I'm an old guy so my eyes don't focus fast, but I am finally on acting a long time interest in shooting. I get a lot of enjoyment punching holes in paper with my recently acquired 22's. I am really impressed by the out-of-the-box consistancy and reliability of my Ruger MKIII. Been using only the factory open sights and getting acceptable groups. I think a good optic would be a real benefit though but not sure what would work better for a casual target shooter. The reviews I've read praise both types on this gun. Would be grateful for any advice from the experienced shooters on the forum. Thanks for any help.
Red dot or reflex for MKIII?
- Thread starter bt3128
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highorder
Member
I'm having the same thoughts after bolting an aimpoint copy on top of my new S&W 22a. I was quite pleased with the accuracy and pointability, but my wife didn't like the extra weight.
The tube sight is heavy; I'd rather have a reflex sight but they get a bit expensive.
People's thoughts on the best cost effective reflex sight?
The tube sight is heavy; I'd rather have a reflex sight but they get a bit expensive.
People's thoughts on the best cost effective reflex sight?
the answer?
I did a little more internet digging and found an article that pretty much answers any question I have had or will have on this topic. Here is the link for anyone who has an interest:
home.comcast.net/~rob.novak/Shooting/red_dot_sights.html
What I was calling reflex is referred to here as HUD. Either way this is an indispensible resource for anyone looking to add optics to a hand gun.
I did a little more internet digging and found an article that pretty much answers any question I have had or will have on this topic. Here is the link for anyone who has an interest:
home.comcast.net/~rob.novak/Shooting/red_dot_sights.html
What I was calling reflex is referred to here as HUD. Either way this is an indispensible resource for anyone looking to add optics to a hand gun.
jluther820
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- Jan 9, 2009
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- 53
your link didnt work for me, is this it?
http://home.comcast.net/~rob.novak/Shooting/red_dot_sights.html
http://home.comcast.net/~rob.novak/Shooting/red_dot_sights.html
sc1911cwp
Member
Go to the Rimfire Forum and they have a section on optics plus lots of pics of various .22s with them. I also have a MarkIII Hunter and use a redot on it, an Ultradot. It all depends on what you like and what you want to spend.
steelslide
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- Dec 25, 2010
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- 4
I have been using the Ultradot on my Mk111 Hunter for over 5 years and this was the best investment i made. It is totally reliable.
Checkout this article on Bullseyepistol.com for a review of these types of sights.
http://www.bullseyepistol.com/ron7.htm
and also this one at the same web site
http://www.bullseyepistol.com/dotsight.htm
Checkout this article on Bullseyepistol.com for a review of these types of sights.
http://www.bullseyepistol.com/ron7.htm
and also this one at the same web site
http://www.bullseyepistol.com/dotsight.htm
Costs for reflex or holographic sights can vary a bunch. Get an inexpensive one for starters Eg.: http://www.midwayusa.com/viewProduct/default.aspx?productNumber=194879 It will give you an idea on how they work and help you decide on the next level.
stork
Member
Speaking from the perspective of one who has lousy eyesight and had worn glasses for 40+ years, dots are a godsend.
Don't make the mistake of buying a cheap dot, been there done that. the cheap ones have an unbelievable amount of parallax. I pointed that out to a shooter last Wednesday at the range. He was struggling to hold a 6" group at 50' with a Ruger MKIII with a huge dot (the dot housing must have been at least 40mm). I watched him for a bit and his form wasn't that bad. I laid his pistol down on the bench and while watching the dots relationship to the target, moved my head from side to side and up & down. His dot had over 5" of parallax at 50'. I grabbed one of my Ruger's with a 1" Ultra Dot and laid it down beside his and had him do the same thing. I had him shoot mine and his group went from over 6" to 2" with basically the same gun, just a different dot. I've looked through a lot of dots and the best have been Ultra Dots and Aimpoints. I've currently got 7 UD's on everything from 22's to 45's.
The durability of UD's is excellent. I had one mounted on the slide of my main 45 wad gun that went over 35,000 rounds before I got too nervous about taking one with that many rounds through it and replaced it before I went to Camp Perry in 2007. It is still on one of my 22's and has never failed me.
Now for the reflex, I do not own one. I will share what I have learned about them from other shooters. Most do not have click adjustments and as such are difficult to change zero's, some require removal in order to change the battery. Not an issue with casual plinking but can be a bad thing when switching back & forth between 25 and 50 yards for Bullseye. They are an advantage for other shooting disciplines that require a larger field of view and don't require zero changes.
