Red dot or green dot?
By MARJ LAW
An accessory quite popular now is the “red dot” reflex sight. If your handgun can accept one, you place it at or near the rear sight; wherever you have space and location for the red dot. Now, popularity is never my choice for handguns or their accessories. What I want is simply what works easiest, and to me, best. I sure do like a red dot sight.
Once you have your red dot mounted, you peer through the sight. You will see a red dot when you point your gun at a target. You might see a circle with a red dot in its center. You can also see a red dot inside a red triangle. Instead of learning to align front and rear sights, now you just point the dot at your target. Presto! Fast acquisition!
With improved speed and acquisition, you can have better accuracy. Don’t we all love to whack out the bull’s-eye of our targets?
Practicing muscle memory at home? After dumping your magazine and checking the chamber of your handgun, you can choose a “target” on a wall. Bring the red dot to this target to reinforce muscle memory.
And a red dot is no big old scope; it’s a compact piece of equipment. However, unlike a scope, it does not provide magnification. Are you considering putting a red dot on your carry gun? This may or may not work for you as the sight, though compact, is a lot larger than the sights that come on your gun.
Another way it’s different from the scope is that the sight is parallax-free. This means the dot stays fixed on your target regardless of your head’s position behind the optic. Move your head?
That’s okay. Your dot is still on your target. And you don’t have to use just one eye, like you would when looking through a scope. With the red dot, you can use both eyes.
Some red dot sights run on batteries and some on solar power. And some have a “shake awake” feature. This feature turns on the sight when the gun is moved, and then turns itself off after a few minutes. This saves battery time especially if a person is apt to forget turning the sight off before putting the handgun away.
Another popular red dot sight is green. Go figure. Even though it’s green, it is still called a “red dot sight.” A green red dot sight. Kinda sounds like an oxymoron.
Do you prefer a red dot or a green red dot sight? They are different and they are not cheap, so you do need to see both before you buy. Unless you have lots of disposable cash.
The sight you choose depends on your requirements for its use, and the ability of your gun to accept the optic.
So, let’s talk dots.
Joe’s happy with a red dot on one of his hunting pistols. Why?
If he had chosen a green dot, the green could blend in with the greenery around whatever he is hunting. The red is more noticeable against the green background of grasses and leaves.
Red dots show up well in low light conditions, although most have brightness settings to help with illumination in stronger light.
Red dots tend to be less expensive than green dots. Sometimes a lot less expensive.
I do appreciate red dot sight. But I like the green dot sight a lot better. I’ve tried shooting one of Joe’s guns which has a red dot sight at the Wakulla County Sheriff’s Office (WCSO) range. The red dot did not appear bright enough for me and I found it difficult to locate on the black target. The green showed up really well. It was bright and crisp.
Green dots tend to appear brighter than red dots, especially in strong light. According to an article in The Truth About Guns in June of 2021: “The human eye is about six times more sensitive to green light than it is to red light. That’s why a green dot or reticle appears brighter to the human eye than standard red at the same intensity.”
A need for a brighter dot is at stronger light conditions, such as in the desert.
The site Shooting Mystery in April of 2023 has further reason why many of us see better using the green dot. “Astigmatism is the known cause of anomalies associated with red dot sights.
Additionally, other refractive conditions of the eye, such as myopia, hyperopia, scotopia (low light vision), and presbyopia, may produce similar dot distortion.
These anomalies may be in various forms, such as:
• Excessive star bursting
• Dot clusters
• More than one dot
• Sight with a tail
These problems are often associated with red illumination.” Since people with eye difficulties generally see better using green dot sights, using green dots can result in less eyestrain and eye fatigue.
Green dots generally work better with night vision equipment, too but that does depend on the particular sight. If this is important to you, ask the person at your local gun store to be certain.
Wouldn’t you know, green dots tend to be quite a bit more expensive than most red dots? Drat. There’s always a downside and I think cost is the major one when choosing between red and green dot sights.
If your handgun is to be used for hunting, if your eyesight is good, if the red dot sight you choose has sufficient brightness adjustability and if you are concerned about cost, a red dot can be a good choice.
On the other hand, The Truth About Guns in the 2021 article sums up an opinion: “Combine this increased intensity, a larger reticle, and the ability to be more readily seen in daytime light conditions, a green light sight is the better choice for most users.”
Marj Law is the former director of Keep Wakulla County Beautiful who has become an avid shooter in retirement.