My dad struggled with scopes when he had to use trifocal glasses. He's now 80 and uses red dots on everything! Last year he got a doe that was just over 200 yards away.
We have a guy about 80 here with a Sporterizrd Lee-Enfield .303 British with a Red Dot and he runs that thing like a levergun. Sorry if that double offends the purists.
Remington 40X .222 Remington Weaver T36 (36x40) = 1.6" at 300 yards. Leupold M8 Compact 2.5x20 = 2.75" at 300 yards. The record for 1000 yard bulls (36") with an aperture sight on an 1903 Springfiled Rifle stands at 71 straight. Magnification is over-rated.
The Fin’s make some of the best guns in the world for hunting! My Sako’s and Tikka’s are my favorite rifles and I have hunted with just about any brand out there be a 60+ rifle collector and owning many custom rifles as well. My husqvarna are my favorite mausers to hunt with as well!
A red dot is a great choice for lever guns as well. Lever guns are very often used as close range, thick brush guns making the red dot a great choice on these guns.
I live in SE North Carolina where I'm usually hunting pretty thick pine forests and swampy areas with the occasional field edge, but never really with shot opportunities more than 100 yards. This is making me re-think my 3-10 I've been using!
Your going to like it. I'm in the same area and bought several styles of the cheap knock offs until I decided on the style I wanted. You can by the cheappies for as little as $30 and they are fine range toys. Then you can figure what you want to be the better brand for hunting.
About a year ago I came across a guy on TH-cam that showed his elk pistol setup. He was shooting a 12.5" 6.5 Grendel with a red dot for deep woods elk inside 150yds. In addition to the speed of acquisition with the red dot, he said that the setup allowed him to cheek weld the buffer tube and shoot very stable in a wide variety of field positions like he could never do with a long bolt gun. The other thing I thought was cool was that he could slip the buffer tube into a loop on his backpack belt and then he just had a tether at the shoulder that he'd slip over the muzzle. It was a much cleaner setup than any carry method I've found for my rifle.
I bought a vortex crossfire red dot last week and mounted it on a .308 bolt action rifle and zeroed at 25 yards this weekend i shot my first boar at 50 yards. Red dot on the vitals and pulled the trigger and job done. i am from belgium and here it is very common to use a red dot.
I use a red dot on my kombination gun, 12/6.5x55. perfect lightweight combo. I use it mostly for driven hunts where roe deer, hogs and hares are on the menu. 👍
Have dots on my 44mag lever and 45-70 guide gun. Love both! Peep sights do a similar function and I have those on two Winchesters. All great in the thick Maine brush.
Would be neat to hear a 10 minute talk about all the different kinds of iron sights...i know y'all are an optics company but would be neat to hear y'all talk about blade and leaf sights, skinner sights, and my favorite express sights!
@@45-70Guy glad to hear someone else still likes using irons! I think they should be on any rifle that you travel with or have a risk of deadly game just as a level of security in case something happens to a main optic.
@@kbowen2251I’m not as old as some, still young to the game, but I’ve used irons for the majority of my hunting which I never felt disadvantaged, peep sights mostly. I did just start In the last year or two messing with scopes low power fixed and have had good success but I really enjoy the simplicity, lightweight, and ease of knowing its zeroed with my loads no matter what unless something was legit broken off.
@@45-70Guy i think we are on exactly that same boat. I'm definitely young compared to a lot of the people i listen to but enjoy the irons. Shoot they were all i had on my bb gun when i was a little kid. I have been debating getting an lpvo on qd rings just so i can reach out further if i need to. You are right though... Unless something is obviously broken most guns will shoot like a laser until you can't place the irons on target anymore.
I think they’d be open to doing this. Just because you’re using iron sights on a firearm, which are actually required under certain hunts (e.g., iron sight muzzleloader seasons), doesn’t mean you aren’t using other optics like binos and rangefinders
Not a bolt gun guy but picked up a Ruger American Gen 2 Ranch 556, just for fun. And a Sig 2 MOA red dot, just for fun. I'm a both eyes open, iron sights, offhand, target on the move kind of guy since a kid. It'll be fun seeing what this combo can do out in the desert. Thanks, nice vid!
I have an astigmatism so red dots aren't dots for me. I use a prism in any situation that someone would want to use a red dot. For heavy woods/Southern Michigan hunting I would have no problem at all hunting with the prism optics on a bolt action, or my lever guns. Would also use one on my Ruger no1 450 bushmaster if I could come up with a way to mount one to the quarter rail.
I got a primary arms red dot on my ruger American ranch 7.62x39. Here in Wisconsin rarely get a shot past 150 . So it is amazingly handy and light weight white tail killing machine.
I have a reflex sight on my savage rascal for small game and I have a vortex red dot on my bolt deer gun. In my neck of the woods in PA 200 yards is really pushing your line of sight and that distance is in a field. In the woods you're shooting about 50 to 75 yards.
You guys comprehensively covered all the reasons I have used to dissuade myself from getting a red dot for my deer rifle. In the end i like not having to carry a monocular for looking at distant objects, im afrair of missing out on a good deer because of a hard shot opportunity and Im too good at hitting running deer in the woods on 3 power with a 3-9 scope.
On my 30-06 I mounted a burris fastfire on top of my 3x9 scope for Wisconsin deer drives. I get the quick response of the red dot for drives and the scope for whem I'm posting on fields where shots can have some distance. It's not my favorite set up, but really helps for the varied situations that come with deer drives.