I normally order mine from Larry's Guns, I have no connection with them other than as a very well satisfied consumer and they have very good prices. http://www.larrysguns.com/
Am I biased, yes. I hate seeing people throw good money away if it isn't necessary. Whichever way you go, don't purchase one without being able to look through it and check the parallax.
FWIW
Stork
Don't make the mistake of buying a cheap dot, been there done that. the cheap ones have an unbelievable amount of parallax. I pointed that out to a shooter last Wednesday at the range. He was struggling to hold a 6" group at 50' with a Ruger MKIII with a huge dot (the dot housing must have been at least 40mm). I watched him for a bit and his form wasn't that bad. I laid his pistol down on the bench and while watching the dots relationship to the target, moved my head from side to side and up & down. His dot had over 5" of parallax at 50'. I grabbed one of my Ruger's with a 1" Ultra Dot and laid it down beside his and had him do the same thing. I had him shoot mine and his group went from over 6" to 2" with basically the same gun, just a different dot. I've looked through a lot of dots and the best have been Ultra Dots and Aimpoints. I've currently got 7 UD's on everything from 22's to 45's.
The durability of UD's is excellent. I had one mounted on the slide of my main 45 wad gun that went over 35,000 rounds before I got too nervous about taking one with that many rounds through it and replaced it before I went to Camp Perry in 2007. It is still on one of my 22's and has never failed me.
Now for the reflex, I do not own one. I will share what I have learned about them from other shooters. Most do not have click adjustments and as such are difficult to change zero's, some require removal in order to change the battery. Not an issue with casual plinking but can be a bad thing when switching back & forth between 25 and 50 yards for Bullseye. They are an advantage for other shooting disciplines that require a larger field of view and don't require zero changes.
I normally order mine from Larry's Guns, I have no connection with them other than as a very well satisfied consumer and they have very good prices. http://www.larrysguns.com/
Am I biased, yes. I hate seeing people throw good money away if it isn't necessary. Whichever way you go, don't purchase one without being able to look through it and check the parallax.
FWIW
Stork
Last edited:
stork
Member
bt,
Both eye's open is the only way I shoot.
If you get one that makes the target appear smaller (and it shouldn't), return it immediately as defective and it will be replaced.
I haven't seen this often, but I did get one that did and it drove me nuts until I called about it.
FWIW
Stork
Both eye's open is the only way I shoot.
If you get one that makes the target appear smaller (and it shouldn't), return it immediately as defective and it will be replaced.
I haven't seen this often, but I did get one that did and it drove me nuts until I called about it.
FWIW
Stork
earplug
Member
Ultra Dot!
I have four Ultra Dots and they work great.
I have four Ultra Dots and they work great.
I'm in the same boat and have been looking for the same thing.
I put a Trijicon Reflex sight on my Mark II with a Weigand base, but it has a darker window and magnifies slightly, which bugs my eyes after a while.
I would read/search the Mark II and Mark III sub-forums over at Rimfire central.
Both the tube and holo types get pretty high praise there.
I think the more serious bullseye shooters seem to lean to the Ultradot, either in 1" or 30mm.
The plinker crowd seems to prefer the Burris Fastfire style.
Certainly the Fastfire with the sleek mount that fits in the Ruger rear sight slot is the smallest, lightest setup.
Other ones to look at are the Leupold Deltapoint and the C-More STS.
http://www.cmore.com/sts.html
http://www.leupold.com/tactical/products/scopes/deltapoint-reflex-sights/deltapoint-reflex-sight/
I put a Trijicon Reflex sight on my Mark II with a Weigand base, but it has a darker window and magnifies slightly, which bugs my eyes after a while.
I would read/search the Mark II and Mark III sub-forums over at Rimfire central.
Both the tube and holo types get pretty high praise there.
I think the more serious bullseye shooters seem to lean to the Ultradot, either in 1" or 30mm.
The plinker crowd seems to prefer the Burris Fastfire style.
Certainly the Fastfire with the sleek mount that fits in the Ruger rear sight slot is the smallest, lightest setup.
Other ones to look at are the Leupold Deltapoint and the C-More STS.
http://www.cmore.com/sts.html
http://www.leupold.com/tactical/products/scopes/deltapoint-reflex-sights/deltapoint-reflex-sight/
Lobo_79
Member
I hear you 5X5 on this one. I use two types on my range guns: a reflex on my Beretta and a Red Dot 30mm tube on my S&W. Both have helped my shooting a lot because my target and dot images are now both in focus. I like to shoot at longer distances but without the Red Dot augmenting my normal glasses I'd need a much larger target.
