What do you consider acceptable accuracy when shooting with a red dot/holoscope?

[Rockrivr1]

Over last weekend I was zeroing in a Bushnell Holoscope that I had just installed on my Ruger 10/22 Krinker Plinker. Off a bench rest I was able to get most shots into the 10 and 9 rings with a few in the 8 ring on 50ft slow fire pistol target at 25 yards. I was pretty happy with that. Of course offhand the group widened out some, but overall I was pretty happy with my accuracy using the holosight.

As I was driving home I was thinking whether my groups were actually good enough or should the accuracy of been better using this type of equipment.
I was thinking again about it this morning for some reason.

So, when you are using a red dot / holosight, would you consider this acceptable accuracy or would you expect better using this type of sight? If you think it should be better, how much better?

 

[Low-Sci]

I would say for the sight and the gun you were using, your accuracy was acceptable at that range. Besides, there's no accounting for practice. If you feel good about it, great. If you feel good but wanna do better, thats even better than doing great.

More importantly, try not to overthink it so much that you end up messing with your equipment and shooting position so badly that you get worse.

Now, the kicker is, were you shooting this rifle in your hands off a bench, or did you actually have it in a front and rear rest and you were using a serious, benchrest shooting form? Because then, for one of these your accuracy is good, and for the other it seems it would indicate some problems.

 

[jem375]

Honestly, at 25 yards, the groups should have been touching and very tight.

 

[Jayman]

Red dot sights aren't optimal for the tightest groups. For that you want a scope with magnification and fine crosshairs. A red dot's forte is speed, not accuracy. That said, I managed a 50 yard prone group out of my AR with one that was around 2", and a benched one that was tighter. But that is the exception and I was having good days when I did those.

IF you really want to see what you and the gun are capable of, you'll need different optics.

 

[Rockrivr1]

Off the bench I was just resting the bbl on my range bag and had my non-shooting left hand next to my shoulder/armpit in a fist supporting the bottom of the buttstock that was also against my shoulder. I was using my fist to slightly adjust the buttstock and hold the dot on the target X. This may not have been the best way to zero in, but it's the way I typically shoot off the bench.

I had a scope on this rifle prior to making it a Krinker Plinker and it was pretty accurate. Once I converted it though, I was thinking red dot all the way.

I'm definitely don't want to overthink when trying to be accurate, but going from some of the posts, I'm thinking I can do much better.

 

[Oldtimer]

As with any vision-enhancing optics, when you pre-set them for a "given" distance, you'll have to re-set them for other distances. That's also the problem when using a lazer-sighting device.

Your scores at 25 yards were "decent", and maybe even "optimum" for your firearm, the optics, the ammo, and your own current skills. I doubt if I would be able to do any better! Now that you have established that "base" of accuracy, you might be able to fine-tune it a bit through more practise, maybe re-zero'ing the optics a bit better, and by sticking to the ammo that performs the best through that particular firearm. I'd also suggest that you have a knowledgeable shooter monitor your shooting skills from time-to-time, for you MAY have a minor bad habit that would be better to find out about sooner, rather than later on.

Believe it or not, but I've been an avid shooter for 50+ years, and I often have one of my shooting buddies monitor my shooting. It's not embarrassing if he tells me that I'm doing something wrong, or that I should be doing something different. I'd much rather "correct" any problem before it becomes a habit!

Lastly, a lot of shooters overlook one very important thing, and I think that we ALL suffer from the problem of "confidence"! Get yourself into the right mind-set BEFORE you shoot, and do a mental "check-list" of all the basics of shooting before putting pressure on the trigger. Pay FULL attention to what you're doing, without having any distractions. If it has been a "bad day" for you, then it might be a "bad" session on the range, too! Your brain is a fantastic "tool", and it is also a VERY integral part of accuracy! Don't curse when you make misteakes (OOPS!)....just LEARN from them! The more you lean, the better you will be, and THAT will build up your confidence level!

Oh, another "Lastly"! Be sure to ENJOY shooting! It shouldn't be a "task" or a "difficulty". Each round you send down-range should be an enjoyable one, even if you didn't hit the "10" ring! Figure that you are "better than some", if they were the shooter....then work on building that confidence level up to KNOWING that you did your best....and maybe even the BEST-of-the-BEST!

 

[steve635]

I haven't shot a Ruger 10 22 in years, but with my Olympic K40 with a holoscope, those groups are about what I shoot at 50 yds. freehand. I do have some difficulty however using the holoscope at 100 yds. I had the benefit of a very experienced fellow owner to help me sight it in, once it's sighted in properly 50 yds. are gravy

 

[one-shot-one]

$0.02

i think the accuracy should be at least as good as YOU can get with the iron sights.

 

[M2 Carbine]

DP

 

[M2 Carbine]

At least as good as you can do with iron sights and if your eyes are getting "tired", much better than you can shoot with iron sights.
Personally I use a lot of Red Dot sights.

I was curious, so dug out a couple targets.
8x11 inch targets.





100 yards. AK pistol with Red Dot sight. Pretty poor grouping Wolf ammo and the sun was on the target.

 

[vesmcd]

dot optics

M2 Carbine, I have been using red dot optics in competition(IPSC mostly) since they hit the market. IMHO, the biggest drawback to shooting a dot accurately, regardless of the firearm is the SIZE of the dot.

Originally, on the Tasco and Aimpoint, you could get a 1moa dot which was great for rifle distances. Action pistol shooters wanted larger dots, so the mfg's went to 4moa and up to 12moa. OK for close and fast but not worth a crap for accurate work.

To zero or do accurate shots with the larger dots, I use a round orange stick on (on a white backer)that is the same size as the dot at the range I am shooting. Then turn down the dot intensity till it is slightly dimmer than the stick on. Center the ghost dot over the stick on and shoot.

Don't turn the dot up any brighter than you need to as they tend to "starburst" at the max setting in anything other than bright sunshine.

If you are going to use it for hunting, practice shooting with both eyes open. Don't concentrate on the dot, look at the target. Your eyes will put the dot in the right place just like peep(apperture) sights.

And remember, there is no substitue for practice.

 

[Rockrivr1]

After I zeroed the holosight in I went through a couple mags trying to hit a hanging 1 liter bottle full of water with both eyes open at 25 yrds. It definitely wasn't easy, but after some practice I was hitting it about as often as I was not. I was hitting just about every shot with one eye closed, but shooting with both eyes open definitely takes some getting used to. I was having a hard time adjusting to not looking through the dot to the target and just focusing on the target. Then it felt like my eyes were competing with each other for domination of the red dot. (Hard to explain that one so hopefully you know what I mean) I'll keep practicing that is for sure.

 

[vesmcd]

My bad, I should have directed my post to Rockrivr1 not M2. Yes, it takes some getting used to, totally goes against what you normally do - focus on the sights then flash to the target. Hang in there, it'll come around.