I had a Burris 2moa SpeedDot on my Ruger Ultralight .308 bolt rifle about 20 years ago and the idea was quick target acquisition with a reasonably flat shooting caliber so I could shoot to 200 yards.
Love that Ryan made it to Huntstock, the tracking has seen to be taking off but is a great way to hunt. Very exciting and adventurous. 760 Remingtons and lever guns are a huge staple in that world. Great video guys
Up here in Ontario, Canada we run chases (drives) for white tails. More and more guys are getting on the red dot wagon. 60+% of the guys are using them and the users all range in age. Fantastic solution to the traditional iron sights.
Red Dots are like the iron sights of today, with most hunting rifles being built on the premise that an optic will be used they are a great alternative utilizing the same style mounting.
Great commentary. I've used a red-dot on my rifle for number of years hunting in the northeast and they are indeed the best sight option that I am aware of. Based on my experience there are two additional benefits of the red dot that you did not touch on. First of all they are nearly impervious to getting clogged with snow or other debris due to their minimal overhang between the glass and the edge of scope on both the front and back. The second benefit is ease of carry. You mentioned that they are light (and they are) however they are also small. Mounted on a 7600 the site does not interfere with the ability to wrap your hand round the gun when carrying. Here in the northeast we carry our guns for miles in a day so how a rifle carries matters a great deal. I would love to see Vortex offer an 3-4 MOA dot on units as the 2MOA is on the small side for hunting the Northeast. It's ok in low light but when it's bright and especially when there is snow a 2MOA dot can be hard to pick up as quickly as a slightly larger dot.
I have a red dot temporarily mounted on my new RARR in 300 BLK. I like the light weight and compactness of the red dot on the short rifle. I need to shoot more at longer distances to see if I can stay with the red dot or need to move to a scope. I didn’t use the magnification or focus much on recticle on the last buck I shot at 80 yards a couple of weeks ago. Most of my hunting distances are at less than 100 yards.
My problem isn't making hits, it's making positive identification. In the driven hunt scenario you're talking about where a deer comes running and jumping by so quickly that you need a red dot for speed, how confident are you with your naked eye that your doe doesn't have tiny spikes?
For close in driven hunts or eastern whitetail hunting I think it’s definitely a good idea. I could use one for shooting deer on my property in Texas, but we have antler restrictions so I use about 5-6x magnification in my scope to do a final check on the legality of the buck.
19:29 Parallax free red dot, Sounds perfect for me for what I'm putting together. Recommendation on a budget, for a first Tikka T3x red dot? Region, British Columbia Okanagan and Kootenays. BC mountains and forests. Deer, maybe elk, maybe black Bear.
I use a red dot on my 6.5x55 Swedish M/96 with the original length 29 inch barrel but a hunting stock (what a dichotomy...) on roe deer 120 yards and in. Works perfectly!
Ryan, its Brad Willey with Big Woods Bucks (spoke with you about the 7600 in 35 Whelen in MA at Hunstock - 2024). All I use is dots. In fact, my Whelen has a dot on it. Been using it for years and won't go back while tracking in the Northeast! Great podcast gents!🤙🦌
@@brianolson3010 absolutely love my Henry. Best rifle I’ve owned over the years, taken several deer and coyotes with it the last couple of years. Debating on putting the Vortex Crossfire red dot or a Skinner peep sight. Have the 20 gauge shotgun as well.
Was thinking about this in your EXACT example. 760 for deer in Pennsylvania woods. Ended up buying an illuminated 3-9 but now I'm wondering if I should pull the trigger and do the red dot.
You guys are hitting the nail on the head with this one. I hope more hunters should embrace the red dot. Heck, I’ve got one on my duck gun because I used the gun for my first turkey hunt and just never bothered to take the sight off. Used it on one duck hunt and realized there was no reason that I should ever take it off. All you really need is some good binoculars to confirm the animal is legal to take and you should be fine with a Reddit out to 200 with a whole slew of calibers and a proper zero. I put a red dot on my dangerous game rifle in 458 Lott when I went to Africa. I didn’t want to put that gun down to use a scoped rifle to save my life. I only shot one thing with the scoped gun and it was a klipspringer. The shot that really cemented it for me was on a zebra. The herd wasn’t more than 75 yards from me and we selected one that I liked to take. When I fired the shot I was able to keep my eyes on the zebra I had fired at when the whole herd started to scatter. I saw that my zebra was also taking off so I rant the bolt without lowering the rifle and fire a second shot into the same zebra. However, when I fired the second shot two things happened: one, the zebra went down and stayed down; and two my PH about lost his mind. He thought I was crazy and had shot two zebras because he thought there was no way I could keep my eyes on the zebra I shot with the first shot. Even though I told him I was sure of what I had done, he was talking about how we were gonna lose the whole day to track a second wounded zebra. When we got to the downed zebra it conveniently had two entrance wounds from where I had shot it twice. The first shot had only pierced the lungs but the second went through the heart. The PH couldn’t believe it. I was just happy I had insisted on continually using the big gun on animals that it wasn’t needed for because of how handy the red dot was for that type of hunting. I just wish there were more manufacturers making mounts for bolt guns that put the red dot forward and as low as possible. As an additional bonus on bolt guns when you mount the sight on the front of the receiver is that the action is unobstructed for reloading guns with fixed magazines. Seems like a real handy feature on a dangerous game rifle and would probably be nice on a driven pig hunt if you want to show off to your friends that think a semiauto is the only gun to use on hunts like that. It takes some practice but you can get pretty quick with cycling a bolt gun.
