Effective red dot range

[janobles14]

so i was out shooting my AR yesterday and when i tried to reach out to 100 yds with my red dot i couldnt hit the broad side of a barn! i supposedly have a 3 MOA dot on this thing and it hits fine at 25 and 50. with irons i was able to hit the 100 and 150 yard targets just fine!

i hear people always saying how they can get 2-3 inch groups at 100 and beyond with a dot sight. my question is how?!?! am i doing something wrong here? the sight covers the entire target area (an 8 inch shoot-n-see) and i can't even remotely begin to decide where to place a shot.

help please! i know the reflex and tube dot sights without magnification are mainly for CQB type situations but i want to ask...What is the maximum EFFECTIVE range for a red dot sight?

 

[mshootnit]

I have taken game at 150 yds with mine, and have shot one sub moa group at 200 meters with it. It is a Kobra red dot made in Russia and it has a dot that measures 1.8 MOA or thereabouts. You can shoot accurately with a red dot to extended ranges if the sight is parallax free. That is it must project the dot to infinity so that when you move your head around with the rifle steady, the dot just stays on target. If the dot is moving around then you have a parallax problem. Also the dot must be small enough so that it does not completely obscure or wash out your target. For example if the dot is 3 moa it will be covering up 6 inches minimum at 200 yds, thereby making it almost useless on coyotes, but maybe OK for deer. You can shoot much smaller groups though than what the dot would indicate. Precisely indexing the dot in the center of a slightly larger circle is the key for shooting targets with a red dot.
Also wanted to add that when you turn down the brightness of the dot it can appear smaller and help you shoot better.

 

[Tirod]

If you are covering an 8" target at 100 yards, you have an 8 MOA dot. Of course it can't be accurate. But you will cover a 16" area, which is minute of soldier.

Try with a 3 MOA dot, you'll see 2 1/2" inches of target around it.

Red dots work really well to target objects 18" big out to 400m, but the right size dot goes with it. For longer ranges, 1 to 3 MOA dots are preferred. Some optics now have zoom on the dot to reduce it's size for longer range shooting, and two to four power to help.

2" groups, not so much. But red dots aren't used for precision shooting. They are used for acquiring moving targets rapidly.

 

[Zak Smith]

With an Aimpoint, you should be able to hit a LaRue target at 400 yards

 

[Dr.Rob]

Was going to say I've seen plenty of people getting hits at 400 with an Aimpoint. I've never mounted my Bushnell Trophy dot but that's my next 'project' for winter. I've been shooting a 4x QD Leapers fixed illuminated scope all year and I'd like to compare the experience overall. 4x is plenty to get out to 400 yards on a 8-12 inch target.

 

[tehweej]

I picked up a Vortex SPARC, which is very much like an Aimpoint. It has a 2 MOA dot, and with the regular paper targets that I use, I was able to shoot a 1.25" group at 100 yds. Like mshootnit said, it is about indexing the center of your groups at the center of the dot and putting that at the center of the target.

 

[taliv]

my limit with an aimpoint on 8" steel circles was 200 yrds. past that hits were just luck.

 

[briansmithwins]

I've shot with a AImpoint out to 400 yards and got hits.

Two tricks:

1) Turn down the sight. The dimmer the dot the smaller it appears. the converse id true too for close in fast shooting.

2) Don't aim with the whole dot. Zero the top edge of the dot at 50 yards. When shooting that tiny 8" plate at 250 put the top edge of the dot in the middle of the plate. Do your part and you'll get your hits.
Of course, for close in fast shooting, use the whole dot.

BSW

 

[Uncle Mike]

Your probably 'looking' at the dot, and not the 'edges' of the dot, so your not noticing how much your moving around.

Try concentrating on the edge somewhere of the dot, and not the entire dot itself.

 

[TonyAngel]

When you shoot, be sure to have a consistent cheek weld. I know that many red dots claim to be parallax free, but they aren't. To check this, just put your rifle on a rest with the dot on a target, then let go of the rifle letting the rest support it, with the dot on a target. Now move your head around and see if the dot shifts relative to the target. If you can move your head and the dot is no longer on the target, you are having a parallax problem.

The second thing you can do is zero your red dot using the very top of the dot, rather than the center. With practice, you can get a lot more precise doing this than trying to figure out where the target is relative to the center of the dot. An AR shoots relatively flat out to about 200 yards. If you can get a 200 yard zero, you'll be able to use the dot as somewhat of bullet drop compensator, once you get to know your setup.

 

[smartshot]

one meter.....just kidding, some of the newer red dots are just as good and reliable as magnified crosshair scopes, I've just had bad luck with them.

 

[HorseSoldier]

Have shot and hit with an EOTech out to 600 (which required a bit of sorting for the bullet drop and all).

 

[Norrick]

depends on the dot... alot of people say they are parallax free, but they actually are not.

They can come close, but at certain distances. Some are calibrated for up to 50 yards, other for over 50.

 

[Caliper_Mi]

so i was out shooting my AR yesterday and when i tried to reach out to 100 yds with my red dot i couldnt hit the broad side of a barn! i supposedly have a 3 MOA dot on this thing and it hits fine at 25 and 50.

Are you on paper at 100yd at least? I am thinking that a 25-50yd zero with .223 may put your hits high at 100yd?