dot may not affect accuracy.

After the video, I went and paid extra attention comparing the same model red and green dots I have and the red does appear clearer on the barely visible setting. But during regular use, the green was just as easy to see at one brightness setting lower, so it was basically a wash between the two colors and my astigmatism. I don't think his video claimed to provide any surprising conclusions or new discoveries.

I have severe astigmatism and myopia (near-sighted). Even with corrective lenses, I never see an actual round dot except when I'm zeroing and turn the brightness down to be barely visible. During normal shooting and brightness levels, the difference between a 2.5, 3.25, 6, 8 or 10 MOA apparent size doesn't seem to make a difference for me.

[RevolverRob]

I'm still a big fan of the original 6MOA Amber Delta that Leupold had once upon a time (no longer). For me, Amber doesn't wash out as hard shade-to-bright. The Delta gives me a precise aiming point (triangle tip) or a useful smear of color for fast shooting. Without my glasses one, the triangle was a smear, but a smear with a morphology that lets me kind of get a sense of the top. Perfect? No, but better than a bloom'ed out green or red dot. The real problem is that reticle was only available on the original Deltapoint and I think pre-GJM fixed DPPs.

A 4 MOA dot is my alternative and it works, but isn't really my favorite.

[Erick Gelhaus]

If you aren't focusing on the reticle/dot/delta/diamond/hypotenuse/etc, does it really matter? Of course, because of my astigmatism is doesn't matter. Anything bigger than a legit 1MOA dot in a rifle scope is buggered up for me.

[JRV]

I have shot everything from 10 MOA Cmores to Dual Illum Trijicon RMRs with big triangles to 2 MOA Ultradots on matchguns.

As long as it’s smaller than a headbox at 25, you can do any pistol game with any size dot… including carry.

Usable reticle brightness and emitter quality makes more difference than 2 or 3 or 6 or 8 MOA. A nominal half-inch versus two inch dot at 25 doesn’t make a lick of difference once they’re cranked for equal daylight bright visibility.

[G19Fan]

I have shot everything from 10 MOA Cmores to Dual Illum Trijicon RMRs with big triangles to 2 MOA Ultradots on matchguns.

As long as it’s smaller than a headbox at 25, you can do any pistol game with any size dot… including carry.

Usable reticle brightness and emitter quality makes more difference than 2 or 3 or 6 or 8 MOA. A nominal half-inch versus two inch dot at 25 doesn’t make a lick of difference once they’re cranked for equal daylight bright visibility.

Due to Texas sun and sometims 2 mos washing out on my eps carry I went to circle or circle dot.

Circle only does unf lead to me being a bit less precise at 25. 2 moa is still king for distance or precision work