Can anyone explain the picture of Jason Alexander? It moves around, sometimes it's on Ryan's side, some times on Mark & Jimmy's side... I've been wondering about this for a while.
I have a red dot on a 300blk bolt gun because it’s light and quiet, but if I know I’m gonna be able to shoot 150 or beyond I want a higher magnification scope for a few reasons, 1: if I’m shooting deer I want to be able to count their points so I can decide to shoot or wait on a bigger deer, 2: when I shoot a deer I want the most precise shot for an quick ethical kill and I’m not saying a red dot can’t be precise but if is like 250 yards with a scope I am certain that bullet is going where I want it and there’s no room for things to go wrong, 3: light transfer through the optic is really important at daybreak or dusk and with a good scope I can see better in low light than with my eyes and I always am finding red dots have a dimmer image than my naked eye I low light
I purchased a red dot and magnifier specifically for my 350 Legend bolt rifle. For a rifle I don't plan to use past 150 yards, this seems like a logical choice.
Great idea! For the last few years, I’ve hunted with a Marlin .30-30 with a 1-4 optic. I always thought a red dot/magnifier setup would work great if I could get the 3x mounted low enough.
Electronic dot sight on my Marlin SBL 44MAG. The Ruger scout and Marlin 1895 are set up bI th with LPVO in QD mount and QD dot sight so i can choose between them.
I shoot long range with my 300wm and @ 1350 yards my scope is only around 7-10x magnification. You really don’t need much to aim long range. The only good thing about magnification is target identification at distance. But for actual target engagement you typically run 1/2 the magnification
I'd like to put red dots on my bolt guns without irons. Maybe you could do a program on the mounting of dots on bolts. I have a vanguard 7mag with an 18inch barrel my first potential dot mount. Is a picatinney rail mount the only option ?
I hunt with a red dot! On my small game setup, I have a reflex sight. When I am hunting squirrel and rabbit with a 22 caliber break-barrel air rifles, I like to have quick target acquisition. I just recently bought a Vortex Spitfire Prism Sight 1x DRT for my 10mm carbine for deer!
I mounted one on my double .350 eight years ago to get barrels regulated,its still on it.I use it bush hunting red and fallow,also pigs here in New Zealand.Recently put another red dot on a bolt gun for the same hunting.I am in late 60s and my eyes arn't as good as they were.The smaller the unit the better I think,less likely to snag in thick bush.Great show guys.
I have been running a Strike Eagle 1-6x24 on my 760 for a while now, living in Utah I'm not sure if I'm ready to get rid of my LPVO for a dot quite yet. Maybe if I can borrow one and try it out.
I have had a dot on, and hunted with my SKS since about 2003, I’ve also worn Speedos since about 2010. Since I seem to be a hipster, I will go ahead and hunt in a speedo, with a red dot this year!
I just bought a cva scout td in 350 Legend im thinking of putting a red dot on for a brush rifle for jumping deer. And short range rainy day work. Nice video!
I was going to put a holoson 510 on my new Mossberg 835 combo, not the turkey barrel but definitely on the cantilever rifled deer barrel. Your thoughts?
No talk of peep sights?? I've thought about a red dot but already have a peep on my 7600. Ryan, thoughts? Would a red dot be worth the switch over a peep?
I’m glad y’all added the bit after the 20min mark. All I can think about is the dilemma of identifying with confidence the moving target when the gun is already up. We have goofy buck restrictions in MS and shooting a marginal (legal) buck would often be impossible without a little magnification. A doe hunt makes more sense, but nubby bucks/spikes could be a day ruined.
Great Vlog! Bought a Crossfire Red Dot to use as a backup sight for my rifles with Picatiny Scope Mounts. Small, light and takes little space in your pack. Will it stand up to a 416 Taylor Cartridge? Can you get a large hand knob like a Weaver Mount so you don’t need a wrench to mount it?
I'm running a Holosun 507c on a low rail mount adapter on a Mossberg MVP Scout. It's zeroed at 50 yards, and can quickly acquire targets out to 150, probably farther with some patience. It adds almost no weight. I really like it.
I run a Sig Romeo MSR on my Ruger Gen II 5.56 and a Sig Romeo MSRII on my Ruger Gen II in .308 Irons are awesome and red dots are just SO helpful. Its awesome when you can see your impact through your red red dot optic and you can cycle + follow up quickly. Its excellent. Id highly suggest a red dot on a rifle unless youre wanting to shoot way beyond your visual range.
When I turned 18 or 19 i bought myself a left handed Remington 700 SPS chambered in 270 Winchester and I put a Vortex Crossfire II red dot on it. It retains the light weight characteristics and I was able to drill the bullseye of a 12 inch target at 100 yards. I was honestly shocked but now i dont think Ill switch to anything else unless I get an LPVO.
Shot my best whitetail buck with a T/C Encore Katadin 460S&W with an Aimpoint 9000SC. It was absolute last usable light and I don’t know if I would’ve gotten him with a traditional scope.
I just sighted in a old JM stamped Marlin 30-30 with a Sparc II and a Ruger American .450BM with a Crossfire red dot. Both are ready for Pennsylvania bear season starting Saturday. I use a printed target with a 3 MOA bullseye. Having that aiming point 1 MOA larger then the red dot allows for a consistent hold. Ruger printed 1.32 MOA group and the Marlin printed 1.87 MOA group.
