Red point or 1-4 scope?

[Miletic]

What do you think, is the fast red point in finding a sudden target better than the optical sight 1-4 (and similar). A surprise target is for example a wounded daga boy or a lion?
What would you recommend to your friend or brother if he finds in this situation?
(he is without experiences)

 

[375Fox]

I think the 1-4 scope greatly reduces the chances of having to deal with the situation in the first place.

 

[DieJager]

In that situation, a surprise, a red dot or even iron sights would be the better option if it is a charge from close range I would suppose.

But I agree that it is better to not get in one and a good scope will make you make a better and more accurate shot at distance to prevent to have to deal with a wounded animal.

A lion on foot at close range I would rather have a red dot than a scope. I used one when hunting lion (CBL) and it performed great.

I bought one for my 375 with a QR mount when I was planning to hunt ele in the near future but those plans are delayed for years to come. I think it is ideal for up close but I'm not nearly as experienced as @375Fox

When the chance is shooting more than 50 meters it becomes a problem and you would be better suited with a scope. That said shot a wildebeest at at least 70 meters with the red dot but it had no clue we were there and I had ages to take the shot. So hardly a surprise for us, only for the animal

 

[uplander01]

1-4 scope for me, s&b zenith with no 4or7. At low power they are fast, 4 power enough for accurate first shot.

All these red dots makes me wonder what we’ll see next, a 3 or 4 x magnifier mounted on a safari rifle….ugh

 

[Schüler Jumbo]

The answer to your question is without doubt the red dot. Just shoot a USPSA Carbine Division Tournament and you will find your answer right quick and in a hurry.

 

[Green Chile]

The Swaro Z6i is better than both. Clarity from 1-6x and illuminated reticle. The perfect DG scope and one of the keys to much of my personal success.

 

[Mark A Ouellette]

What do you think, is the fast red point in finding a sudden target better than the optical sight 1-4 (and similar). A surprise target is for example a wounded daga boy or a lion?
What would you recommend to your friend or brother if he finds in this situation?
(he is without experiences)

As other experianced hunters @375Fox and @Green Chile advised, a very great scope is a great piece of gear.

I've shot and written several times about reflex sight (red or green dots) and illuminated Low Power Variable Optics (LPVO) that have a true 1x (no magnification) on the low end.

Reflex sights reflect a beam off the lens to create the visible dot. The lens or mirror must be coated so the beam will reflect. The coating on the reflex sight lens/mirror blocks some light. In most shooting situations this won't affect the shooter. Is certain low light situations, it can affect the how well the shooter can see the target such as a dark animal in the shadows of the bush.

This is a simple description of the lens or mirror,

Red dot sight - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

"The typical configuration for a red dot sight is a tilted spherical mirror reflector with a red light-emitting diode (LED) at its off axis focus. The mirror has a partially silvered multilayer dielectric dichroic coating designed to reflect just the red spectrum allowing most other light to pass through it."

The LPVO with an illuminated reticle doesn't suffer the amount of light degradation that even the best reflex sights do.

For fast handling during danger close situations, a 2-ounce reflex sight won’t degrade the fine handling characteristics of a double or fine magazine rifle but a 16+ ounce rifle scope will. Other than an added pound to the rifle, I find no difference in target acquisition time between a good reflex sight and a LPVO at 1x with an illuminated reticle.

On my Heym double rifle, I’ve used a Trijicon SRO for the past five years. On my bolt action rifles, I prefer a 1-4 or 1-6x LPVO with illuminated reticle. If, however I was a PH, only shooting when a client needed help, a reflex sight on a bolt rifle would be handy!

Here’s some reading on this subject,

https://www.africahunting.com/threa...ower-variable-scope-or-metallic-sights.80277/

https://www.africahunting.com/threads/red-dot-rmr-sights-for-dangerous-game-rifles.73440/

 

[BeeMaa]

For reactive rifle work at ranges less than 100 yards, I prefer an enclosed emitter RDO like the AimPoint T2 with a 2 MOA dot. At the same time, I also like my Swaro Z8i 1-8x24, but this would be for more carefully aimed and planned shots. The scope I can stretch out to 300 yards with a 375H&H and make accurate shots. They each have their place and both wear QD mounts for that reason.

I'd highly recommend that you choose a LPVO with true 1x at low power and one that has an illuminated reticle. This makes it much easier to see the "dot" on a dark animal in the shade of a tree or brush.

Whatever you decide, it will be necessary to get reps in with both dry fire and live range practice. Not doing so will render you choice of optic moot.

 

[UpNorthMI]

I'm a fan of a red dot for fast shooting, personally liking the 3.25 MOA dot of a Trijicon RMR Type 2. I've mounted a number of these on my double rifles and had great success for shooting up to 100 yards. I also use red dots for driven boar shooting and would not switch to anything else. I'm also using a couple of Noblex red dots for non dangerous game.

For general hunting I like the Swarovski Z8I 1-8x24, just like BeeMaa, but if I had to get in the bush with something dangerous and potentially close I would pick the red dot every time.

QD mounts allow for quick changes as circumstances change.