Post by malewithatail on Aug 6, 2023 13:22:35 GMT 10
My experience with green dot sights.
I went to the local gun shop to buy another red dot sight to outfit another rifle with one, and ended up buying a package deal of the red dot, and a powerful LED torch, the combined mount to mount on top of the scope, a couple of extender cables to allow for remote switching of the optics from the stock, all packaged in a nice box, with battery's.
I spent an afternoon setting up the mount and fitting the gear to it, led torch on the right, red dot on the left above the scope. I fitted the battery's and switched on the led torch. Yup, no false advertising here, it was bright, and had an adjustable focus ring to allow for wide angle or narrow angle light.
Then I switched on the red dot, only it wasn't red, but green......what the ? Ive never seen a green dot before.
I immediately took the setup outdoors to test it out, sighting in could wait, I was more interested in this green dot sight.
The first thing I noticed was how well focused and clear the dot was, even up to 100 meters, it still showed clearly to the naked eye, and through the scope up to 500 meters, the front gate away, in the late afternoon sun.
I got out another rifle that was fitted with a red dot sight, and compared them. There was no doubt, the green dot was better focused, so I tried adjusting the red dot focus, but it was already optimal. Thinking it may have a fault, I took out another rifle with a red dot sight, this time, a homemade one of 5 mw. Once again, the focus was optimal, but it just wasn't as clear as the green dot.
Doing a bit of research indicates that about 30 % of the population, and more males than females, suffer from astigmatism, or poor focus, and it appears to affect the red end of the spectrum more than the green end. It also affects your more as you get older.
Astigmatism. (From the net).
In Astigmatism, the cornea or lens of your eye has an imperfection that results in blurry vision and distorted light reception due to an error in refractive.
Astigmatism is not a permanent disorder, as corrective surgery or specialized glasses can help repair or minimize its effects.
However, a green dot sight can be a simple and surgery-free option for gun owners to minimize the effects of astigmatism in their life.
The light waves from a green dot sight will not flood your eye’s cones like those from a red dot, and as such will distort significantly less than a red dot sight.
However, minimizing the effects of astigmatism is not the only visual bonus that green dot sights offer over their red counterparts.
A green dot sight in good condition has a higher average brightness than a red dot sight in a similar state.
Due to the wavelength of the color green, green dot sights can get far brighter with less effort than their red counterparts. As humans, our eyes will also notice green easier than red, making it seem even more luminous than it is.
This brighter level of light means that green dot sights have a far better level of visibility than red dot sights.
If you’re frequently shooting in bright areas, such as a desert or a well-lit room, a green dot sight may be the easiest sight for you to see.
There’s no arguing that green is easier for humans to see than red. However, this increased level of visibility has another massive benefit you might not know about.
The human eye notices green far easier than red and finds it more relaxing to focus. As such, a green dot sight will provide far less eye strain than a red dot sight.
So, what do I think of it ? I still like the red dot, even though due to my astigmatism its not well focused, green just doesn't seem right. Would I change it out for a red dot ? No, a green dot has its place. Ask me in 6 months time after I've used it a bit more.
There are other color options besides green and red; Holosun has their “gold” reticle that is designed for color-blind shooters and has other advantages, while UTG has a line of optics with 36 different color options all across the visible spectrum. Red and green are the workhorses and will be best for most situations, but there is always a place for other colors as well.
I went to the local gun shop to buy another red dot sight to outfit another rifle with one, and ended up buying a package deal of the red dot, and a powerful LED torch, the combined mount to mount on top of the scope, a couple of extender cables to allow for remote switching of the optics from the stock, all packaged in a nice box, with battery's.
I spent an afternoon setting up the mount and fitting the gear to it, led torch on the right, red dot on the left above the scope. I fitted the battery's and switched on the led torch. Yup, no false advertising here, it was bright, and had an adjustable focus ring to allow for wide angle or narrow angle light.
Then I switched on the red dot, only it wasn't red, but green......what the ? Ive never seen a green dot before.
I immediately took the setup outdoors to test it out, sighting in could wait, I was more interested in this green dot sight.
The first thing I noticed was how well focused and clear the dot was, even up to 100 meters, it still showed clearly to the naked eye, and through the scope up to 500 meters, the front gate away, in the late afternoon sun.
I got out another rifle that was fitted with a red dot sight, and compared them. There was no doubt, the green dot was better focused, so I tried adjusting the red dot focus, but it was already optimal. Thinking it may have a fault, I took out another rifle with a red dot sight, this time, a homemade one of 5 mw. Once again, the focus was optimal, but it just wasn't as clear as the green dot.
Doing a bit of research indicates that about 30 % of the population, and more males than females, suffer from astigmatism, or poor focus, and it appears to affect the red end of the spectrum more than the green end. It also affects your more as you get older.
Astigmatism. (From the net).
In Astigmatism, the cornea or lens of your eye has an imperfection that results in blurry vision and distorted light reception due to an error in refractive.
Astigmatism is not a permanent disorder, as corrective surgery or specialized glasses can help repair or minimize its effects.
However, a green dot sight can be a simple and surgery-free option for gun owners to minimize the effects of astigmatism in their life.
The light waves from a green dot sight will not flood your eye’s cones like those from a red dot, and as such will distort significantly less than a red dot sight.
However, minimizing the effects of astigmatism is not the only visual bonus that green dot sights offer over their red counterparts.
A green dot sight in good condition has a higher average brightness than a red dot sight in a similar state.
Due to the wavelength of the color green, green dot sights can get far brighter with less effort than their red counterparts. As humans, our eyes will also notice green easier than red, making it seem even more luminous than it is.
This brighter level of light means that green dot sights have a far better level of visibility than red dot sights.
If you’re frequently shooting in bright areas, such as a desert or a well-lit room, a green dot sight may be the easiest sight for you to see.
There’s no arguing that green is easier for humans to see than red. However, this increased level of visibility has another massive benefit you might not know about.
The human eye notices green far easier than red and finds it more relaxing to focus. As such, a green dot sight will provide far less eye strain than a red dot sight.
So, what do I think of it ? I still like the red dot, even though due to my astigmatism its not well focused, green just doesn't seem right. Would I change it out for a red dot ? No, a green dot has its place. Ask me in 6 months time after I've used it a bit more.
There are other color options besides green and red; Holosun has their “gold” reticle that is designed for color-blind shooters and has other advantages, while UTG has a line of optics with 36 different color options all across the visible spectrum. Red and green are the workhorses and will be best for most situations, but there is always a place for other colors as well.
