red dot + ar-15 = bad time at the range

[Street Rat]

I haven't heard about anyone else having problems, so I must be really bad at this. This was my first try with a red dot, obviously I had to try to sight it in, but no luck there so I gave up after about 30 rounds. I need some tips before I stick with iron sights or go magnified.

My dad told me to bore sight it at 100yds by taking the upper off and looking throught he barrel and adusting the red dot at what I could see through the barrel to get started. That sounds like a good idea in theory to me, but looking through the the red dot, doesn't your focus, as in the position of your eye have to be consistent with your line of sight for the red dot, meaning with the upper off, unable to have the nose to charging handle position, that wouldn't work with the upper reattached.

I tried looking at the target through the iron sights, then with the gun in the same position, looking through the red dot and seeing where it was aiming. I tried using that reference, no joy.

I tried shooting at each corner of the target and I did hit the target(s) two times, but unfortunately, at that time I was already getting discouraged and I loaded my last 7 I was going to shoot, so I don't know which corner I was aiming at when I hit the target. Is there any hope for me.

 

[ez bake]

What rifle/red-dot were you using (and what mount was the red-dot on)?

Does the Red-dot have zero-magnification (1x optic) or is it a magnified (or variable that says 1x, but its actually blurry at 1x)?

Do your Irons co-witness with the optic?

One thing to remember when sighting in a rifle is to be consistent and bring a pencil/pad-of-paper if you're not going to remember what you just did. You can aim off the target (or at the corner) and then mark where you aimed (at a drawing of the target on your pad) and where your hit was/wasn't as well as mark what adjustments you started with and where you're at now.

If you are having trouble sighting in at 100yds, try at 25yds and then move back a little at a time (you're obviously going to be lower at 25yds than further out since .223 rises a lot out to 100yds - so keep that in mind).

Make sure that you know where your optic adjustments are going - they usually shift POI (point of impact) not POA (point of aim) - that makes "left" a very relative term when adjusting the optic since its actually going to move the dot right so that your gun shoots more left.

 

[Hump66]

I cheat. I set my iron sights, then just move the dot to the tip of the front post.

 

[Spiff]

I haven't heard about anyone else having problems, so I must be really bad at this. This was my first try with a red dot, obviously I had to try to sight it in, but no luck there so I gave up after about 30 rounds. I need some tips before I stick with iron sights or go magnified.

My dad told me to bore sight it at 100yds by taking the upper off and looking throught he barrel and adusting the red dot at what I could see through the barrel to get started. That sounds like a good idea in theory to me, but looking through the the red dot, doesn't your focus, as in the position of your eye have to be consistent with your line of sight for the red dot, meaning with the upper off, unable to have the nose to charging handle position, that wouldn't work with the upper reattached.

I tried looking at the target through the iron sights, then with the gun in the same position, looking through the red dot and seeing where it was aiming. I tried using that reference, no joy.

I tried shooting at each corner of the target and I did hit the target(s) two times, but unfortunately, at that time I was already getting discouraged and I loaded my last 7 I was going to shoot, so I don't know which corner I was aiming at when I hit the target. Is there any hope for me.

For a "no-parallax" sight (aimpoint, eotech), you can zero your irons, then move the dot to the top of the front post. That'll get you pretty close. What sight are you using?

 

[Danny]

I cheat. I set my iron sights, then just move the dot to the tip of the front post.

For a "no-parallax" sight (aimpoint, eotech), you can zero your irons, then move the dot to the top of the front post. That'll get you pretty close. What sight are you using?

This is what I did. Academy bore sighted my irons and my scope, but the scope was way off. So I used my irons, moved the dot to the tip of the front post, and was close enough that I was sighted in with both irons and scope within 10 rounds. I did this at 25 yards to make it easier. After I get some more ammo (the bulk that I will be using for a while), I'll do a double check at 25, then shoot it at 50 and 100 to make sure/make minor adjustments.

 

[Ignored Member]

I cheat. I set my iron sights, then just move the dot to the tip of the front post.

Exactly what I did and I haven't had any problems with it.

 

[101ABN327]

I use a laser bore sight at 25 meters on a white sheet of paper. Remove your windage and elevation caps and dial it in where the red dot is right over the laser dot. They you are on paper at 100 meters. I do this with the irons as well.

101

 

[264killer]

laser bore sight works great on every thing i have used it to sight in

 

[Street Rat]

I cheat. I set my iron sights, then just move the dot to the tip of the front post.

That is what I did at first. I have shot with my irons at this distance and hitting paper everytime. I set the red dot right at the tip of the front post and I didn't hit anything.

It's a Shooters Edge 1X30 red dot. I have it mounted on my flat top with a riser. What the heck am I doing wrong? I understand the adjustments, and that I'm not going to get pin point accuracy with a red dot, but what I don't understand is the red dot itself. If you're looking through the scope at the red dot and you move your head just a little to the left, the red dot is pointing at something else, so I take it your head or eye position has to be the same every shot. Isn't it different than a magnified scope with fixed cross hairs? I hope I'm not confusing anyone, I think I'm having a little trouble explaing myself.

 

[liliysdad]

The first thing you need to do is make sure the sight and whatever mount you are using are installed correctly, i.e., centered and properly tightened.

Secondly, you need to mechanically center the sight. Turn the windage and elevation all the way to one side, then count the clicks all the way to the other. Divde in half, and that is your mechanical center. You should be on paper at this point.

Fine tune from here. If you are still having issues, it may be an issue inherent with the sight or the mount. You are using a cheap sight, and there is a very real chance it may have issues preventing it from obtaining a repeatable zero. Any quality sight I have used, in a quality mount, on a quality gun, required very little in terms of adjustment to obtain zero.