Inside MDT - Red Dot Sights on Precision Rifles

A red dot mounted on your riflescope or spotting scope can be great for target acquisition, especially when your optic is dialed at higher magnifications. In this video, Ryan McLean from MDT discusses the benefits of mounting a red dot on your riflescope and runs through a drill to see if there was a marked improvement in using a red dot.

More: Red dots on Precision Rifles

Industry has caught on to this trend and is now adding Picatinny rails to spotting scopes; however, if you want to take advantage of a red dot for your riflescope, you will have to use a special mount. MDT makes a specialized Scope Ring Cap that will accept our RDS Plate for mounting a red dot optic. The MDT Scope Ring Cap is compatible with our MDT One-Piece Scope Mount and the MDT Elite Scope Rings.

The MDT RDS Plate will accommodate red dots for the following models and footprints.

• Glock MOS Interface Adapter
• Trijicon Red Dot Adapter
• Doctor Red Dot Adapter
• C-More Red Dot Adapter
• Leupold Red Dot Adapter

More: Optics: Understanding The Optical Triangle

RED DOT TIPS

Author's Note - I have taught precision rifle and guided for a number of years, and I think red dots are a great addition to both the riflescope and spotting scope. I first came across red dots mounted on riflescopes and spotting scopes while training under Pete Gould at the Accuracy 1st facility in Clarendon, Texas. Here are some insights after using red dots on my magnified optics.

• I prefer to mount a 2 or 3 MOA dot on my riflescope and spotting scope. This allows me to see and not obscure targets at distance.
• I "zero" my red dot to the reticle in my spotting scope at 500 yards. For my riflescopes, I will zero my red dots at 100 yards. You can also break out the ballistic calculator and do something analogous to a 50/200 or 36/300 yard zero for your specific load.
• A red dot on a riflescope is excellent during low-light conditions or in thick or dense tree cover. If I am hunting and an animal presents itself 50 yards or closer, I will probably skip my magnified optic and harvest the animal with the red dot.
• A red dot on a spotting scope is invaluable during field exercises and training when students rapidly transition and engage targets.
• A red dot on a riflescope is great when hunting dangerous animals that may charge.
• Red dots are great for rifles loaned out to clients who don't have much experience or time to train. I have found if I get a client in position, then have them put the red dot on their quarry, then transition from the red dot to the reticle in their scope, they can get on target a whole lot faster than having to dial magnification down, find the animal, then dial back up.
• Red dots on riflescopes are great when working with brand-new shooters, especially children.
• If you have night vision, a red dot gives you some flexibility when it comes to passive aiming.

More: Advanced Target Acquisition - How To Be A Better Shooter

Red dot on my Bushnell spotting scope. When I lend my tripod to a client, I use my Triple Pull-Ckye Pod as a spotting scope mount.