So my eyes have decided to get old over the last year.....it sucks. Besides not being able to clearly see my pistol front sights my RDS are starting to show starbursts. This makes zeroing them at 50 a true pain.

My trijicon is fine and even my cheapo vortex is not as bad as my H1 and the new Sig 3 I picked up for a pistol I just built.

Which RDS do not have this issue.....specically I am wondering about the Leupold vx6.

dewhorse,

I have very high astigmatism in both eyes, and as such any concentrated source of bright light (e.g. RDS dot, illuminated dot in a magnified optic, traffic lights at night, etc) causes a starburst effect of varying degrees. The brighter and more concentrated the source of light, the worse it is. This occurs even when my Rx completely fixes my astigmatism.

That's why I went with a Trijicon TR25 1-6X with a red triangle reticle. It's nearly RDS-speed on 1X and I get 6X capability. The other plus is that the red triangle is nice and clear. And, I'm not worried at all about the typical concerns about fiber optic illumination. Shooting from a dark area into a light area, or in a dark room using a flashlight, I have a nice crisp clear black triangle. Put it on target and pull trigger.

I'm curious... what Trijicon RDS do you have that does not exhibit the starburst effect?

Chris

Sorry not a RDS....TR24, I agree it is almost RDS quick.

Looks like I need to go with Trijicon or EoTech.

Are there others? I was hping to find a mid range 1x8 and 1x6 in the near future....I was looking at the Burris 1x8 and Leupold VX6.

There are a couple of things you can do to minimize the effect with any red dot optic.

First, if you can, move the dot farther away from your eye; if it's a 1x optic, move it as far forward as you reasonably can. This will reduce the flare, and make the dot smaller relative to your target, enhancing precision.

Second, reduce intensity of the dot to the minimum you need to see it clearly. The less intensity, the less flaring.

Third, make sure the glass surfaces of the optic are clean.

Fourth, outside in bright weather, wear polarized glasses. They will filter some of the off axis rays that contribute to the flaring.

Other than that, your options are limited to going with an illuminated reticle like the Trijicon triangle, or the Burris AR 332, where you aren't dealing with a projected dot, rather you are looking at either a fiber optic element, or an etching on the lenses that is lit.

quote:

I was hping to find a mid range 1x8 and 1x6 in the near future....I was looking at the Burris 1x8 and Leupold VX6.

SIG Tango6 or the comparable Vortex?

In addition to the excellent advice by ArtieS, try looking at the dot without protective glasses. If it’s clearer without them, a higher quality or different pair may help.

And, viewing the red dot through the aperture of an absolute co-witnessed rear BUIS can really sharpen it up.

You might have to use the smaller aperture and vary the distances among eye/aperture sight/ red dot.

Starburst is OK for up close/fast sight pictures; flip up the rear BUIS for more precision at distance.

quote:

Originally posted by dewhorse:
Sorry not a RDS....TR24, I agree it is almost RDS quick.

Looks like I need to go with Trijicon or EoTech.

Are there others? I was hping to find a mid range 1x8 and 1x6 in the near future....I was looking at the Burris 1x8 and Leupold VX6.

The EoTech is the worst for me, my MRO is usable, but it is not a crisp dot.

quote:

The EoTech is the worst for me

Which EoTech are you using? The EoTechs I'm familiar with are not a true red dot and thus don't have any flair at all for those of us with an astigmatism.

I'm envious of folks who look at red dots and see a clean red dot. I see a bunch of grapes.

OP, I've not found any red dots that work for me. I've just learned to deal with the starburst, or buy a non-reddot optic.

As for zeroing, I have my buddies zero my red dots at 50. It's darn near impossible for me.

Wow...thanks, lots of good data

I was wondering why at normal HD distances, max 10m, the dots looked fine but at the range I get the starburst.

quote:

Originally posted by sigfreund:
In addition to the excellent advice by ArtieS, try looking at the dot without protective glasses. If it’s clearer without them, a higher quality or different pair may help.

Looking through the flippy-up rear co-witness sight...this does work...