You can do it but the mounting is where it becomes tough as you have to be within the eye relief range (2.6"). The subtensions are a whole other beast as well. We do have a Crossbow scope that might be better suited for that application, as you can tune the magnification to your bolt speed and all of the holdovers would be true for the indicated distances.
Big fan of the pod cast and watch the TH-cam channel almost daily. I appreciate the show very much. Watching this episode has sparked further interest of a scout type rifle for white hunting in North East Nebraska. My thought is a 30-30 or 45-70 in a 21 century styling as a Marlin dark series lever gun was debating on optics, but after watching this I am almost dead set on a red dot optic would be a grand choice for my river bottom hunts. What is the opinion of the vortex crew. Thank you for the content is very appreciated.
Savage Impulse would be great. I have a Savage 110 Hog Hunter, with a Vortex Crossfire Hog Hunter 3-9 IR. The rifle comes with iron sights. I think I might mount my Vortex Viper on it. Put the iron back on and use that. Thoughts?
I remember reading a story by Jack O'Connor where he said he had a 2 and a half Power Scope with a 3-minute dot in it and he done his best shooting with that
I don't have Vortex red dots, however I have a Mauser M12 Expert (30-06) with an Aimpoint 9000L (2MOA) and a Blaser R8 Success timber and have an Aimpoint H2 Micro (2MOA) on my 9.3x62 barrel. Exceptional! Cheers from Australia. P.s. Ryan thanks for the help with my Vortex spotting scope issue.
Use whatever works for you. Don't let others opinions sway you. I'm using a Vortex 1-8x LPVO on my Weatherby Vanguard. Etched lighted reticle, near true 1x and enough magnification to easily take a 300 yds shot. I wouldn't use a red dot cause they kinda suck in low light and depending on your eyes, they can bloom out at bad times.
Question: I haven’t seen any lvpo’s with a parallax adjustment. But some have notches in the reticle for distances of 4 to sometimes 6 hundred yards at what distance is parallax necessary? Or is it assumed because of the lower magnification that the optic will be used for a larger target? Thanks.
As far as my understanding of optics goes, the parallax adjustment is never actually "needed", it simply allows ones head position to be imperfect and still be fine. If one perfectly centers their eye behind the scope every time theyre fine, parallax just allows you to not be perfectly centred and still not distort the POA/POI.
My dad struggled with scopes when he had to use trifocal glasses. He's now 80 and uses red dots on everything! Last year he got a doe that was just over 200 yards away.
Very impressive
That is a prime example of a good shooter not needing excessive magnification to make a shot.
We have a guy about 80 here with a Sporterizrd Lee-Enfield .303 British with a Red Dot and he runs that thing like a levergun.
Sorry if that double offends the purists.
Remington 40X .222 Remington
Weaver T36 (36x40) = 1.6" at 300 yards.
Leupold M8 Compact 2.5x20 = 2.75" at 300 yards.
The record for 1000 yard bulls (36") with an aperture sight on an 1903 Springfiled Rifle stands at 71 straight.
Magnification is over-rated.
I only shoot lever action so I approve this message@@gk5891
I shot a 10 point bull moose with a Tikka T3X with a Vortex Crossfire red dot last month , so i'd say it's effective.
Greetings from Finland
What range did you get him at?
@@TheIamfrustrated80 or so meters, slow walk
What cartridge did you use?
@@Honkers716 308 win, 168gr barnes ttsx handloads
The Fin’s make some of the best guns in the world for hunting! My Sako’s and Tikka’s are my favorite rifles and I have hunted with just about any brand out there be a 60+ rifle collector and owning many custom rifles as well. My husqvarna are my favorite mausers to hunt with as well!
A red dot is a great choice for lever guns as well. Lever guns are very often used as close range, thick brush guns making the red dot a great choice on these guns.
This is why I'm here lol
Lever revolution ammo and a burris fastfire on the model 94 totally changed the confidence and success with that gun.
I live in SE North Carolina where I'm usually hunting pretty thick pine forests and swampy areas with the occasional field edge, but never really with shot opportunities more than 100 yards. This is making me re-think my 3-10 I've been using!
LPVO and prism are in the mix too in that situation
Your going to like it. I'm in the same area and bought several styles of the cheap knock offs until I decided on the style I wanted. You can by the cheappies for as little as $30 and they are fine range toys. Then you can figure what you want to be the better brand for hunting.
About a year ago I came across a guy on TH-cam that showed his elk pistol setup. He was shooting a 12.5" 6.5 Grendel with a red dot for deep woods elk inside 150yds. In addition to the speed of acquisition with the red dot, he said that the setup allowed him to cheek weld the buffer tube and shoot very stable in a wide variety of field positions like he could never do with a long bolt gun. The other thing I thought was cool was that he could slip the buffer tube into a loop on his backpack belt and then he just had a tether at the shoulder that he'd slip over the muzzle. It was a much cleaner setup than any carry method I've found for my rifle.
I bought a vortex crossfire red dot last week and mounted it on a .308 bolt action rifle and zeroed at 25 yards this weekend i shot my first boar at 50 yards. Red dot on the vitals and pulled the trigger and job done.
i am from belgium and here it is very common to use a red dot.
