Reflex Sight vs Red Dot Sight

A very common misconception for users - what is better to buy a red dot or a reflex sight? here you can get stumped, or put the salesperson t in a deadlock. While these two types of optics do have a lot in common they are drastically different Now let's try to explain the terminology and construction of the scopes by examples and you will understand the difference between these two types.

What is Reflex Sight

We have seen that the reflex sight is not a trend, a whim, or a fad, but a necessary element of dynamic shooting. How does it work? The translucent reflex lens is located in the shooter's field of view and creates a bright reflection of a point of light, which should be aligned with the target. Without going into the intricacies of the design, let us note one thing: even head shift, the aiming mark remains on the target as long as it is visible at all. This allows shooting from inconvenient positions, which are sometimes dictated by the tactical situation. It is also gratifying that the reflex sight can be mounted at any distance from the eye. A striking representative of this class of sights is AGM 20RD. The range of its application is from small-caliber pistols to quite respectable rifles.

LED illumination for the red dot is often installed on the reflex sight. In fact, it is a modification of the standard red dot sight. But, let's not get ahead of ourselves.

Depending on the design, the reflex sights have an open or tube type. Open sights have one lens. The image of the aiming mark is formed by a semiconductor light source, located at the base of the housing. The tube types use an additional lens that serves as an eyepiece.

 Open type reflex sights

We can recommend sights of open type for those, who are burdensome with any superstructures on their guns. They have only one protruding part - the lens, while other components are hidden in the housing, which is also very compact.

 Tube type reflex sights

Tube scopes resemble optical sights, but the similarity is purely external: the principle of image formation is different. The only important thing is that they are more durable than open sights and less exposed to the environment. Reflex sights of this type can be installed on the whole range of long guns, as well as on the pistols, where compactness is not the main requirement.

Decide which type of reflex sight suits you - tube or open. For a purpose, it is better to at least try aiming with both devices, and even better - to shoot.

What is Red Dot Sight

A red dot sight is one type of sight that uses a marker in the form of either a luminous dot or another shape for aiming. The device has a reflective element and the marker is projected onto it. Due to its simple design, aiming does not take much time - the reflection has taken place, your weapon is ready to shoot. Why does this happen? Because in a red dot sight the marker is on the same plane as the target. The shooter's eye does not need to shift focus from the target to the sights to align them. In this case, the eye focuses on both the target and the reticle marker at the same time. And in the end, when using a red dot sight, both of the shooter's eyes can be open, allowing him to monitor his surroundings and react quickly to changes in them.

Red dot sight can be reflex, prism, or holographic. So, to understand the difference you just need to come to grips with the fact that the reflex is only one type of the red dot sight. It’s so simple and so confusing.

What‘s the difference between a reflex sight and a red dot sight?

In general, red dot sights are the most common sights on the market. They can be reflex, prism, or holographic. So, here it is very important to understand that the reflex sight is only a variation of the general concept of the red dot sight. What is the difference between them? No difference at all. Do not forget that sight with a red dot is not necessarily a reflex sight. On the contrary - it is! In reflex sight, there is an LED lamp, which reflects the shooter's eyes. Nevertheless, not obligatory such LED will be installed on other types of sights with a red dot. For example, holographic sights with a red dot have absolutely different construction, don't mess up the terms.

To summarize: every reflex sight is a sight with a red dot, but not every sight with a red dot is a reflex sight.

More information about Red Dot Sights:
How a Red Dot Sight Works?
Vortex Red Dot Sights
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