FAQ's - Red Dot Information

Red Dots have an internal LED source that reflects the light off of a lens onto a coated piece of glass. The LED light does not project farther than the body of the Red Dot.

The typical configuration for a red dot sight is a tilted spherical mirror reflector with a red light-emitting diode (LED) at its off axis focus. The mirror has a partially silvered multilayer dielectric coating designed to reflect just the red spectrum allowing it to pass through most other light. The red LED used can be a deep red 670 wavelength since it is very bright, high contrast against a green scene, and works well with a dichroic coating. A blue LED is good for night use and green is good for bright daytime use. The size of the dot generated by the LED is controlled by an aperture hole in front of it made from metal or coated glass The LED as a reticle is an innovation that greatly improves the reliability and general usefulness of the sight. There is no need for other optical elements to focus light behind a reticle. And the LED itself is solid state and consumes very little power, allowing battery powered sights to run for hundreds and even tens of thousands of hours. Using a "dot" shaped reticle also greatly simplifies the sight since the small diameter image does not require a sophisticated optical reflector to focus it. More complex reticle patterns such as cross hairs or concentric circles can be used but need more complex aberration free optics.

Red LEDs were the first on the market. Green, Blue and other colors came much later. These sights

Because typically Red Dots do not have magnification, Red Dots can be placed at any distance from the shooter's eye, where it is convenient.

We do carry a Red Dot with a removable 2 X magnifier that has good eye relief.

TheOpticsPlace.com has a large variety of affordable mounts. If you cannot find the correct mount or have questions, Contact Us.

Any of our electronic products carry a one year warranty through TheOpticsPlace.com. There may be additional warranties from the manufacturer.

The first number is the power. A 1 X Red dot has no magnification. The purpose of a 1 X red dot is to give you an easier sight picture. No need to line up your sights. The second number, 30, stands for 30 mm, the size of the objective (the end facing the target). A larger objective is easier to use, and may allow for co-witnessing with your iron sights.

2 X 42 - This is a 2 (two) power red dot. Images will be twice the size looking through the sight compared to the naked eye. This sight has a 42 mm objective.

Turrets are used to adjust the bullet's point of impact down range. Most turrents on red dots are covered by caps. All sights placed on rifles or hand guns must be zeroed for that particular platform.

Red Dot sights are usually zeroed for 100 yds. You can check this by moving your eye off center - look for an image shift at different distances. Reflex Sights have a LED that shines directly on a curved surface. Reflex sights are usually zeroed at 40 yards and are meant for close quarters (CQB), no more than about 80 yards.

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