What red dots are the top shooters using?

With so many red dots out there I was wondering what red dots the top shooters are using for bullseye competition. 22 and 45 events ? The ultra dot match dominated for years.

Aimpoint for service teams

I didn't like aimpoint. Aimpont told me the h2 and h1 were designed for low light conditions like dusk and dawn hunting. The h2 had 12 brightness settings 2 to 7 is useless. You can't see the dot at those numbers unless you have a dark background or low light. Settings 8 to 12 are ok but I 12 setting was to bright. That only leaves 2 useful brightness settings on the h2.The small objective lens didn't help The aimpoint did have the sharpest and clear red dot.. They are still one of the best designed red dots on the planet for what they were designed for.. As you know I sold both of mine. . I also did not like the trijicon reflex sro red dot. Controls on the brightness settings are terrible. Also I had had a very hard to see the red dot. Even thought the ultra dot match dot 2 is way cheaper I like this red dot better. I watch a lady shoots 280 in 22 and a 290 in 45 with the ultra dot ll at 50 feet. The 30mm objective lens helps. Furthermore, I like the ideal that you have 2 4 6,8 moa adjustments and 18 settings for brightness.. Good for shooting steel as well as bullseye targets. Another option I liked is you can adjust the elevation on the fly for shooting 25 and 50 yard bullseye targets. Still looking at other options no matter what it cost. Let me know guys.The only problem have I am very limited on red dots I can try because Pardini has dovetail base and not many mounts for it.

That's a different question then. Try a Sightron S30. Ignore what it says on the box for dot size. If I ever need to buy another tube sight that is what I will get. My last 4 Micro dots were Nikon Ptactical and Sig Romeo4A. The Nikon has a cross bolt bigger then any Weaver mount can take and bigger then some Picatinny rails.

JayhawkNavy02 wrote:Aimpoint for service teams

I'v switched over to Aimpoints, too.

The weight kills it for me, but my Aimpoint 9000sc is by far the best red dot sight I have ever tried.  But it is heavy.  One of these days I'll find a gun I can use it on.

My other choice is still the H-1 and H-2 Micro sights from Aimpoint.  It has brightness ranges I never use, but even in bright sunlight the dot is clear and sharp, and the view through the sight is crystal clear AND sharp.  All these little things matter.  I wanted to buy the Aimpoint P-1 Acro, but it's not a "tube sight", which I'm so used to.  If it didn't cost so much, I'd still like to try one.....

I'm no top shooter but I'd say the majority of High Masters I see are using Ultradot but Aimpoints with the aftermarket sunshades are catching up.

I shot next to our national champion at Perry last year. Keith had one inch ultradots on both guns. 
What Len said about the Sightron S30 is a fact. If you like a 30 mm sight, it’s the way to go. I have thousands of 45rounds on one that I bought three years ago. 
JKR

Question - why would people prefer the 1" Ultradot compared to the new one?

What is the aimpoint 9000sc like? Does it only have brightness settings for dusk and dawn light. Like the h2.?

Ultradot seems to be the most used. I use them on my 45's but I use a small Bushnell on my Trailside. However I admit I have an ultradot on my 208s. The issue of red dots is personal preference. Trying them out is hard unless you know someone who has one. Dots on centerfires have to be stronger than on 22's.

smsnyder wrote:What is the aimpoint 9000sc like?  Does it only have brightness settings for dusk and dawn light. Like the h2.?

This may help somewhat:
https://www.perfectunion.com/vb/ruger-mini-14-mini-30/95187-aimpoint-9000sc-anybody-have-any-problems-seeing-red-dot-first-5-settin.html

I pick up my new HS gun at the FFL tomorrow, and may try to put the 9000sc on it.  If so, I'll have a good answer for you.  I loved the 9000sc, but it was too heavy for me back then.  Now it will be on a lighter gun, so maybe things will be different.

I see the first 5 settings on the 9000 sc you are not able to see like the h2. Useless unless your hunting during dusk and dawn

Honestly there are only 2 brightness levels I use while firing the 9000. But they are perfect. One for shaded days and the next for when the sun is up. Less guess work and less messing with your gear. With my ultradot I got caught twice that I can remember worrying about the perfect brightness level only to have the sun pop out as the targets turned and had a dot that was difficult to see. Never had the issue with my two useable settings on the 9000. 