I wanted an Ultra Dot but they were a little rich for me when I was looking into them. I bought a Bushnell and I am very happy with it on top of my Buck Mark Camper. I have done some 25yd shooting with it but it was way too winding out to get a good read on how well it works. Since I am new to all of this I decided to site it in at a closer range to take me more out of the equation. This is off of a sandbag rest at 21ft, 10 shots of CCI SV weighed out to the tenth of a grain. Just a touch over 1/4" group. I shot a few targets that day with ten shots and one hole. Like I said it isn't a Ultra Dot but it is half the price.
decision made!
Bushnell Trophy 1x28 is on the way! Been reading many overwhelmingly positive reviews from many different kinds of shooters. My favorite in-state retailer has these sights on sale for fifty bucks. Since I am a tightwad and also like to support my local area merchants when possible, I ordered from their website. It will be at my door in a few days. I can’t wait to try it. I was really liking Ultra Dots, but price matters and my guy doesn’t carry them. Sincerest thanks to all who replied with invaluable assistance and advice. Great pics too! You have proved once again that this is the friendliest, most helpful and knowledgeable forum on the web. You rock.
Bushnell Trophy 1x28 is on the way! Been reading many overwhelmingly positive reviews from many different kinds of shooters. My favorite in-state retailer has these sights on sale for fifty bucks. Since I am a tightwad and also like to support my local area merchants when possible, I ordered from their website. It will be at my door in a few days. I can’t wait to try it. I was really liking Ultra Dots, but price matters and my guy doesn’t carry them. Sincerest thanks to all who replied with invaluable assistance and advice. Great pics too! You have proved once again that this is the friendliest, most helpful and knowledgeable forum on the web. You rock.
Lobo_79
Member
So this is where we would normally ask you to post photogs of your results after you get your Bushnell installed. But I have to say after looking at TH3180's target photo it'll be awhile before I could show comparable results...LOL. Great shooting and it, indeed, illustrates the point of the Red Dot's value.
Chainsaw2
Member
By all means let us know how that Bushnell works out. I used to like their products, but got a couple of bad scopes from them lately, so I no longer buy their stuff.
jim
jim
Zak Smith
Member
I like this setup very much
It's here!
The sight arrived this afternoon. I mounted it (see pic) and headed for the local gun club’s indoor range this evening. Remember, I am green as grass. A word then, for any other noobs on the forum: .22’s are not wimpy!! When mounting an optic, use loctite (blue). I spent as much time tightening the rings as shooting, and I thought I had cranked ‘em down pretty good. In the end, I had to go home to remove and reinstall the sight in order to tighten the mounting rail and apply loctite to all fasteners. At the range, I burned through four magazines of Federal 36 grain bulk load 745 sighting in and acclimating. Photo below is result from last 10 shot magazine from about 10 yds. standing, two hands unsupported. Clearly in the hands of a shooter, one ragged hole is likely using this sight on a hand gun. This sight seems to be a great product for the money, especially considering you can dial in 4 different reticles and 10 different brightness settings. Weaver style mounting rings are included along with a nice extension tube and polarizing filter. I think the best thing about any red dot 1x sight is the ability to aim with both eyes open. No eye fatigue!
The sight arrived this afternoon. I mounted it (see pic) and headed for the local gun club’s indoor range this evening. Remember, I am green as grass. A word then, for any other noobs on the forum: .22’s are not wimpy!! When mounting an optic, use loctite (blue). I spent as much time tightening the rings as shooting, and I thought I had cranked ‘em down pretty good. In the end, I had to go home to remove and reinstall the sight in order to tighten the mounting rail and apply loctite to all fasteners. At the range, I burned through four magazines of Federal 36 grain bulk load 745 sighting in and acclimating. Photo below is result from last 10 shot magazine from about 10 yds. standing, two hands unsupported. Clearly in the hands of a shooter, one ragged hole is likely using this sight on a hand gun. This sight seems to be a great product for the money, especially considering you can dial in 4 different reticles and 10 different brightness settings. Weaver style mounting rings are included along with a nice extension tube and polarizing filter. I think the best thing about any red dot 1x sight is the ability to aim with both eyes open. No eye fatigue!
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