Optics Are In The Eye Of The Beholder!!!!

            Choosing a gun sight, can be fun, exciting,  and complicated.  There are SO MANY TO CHOOSE FROM.  They range from under $100 to well over $2000 , so how do you know which one to select?  You need to ask yourself a question.

What kind of shooting am I going to do?

The question is simple, but the answer is not. Like, many other parts of shooting, a lot of things come into play.

So, I am going to break down the 3 most popular sight types.

Iron Sight System

 The most common of all the systems. Almost, all firearms come stock with some form of iron sights. These sights are normally secured to the weapon directly. They come either fixed or removable. Most, are adjustable.  This system can be used for both short range and long range shooting.

They work, by lining up a rear sight with a front sight.

Example 1

Example 2  

As you can see in the images above, there are different styles of iron sight combinations.   All of them work in the same manner.    

Iron sights do not offer magnification.  In other words, if you can't see your target with your naked eye,  you have passed the effective range of your sights.


Red Dot System

This system is designed for close quarter shooting and rapid target acquisition. Red dot systems are secured to a rail mounted on the weapon. It work by lining up a dot (red or green)with your target.

The system  requires batteries to illuminate the dot.  Red dots are ALSO  limited to what your naked eye can see to be effective.  Unless!!!, you add a magnifier.

Pretty cool huh?

The magnifier, does just that. It magnifies the red dot, so you can see farther than the naked eye.


Scope System

Scopes are meant for long range shooting.  You can hit a target over 1 1/2 miles away, with the correct scope. This system uses cross hairs to be placed on the target.  Some are fixed magnification and other are multiple magnification.  Rings are used to secure the scope to a rail system on the weapon.  Scope rings come in either a set of 2 individual rings or in a 1 piece style mount.

                                                                       Scoped Rifle

                                                                   Basic scope crosshair

                                                                      Single Magnification

Example Of Multiple Magnification

scope mount

                                                                          scope rings

Some shooters combine 2 systems together,  so they have a "back up sight".  Many use offset sights or flip up sights, with there scope or red dot.  In case your primary system fails, you still have something to aim with.

                                                                    Offset Red Dot

                                                                   Offset Iron Sight
                       

Flip Up Iron Sights

ALL 3 of these systems require adjustments, also know as "Zeroing" or "Sighting In" to be dead on accurate.  (That is another post)

Figure out the range you will be shooting the most, then select the appropriate optic. Or use a combination of them.