wanderinwalker
Member
It's been about 4 weeks and 2 range trips since I mounted up a new Aimpoint PRO to my Colt 6920 (16" AR) and I thought I'd post some thoughts I've had starting to work with a red dot sight. Hopefully these will be helpful for other people who are considering taking the plunge with an electronic sight.
If you're like me, you may have had some past experience with cheap and unreliable red dot sights. If you're considering something like an Aimpoint now, forget all of those trips where the RDS randomly stopped working. The only relationship those sights have to something like a PRO is they display a red dot and use a battery.
First, installation was a breeze. I was able to open the box, install the battery, take the carbine out of the safe, clear it, and install the PRO with the factory mount in less than 5 minutes. The supplied QRP-2 mount has a bulky side knob but feels solid and attaches well.
Next I was able to get a rough zero by looking through the rear sight and adjusting the elevation and windage until the dot was on top of the front sight. It took about 30 rounds at the range for me to work all the way back to a 100 yard zero. I probably could have done it a little more quickly but I started at 25 yards and forgot to account for the sight off-set.
Now to my favorite part of the red dot sight: I can see the targets and sight clearly! The front sight post on a 16" AR is about 3" too close for me to focus on comfortably for more than a few shots. The dot sight does away with this problem completely. Less eye strain means I can shoot more accurately longer. I also like having the sight mounted out at the front of the receiver, away from my face. It does away with the tunnel vision I feel using standard peep sights or a conventional scope.
Learning to shoot with my head up and both eyes open had come easier than I anticipated. The first trip with the PRO mounted I noted that it "felt weird". After 3 magazines yesterday, it feels pretty natural. If you've had years of looking through a conventional scope or fighting to focus on the front sight, focusing on the target is a big step. But it works if you can just trust it.
Lastly, I've found it interesting to put a few rounds down with the front cap closed, using the Aimpoint as an occluded eye gunsight (OEG, I had to look it up on Google too). The wild thing to me about this is that I can still hit a paper plate at 50 yards shooting like this. Left eye sees target, right eye sees sight, brain superimposes images, squeeze trigger. From what I've read this doesn't work equally well for everybody, but it is good to know it's possible.
And if you've stayed with me through all of that rambling, I will end with, if you're on the fence about buying your first, quality red dot sight, take the plunge. (As long at the bills are paid of course!
) There are few things you can bolt to a rifle to truly make it better, but a good RDS definitely does.
If you're like me, you may have had some past experience with cheap and unreliable red dot sights. If you're considering something like an Aimpoint now, forget all of those trips where the RDS randomly stopped working. The only relationship those sights have to something like a PRO is they display a red dot and use a battery.
First, installation was a breeze. I was able to open the box, install the battery, take the carbine out of the safe, clear it, and install the PRO with the factory mount in less than 5 minutes. The supplied QRP-2 mount has a bulky side knob but feels solid and attaches well.
Next I was able to get a rough zero by looking through the rear sight and adjusting the elevation and windage until the dot was on top of the front sight. It took about 30 rounds at the range for me to work all the way back to a 100 yard zero. I probably could have done it a little more quickly but I started at 25 yards and forgot to account for the sight off-set.
Now to my favorite part of the red dot sight: I can see the targets and sight clearly! The front sight post on a 16" AR is about 3" too close for me to focus on comfortably for more than a few shots. The dot sight does away with this problem completely. Less eye strain means I can shoot more accurately longer. I also like having the sight mounted out at the front of the receiver, away from my face. It does away with the tunnel vision I feel using standard peep sights or a conventional scope.
Learning to shoot with my head up and both eyes open had come easier than I anticipated. The first trip with the PRO mounted I noted that it "felt weird". After 3 magazines yesterday, it feels pretty natural. If you've had years of looking through a conventional scope or fighting to focus on the front sight, focusing on the target is a big step. But it works if you can just trust it.
Lastly, I've found it interesting to put a few rounds down with the front cap closed, using the Aimpoint as an occluded eye gunsight (OEG, I had to look it up on Google too). The wild thing to me about this is that I can still hit a paper plate at 50 yards shooting like this. Left eye sees target, right eye sees sight, brain superimposes images, squeeze trigger. From what I've read this doesn't work equally well for everybody, but it is good to know it's possible.
And if you've stayed with me through all of that rambling, I will end with, if you're on the fence about buying your first, quality red dot sight, take the plunge. (As long at the bills are paid of course!
) There are few things you can bolt to a rifle to truly make it better, but a good RDS definitely does.
I always have lithium AA batteries around for cameras, remotes and flashlights. An M4S would do but is a bit too spendy for me.
