Choosing a Reflex Sight for your AR-15

What are reflex sights anyway? “Reflex” refers to the fact that the objective lens of the system acts like a mirror. It reflects the targeting reticle (the dot) back towards your eye. Therefore, even though you see a red dot, there is no laser being projected.

Best Reflex Sight for your AR-15

	Brand & Model	Our Rating	Price & Reviews
	Dagger Defense DDHB Red Dot Reflex Sight		Click to see prices on Amazon.com
	Sightmark Ultra Shot M-Spec Reflex Sight		Click to see prices on Amazon.com
	Lirisy Tactical Holographic Red and Green Reflex Sight with 4 Reticles		Click to see prices on Amazon.com
	Field Sport Red and Green Reflex Sight with 4 Reticles		Click to see prices on Amazon.com
	Ohuhu Red and Green Reflex Sight with 4 Reticles		Click to see prices on Amazon.com

An AR-15 reflex sight is also often called as “red dot” targeting system, because most red dot systems do fall in this category. However, the term “red dot” may not be entirely accurate since it’s not always a dot. It can be a chevron or a triangle, for example. It’s not always even red, either.

—> Check Price on Amazon: Reflex Sight for AR-15

Advantages of the Reflex Sights

The advantages of the reflex sight become obvious when you keep in mind how you should use your iron sights. With the iron sights, you have to make sure that your aiming eye is exactly aligned with the sight axis. The relevant factors must, in fact, fall in line perfectly: the target to the front sight to the rear sight to your eye. When you’re shooting, your non-aiming eye is usually shut, while your aiming eye is focused not on the target but on the front sight.

This method has proved quite effective through the years, and it’s one of the reasons why iron sights won’t probably disappear as backup for your reflect sight. But the fact remains that you have to practice a lot to master this technique. And even when you think you’ve mastered it in practice runs, the entire procedure can go out the window when you really need to do some shooting (and people are shooting back at you). It’s also unsettling to keep focusing on the front sight when you know that the target—and perhaps other enemies as well—are all trying to kill you. You instinctively just want to keep your eyes open and look for possible dangers.

Using a telescopic sight can make things better, but some problems remain. Alignment is still an issue, and you also need to make sure that you get the right separation distance (the “eye relief”) from the sight tube. With scopes that use magnification, you also tend to keep an eye closed, which again is a problem in real world shootouts.

Now with the reflex sight, all those considerations can be forgotten, and your bullet still goes where you want it to go. Aligning your eye with the sight axis is no longer crucial. You also don’t have to bother with “eye relief” to get a sight picture. You can look through a reflex sight in a position you can’t use for iron sights or telescopic sights. The reticle and the target field appear on the same focal plane, like in a telescope. But with the reflex sight, you don’t have to close an eye.

You can sum up the advantages of the reflex sight this way: One, it allows you to be faster on target. Two, with both eyes open you increase your situational awareness.

There’s also an additional advantage, by the way, with how iron sights (which are usually black) can be difficult to see when in low light, or you’re aiming at a dark target or a dark area. That’s not a problem with a reflex sight. If you can see a target, you can see the red dot to target it.

 

Shooting with a Reflex Sight

The principle behind using the reflex sight is quite simple. Can you see the red dot on the target? If the answer is yes, then your bullet will hit what you are aiming at. That’s it.

Here are the steps you need to take to make that happen:

1. Identify and focus on your target, while you keep your AR 15 on safe at the ready.
2. Keep both of your eyes open.
3. Set your weapon to the firing position.
4. When the reflex sight is in front of your eyes, you’ll see a red dot.
5. When the red dot is in the point where you want to send your bullet, switch to fire and engage the enemy.
6. You keep your eyes open and you keep your focus on the target.

With that kind of simplicity, it’s no wonder that reflex sights have become truly popular among military personnel all over the world.