Is a red dot or scope accually that good?

[21ca mod.]

I know this sounds like a dumb question, but me and my friends have been debating this a lot. For an AEG is it better to use scope/red dot or iron sights. I say it is better to use iron sights and "walk" your shots than to use a scope/ red dot becuase airsoft guns have to much trejectory for it to be prescice enough for a scope or red dot. Unless you have a sniper rifle or something with a very very very good hop up and barrel, i think a scope just hurts your accuracy. tell me if this is true or not

[Kung Fu]

I boils down to preference. I only use my red dot for indoor play, and use iron sights for outdoor unless its my APS-2 SV.

[xaos]

A red dot doesn't work like your typical scope. Most come with zero magnification. Also, you shoot a red dot scope with both eyes open...what does this mean? Basically, with both eyes open, you "lose" the body of the scope in your vision, leaving you with just the dot on your target.

I find I don't shoot significantly better with my red dot as opposed to using the iron sights, but the scope does do a couple things for me...first, it reduces my aim time...I can snapshoot much, much more effectively through the scope, primarily because the sight picture is much larger, and thus easier to acquire, than iron sights. Second, I can fire on the move (while aiming)through the scope...which I'm completely incapable of doing with iron sights...this is again due to the larger sight picture.

If you're properly using optics, they should never hurt your accuracy, even given the relative inaccuracy of airsoft weapons...a scope can reduce your effectiveness in the field, however. This will likely occur when using a scope with magnification, as you get a larger sight picture, but actually see much, much less of the field, due to the magnification.

As I said above, I feel I'm much more effective on the field when using my red dot...I'm not a bad shot with iron sights (on the contrary, I feel I'm a pretty good shot), but the little extras that the red dot gives me make me that much more effective.

[Josh Walrus]

the only iron sights I like better than optics are AK sights, because you can see the whole field around you with peripheral vision because you dont have to look through some pesky ring contraption, which is basically on every gun beside the ak that ive used.

(RING CONTRAPTION SIGHTS: ie G36C, iron sights on any m16 variant, IMI UZI, MP5 variants, G3 series, etc... etc...)

This is also why i prefer iron sights on pistols as well, as compared to a reddot, because all pistols i have used had no ring contraption...

id say get an open reddot if you like having a full surroundings view like I do

[Toothbrush]

I use a red dot on my Aug, and will be putting it on my SR16. At first the red dot didn't give me the accuracy i wanted, but like with real guns you need to sight it in. Now that i have done that, my aug is very formitable on the field, no to brag but at the last A-team game i got the most "kills" with it.

I have used both a RDS and magnification scopes (and iron sights) on airsoft guns and i like the red dot most, faster targeting, and since i never sighted in my iron sights my RDS is more accurate too, I have nothing else to say

o, and i have found it much easier to aim with a RDS when using goggles and especially a full facemask

[testticool]

I like both.

With a red dot you get very fast aiming and all that, everything xaos said.

But with a scope I tend to use it for scanning for enemies. I'll mostly look around and if I think I see something use the scope to spot them. Not exactly what the scope was intended for, but it gets the job done.

Iron sites are nice, but like Boanerge said that little whole gets pesky. AK sites are indeed nice.

But it all depends on how you play. Sometimes I'm very professional; crawling, sneaky crap, and actually aiming. Other times I'll hip shoot (AK47 ;D) just for the fun of it. I like to keep a scope and a red dot with me to change should I feel like it.

[camophreak]

the only thing I use mine for is for looks....i watch the trail of bb's and adjust on the fly....even tho i have a pro model red dot..it doesnt do much for me...I like it like a computer mouse...POINT AND CLICK!!!

I also have a 4x32 sniper scope that is actually zeroed, but with the limits of airsoft, the shot hits 3" low.

Heck, scopes and red dots in airsoft are mostly to LOOK COOL!!

which they do!

-CP

[21ca mod.]

ya,but i also dont have a 2200 round box mag to spray up too

[Zorak]

AK sights are ass.

That "little hole" is a peep. Look through the peep and you'll more or less automatically center the front sight in the peep, leading to very quick accurate shots. With open sights, you need to keep your focus on the front sight while paying enough attention to the target to keep the sights on it and enough attention to the rear sight to keep the front sight properly aligned.

This being airsoft, many people walk their shots anyway, and those people may not care how accurate their first shot is. For those people, open sights may be better, but then again, no sight would be almost as good. For people who aim and fire with intent to hit on the first shot, the ghost ring design works far better.

