Not sure if I'm understanding correctly, but part of the issue with AR15 pistols is its hard to get a good cheek weld so there is parallax. Many red dot sights are parallax free past a specific distance. Does this not make a red dot a great sight to have on such a pistol? Could one shoot the gun without getting a proper cheek weld?
Question About Red Dot With Regards to AR15 Pistol
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Theohazard
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The best way to shoot an AR-15 pistol is to get proper cheek weld on the buffer tube. With some cheaper red-dot sights, if you don't get proper cheek weld you can be off-target due to parallax issues. If you don't want to worry about parallax you need a higher-end sight like an Aimpoint; they're virtually parallax-free, meaning it doesn't matter where your eye is located in relation to the sight.
But the question "how to shoot an AR pistol?" really isn't really an issue anymore thanks to the SIG SB15 "arm brace". Of course, nobody actually uses it as an arm brace, everyone just shoulders it and shoots it just like it's an SBR. And despite all the Internet "experts" who claim it's illegal to shoulder it, that's just not true. The BATFE has ruled that the SB15 is an arm brace. And therefore it doesn't matter HOW you use it; they can't control HOW you shoot your guns, only how they're designed. After all, the BATFE also defines a handgun as being designed to be fired with only one hand. If they could bust you for shouldering an AR pistol with an SB15 arm brace then they could also bust you for using a two-handed grip on a handgun.
But the question "how to shoot an AR pistol?" really isn't really an issue anymore thanks to the SIG SB15 "arm brace". Of course, nobody actually uses it as an arm brace, everyone just shoulders it and shoots it just like it's an SBR. And despite all the Internet "experts" who claim it's illegal to shoulder it, that's just not true. The BATFE has ruled that the SB15 is an arm brace. And therefore it doesn't matter HOW you use it; they can't control HOW you shoot your guns, only how they're designed. After all, the BATFE also defines a handgun as being designed to be fired with only one hand. If they could bust you for shouldering an AR pistol with an SB15 arm brace then they could also bust you for using a two-handed grip on a handgun.
wally
Member
Yes it is what makes a red dot great to have on any pistol or rifle, at the cost of lower precision in aiming because of the relatively large size of the dot. Its a speed/accuracy trade off in favor of speed of acquisition.
Outlaw Man
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Well, nearly all optics - scopes, red dots - are designed to be parallax free at a certain distance, assuming the designer put any thought into it at all (and it's not adjustable for parallax). That's not what makes red dots better for pistols (AR or otherwise).
The advantage of red dots is the larger dot for faster target acquisition, as Wally said. Assuming the designer and manufacturer gave it more than a passing consideration, parallax isn't a tremendous issue at close ranges. The error is smaller and users typically don't need extreme precision.
There are limits, though. Obviously, if you looked through at a 45-degree angle and were still able to see the dot, the pistol won't hit where you "see" it. But by learning your gun and developing good muscle memory to keep it close, parallax (within the limits obtained by a decent maker) shouldn't hurt.
The advantage of red dots is the larger dot for faster target acquisition, as Wally said. Assuming the designer and manufacturer gave it more than a passing consideration, parallax isn't a tremendous issue at close ranges. The error is smaller and users typically don't need extreme precision.
There are limits, though. Obviously, if you looked through at a 45-degree angle and were still able to see the dot, the pistol won't hit where you "see" it. But by learning your gun and developing good muscle memory to keep it close, parallax (within the limits obtained by a decent maker) shouldn't hurt.
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