When I first started out in the shooting world, I was advised to practice the fundamentals using red dots first.
Needless to say, red dots are great tools for beginners who want to get their feet wet and improve their skills.
How do red dot sights work? Why are they so well sought after?
If you are in the same position and wondering the same thing, look no further!
I’ll be discussing how a red dot sight works, its pros and cons, its features, and why you might personally want them.
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What Is a Red Dot Optic?
A red dot sight is a gun accessory you can attach to your gun of choice to help you aim better.
It does that by placing a red dot on the target through the scope you’re looking at.
I must say that I made the mistake of confusing them with laser sights when they are NOT the same thing.
Laser sights work by beaming a laser directly on the target.
How Does a Red Dot Sight Work?
The technology behind red dot sights isn’t really complex.
Red dot sights rely on two integral parts: The Light Emitting Diode (LED) and the two curved lenses, which reflect the light to pass through the reticle.
The special glass is specially coated so only light from the LED can pass through.
The glass will project the image onto the FOCAL PLANE to infinity and add the red dot to show you where your bullet may land once you shoot.
Red dot sights can work differently, too, but I’ll talk about that later.
Types of Red Dot Sights
There are other red dot optics that you can avail yourself of on the market.
They have different features that may affect how you shoot, so I’ll go through how they were built and how they function.
1. Reflex Sights
A reflex sight is the more STANDARD and INEXPENSIVE type of red dot sight available since the inner mechanism of it is quite simple.
I already explained how reflex sights work, but I’ll provide more detail this time.
Reflex sight dots use energy-efficient LEDs to light up a dot onto the concave lenses.
There are two lenses in the tube that are concaved so that the light from the LED can be projected to the shooter as a floating image on the front lens.
Of course, the lenses are coated in something like COPPER so that only the LED will pass through the lenses.
No shooter wants to get confused by another light shining through the optics.
If you decide to use a MAGNIFIER with your red dot sight, you may notice that the light emitted from the LED will also be magnified.
Be warned that when I tried this technique, it caused problems with my reflex sight when shooting.
Usually, reflex sights are sold CHEAPER than holographic sights since they come in tubes or as open lenses that are simply protected by a metal hood.
2. Holographic Sights
Holographic sights may appear similar to reflex sight dots, but they are actually made different.
Instead of containing two lenses to reflect the red dot, holographic sights use a laser that is bounced off a bunch of mirrors inside the tube.
Because of that, the parallax distortion in a holographic sight isn’t as bad compared to reflector sight dots.
Unlike the reflex red dot scope, if you use MAGNIFIERS with holographic sights, they will remain their original size.
The only DOWNSIDE to holographic sights is that they are way MORE EXPENSIVE than the former.
3. Prism Sights
As the name implies, prism sights use prisms to reflect light through the optic and directly to the eyepiece.
They usually come at fixed magnification, but can extend up to 5x.
You will either get a 1x, 2x, 3x, 4x, or 5x, but there is no variable magnification.
Their reticles are etched onto the glass, so you can operate them without the need for batteries, making it a good option for those with astigmatism as well.
They are also a lot CHEAPER than holographic sights!
The catch with prism sights is they have shorter eye relief. Also, there are currently no prism sights that exceed 5x magnification.
Features of Red Dot Sights
Red dot sights have several features that make these optical devices worth using:
#1 Illuminated Reticle
Red dot sights make use of an LED light or laser to create an ILLUMINATED RETICLE.
These reticles’ brightness can be adjusted, so the light can better fit your environment and ambient lighting conditions.
However, while BRIGHTER ILLUMINATED RETICLES are easier for my eyes to pick up, they may appear larger over your target and cause you problems when you shoot.