SPONSORED CONTENT
Who would have thought I’d be ahead of the times, but I’ve been essentially enjoying the benefits of a red dot sight on hunting rifles since before they were largely promoted in the U.S. for use on hunting rifles.
Back in the 1980s, the late Col. Jeff Cooper wrote a series of articles around a class of general-purpose rifles he designated as “Scout” rifles. One feature of a Scout rifle is that it has a low-power, long eye relief scope mounted forward of the action. In use, the shooter keeps both eyes open when shooting. The combination of shooting with both eyes open and the forward mounted low-power scope causes the crosshairs to appear superimposed on the target.
About the same time Cooper was penning those articles, I came across an El Tigre, which is a Spanish knockoff of a Winchester Model ’92 lever-action, on which a previous owner had mounted a Weaver ¾-inch pistol scope half-way down the barrel. It was my first chance to properly try Cooper’s aiming idea and the instant I shouldered the rifle with both eyes open and saw that crosshair floating perfectly on the target, I knew I had found a better way to aim.
I took a few whitetails with that rifle and scope combination, but years later when the chance came up for me to build a real Scout rifle on a Mauser action, I did something different for sights. Consumer red dots were just coming of age in the U.S. and Aimpoint’s U.S. headquarters was just down the road in Chantilly, Virginia, so I got together with them to discuss the possible superiority of an Aimpoint sight’s illuminated dot and unlimited eye relief over a black crosshair. They agreed and explained to me that was really how the company envisioned its products — as superior aiming devices for hunters—and that they were already in use by many hunters in the company’s home country of Sweden.
Before they became popular in the U.S., Aimopint sights were already in use by many hunters in the company’s home country of Sweden.
I topped that Scout rifle with an Aimpoint sight and never looked back. It’s a perfect combination for my favorite type of hunting, which is stalking in thick woods. There’s nothing quite like when you make close range eye contact with an unexpecting buck and have only moments to take a decision. And if my decision is to shoot, using the Aimpoint sight gives me an advantage in speed and accuracy that I simply wouldn’t have with either iron sights or a magnifying scope. Consider, too, that the best hunting is in the low light of dawn or dusk where the Aimpoint sight’s red dot is also superior.
There have been a lot of red dot advancements since I made that Scout rifle. Red dot sights are smaller, stronger and they have longer battery life. Aimpoint’s Micro H-2 can run continuously for 50,000 hours on one CR2032 battery! That’s more than 5 1/2 years!
Thanks to the more common use of Weaver- and Picatinny-type bases, it’s easier to mount red dot sights than it used to be. And by using actual input from hunters, red dots are more rugged to withstand recoil and have features such as flip up lens covers so they withstand all kinds of punishment and environmental conditions.
Aimpoint Micro H-2
The optical quality has also improved. Red dots today have round, crisp dots and models such as the Micro H-2 offer multiple brightness settings so the dot is easily seen whether you’re hunting in dark timber in the evening, or out in the open on a bright snowy day.
As I found with my Tigre, shooting with both eyes open is, pardon the pun, “eye opening,” but I wish that back when I came across my Tigre that I had come across something more robust like a Marlin 336 in .35 Remington or a Henry Lever-Action in .30-30 Winchester with an Aimpoint sight instead. With the combination of a more powerful hunting cartridge, quality red dot sight and both eyes open aiming technique, I don’t think one could find a better way to take quick, accurate shots on game at close to moderate distances.
When combined with a nimble hunting rifle, the addition of an Aimpoint sight makes it easier to take quick, accurate shots.
Since my introduction to Aimpoint sights, I’ve started using them on several other guns. My Ruger 22/45 that I plink with wears one, so does the T/C Contender my wife uses for javelina hunting. I’ve even tried them on shotguns—and not just for turkey hunting. If you ever get a chance to shoot flying targets using an Aimpoint-equipped shotgun, it will instantly make you a better shooter.