Hoe bevalt de crossfire red dot? ik zit er ook aan te denken een te kopen. Alvast bedankt
I’d have no prob red dotting a lever gun. East Coast shots average 50 yards on deer. All other game average under 35.
Ive got a red dot on my Marlin 1895 for many of the reasons you guys say here. Good stuff Guys!
I have a 12GA turkey gun with the gen 1 SPARC on there. Mounted it like 10 years ago and never looked back.
Been using one on my Ruger GSR for years
I use a red dot on my kombination gun, 12/6.5x55. perfect lightweight combo. I use it mostly for driven hunts where roe deer, hogs and hares are on the menu. 👍
That sounds awesome who makes the gun?
@@MrNpc81 it's an old Husqvarna from the 90s, f.a.i.r. in Italy makes a similar today. 👍
Have dots on my 44mag lever and 45-70 guide gun. Love both! Peep sights do a similar function and I have those on two Winchesters. All great in the thick Maine brush.
Would be neat to hear a 10 minute talk about all the different kinds of iron sights...i know y'all are an optics company but would be neat to hear y'all talk about blade and leaf sights, skinner sights, and my favorite express sights!
Skinners have been my go to since they came out, but express sights are an absolute classic and effective setup. Fast,light, durable.
@@45-70Guy glad to hear someone else still likes using irons! I think they should be on any rifle that you travel with or have a risk of deadly game just as a level of security in case something happens to a main optic.
@@kbowen2251I’m not as old as some, still young to the game, but I’ve used irons for the majority of my hunting which I never felt disadvantaged, peep sights mostly.
I did just start In the last year or two messing with scopes low power fixed and have had good success but I really enjoy the simplicity, lightweight, and ease of knowing its zeroed with my loads no matter what unless something was legit broken off.
@@45-70Guy i think we are on exactly that same boat. I'm definitely young compared to a lot of the people i listen to but enjoy the irons. Shoot they were all i had on my bb gun when i was a little kid. I have been debating getting an lpvo on qd rings just so i can reach out further if i need to. You are right though... Unless something is obviously broken most guns will shoot like a laser until you can't place the irons on target anymore.
I think they’d be open to doing this. Just because you’re using iron sights on a firearm, which are actually required under certain hunts (e.g., iron sight muzzleloader seasons), doesn’t mean you aren’t using other optics like binos and rangefinders
"I don't want to look up a gnat's ass" 😂😂😂
Not a bolt gun guy but picked up a Ruger American Gen 2 Ranch 556, just for fun. And a Sig 2 MOA red dot, just for fun. I'm a both eyes open, iron sights, offhand, target on the move kind of guy since a kid. It'll be fun seeing what this combo can do out in the desert. Thanks, nice vid!
My exact set up! Bravo my brother. Hope youre having a great time!!!
I have an astigmatism so red dots aren't dots for me. I use a prism in any situation that someone would want to use a red dot. For heavy woods/Southern Michigan hunting I would have no problem at all hunting with the prism optics on a bolt action, or my lever guns. Would also use one on my Ruger no1 450 bushmaster if I could come up with a way to mount one to the quarter rail.
2MOA Red dot on my 416Rigby. Great eye relief. Immediate on target. 2 eyes open. Close action in the bush in Africa.
I got a primary arms red dot on my ruger American ranch 7.62x39. Here in Wisconsin rarely get a shot past 150 . So it is amazingly handy and light weight white tail killing machine.
What ammo?
@@WellDressedCaveman hornady sst
works great on old Remington pump action rifles. Model 760, 7600, etc. Perfect setup if you are the "designated driver".
I have a reflex sight on my savage rascal for small game and I have a vortex red dot on my bolt deer gun. In my neck of the woods in PA 200 yards is really pushing your line of sight and that distance is in a field. In the woods you're shooting about 50 to 75 yards.
You guys comprehensively covered all the reasons I have used to dissuade myself from getting a red dot for my deer rifle. In the end i like not having to carry a monocular for looking at distant objects, im afrair of missing out on a good deer because of a hard shot opportunity and Im too good at hitting running deer in the woods on 3 power with a 3-9 scope.
On my 30-06 I mounted a burris fastfire on top of my 3x9 scope for Wisconsin deer drives. I get the quick response of the red dot for drives and the scope for whem I'm posting on fields where shots can have some distance. It's not my favorite set up, but really helps for the varied situations that come with deer drives.
I had a Burris 2moa SpeedDot on my Ruger Ultralight .308 bolt rifle about 20 years ago and the idea was quick target acquisition with a reasonably flat shooting caliber so I could shoot to 200 yards.
I use my Burris fast fire on my 460 magnum performance center and its performs phenomenally
Love that Ryan made it to Huntstock, the tracking has seen to be taking off but is a great way to hunt. Very exciting and adventurous.
760 Remingtons and lever guns are a huge staple in that world. Great video guys
Up here in Ontario, Canada we run chases (drives) for white tails. More and more guys are getting on the red dot wagon. 60+% of the guys are using them and the users all range in age. Fantastic solution to the traditional iron sights.
awesome for a close cover hunting situation
Does the crossfire have a clearer dot than the sparc ar?
Red Dots are like the iron sights of today, with most hunting rifles being built on the premise that an optic will be used they are a great alternative utilizing the same style mounting.
