Red Dot Sight For New Hunters-Everything You Need To Know  

From movies like “The Matrix” to PC games like “Call of Duty,” you know red dot sights already. They are widely used by professional target shooters, law enforcement officers, and hunters alike.

As an optical aiming device, a red dot sight like vortex optic sits atop a firearm for a glowing red (sometimes amber or green) reticle. That way, it beats conventional iron sights where you must align two parts, front and rear. If you are a newbie hunter vetting to pick a red dot, you’re looking at the right place. Keep reading!

What Is A Red Dot Sight? 

Some of the best red dots are essentially reflex or holographic sights (you’ll learn about it later in this article). Typically, an LED projects the reticle onto a specially coated lens. When a hunter looks through the lens, the reticle reflects to his eye. This gives an impression of the reticle being superimposed on the target. So, you keep things in line with your target and shoot easily.

How Red Dot Sights Work?

A red dot sight uses a spherical mirror to reflect the red LED. But it’s the mirror coating that plays a significant role. It’s one-of-a-kind reserved for passing red light only. That’s why the name “red dot”. It makes things easy, especially when aiming against dark or poorly lit backgrounds, like in the woods at dusk. 

Besides, the LED light also runs low on power and lasts several hours. You’ll have to tweak the brightness, though. It gives the hunter a significant advantage as the red dot can’t be seen on the other side. So, you will never scare the animal away. 

What Is MOA?

First-time red dot buyers, hear! MOA stands for Minutes of Angle. It’s a number you’ll find under the product description, like in a Vortex red dot. And it’s pretty baffling to decide which MOA is the right one. Let’s simplify things. 

A circle has 360 degrees. You’ll need to take a degree and divide it into sixty equal parts. One of these parts is the Minutes of Angle, or simply MOA. Here, Minute = 1/60th of an hour. So, when measuring an angle, a single minute represents 1/60th of a degree. 

Types Of Sights (Prism, Holographic, and Reflex) 

Are all red dots equal? Well, not really! And to differentiate between things, you’ll need to understand prism, holographic, and reflex sights. 

Reflex Sights

These are the standard red dot sights that hunters widely use. It’s a standard optic that uses a single plane or a glass tube to keep things simple. It has a small LED placed at the rear and pointed at the front lens. When aiming at a target, this sends the LED back to a hunter’s eye. 

Upside

• Great eye relief irrespective of the target distance
• Small red dot size keeps things discreet

Downside

• Zero magnification with restricted reticle options
• The absence of an etched reticle makes it battery dependent

Prismatic Sights 

Prismatic sights are compact and shorter options in contrast to standard optics. However, they are way bigger than reflex sights. As the name goes, these optics use a prism to reflect the light before reaching the eyepiece. Sig Sauer optics has an excellent range of prismatic sights. 

    Upside

• Etched reticle allows you to have a visible reticle even when you run out of battery. 
• Variable power prism allows for multiple magnification, ranging between 1x-5x.

  Downside

• Varying prisms allows for restricted eye relief as one has to set the optic distance right from the eye.
• The size of the red dot is way too large compared to reflex sights.

Holographic Sights

Undoubtedly, it is a come-of-age option for serious hunters with fairly complex red dots.  Holographic sights use lasers projected across multiple reflectors and lenses that produce a bright hologram.

  Upside

• Holographic sight is always pointed in the right direction even if the hunter’s body isn’t aligned to the target (unlimited eye relief).
• Large field of view, multiple reticle options, and seamless ot size no matter what magnifier you use
  

     Downside

• It doesn’t use any etched reticle.
• Pricey among all optics

Which Type of Red Dot Do You Need 

There is no specific red dot sight that comes pre-recommended. It all boils down to a hunter’s preference. Usually, there are two broad factors to consider:

• High precision- You can consider a red dot with 4 or 5 MOA, something like a Sig Sauer red dot.
• Fast-moving targets– You will need more than 5 MOA if you want to knock down running bucks at 50-100 yards.

There’s Nothing Like Shooting With A Red Dot Sight 

So, by now, you must have understood how red dot sights beat traditional iron scopes. It’s light, easy to carry, promises great eye relief, and is a breeze to use. Whether seasoned or a novice hunter, you will have a great time with a red dot sight.