Reflex Red Dot vs Scope?

[BDeal]

I have always liked the magnification that comes with a scope but am considering giving a reflex sight a try. Has anyone switched from a scope to a reflex and regretted it? Does the dot cover too much of the bird at 40 yards or a bit further?

Thanks!

[Greg Massey]

I have always used scopes until last year and i hunted with green dot this past spring. The only part i didn't like was giving up the magnification after i got out in the field in a hunting situation and aiming at a gobbler. Now for younger eyes a red dot or green dot will probably work just fine, but for the older eyes i like the scope magnification better. Now if your looking to cut weight and say less clutter go with the dot. With a dot sight you have got more stuff going on like switching it on and of or worrying if it's going to work etc and really that's a very small worry these sights have improved so much in the last couple of years. With a scope you have less worry or problems. So really each has its place and I'm still on the fence as to which one i like better. I guess you could say it's all a matter of preference. This is my opinion and i'm sure others will give you their opinion of what they like, dislike and why... 

[BDeal]

I have always used scopes until last year and i hunted with green dot this past spring. The only part i didn't like was giving up the magnification after i got out in the field in a hunting situation and aiming at a gobbler. Now for younger eyes a red dot or green dot will probably work just fine, but for the older eyes i like the scope magnification better. Now if your looking to cut weight and say less clutter go with the dot. With a dot sight you have got more stuff going on like switching it on and of or worrying if it's going to work etc and really that's a very small worry these sights have improved so much in the last couple of years. With a scope you have less worry or problems. So really each has its place and I'm still on the fence as to which one i like better. I guess you could say it's all a matter of preference. This is my opinion and i'm sure others will give you their opinion of what they like, dislike and why...

That is great feedback Greg. I'm on the fence here. Thank You!

[blake_08]

I used to hunt with a Simmons pro diamond 4x scope on my 12 gauge but when I set my 20 gauge up, I went with a fast fire 3 red dot. Personally, I like the fast fire 3 much better than a scope. Total weight is 1 ounce, total height off the receiver is little over an inch, and I don't feel like I sacrificed anything by going from scope to dot. All positive gain in my opinion. As far as your dot covering the bird, you can get different size dots depending on whichever red dot you buy. My FF3 has a 3 MOA dot size and the dot is tiny. Even with a bigger 6 or 8 MOA dot, I don't think you'll be covering up too much bird at 40 yards, probably less than a bead on the end of a shotgun. The battery concern, lots of these sights have a 10k-50k hour battery life. Literally years if left on. Also, many of them have auto off features if they're left on and some even have a "shake awake" feature that powers the sight on when it senses motion. This feature on my Holosun 507C red dot is very sensitive and works great. Sight is off when the gun is sitting on the shelf and turns on at the lightest touch.

All this red dot talk is referring to the micro red dots like the FF3, Vortex venom, and Holosun 507c sights. I don't have any experience with the tube style sights on a turkey gun.

[Greg Massey]

I have always used scopes until last year and i hunted with green dot this past spring. The only part i didn't like was giving up the magnification after i got out in the field in a hunting situation and aiming at a gobbler. Now for younger eyes a red dot or green dot will probably work just fine, but for the older eyes i like the scope magnification better. Now if your looking to cut weight and say less clutter go with the dot. With a dot sight you have got more stuff going on like switching it on and of or worrying if it's going to work etc and really that's a very small worry these sights have improved so much in the last couple of years. With a scope you have less worry or problems. So really each has its place and I'm still on the fence as to which one i like better. I guess you could say it's all a matter of preference. This is my opinion and i'm sure others will give you their opinion of what they like, dislike and why...

That is great feedback Greg. I'm on the fence here. Thank You!

I will add that i used the FF3 and the Swampfox Kingslayer . I had the FF3 on 410 ga. and i had the kingslayer on 20 ga. Of the 2 i liked the Kingslayer better , for a couple reasons the battery compartment and because of it having the green circle dot i was able to see it a lot better than the red FF3... IMO

[guesswho]

I switched several years ago and have zero regrets.   I too liked the magnification of a scope and thought I would miss it.  Come to find out I prefer the zero magnification.   In hindsight, I honestly feel that the magnification on my scope caused me to take a couple shots in the past that were a bit to far.  I think what my eyes was seeing at 3-4 power was fooling my brain.  Kind of like the turkey hunting saying of, if the eyes see and the ears hear the mind will believe.   My mind was believing the gobbler was closer than he actually was and it caused me to fire a warning shot.   That's the only explanation I could come up with so I'm sticking to it.  Scopes fault.

[Turkeybutt]

I'm older then dirt and I used a scope which I liked. Recently I turned to a Holosun
HS510 which I have in a red dot and green and I think I prefer them over a scope.
As Greg said, "it's all a matter of preference".
Oh Guesswho, I think we all have tossed out a "Warning Shot" once or twice in our lives! LOL

[Tail Feathers]

Oh Guesswho, I think we all have tossed out a "Warning Shot" once or twice in our lives! LOL

I prefer to call those conservationist warning shots.  Makes me feel like I'm helping the wildlife.   

[Tom007]

This is a great topic. I use both Red Dots and Scopes. When I was younger, and my vision was real good, Red Dots worked perfect. The older I get, the more I like the scope option. Like Greg said, the magnification is really tough to beat. A good low magnification shotgun scope is a real good option. Unfortunately, they are harder to find now. Years ago, there were several "Turkey Specific Scopes"on the market. A few of the ones I really like are the Nikon Monarch 1x4.5 in Camo, the Pentax Light Seeker 2 power in camo, and several shotgun offerings from Leupold. You can still find these on EBay both used, and brand new. The Red Dots are another great option you can't go wrong with. Several comprehensive threads on our forum outline most of the brands in that  arena. I think it all boils down to your vision capabilities and weight preference on your particular gun. Again, I use both and enjoy them equally. Good luck, you sure have a lot of options to consider.

[joey46]

Always consider this topic as strictly a trade off.  I use all three available options to me at times.  Scope on a cantilever barrel 870 12 ga, red dot on the 301 .410, and nothing but the two beads on the same 870s original barrel. This past season I took two gobblers with the only the beads and one with the red dot (two different states).  The scoped barrel stayed in the safe.  Next season "who knows".  A need for a quick shot nothing beats the beads on a smooth barrel IMO.

[Jstocks]

If weight and cost are not considered, I actually purchased an Eotech 512 recently. I feel like the Field of view is much better, and for me, it provides the most crisp images with my eyes.