I would also say, there is a 3rd brightness level I use and it’s very low for when I dry fire in my garage at night. The 9000 is heavier but to me makes the pistol feel more stabile and balanced in my hand.

mikemyers wrote:Question - why would people prefer the 1" Ultradot compared to the new one?

Kind of an odd question Mike. Ultradot makes both 1" and 30mm tubes. The new ones are also both 1" and 30mm tubes. There are more choices in the 30mm such as Matchdot, Matchdot 2 , Matchdot 6 and regular. The "new" series are 2 moa instead of 4 for the standard tube. Some people prefer the lighter 1" over the heavier 30mm and of course the Matchdot, matchdot II and Matchdot 6 all have adjustable reticle sizes. I have pretty much went to the 1" for mounting on the slide and 30mm for pistols I don't. I also have a lot of micros thrown in and can be used anywhere you would also want the 1". Did that make it as clear as mud?

Yep, sounds clear now, the advantage (as I see it) apparently is the lighter weight.  I guess that's more important when the sight is mounted on a slide.  I've always assumed that the wider field of view of the 30mm sights would be useful in re-acquiring the target.  I've got two Matchdot 2 sights, one of which I just mounted last night on my old High Standard - hope to try it out today.  But that's in a fixed position.  On my 45 guns, I've switched to Micro sights.  

Next time a 1" Ultradot shows up for sale, I think I'll buy it (if nobody beats me to it!!).

Mike, 
  I am Not sure where I posted the answer to a Red Dot Question last week and, I am NOT an expert on Red Dots. Almost all of the top shooters at Camp Perry have Ultra Dots on their pistols. I know that most of the Zero Bullet Team that has won the Bob Shea High Standard Team Trophy 17 of the last 20 years uses Ultra Dots. Two years ago after Larry Carter closed his shop at Camp Perry, he was in our bldg with the ladies from Ultra Dot. As I remember, he told me to buy a Gen 1 Sight and that I would really like it. I bought it and put it on my display"X-Series" in the Bldg. A new shooter came in and saw it- He said "that is exactly what I wanted a High Standard with an Ultra Dot". That is my Red Dot experience.- Alan Aronstein

alaronstein wrote:Mike, 
 .......As I remember, he told me to buy a Gen 1 Sight and that I would really like it. I bought it and put it on my display"X-Series" in the Bldg. A new shooter came in and saw it- He said "that is exactly what I wanted a High Standard with an Ultra Dot". That is my Red Dot experience.- Alan Aronstein

Alan, I just got your new gun today.  So, specifically, which sight do you recommend I buy for your new gun?

On my Victor, an Aimpoint H-1 worked beautifully.
On my old High Standard, I mounted a Match dot II.  Seemed a bit heavy, but worked fine.
Sitting in front of me as I type this is an Aimpoint 9000sc.  Lovely sight, but heavy.

For what it's worth, the fellow behind the counter at my FFL loved your new gun - as much as I did.  I'm not sorry I bought the Victor from Roddy, and I'm not sorry I've got all my other 22 Bullseye guns, but if I were smarter, I'd have skipped a lot of other things, and just ordered your new gun. 

So, I'm sitting here, wondering what sight to put on it for tomorrow.  The best choices based on what I already have, are Aimpoint H-2, Matchdot II, or Aimpoint 3000sc.


I'll post my photos of your new gun later tonight.  If I knew then, what I know now, I'd have bought your new gun before I ever left for India.  I wouldn't trade it even-up for a Pardini.

mikemyers wrote:Yep, sounds clear now, the advantage (as I see it) apparently is the lighter weight.  I guess that's more important when the sight is mounted on a slide.  I've always assumed that the wider field of view of the 30mm sights would be useful in re-acquiring the target. ...

