Optic placement

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  • Skipjacks

    Ultimate Member
    Talking about the placement of a non magnified red dot on a rifle....

    Does the placement on the rails matter at all? (Far forward towards the muzzle, far back closer to the shooter's eye)

    I see some people have them way of front. Others have them all the way back. Is it just a preference?
     

    AssMan

    Meh...
    MDS Supporter
    Jan 27, 2011
    16,213
    Somewhere on the James River, VA
    Non-magnified is mostly about preference and available space. Normally, I put it roughly over the ejection port if it’s an AR. AKs are sometimes mounted far forward up on the gas tube/hand guard if that’s the only option.


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
     

    Taco

    Member
    Jan 23, 2018
    56
    Montgomery County
    It shouldn’t matter where since red dots have unlimited eye relief and the dot will be the same size up close or far away. Just a personal preference.
     

    Skipjacks

    Ultimate Member
    Mine is a prism optic, not a reflex laser if that makes a difference

    It still has unlimited eye reliefs and minimal parallax

    For me I like it far back on the rail because I'm tall and need a fully extended stock. (So my head is further back from the receiver)

    When I have it back the frame of the optic disappears better so I can keep both eyes open. Further forward and I can see the black circle around the lens more and it is distracting

    Was wondering if I am doing myself an aiming disservice that way. Seems to work well though.
     

    erwos

    The Hebrew Hammer
    MDS Supporter
    Mar 25, 2009
    13,866
    Rockville, MD
    Mine is a prism optic, not a reflex laser if that makes a difference

    It still has unlimited eye reliefs and minimal parallax
    No prism scope has unlimited eye relief. Stuff like the Spitfire 1x certainly has a very generous eye box, but they still have finite eye relief.

    As for where to mount a reflex sight, simply keep it on the receiver and off the handguard. Everything past that is personal preference. You will find various people advocating all sorts of things, but there's no widely-agreed-on best practice.
     

    Skipjacks

    Ultimate Member
    No prism scope has unlimited eye relief. Stuff like the Spitfire 1x certainly has a very generous eye box, but they still have finite eye relief.

    That is what I am using. By unlimited I meant anywhere on the rifle for practical use. So maybe not true unlimited eye relief as it won't work from like 3 feet in front of you, but it works fine from any distance you can mount it on an AR.

    Granted it has an adjustable lens so you need to use to fine tune it once mounted. That is what gives it a 'practically' unlimited eye relieve...you can't move it from front to back of the rail without adjusting the focal lens. But being able to adjust it lets you put it anywhere on the rail with clarity. (At least the upper recover rail. I never tried putting it out on the grips because...no)

    I was more wondering if front or back impacted aiming. And I think you clarified that by saying there is no "right" answer. So thanks!
     

    erwos

    The Hebrew Hammer
    MDS Supporter
    Mar 25, 2009
    13,866
    Rockville, MD
    Yes, and I also have one. The 1x Spitfire has 3.7" of eye relief. I would personally place it with that constraint in mind.
     

    outrider58

    Eats Bacon Raw
    MDS Supporter
    Jul 29, 2014
    49,815
    I set mine up over the ejection port also. It tends to give me the best sight picture. All my sights are holographic.
     

    erwos

    The Hebrew Hammer
    MDS Supporter
    Mar 25, 2009
    13,866
    Rockville, MD
    I could not be happier with that sight as it negates my astigmatism that renders laser red dots useless.
    My only beef with the Spitfire is that the center aiming dot is not as bright as it could be, and will wash out in sunny conditions. Combine that with the reticle design, which has a tiny center dot, and it just isn't all that fast when you need to use the dot (vs the circles) to aim.

    What I'd really like to see is a nicer version at the $300-$350 mark that uses a fiber optic aiming point. THAT would be the optic this thing should really be.
     

    sailskidrive

    Legalize the Constitution
    Oct 16, 2011
    5,547
    Route 27
    Red dot sights have a degree of parallax so you should consider if you prefer the fastest possible eye acquisition of the dot or if you prefer greater accuracy.

    I have mine mounted as far forward on the receiver as possible with the EOTechs hanging over the free float tube... tightens up the groups at 100 yd and makes a huge difference at 200.
     

    SkiPatrolDude

    Ultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    Oct 24, 2017
    3,331
    Timonium-Lutherville
    Oh and some people put them forward on the hand guard when they have a takedown style rifle for accuracy reasons.

    I saw a guy at Guntry with a RDS on the very front of his AR handguard, although it was not a takedown.. He had a go-pro set up filming himself too. It was where your front BUIS would be, and there was nothing behind it. Was a real head scratcher.

    I put all of my RDS's fairly far forward on the upper receiver, either to the last section of pic rail or the second to last, usually. I find that I have better peripheral vision with it this way and i am also able to get the dot in front of my eye faster.

    When the RDS is too far back toward the shooter, IMO, you may find yourself "fishing" for the dot.
     

    photoracer

    Competition Shooter
    Oct 22, 2010
    3,318
    West Virginia
    On long guns I tend to put mine out overhanging the handguard by around an inch. The farther away it is the less the parallax has an effect. Some like it up close because they like to see everything thru the window. I prefer to use both eyes and see everything else outside of the window. So I try to put it out as far as I can on the long guns so that its about the same distance from my eye as the red dot on my pistols when I have my arms extended. That way the distance from my eyes to the sight and then to the target is about the same for all firearms I shoot in competition. Outside of competition it depends on what I am trying to do.
     

    SCARCQB

    Get Opp my rawn, Plick!
    Jun 25, 2008
    13,614
    Undisclosed location
    I prefer red dots closer to my eye.

    That position makes the for appear the smallest. It allows me to use both eyes open and that provides the widest field of view.

    I usually mount a BUIS at the most rearward possible position on the rail. Then a red dot optic that’s absolute co witness to the irons.

    I still use the “ nose to charging handle” rule with red dots to minimize parallax for longer distances.
     

    Skipjacks

    Ultimate Member
    On long guns I tend to put mine out overhanging the handguard by around an inch. The farther away it is the less the parallax has an effect. Some like it up close because they like to see everything thru the window. I prefer to use both eyes and see everything else outside of the window. So I try to put it out as far as I can on the long guns so that its about the same distance from my eye as the red dot on my pistols when I have my arms extended. That way the distance from my eyes to the sight and then to the target is about the same for all firearms I shoot in competition. Outside of competition it depends on what I am trying to do.

    For me having it further back minimizes how much I see the frame of the optic

    It blends in and disappears with both eyes open
     

    spoon059

    Ultimate Member
    Jun 1, 2018
    5,335
    I put it right over the mag tube. Although I use light weight red dots, I find it helps keep the balance roughly the same as without.

    Sent from my SM-N970U using Tapatalk
     

    AliasNeo07

    Ultimate Member
    Feb 12, 2009
    6,547
    MD
    In my limited experience, people tend to put those as far forward on the receiver as they can go without touching the handguard. That's what I usually see. That's where my EOTech is but honestly I didn't really experiment with putting it further back, it works fine for me where it is.
     

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