You must have heard that using a red dot sight with a pistol allows you to get the target faster. But, you are mistaken if you think buying a red dot sight will make you a better shooter. On the contrary, if you don’t learn how to shoot correctly with a red dot sight, you will have a problem finding the red dot when you pick up your gun and end up frustrated.
And this is where you need me. I will explain how to properly shoot with a pistol-mounted red dot sight and the tricks of finding the red dot every time you pick your pistol.
Let’s get started.
Zeroing Your Red Dot: A Pre-requisite
Before learning to shoot with a red dot sight, what’s even more important is that you know how to zero your sight. Of course, you can get it zeroed by a professional, but why bother when you can learn to do it yourself?
Why Do You Need To Zero Your Sight?
The reason for zeroing your red dot sight is simple: ACCURACY. You want to hit a bullet where you intend; that’s when you have an accurate shot. And zeroing your red dot sight gives you that. A simple explanation would be to have a similar point of aim and impact; you hit where you aim.
How To Zero Your Pistol Mounted Red Dot Sight?
Explaining the zeroing process for your pistol-mounted red dot needs a separate article, but let me try and summarise the whole idea for you.
- Find the perfect distance for zeroing your red dot sight; usually, it’s between 10-25 yards.
- Take 3-5 shots aiming at the center of your target, at the set distance, to see where the bullet lands.
- Remember that 1 MOA equals 1 inch at 100 yards. Now, convert inches to MOA using this formula: Inches/[Distance/100].
- Make adjustments to the windage(for left/right) and elevation(for up/down) turrets using your calculations. The value of MOA equals the number of clicks you need.
- If your bullet deviates 3 inches to the right from the center, and you have a red dot with 1 MOA equals one click, you will make 30 clicks to move 3 inches to the left to reach the center.
- Also, make elevation changes to move the shot lower or higher.
- Retake shots to confirm your zero.
Shooting With A Pistol Mounted Red Dot
Here we will learn all the proper techniques to shoot a red dot that sits on a pistol.
Where To Focus?
The first step to accurate shooting with a red dot is to know where your focus should be. With red dot sights, you do TARGET FOCUSED SHOOTING which means you have to focus on the target to shoot with a pistol. With iron sights, you focus on the front sight to aim; the target and the rear sight are blurred.
With the red dot sight, you focus on just one point, the target. This gives you faster target acquisition than iron sights because instead of moving your focus from front sight to target and back, you focus only on the target.
How To Aim?
Put the red dot on the target, be focused on one point, and press the trigger. This aiming process is simpler than the iron sights because, in iron sights, you have to align the front and rear sights to the target.
How To Find The Dot?
One problem shooters continuously face with a red dot is finding the dot. It can be frustrating if you can’t find the red dot on your screen when you pick your gun. I will explain the tricks to help you find the red dot whenever you pick your gun.
Natural Point Of Aim
A natural point of aim is a point in the air where your dominant eye aligns with the sight and the target. Finding your natural point of aim will help you find the dot every time you pick up the gun. How to do that?
- Close your eyes and draw the gun.
- Open your eyes and see if the dot is visible on the screen.
- If the dot is not visible, make the corrections with your gun without moving your head.
- Practice consistently with the process till it becomes subconscious and easy to get every time.
The 80-20 Method Of Draw
The 80-20 method is a general expert-recommended rule. According to this method, you should draw your pistol fast in the beginning and slow it down in the end. The 80-20 means that 80 percent of your draw should be fast, and the last 20 percent should be slow and smooth.
Downward Muzzle Position
When a shooter draws a pistol, the tendency is that the muzzle comes in slightly elevated. The dot is higher in the window, so it stays there. To eliminate this problem, draw and present the gun horizontally as soon as possible.
How To Find An Acceptable Sight Picture?
One important thing to understand is that when you put the red dot on the target, it will have some amount of wobble. That is an acceptable sight picture; you dont have to wait for the dot to completely settle to shoot the target because it never completely goes.
And if you wait to make the reticle stop completely, you will waste your time and not be able to shoot quickly. So, to shoot quickly with your red dot sight, you should focus on taking an acceptable sight picture and not worry about the dot’s movement.
Practice Makes It Perfect
Practicing finding the red dot sight with your natural point of aim and putting the red dot on the target will make you perfect at this skill. The more you practice, the better you become.
Endnote
Buying a red dot sight will not make you a better shooter; practicing shooting with it will. Before shooting with your red dot sight, zero it at your preferred distance. While shooting with a red dot, put the reticle on the target and keep your focus on the target. Also, practice finding a red dot with your natural point of aim to find the dot on the screen every time you draw.
FAQS
How do red dot sights work on a pistol?
Red dot sights work by creating a red dot as a reticle on the screen of your sight. You put this red dot on the target and press the trigger. A red dot sight differs from iron sights because, with iron sights, you have to move your focus from the front sight to the target and back. While with red dot sights, your entire focus is on the target.
Is it worth putting a red dot on a pistol?
Red dot sights give you target-focused shooting. You dont have to align rear and front sights to the target as you do with iron sights. This makes the red dot sights easier to use. Also, with iron sights, you keep moving your focus between the front sight and the target, whereas red dot sights allow you to focus only on the target, giving you faster target acquisition.
How far should you sight in a pistol red dot?
The distance to sight in a pistol red dot is between 10-25 yards. Shooters choose between 10 and 25 yards based on their practical application of the red dot. However, the benefit of sighting in at 10 yards is that a sight zeroed at 10 yards will print 0.7 inches higher than the point of aim at 25 yards, which is insignificant.
What does it look like looking through a red dot sight?
When you look through a red dot, you see a clear dot. If you dont see the dot when you draw the pistol, you have to practice finding the red dot.