I've also read multiple references from experienced shooters preferring the smaller field of view of the 1". Maybe that's to help localize attention to the target? I'm not exactly sure, but it seems to be more popular than the 30mm. When I started researching a couple years ago, it seemed getting the UD 1" was the obvious choice for bullseye. Not that it's the only choice, the best choice, my final choice, or anything else. But it is so ubiquitous in bullseye that it couldn't possibly be a bad choice. So I bought one, then I bought a couple more. It's worked for me, with no fuss, no issues, no problems. But then again, I haven't actually used any other red dot sights, so take my comments for what they're worth.

smsnyder wrote:With so many red dots out there I was wondering what red dots the top shooters are using for bullseye  competition. 22 and 45 events ?  The ultra dot match dominated for years.

Your concern was that some of the Aimpoint sights (all of them?) have lots of settings, all but one or two being useless for shooting in bright sunlight.  I was surprised to find out that you were right - even my 9000sc had the same "issue" - most of the settings being useless for shooting in sunlight.  On the other hand, my Matchdot II seems to have a wide range of settings, covering the whole range, and many of them are useful in sunlight - although I found when I was shooting at a tiny "repair dot" pasted on white paper, the light from the paper overwhelmed the sight.  This was with my H-2 Micro.

If I had a one inch Matchdot II, if there is such a thing, I'd be trying it tomorrow.  I don't, so I mounted my 30mm Matchdot II.  I've got two of them - the other one is on my old High Standard.

Something else to try - the Matchdot II sights come with an adjustable polarizing filter.  It has two filters, one over the other.  When you adjust them so they're "in line", you see pretty much the same as if you didn't use them at all.  But, if you turn then so they're at 90 degrees to each other, they turn daylight into night, while leaving your dot at whatever brightness you selected.  If I would have thought of this earlier today, I'd have tried it.  Maybe I will tomorrow.  

Anyway, follow the advice of lots of people here, and buy one of the one inch Ultradot sights.  I have a feeling I'll be doing the same thing.  Hey, if anyone reading this has one they're not using, let me know.  I'd like to find out what I've been missing.

The Zero Bullets Team is sponsored by Aimpoint. I’ve had two UD’s die on me when I was about to win a pistol. Reiter lost nat’ls when his UD literally broke into pieces during 45 RF match; would’ve been #6. UD negative magnification sucks. Sightron 30mm is good replacement for UD if your on a budget. I’ve got 10 Aimpoints and another one on the way.
Shoot what you can afford and you’ll be fine. Back in the day with cheapy Tasso ProPoint II I broke 890 with 22 & 45. Run what ya got!
Jon

I don't have "one" I'm not using. To add to your internal frustration (because I can ) There is another ultradot we nave not talked about. Ultradot made a different choice in both 1" and 30mm called the 4 dot. This scope is lighter in 30mm then a match dot and has a larger spread on dot size. It is also their only 1" offer with multiple dots. It is my choice for my High Standard.

IMHO - 9000Sc if you can lift it (180+ times during the match!), and H1 if you can't lift 9000Sc.  That is on 45.  On 22LR - H1 or UD.  If one uses something other then 45 for CF, than many things depend on caliber, i.e. 9mm or 38 Super - probably 9000 would be the best.  38 SPL WC, 32 ACP / Long - H1 or UD.  I have tried Nikon P-Tactical and SIG Romer5 on 22LR, and both worked pretty good.  As I said above - this is my option, and I am taking to consideration only technical parameters (and my eye sight!).  No financial aspect is accounted in the above.
AP

I had the same UD experience as Jon having 2 UD die during a match and 1 of those died after being repaired for a total of 3.  Switched to Aimpoint with several H1's & a 9000sc all 2MOA and I don't regret spending the money.
- Dave

I became disenchanted looking through the Match Dot 3 tube. It was giving me tunnel vision. I sold the Match Dot and bought ammo and this $65 TRUGLO 40-millimeter sight for my aging eyes. No more tunnel vision. Here are pictures of the TRUGLO on the .45 caliber Rock Island Tactical Railgun and on the .22 caliber Colt rimfire. I like the UM3 Sight Mount with the rail option on the pistols; because, no drilling and tapping are required to install a UM3 Sight Mount. Also are pictures of my next step, a mini sight. I am thinking about the Vortex Optics Razor, Leupold DeltaPoint Pro, or the Trijicon RMR Type 2.  There is no tunnel vision involved in those choices either. Plus, the sight doesn't fly back and forth with the slide using the UM3 Sight Mount.