My eyes suck...on a descending scale on RDS...

5MOA dot TruGlo...

2MOA Vortex Strikefire...

2MOA Sig Romeo5 (pretty much tied with the Vortex which I accept with my shitty old eyes but works at the close ranges for which I use them)...

#1...Vortex Spitfire 1X power prismatic circle and dot (way better for me than the EOTECH reticle (emphasis on ME)...this is my favorite "can't see for shit" illuminated optic (I'm sure the PA Optics version is one and the same or just as good)...

Welcome to the world of old shitty eyes ...

At 10 meters...put the center mass of your target in the center of your optic and press the trigger 20+ times...they are pretty much fucked and will not be around to argue

^^

Just tried the trick with using the backup rear peep sight and WOW that made a world of difference. I’m young-ish but have needed glasses my whole life. While the starburst isn’t terrible as long as I adjust intensity for light conditions the above trick for more precise shooting should really help! Thanks Bisleyblackhawk for the pro level life hack!!

If you are really having trouble with a RDS, ditch it and go to a low powered variable. Adjustable diopter will allow you to focus the reticle to your vision.


I have often contended that a 1-4x or 1-6x has no downside over a red dot except for weight, and perhaps cost.


I am just a gamer.


It was gratifying to see a guy like Kyle Defoor who is former special forces and now makes a living training people how to shoot rifles quickly, said basically the same thing.


Vortex Strike Eagle can be found for around $300.

Burris MTAC is similar.

Steiner P4xi is available for around $450 -$600 depending on if you catch it on sale.

Vortex PST Gen2 1-6 is about $650

Vortex Razor 1-6 is $1000-$1200.

If you can, try looking through an etched reticle red dot like the Vortex Spitfire.

Obviously you aren't the only one with that issue. The worst for me seems to be the EoTechs. Aimpoint is better. Some of the variable power optics even better.

However, for true RDS, I've found the Sig Romeo 4 to work well (better than the EoTech). As suggested by others, don't mount it all the way back. I haven't tried the Vortex ones so I can't comment on those. Under normal use circumstances (non magnified) the Romeo works very well. Good luck.

As several others have mentioned, try the Vortex Spitfire Prism scope.
My older eyes don't let me use red dots either. I have wasted a lot of money trying to find one that worked. Then my LGS recommended to me the Vortex Spitfire, I now own several of them.

My astigmatism, even corrected, plays hell with red dots. Aimpoints are useable, but not precision. EoTechs worked better for me, but then there was that whole reliability issue. Smaller, dimmer dots work better for me than larger bright dots. Looking at the dot through a rear sight also helps. For me, RDS is great as a Minute of Bad Guy sight, but I wouldn't want to try to take a precision shot at 200 with one. I'd actually do better with irons.

If you want to know if its the sight or your eyes, try this. Rotate the optic while looking through it. if the starburst rotates, it's the optic. If it doesn't (which it probably won't) it's you.

I always thought Eotech were the worst for me until I picked up a Vortex Huey - that thing is completely unusable for my eyes. I get the smeared red dot with an Aimpoint or any RDS really. I have resigned myself to ACOG's for a clear recital. I may do a LPV on the next one, so I am looking at the Trijicon 1-6 but need to shoot with one to be sure. They are also on the lower end of the weight scale for a LPV.

If you know someone with a Vortex MRDS have a look at it and see if it's sharper for you. I have two RMRs and a Burris FFII and the dot on the Vortex I just tried was exceptionally crisp and round by comparison. Not sure if that will help with your particular issue but you might try it.

Ive had good luck (better than a weird crescent but far from perfect) with the Sig Romeo 4H. The true answer is to have it corrected or use an etched reticle. Have you tried something like a PA cyclops 1x or the like with an etched 1x reticle? I tried the Vortex Spitfire and it had a weird negative magnification where it looked like I was farther away, not recommended.

I did like the Leupold CQT which is etched and appeared very crisp at the cost of a huge freakin optic. Thats 2003 tech though. Look for etched 1x and you should see a big improvement.