Red dots on lever action is great
I have a Winchester XPR 350 legend with an Aimpoint reddot zeroed at 100 yrds. I set this up for public land hunting in Indiana. Love the set up
Great commentary. I've used a red-dot on my rifle for number of years hunting in the northeast and they are indeed the best sight option that I am aware of. Based on my experience there are two additional benefits of the red dot that you did not touch on. First of all they are nearly impervious to getting clogged with snow or other debris due to their minimal overhang between the glass and the edge of scope on both the front and back. The second benefit is ease of carry. You mentioned that they are light (and they are) however they are also small. Mounted on a 7600 the site does not interfere with the ability to wrap your hand round the gun when carrying. Here in the northeast we carry our guns for miles in a day so how a rifle carries matters a great deal. I would love to see Vortex offer an 3-4 MOA dot on units as the 2MOA is on the small side for hunting the Northeast. It's ok in low light but when it's bright and especially when there is snow a 2MOA dot can be hard to pick up as quickly as a slightly larger dot.
Hunt in the northeast and just got a red dot for these same reasons. Light gathering, easy to use and I can wrap my hand around my lever gun.
I have a red dot temporarily mounted on my new RARR in 300 BLK. I like the light weight and compactness of the red dot on the short rifle. I need to shoot more at longer distances to see if I can stay with the red dot or need to move to a scope. I didn’t use the magnification or focus much on recticle on the last buck I shot at 80 yards a couple of weeks ago. Most of my hunting distances are at less than 100 yards.
My problem isn't making hits, it's making positive identification. In the driven hunt scenario you're talking about where a deer comes running and jumping by so quickly that you need a red dot for speed, how confident are you with your naked eye that your doe doesn't have tiny spikes?
Turnbull makes some pretty slick red dot mounts for winchesters.
I’ve seen great here for the Australian scrub/bush especially for pigs - recommend finding some vids to check out
For close in driven hunts or eastern whitetail hunting I think it’s definitely a good idea. I could use one for shooting deer on my property in Texas, but we have antler restrictions so I use about 5-6x magnification in my scope to do a final check on the legality of the buck.
19:29
Parallax free red dot,
Sounds perfect for me for what I'm putting together.
Recommendation on a budget, for a first Tikka T3x red dot?
Region, British Columbia Okanagan and Kootenays.
BC mountains and forests.
Deer, maybe elk, maybe black Bear.
I use a red dot on my 6.5x55 Swedish M/96 with the original length 29 inch barrel but a hunting stock (what a dichotomy...) on roe deer 120 yards and in. Works perfectly!
I have been using a red dot on my Remington 7600 in 30-06 for over 20 years and in the 150 yrd and under environment that I hunt it works perfectly.
Ryan, its Brad Willey with Big Woods Bucks (spoke with you about the 7600 in 35 Whelen in MA at Hunstock - 2024). All I use is dots. In fact, my Whelen has a dot on it. Been using it for years and won't go back while tracking in the Northeast! Great podcast gents!🤙🦌
Good timing! I’m considering putting a red dot on my single shot Henry for deer hunting.
How do you like your Henry? I’ve been looking at them and the CVA Scouts, and I can’t really pick which one I like better.
@@brianolson3010 absolutely love my Henry. Best rifle I’ve owned over the years, taken several deer and coyotes with it the last couple of years. Debating on putting the Vortex Crossfire red dot or a Skinner peep sight. Have the 20 gauge shotgun as well.
I’ve got a Henry ss. Not shot it a ton yet but it’s such a beautiful gun and a handy size.
Was thinking about this in your EXACT example. 760 for deer in Pennsylvania woods. Ended up buying an illuminated 3-9 but now I'm wondering if I should pull the trigger and do the red dot.
You guys are hitting the nail on the head with this one. I hope more hunters should embrace the red dot. Heck, I’ve got one on my duck gun because I used the gun for my first turkey hunt and just never bothered to take the sight off. Used it on one duck hunt and realized there was no reason that I should ever take it off.
All you really need is some good binoculars to confirm the animal is legal to take and you should be fine with a Reddit out to 200 with a whole slew of calibers and a proper zero.
I put a red dot on my dangerous game rifle in 458 Lott when I went to Africa. I didn’t want to put that gun down to use a scoped rifle to save my life. I only shot one thing with the scoped gun and it was a klipspringer.
The shot that really cemented it for me was on a zebra. The herd wasn’t more than 75 yards from me and we selected one that I liked to take. When I fired the shot I was able to keep my eyes on the zebra I had fired at when the whole herd started to scatter. I saw that my zebra was also taking off so I rant the bolt without lowering the rifle and fire a second shot into the same zebra. However, when I fired the second shot two things happened: one, the zebra went down and stayed down; and two my PH about lost his mind. He thought I was crazy and had shot two zebras because he thought there was no way I could keep my eyes on the zebra I shot with the first shot. Even though I told him I was sure of what I had done, he was talking about how we were gonna lose the whole day to track a second wounded zebra. When we got to the downed zebra it conveniently had two entrance wounds from where I had shot it twice. The first shot had only pierced the lungs but the second went through the heart. The PH couldn’t believe it. I was just happy I had insisted on continually using the big gun on animals that it wasn’t needed for because of how handy the red dot was for that type of hunting.
I just wish there were more manufacturers making mounts for bolt guns that put the red dot forward and as low as possible. As an additional bonus on bolt guns when you mount the sight on the front of the receiver is that the action is unobstructed for reloading guns with fixed magazines. Seems like a real handy feature on a dangerous game rifle and would probably be nice on a driven pig hunt if you want to show off to your friends that think a semiauto is the only gun to use on hunts like that. It takes some practice but you can get pretty quick with cycling a bolt gun.
