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  1. #1
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    Default Open vs Barrel Reflex Sights

    What pro's and con's are there for the different styles?

    Is one type easier to use, more durable, etc?

    I also see that even in sunny SA, we are spoilt for choice in the entry-level market, with products from Vortex, Holosun, and others, freely available.

    If you have one of these entry-level Reflex Sights on your rifle, carbine or shotgun, please share your insights.

    Sent from my SM-G960F using Tapatalk

  2. #2
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    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by carleng View Post
    What pro's and con's are there for the different styles?

    Is one type easier to use, more durable, etc?

    I also see that even in sunny SA, we are spoilt for choice in the entry-level market, with products from Vortex, Holosun, and others, freely available.

    If you have one of these entry-level Reflex Sights on your rifle, carbine or shotgun, please share your insights.

    Sent from my SM-G960F using Tapatalk
    What is your intended purpose?

    Do you have any eyesight issues? For example, I am red/green colour blind. If you point out a bright red bird in a tree, I very likely won’t see the bird. I find it very difficult to see a red/green reticle against many of our backstops. In low-light this isn’t a big issue, but obviously not reliable enough to use.

    I recently moved from an iron sight division to an optic division for IPSC rifle, and mounted a Trijicon 1-6 scope with an illuminated dot at the centre. I find it useable because the reticle crosshairs draw your eye to the centre illuminated dot. It contradicts what I said above, but if there were no black crosshairs I would find it very difficult to find the dot in bright daylight.

    I eagerly await optic manufacturers offering reflex sight reticle illumination in a blue/purple hue.

  3. #3

    Default Re: Open vs Barrel Reflex Sights

    Wesley
    Have you considered a peep sight? (ghost ring) I had one on a Marlin 30-30 and it worked very well

  4. #4
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    Default Re: Open vs Barrel Reflex Sights

    Quote Originally Posted by Wesley View Post
    What is your intended purpose?

    Do you have any eyesight issues? For example, I am red/green colour blind. If you point out a bright red bird in a tree, I very likely won’t see the bird. I find it very difficult to see a red/green reticle against many of our backstops. In low-light this isn’t a big issue, but obviously not reliable enough to use.

    I recently moved from an iron sight division to an optic division for IPSC rifle, and mounted a Trijicon 1-6 scope with an illuminated dot at the centre. I find it useable because the reticle crosshairs draw your eye to the centre illuminated dot. It contradicts what I said above, but if there were no black crosshairs I would find it very difficult to find the dot in bright daylight.

    I eagerly await optic manufacturers offering reflex sight reticle illumination in a blue/purple hue.
    Would a Gold Dot not work?

    I know Trijicon and Holosun both make RDS optics with a Gold Dot. Then you do loose the magnification ability that you currently have with your 1-6.

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    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by knipmes View Post
    Wesley
    Have you considered a peep sight? (ghost ring) I had one on a Marlin 30-30 and it worked very well
    Yes. Shooting in Standard Division we used diopter sights. Using these we could reliably hit a 300mm gong at 400 meters.

  6. #6
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    Quote Originally Posted by Stevin View Post
    Would a Gold Dot not work?

    I know Trijicon and Holosun both make RDS optics with a Gold Dot. Then you do loose the magnification ability that you currently have with your 1-6.
    I think, to me a gold dot would look much like a green or bright yellow dot against our backstops.

    Some competitors use an RDS type sight on a 45 degree offset mount with the scope on the top. I won’t go that route, but stick to the magnified optic only. Some of the best shooters in the world still use only the one and you can be competitive this way. Using only an unmagnified optic in IPSC rifle isn’t really viable, unless you shoot stages with very little distance.

  7. #7
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    Default Re: Open vs Barrel Reflex Sights

    Quote Originally Posted by Wesley View Post
    What is your intended purpose?

    Do you have any eyesight issues? For example, I am red/green colour blind. If you point out a bright red bird in a tree, I very likely won’t see the bird. I find it very difficult to see a red/green reticle against many of our backstops. In low-light this isn’t a big issue, but obviously not reliable enough to use.

