School me on red dot sights

[Cougfan2]

Hi folks, I am intent upon purchasing some kind of red dot sight for the Mossberg 930 SPX I just purchased. I have never used red dots before and want one to co-witness with the iron sights on the 930. I am considering either the Burris Speed dot Reflex sight or the XTS 135 red dot sight as some mid price anternatives to the more expensive ACOG or Eotech holosight.

Can anyone tell me what the difference is between what is termed a "reflex sight" vs. a standard red dot, or is it just terminology jargon?

Thanks in advance for your advice.

 

[rcmodel]

A reflex Holographic sight like the EoTech uses a laser dot-matrix reticule projected up onto an angled glass plate you look through. You see the reflection of the dot, not the actual dot itself.
(Think F-15 heads-up display.)

http://www.eotech-inc.com/howto.php

A red-dot sight has a round tube with lenses mounted in it, sort of like a scope.

How the red dot gets in there is done different ways, but not the same way as a holographic reflex sight.

rcmodel

 

[Cougfan2]

rcmodel Thanks for the explanation. It appears that they both get to the same place, just in a different way. Is there any advantage of one system over the other in varying light conditions?

 

[rcmodel]

No advantage that I know of other then Size & weight.

The tube types + mount rings are always gonna be bigger & heavier.

Some might argue the holo sight is more rugged. An EoTech for instance, will continue to work with half the glass broken & gone.

rcmodel

 

[Cougfan2]

RC Thanks again. I think I will go with the Burris Reflex sight on my 930 because it is shorter and lighter and I don't have much rail space with the rear sight attached and then save up my pennies for an EOTECH for my AR carbine.

 

[rcmodel]

Be sure and check out Optics Planet for prices.

I have had nothing but excellent luck with them.

http://www.opticsplanet.net/red-dot-scopes.html

rcmodel

 

[Cougfan2]

RC Wow, you were right about Optics Planet. They have the Burris reflex five bucks cheaper than I can find it anywhere else and offer free UPS ground shipping to boot! Thanks for the tip.

 

[ImARugerFan]

I would check out the warranty and make sure that it is built to hold up to the recoil of a shotgun. The burris fastfire (reflex) only comes with a 1 year warranty, all ultradot red dots come with a full lifetime warranty. Just 2 cents. Can't go wrong with an ultradot.

 

[Cougfan2]

Hmmm. I'm not familiar with the Ultradot, but will check it out.

 

[Omnivore]

I wrote this article on the subject in response to many repeat questions similar to yours;

http://www.ultimak.com/UnderstandingE-sights.htm

"Reflex" means the reticle image is reflected off the forward lens and back to you. That's the thechnology that the vast majority of "red dot" sights use. A "holosight" or HWS (holographic weapon sight) uses a laser transmission hologram, projected from a laser in front of the hologram, through a spreading lens, through the hologram, and on back to you. And it's true-- they do about the same thing, but with totally different technology. So far, the best battery life is in the high-end reflex sights.

I made the article about as exhaustive as I could, but questions still arise from time to time, like "Can I use the standard bore-sighting method with one of these sights?" Yes. My web site is a commercial one-- take that as you will. I try to be as accurate as I know how. I've used a wide variety of these sights for many years in extensive testing.

 

[Cougfan2]

Omnivore, Thanks for the GREAT article! The chapter on how reflex sights work is the best explanation I've seen, particularly becuase it explains what you are paying for with a higher priced sight. This is what I love about THR!