There are many possibilities for mounting an optic as far as platforms are concerned. Are you looking for an optic to mount on an AR-15? Or maybe a pistol caliber carbine (PCC), bolt action rifle, or battle rifle?
Regardless of the firearm platform, shooters often ask whether a red dot sight (RDS) or a magnified optic is better. As is always the case, the answer really depends on what the user wants to do with the firearm in question. Want to engage close-range targets quickly? Get a red dot sight. Do you plan on engaging targets at a distance? Grab a magnified optic. Is it all really that simple, though? Or are there some gray, overlapping areas where one might fulfill both roles? Let’s have a look.
Red Dot Sights
A red dot sight is often an unmagnified or fixed magnification optic featuring an LED emitter or laser that casts a dot onto a piece of glass via a piece of angled glass. This places an illuminated dot reticle on the glass, which serves as an aiming point — much like crosshairs in a rifle scope.
One advantage of the RDS is that there is no defined eye relief or parallax, which means that, as long as the shooter can see the dot on the glass, he can use it to hit the target. This is simplicity itself because all the shooter has to do is get that dot onto the target and pull the trigger.
The RDS is smaller and lighter than magnified scopes. These days, the durability of the traditional red dot system is vastly improved compared to earlier models (to be fair, this is also true of magnified optics). Battery life has also improved a lot since the early days, with some RDS having tens of thousands of hours worth of battery life.
But what if the targets are farther off, making it very difficult to hit small targets at range? In such cases, the dot can cover the target, making it impossible to see. Some sort of magnification is required. Obviously, magnifiers are also available in troves, but they’re costly and not overly reliable.
LPVO and Other Magnified Optics
Full-sized rifle scopes are great. They transmit a large amount of light and provide a wide range of magnification options. These are wonderful things, but they come at a price, often being large, heavy, and cumbersome.
This usually isn’t a problem when we mount them on a hunting rifle or sniper system, as those platforms aren’t typically high-speed and are not intended for engaging very close-range targets. The larger, dedicated scopes don’t have true 1x magnification, so close-range engagements such as CQB aren’t a great prospect with these types of scopes.
The LPVO, or Low Power Variable Optic scope, bridges the gap between rifle scopes and red dot sights. These began as 1-4x but eventually turned into 1-6x and 1-8x, and in some cases, even higher magnifications.
Most such scopes seem to have settled on a 24 mm objective lens, which lets in some light but is, quite frankly, a little lacking in that department sometimes. It’s enough to get us by, and it keeps the scope lighter and sleeker, which is why that size of objective lens is being used widely.
Advantages of LPVOs
Many LPVOs, such as those from Vortex, have true 1x magnification, along with an illuminated reticle, so they can sort of take the place of an RDS. Sort of. What do I mean by that? Well, an LPVO is still a rifle scope, which means it has specific eye relief, and if we violate that, we will get a super crappy sight picture, and it is not forgiving like the RDS is. With the RDS, we don’t even have to have our eye lined up very well with the sight and as long as we can see that dot and get it onto the target, we’ve got a hit. Not so with the LPVO; it has to be dutifully lined up (you’d better have a good cheek weld) with proper eye relief to get a sight picture.
So, while the LPVO can double in the RDS function department, it cannot do it quite as well or as quickly as a real RDS. However, when magnification is needed, we’re just a twist of the dial away from getting all that we’d reasonably need. Especially when we’re talking about 1-6x or 1-8x scopes. They offer enough magnification to reach out several hundred yards easily with a carbine or rifle.
I’d mentioned illuminated reticles, which means batteries. The good news is that, even if the battery dies, the reticle is etched onto the glass, so the scope will still function.
Many people like to mount these types of scopes on a quick-release mount so that if the scope fails or malfunctions, we can remove it immediately and use the BUIS (Back Up Iron Sights).
The edge in versatility goes to the LPVO, but one must keep in mind the caveats that we discussed above.
Can We Have Both?
Let’s say we mount an LPVO on our rifle because we like the versatility it offers. An RDS can also be added using a 45-degree mount, so all we have to do to utilize an RDS is tilt the rifle to the preferred side. It’s just about instant, and we then have a red dot sight for very close range. Again, this will obviously add some cost to the whole project, but options are nice to have.
Furthermore, this canted RDS gives us an instantaneous backup sight in case the LPVO fails.
Suggestions
Below, I’ve listed a couple of my suggestions for rifle optics. I’ve actually used all of these and can recommend them personally.
I’ve used the Holoson HS510C MRS Red 2 MOA Dot/65 MOA Circle Open Reflex Sight and found it to be extremely fast in engaging targets at close ranges. Its battery life can be as long as 50,000 hours, and it has shake-awake technology. The user can choose between the dot, the circle, or a combination of both for the reticle. As this is written, it sells for $309, which is fairly reasonable for a quality sight.
The Leupold Mark AR 1.5-4x scope works well, and I’ve used it for several years now. It offers a clear view of the target, is durable, and can be adjusted quickly.
The Vortex Strike Eagle comes in two packages: the 1-6x24mm version (retailing for $399.99 at this writing) and the 1-8x24mm version (retailing for $499.99 at this writing). Both of these scopes offer a clear picture and plenty of magnification. I’ve used them both for a couple of years and have had no issues. Both have an illuminated reticle and rangefinder built into the reticles. They can double as an RDS with the caveats mentioned above.
The Vortex Venom 1-6x24mm LPVO scope also looks very promising and is at a great price point ($299.99 as this is written). It’s chock-full of features and carries the Vortex lifetime warranty, just like all of their other rifle scopes. Look for an article on this scope in the very near future.
Final Thoughts
Keep in mind that most of these LPVO scopes are going to be bulkier and heavier than an RDS and, in some cases, cost more than an RDS. However, for these drawbacks, we are getting a more versatile optic.
Whatever route you choose to take, there are a ton of viable options to choose from these days. Optics can really enhance our ability to not only engage short-range targets but also to reach out far distances. In just the past couple of years, our options have opened up drastically.
I like the benefits of having an LPVO on my rifle or carbine, so I’ve decided to take that route. The LPVO can perform the job of an RDS, but the RDS cannot perform the job of the LPVO unless it is used in conjunction with a magnifier. Even then, an RDS will not have the full capability of the LPVO, so plan accordingly.