    I recently moved from an iron sight division to an optic division for IPSC rifle, and mounted a Trijicon 1-6 scope with an illuminated dot at the centre. I find it useable because the reticle crosshairs draw your eye to the centre illuminated dot. It contradicts what I said above, but if there were no black crosshairs I would find it very difficult to find the dot in bright daylight.

    I eagerly await optic manufacturers offering reflex sight reticle illumination in a blue/purple hue.
    Quote Originally Posted by Wesley View Post
    I think, to me a gold dot would look much like a green or bright yellow dot against our backstops.

    Some competitors use an RDS type sight on a 45 degree offset mount with the scope on the top. I won’t go that route, but stick to the magnified optic only. Some of the best shooters in the world still use only the one and you can be competitive this way. Using only an unmagnified optic in IPSC rifle isn’t really viable, unless you shoot stages with very little distance.

    Sorry for only responding now. Our geyser and some pipes burst. Obviously this will happen during lock-down....

    To answer your initial question, I have a slight astigmatism, but I have prescription shooting glasses, so hopefully it should affect me too much. I also don't have any colour-blindness issues.

    Regarding use, I intended to run my rifle in SADPA DMG, but with all the politicking last year, I got fed up with SADPA. I am considering doing some 3gun nation with Tacshac, so that will be the main purpose.

    So I need something that is fairly durable, but will allow fast target acquisition.
    I have an LM5 with the handguard quad rail, so I will have to experiment to see if my chosen optic can run co-witness or if I should use 45 degree offset (if you have experience/advice in this regard, please share).
    Depending on the size of the dot, I'm have to either use irons for close work, and reflex sight for further out, or other way around...

  8. #8
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    Default Re: Open vs Barrel Reflex Sights

    Quote Originally Posted by carleng View Post
    I have an LM5 with the handguard quad rail, so I will have to experiment to see if my chosen optic can run co-witness or if I should use 45 degree offset (if you have experience/advice in this regard, please share).
    Depending on the size of the dot, I'm have to either use irons for close work, and reflex sight for further out, or other way around...
    I have a 6 with a Midwest Industries railed handguard. I run a Aimpoint H1 on it and get co-witness.

    I imagine that if you get something similar in form factor you will get the same or close.

    You will be fine running just the dot out to 300 easy, especially with a smaller dot. It is just as accurate but faster than irons.

    I still have my irons on my 6 because I tend to break stuff and I am too lazy to take them off.
    Cattle die, kindred die, every man is mortal:
    But I know one thing that never dies,
    the glory of the great dead.
    Havamal

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    Default Re: Open vs Barrel Reflex Sights

    Quote Originally Posted by SSP View Post
    I have a 6 with a Midwest Industries railed handguard. I run a Aimpoint H1 on it and get co-witness.

    I imagine that if you get something similar in form factor you will get the same or close.

    You will be fine running just the dot out to 300 easy, especially with a smaller dot. It is just as accurate but faster than irons.

    I still have my irons on my 6 because I tend to break stuff and I am too lazy to take them off.
    Any issues shooting with both eyes open? What size dot do you have?

    The Aimpoint is just slightly out of my price range. But I see Vortex has the Sparc and Crossfire, while Holosun has the HE403 and HE503, which looks to be similar in size to the H1 (at least the pictures...). I will have to go look closely at dimensions to confirm.

  10. #10
    Moderator SSP's Avatar
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    Default Re: Open vs Barrel Reflex Sights

    Quote Originally Posted by carleng View Post
    Any issues shooting with both eyes open? What size dot do you have?

    The Aimpoint is just slightly out of my price range. But I see Vortex has the Sparc and Crossfire, while Holosun has the HE403 and HE503, which looks to be similar in size to the H1 (at least the pictures...). I will have to go look closely at dimensions to confirm.
    Nope. Thats how you should shoot a dot anyway.

    I have the OG 4MOA.

    It's tricky at distance because the dot covers a large part of the target, much like the iron sights really. Go with something with a smaller dot. I have fingerbanged some of the Holosuns - no idea which ones - that looked like Aimpoints. They looked pretty good and well made. I'd probably go with one of those provided you can get one that mounts as low as possible onto the rails.
    Last edited by SSP; 24-04-2020 at 16:45.
    Cattle die, kindred die, every man is mortal:
    But I know one thing that never dies,
    the glory of the great dead.
    Havamal

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