Does a Red Dot Sight Really Make You a Better Shooter?

Mission drives the gear… until gear allows us to do things we used to not be able to do.

The advent of duty grade red dot sighting systems is a great case study for the above epitaph. The Son Tay Raid in 1970 presented the assaulters with an, up to that point, issue that could be solved with gear that would change the mission parameters.

The issue: how do we shoot with the level of precision needed to conduct hostage rescue in low light or no light conditions?  

At this time, a sighting solution like the red dot sight had not been invented and iron sights were the standard. Can iron sights be used with an extreme amount of precision? Undoubtedly the answer is yes. But the conditions of the environment must be right, and the shooter’s eyes should be up to snuff.  

However, can we produce those same results in low or no light conditions? The answer is no. All things considered, shooting iron sights boils down to lining up 4 planes of existence perfectly (the center of the shooter’s eye, the rear aperture, the front sight post, and the target) and having the required amount of ambient light present. (Also hope to hell you’re not shooting into a low sun that happens to be cresting over your desired target….) 

The advent of the red dot sight revolutionized the equation so immeasurably that it changed the mission and has continued to do so since then. And not just in terms of duty use. Multiple sport shooting disciplines have had to adjust scoring parameters over the last few decades due to red dot-equipped shooters crushing old “standards” so much that they’ve since needed to be raised. 

Always Better®

About Chris Sizelove 

Chris Sizelove is a retired Master Sergeant who had a distinguished career in the U.S. Army. Joining in 1999, he served in various capacities in the elite 75th Ranger Regiment spanning across the 2nd, 3rd, and 1st Battalions. His extensive service includes roles as a Pre-Ranger Instructor and a pivotal participant in forming the Regimental Special Troops Battalion (RSTB). Sizelove also held the elite position of Master Breacher of the Regiment and later transitioned to roles in the Defense Intelligence Agency.