Which red dot for 9.3 husqvarna?
Got a Howa 1500 ranch rifle in 450BM with a Vortex Crossfire. Perfect fit for the gun and its capabilities.
Can anyone explain the picture of Jason Alexander? It moves around, sometimes it's on Ryan's side, some times on Mark & Jimmy's side... I've been wondering about this for a while.
Did you ever do a cast on your doe hunt
I have struggled with red dots. I have heard that people with astigmatism like me often have the same problem. If it is true, can it be resolved.
I have a red dot on a 300blk bolt gun because it’s light and quiet, but if I know I’m gonna be able to shoot 150 or beyond I want a higher magnification scope for a few reasons, 1: if I’m shooting deer I want to be able to count their points so I can decide to shoot or wait on a bigger deer, 2: when I shoot a deer I want the most precise shot for an quick ethical kill and I’m not saying a red dot can’t be precise but if is like 250 yards with a scope I am certain that bullet is going where I want it and there’s no room for things to go wrong, 3: light transfer through the optic is really important at daybreak or dusk and with a good scope I can see better in low light than with my eyes and I always am finding red dots have a dimmer image than my naked eye I low light
100% been considering one on top of my scope. With my hunting conditions out west, I really could use both.
Do red dots have magnification?
Why not an lpvo instead?
20:48
Yes please.
Very intriguing.
Best of both worlds?
1-4x red dot?
1-6 x?
I purchased a red dot and magnifier specifically for my 350 Legend bolt rifle. For a rifle I don't plan to use past 150 yards, this seems like a logical choice.
Great idea! For the last few years, I’ve hunted with a Marlin .30-30 with a 1-4 optic. I always thought a red dot/magnifier setup would work great if I could get the 3x mounted low enough.
Electronic dot sight on my Marlin SBL 44MAG. The Ruger scout and Marlin 1895 are set up bI th with LPVO in QD mount and QD dot sight so i can choose between them.
I put a red dot on a marlin 336 30-30 back in 1995 and never regretted it. Nothing better for close up deer hunting in the thickets.
I have to come back to this but the first 3 minutes is hilarious!
I shoot long range with my 300wm and @ 1350 yards my scope is only around 7-10x magnification. You really don’t need much to aim long range. The only good thing about magnification is target identification at distance. But for actual target engagement you typically run 1/2 the magnification
I'd like to put red dots on my bolt guns without irons. Maybe you could do a program on the mounting of dots on bolts. I have a vanguard 7mag with an 18inch barrel my first potential dot mount. Is a picatinney rail mount the only option ?
I hunt with a red dot! On my small game setup, I have a reflex sight. When I am hunting squirrel and rabbit with a 22 caliber break-barrel air rifles, I like to have quick target acquisition. I just recently bought a Vortex Spitfire Prism Sight 1x DRT for my 10mm carbine for deer!
Will the red dot hold up to the recoil of a 300 win mag?
I mounted one on my double .350 eight years ago to get barrels regulated,its still on it.I use it bush hunting red and fallow,also pigs here in New Zealand.Recently put another red dot on a bolt gun for the same hunting.I am in late 60s and my eyes arn't as good as they were.The smaller the unit the better I think,less likely to snag in thick bush.Great show guys.
I have been running a Strike Eagle 1-6x24 on my 760 for a while now, living in Utah I'm not sure if I'm ready to get rid of my LPVO for a dot quite yet. Maybe if I can borrow one and try it out.
I have had a dot on, and hunted with my SKS since about 2003, I’ve also worn Speedos since about 2010. Since I seem to be a hipster, I will go ahead and hunt in a speedo, with a red dot this year!
We still do drives in northern Wisco, long shots are usually 50 yards. I've tried dots, but personally a 1-4 lvpo with a firedot is far superior.
I just bought a cva scout td in 350 Legend im thinking of putting a red dot on for a brush rifle for jumping deer. And short range rainy day work. Nice video!
I have a red dot on my 12ga slug gun. Love the quick target acquisition ability for deer hunting.
WA state just passed red dot 1x for use with muzzle loaders this year, what do you recommend for a modern in line muzzle loader?
On your cartridge vs gel tests 28 nosler vs 7mm-08 has a 17.8 increase in velocity with. 140 grain but has a 103 percent more powder used
Great talk. Had to put one on my Lever Action Trapper. Still as handy as ever and now faster because I can see it.
I was going to put a holoson 510 on my new Mossberg 835 combo, not the turkey barrel but definitely on the cantilever rifled deer barrel. Your thoughts?
So with this thinking should crossbows have red dots. All shots within 50
No imo, significant drop on a crossbow compared to hunting caliber rifles.
I have a red dot on my 30 30 lever for hunting in the bush. Still hunting, 50 yards and in etc
A red dot on a Marlin 1895 SBL 45-70 makes heaps of sense.
On a Browning BLR in 308WIN… hmm… that is an intriguing thought!
No talk of peep sights?? I've thought about a red dot but already have a peep on my 7600. Ryan, thoughts? Would a red dot be worth the switch over a peep?
I’m glad y’all added the bit after the 20min mark.
All I can think about is the dilemma of identifying with confidence the moving target when the gun is already up. We have goofy buck restrictions in MS and shooting a marginal (legal) buck would often be impossible without a little magnification.
