^ This used to be my thinking -and it was also the way I taught my daughter- but several top-tier trainers have now demonstrated that it's possible to use the dot to "back-teach" proper sight-alignment/sight-picture, too.
Similarly, more recently, various top-tier shooters (we're talking Grand Master-level, here) have cited that they'd rather have a "dot" as a backup sight versus irons due to speed alone.
As a result, I've started thinking that neither is really a crutch for the other: but rather, that good fundamentals can be established by using either, and that as a "complete" shooter, one should master both - the order of which doesn't really matter.
But that's just my personal take, just my two-cents that, on the order of things, really isn't worth a lot!
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RE: the RDS -
RE: (1) "dot in window, OK to shoot" / "parallax free" -
I did a deep-dive into this back in the latter half of December -
https://www.thearmorylife.com/forum/threads/optics-on-ar.10157/page-2#post-134309
The Green Eye Tactical white-paper is worth reading for those who are really interested, but even just viewing the linked YouTube video from them will demonstrate the fallacy of thinking that even "top tier" modern RDS are "parallax free."
To an extent, they are. "Dot in window/on-target = shoot" does work,
mostly. However, if you're zeroing or taking a truly critical shot, you absolutely MUST take enough time/effort to properly center the dot and your eye along the barrel axis -as you would any other aiming device- as that is the only way to insure that the POA/POI relationship is correct (within context of the sights, that is).
Also cited there is Doc Spears' video on the Surefire YouTube Channel, which points out the same in a more condensed and digestible format.
The idea behind the dot is that it's -FAST-. With both-eyes-open, target-focused shooting, the sheer speed at which we can use the unmagnified dot on high-percentage targets is simply undeniable and absolutely quantifiable.
However, this is absolutely in-relation to the difficulty of the target metric. When the distance starts to stretch and/or the target gets smaller, more effort to properly align/center the dot should be made.
RE: (2) using irons to zero the dot (or vice versa) -
As
@Bassbob noted, this
absolutely needs to be done separately. If your irons and dot end up right on top of each other, that's just a bonus. In-reality, realize that because of the way we see (visually) -particularly with the handgun context- and how we cheek long-guns that these two zeros may not actually match precisely, and can actually vary grossly.
Mark Smith of JBS Training Group notes that some 90% (no, not a typo) of students that come through his rather demanding courses actually show up with the BUIS
RE: (3) handgun RDS zero -
For handgun, just like the irons, the typical RDS zero is also 25 yards.
With the explosion in popularity of pistol-mounted red-dot sights, deciding what distance at which to zero has become a pressing issue.
www.shootingillustrated.com
In addition to the simple geometry, one should realize that a "zero" at closer distances brings with it the possibility of "false goodness" in that even the slightest deviation from perfection will "blow-out" to something bigger, further downrange. For example, in order to shoot to a ~3-inch group at 25 yards, you'll need to have an all-rounds-touching group of approx. 3/4" at the 7 yard line.
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RE: the laser boresighter -
Not familiar with any saint ARs.
www.thearmorylife.com
^ As
@Bear007 noted, a more rigorous practice of bore-sighting can bring out better results, and the military practices that I cited in that post is a mirror of the rather simplified -but very practical- method that he uses, which actually is what I do, too.
The problem with the bore-adapter ones like the one that
@TEXASforLIFE pictured above - which is also similar to what I use - is that a lot depends on just how well the adapter fits to the device as well as how the device sits in the muzzle. The methodology that
@Bear007 utilizes allows us to somewhat take these errors and aberrations into account, making for a more acceptable final "zero."
I will absolutely admit to the fact that I only laser-boresight in a rather lazy manner
, but I typically only use it to insure that I'm "on paper" before I go out to the range.