As for the original topic - I only moved from paintball to airsoft this year. Most paintball guns have no sights whatsoever, and I'm an ass-poor natural shot, so I started putting red dots everywhere. Here are my thoughts:

They work.

Expensive ones work better. Cheap ones suffer from bad parallax, meaning that when you move your head, the point of impact changes. Unless you have the discipline to shoulder your weapon the same way every time, this can make them worse than iron sights.

Of the expensive ones, I've tried Aimpoint and EOTech. You can't go wrong with either one.

[Josh Walrus]

look Alex Trebek, dont get into the science of it... i said im better with AK sights and Testticool agreed

you said you have an ass poor natural shot so why should i take this kind jazz from you

and according to you, it takes *skill* to operate ak sights, and im a very skillfull person... with ak sights... of course

on www.airsoftgear.com under something or another there is a statistic that sais the military concluded that reddots gave soldiers 34% more accurate shots than iron sights, so just get a red dot

[Kung Fu]

Pissing matches are funny...hehehehe ;D

[Josh Walrus]

i dont see how I insulted you, but id love to engage in mortal kombat with you CP

hope to see you at one of the upcoming games so you can hold true to your "one mag" jive, and see if you can beat me

bring it on, ive got sunglasses

"I can ride my bike real fast... its red."
(and yes i ride it in the woods whilst acquiring targets and shooting one handed with an M24)

on a side note... where the hell did you find a 5k round mag?

and a 5k mag!?

ive got a broken usp valued at over $5, it doesnt even shoot so its almost like i have unlimited ammo....

or none

but really id like to play you sometime, ive got an m4, an mp5 a3, and a 525fps m24

so dont think i just have spring pistols or something

[xaos]

Boanerge said:

look Alex Trebek, dont get into the science of it... i said im better with AK sights and Testticool agreed

Considering the fact that this is a thread about sights, I think the science of it is very valid. The only reason you've stated for liking AK sights better is field of vision, which, as I've already stated, is not an issue if you're using a red-dot properly.

but really id like to play you sometime, ive got an m4, an mp5 a3, and a 525fps m24

so dont think i just have spring pistols or something

Wow, you've got, like, a full armory. I'm impressed. It's a darn shame you weren't blessed with some brains to go along with your big mouth.

[Zorak]

Just to clarify: When I said I was a poor natural shot, I meant that I can't shoot for damn without sights. Some people can just sort of point their gun toward the target, raise the muzzle to get the trajectory they need, and shoot people. Me, I need sights.

I will cheerfully ignore all challenges made, since shooting me any number of times would prove more about me being old, chubby, and slow than it would prove anything about the suitability of any particular type of sight.

[Motown]

One has to understand that there IS a difference between a Red Dot sight and a Red Dot Scope. One with no magnification, the other with fixed or variable. Understanding such difference between a "sight" and "(tele)scope" will much improve your adeptness about purchasing and properly using either (since they're different dagnabbit)

Since the majority of every engagement in an airsoft enviroment is done within ranges of 50 yards or less (more than likely, 25 yards or less or Close Quarters) many scopes, for the purpose of magnifying images over long ranges, are severely limited, if not utterly worthless. The same can be held true for every improved sight (red dot/holo sights/etc) that people choose to mount upon their replicas.

Shooting handguns and shotguns at ranges of 25 yards or less, is barely different than shooting long guns (besides the obvious size and caliber difference) that is, using the technique of looking at your target and "shooting" (point and shoot/snap shooting). If one were to compare the use of real "close quarter" weapons (shotguns and handguns) for ranges of 25 yards or less and their respective sighting systems perhaps than one can draw the paralell to that of the airsoft world. Within ranges of 25 yards or less, iron sights, or any sight for that matter, will not necessarily help you shoot more accurately (as they will not in airsoft)

Shooting is merely the use of your given hand eye coordination, wether you are looking through a sight, or just pointing and shooting. If you cannot develop such talent to accurately shoot, any improved sight will not help. First understand how to use your (replica) weapon accurately by understanding and practicing the basics of stance, shouldering, aiming etc. Once you are able to, shooting while moving, target acquisition, and any other need you feel that a red dot sight will magically bequeath upon you, can be done just as well, if not better, without one.

Use improved sights and scopes for their actual use, to heighten and bolster your competency in accurate shooting.