A doe hunt makes more sense, but nubby bucks/spikes could be a day ruined.
I'm sold on the idea. Just need to figure out what rifle to put it on.
Great Vlog!
Bought a Crossfire Red Dot to use as a backup sight for my rifles with Picatiny Scope Mounts.
Small, light and takes little space in your pack.
Will it stand up to a 416 Taylor Cartridge?
Can you get a large hand knob like a Weaver Mount so you don’t need a wrench to mount it?
What red dot would you suggest for a 308 blr , and why?
Could you maybe do a video at a range doing install and sighting in for newbies to this concept. Thank you for considering.
I think I am now going red dot on my 450 Bushmaster instead of LPVO. Great discussion and information, thank you.
Check out the Burris 322. Lit reticle 3or 5 power
I'm running a Holosun 507c on a low rail mount adapter on a Mossberg MVP Scout. It's zeroed at 50 yards, and can quickly acquire targets out to 150, probably farther with some patience. It adds almost no weight. I really like it.
I run a Sig Romeo MSR on my Ruger Gen II 5.56 and a Sig Romeo MSRII on my Ruger Gen II in .308
Irons are awesome and red dots are just SO helpful. Its awesome when you can see your impact through your red red dot optic and you can cycle + follow up quickly. Its excellent.
Id highly suggest a red dot on a rifle unless youre wanting to shoot way beyond your visual range.
I really wish you would put your simple BDC reticle in the strike eagle 1-8.
I have the Vortex Strikefire ll on all of my X-bows and on a 7mm -08 compact Ruger American for my home state of WI deer drives and still hunts 👍🏻👍🏻🌟
When I turned 18 or 19 i bought myself a left handed Remington 700 SPS chambered in 270 Winchester and I put a Vortex Crossfire II red dot on it. It retains the light weight characteristics and I was able to drill the bullseye of a 12 inch target at 100 yards. I was honestly shocked but now i dont think Ill switch to anything else unless I get an LPVO.
Shot my best whitetail buck with a T/C Encore Katadin 460S&W with an Aimpoint 9000SC. It was absolute last usable light and I don’t know if I would’ve gotten him with a traditional scope.
I’m sold. Ruger American in .450 bushmaster and a red dot. I think it’s next on the list.
I just sighted in a old JM stamped Marlin 30-30 with a Sparc II and a Ruger American .450BM with a Crossfire red dot. Both are ready for Pennsylvania bear season starting Saturday. I use a printed target with a 3 MOA bullseye. Having that aiming point 1 MOA larger then the red dot allows for a consistent hold. Ruger printed 1.32 MOA group and the Marlin printed 1.87 MOA group.
Any info on using a 3x Gen 2 Spitfire on a crossbow?
You can do it but the mounting is where it becomes tough as you have to be within the eye relief range (2.6"). The subtensions are a whole other beast as well. We do have a Crossbow scope that might be better suited for that application, as you can tune the magnification to your bolt speed and all of the holdovers would be true for the indicated distances.
I use a TC Encore Pro Hunter 16" 308 with a 1x prism. Perfect for here in North Central Arkansas.
Big fan of the pod cast and watch the TH-cam channel almost daily. I appreciate the show very much. Watching this episode has sparked further interest of a scout type rifle for white hunting in North East Nebraska. My thought is a 30-30 or 45-70 in a 21 century styling as a Marlin dark series lever gun was debating on optics, but after watching this I am almost dead set on a red dot optic would be a grand choice for my river bottom hunts. What is the opinion of the vortex crew. Thank you for the content is very appreciated.
Savage Impulse would be great.
I have a Savage 110 Hog Hunter, with a Vortex Crossfire Hog Hunter 3-9 IR. The rifle comes with iron sights. I think I might mount my Vortex Viper on it. Put the iron back on and use that. Thoughts?
I remember reading a story by Jack O'Connor where he said he had a 2 and a half Power Scope with a 3-minute dot in it and he done his best shooting with that
Just put a vortex red dot on my 30-06 BAR for deer drives in the woods, perfect
Yes. 2.5x prism on my 450 BM in 300 BLK increments matches very well.
I don't have Vortex red dots, however I have a Mauser M12 Expert (30-06) with an Aimpoint 9000L (2MOA) and a Blaser R8 Success timber and have an Aimpoint H2 Micro (2MOA) on my 9.3x62 barrel. Exceptional! Cheers from Australia. P.s. Ryan thanks for the help with my Vortex spotting scope issue.
Use whatever works for you. Don't let others opinions sway you. I'm using a Vortex 1-8x LPVO on my Weatherby Vanguard. Etched lighted reticle, near true 1x and enough magnification to easily take a 300 yds shot.
I wouldn't use a red dot cause they kinda suck in low light and depending on your eyes, they can bloom out at bad times.
I gotta know, why is George Costanza's picture on the wall?
Question: I haven’t seen any lvpo’s with a parallax adjustment. But some have notches in the reticle for distances of 4 to sometimes 6 hundred yards at what distance is parallax necessary? Or is it assumed because of the lower magnification that the optic will be used for a larger target? Thanks.
As far as my understanding of optics goes, the parallax adjustment is never actually "needed", it simply allows ones head position to be imperfect and still be fine. If one perfectly centers their eye behind the scope every time theyre fine, parallax just allows you to not be perfectly centred and still not distort the POA/POI.