Red dots !

[Smellydog]

I have a Hawke red dot sight on my air pistol. It's good except for some flare off the dot.
In bright day light it's better but on dull days it's worse.
Is it a quality thing or an old eye thing as it gets darker?
If it's a quality thing please recommend a unit that does not flare.
Cheers.

 

[MilesW]

I have a Hawke red dot sight on my air pistol. It's good except for some flare off the dot.
In bright day light it's better but on dull days it's worse.
Is it a quality thing or an old eye thing as it gets darker?
If it's a quality thing please recommend a unit that does not flare.
Cheers.

Might be time to have your sight tested and specifically get checked for astigmatism. What do car lights/street lights look like at night?

 

[finnbear270]

Astigmatism is a bit like binoculars out of collimation.

 

[kenbro]

I think it’s the quality of the sight that causes flare.
I’ve not had many RD sights but have encountered flare with some and not others.
KB.

 

[Smellydog]

Might be time to have your sight tested and specifically get checked for astigmatism. What do car lights/street lights look like at night?

Just spent £400+ on glasses. Do have astigmatism in right eye. The flare is less with glasses removed.
Street lights have a halo. Car lights don't bother me.

 

[old keeper]

I've got a setup similar to yours, a Hawke red dot sight on a Weihrauch HW44 pistol. I've found that at high intensity, there is a lot of flare; on lower levels, it's fine.
I've just had a cataract operation and my sight has returned to what it was years ago, before which flare was really bad. I guess, as you've just had new specs, the optician would have picked up a cataract. I think that with lower-priced red dot air rifle sights, there will, at times, often be a bit of flare depending on the amount of moisture in the eye, etc.

 

[gixer1]

Take a photo of your red dot with your mobile phone camera and see what it looks like - you may be amazed! For a while I was looking through red dots and thinking “that’s horrendous, how can anyone shoot accurately with that big red star looking splurge”……then someone took a photo and showed me what others were seeing - a perfect round red dot…..

I clearly have astigmatism!

I now know to turn the red dot right down so the “splurge” isn’t as pronounced for my substandard eyes!

Regards,
Gixer

 

[gixer1]

I've got a setup similar to yours, a Hawke red dot sight on a Weihrauch HW44 pistol. I've found that at high intensity, there is a lot of flare; on lower levels, it's fine.
I've just had a cataract operation and my sight has returned to what it was years ago, before which flare was really bad. I guess, as you've just had new specs, the optician would have picked up a cataract. I think that with lower-priced red dot air rifle sights, there will, at times, often be a bit of flare depending on the amount of moisture in the eye, etc.

It’s not - it will be astigmatism….trust me, try the mobile phone camera trick and see what it looks like….

 

[Smellydog]

Thanks everyone so what's the alternative? Don't really want a scope. Might have to go to opens ???

 

[Smellydog]

Hold that thought.... I need to try shooting with my left eye! Forgot about that

 

[gixer1]

Thanks everyone so what's the alternative? Don't really want a scope. Might have to go to opens ???

You can get glasses specifically for astigmatism and shooting - maybe worth a look, I think there may also be a lens cover for this for your regular glasses. Also try turning the brightness down very low.

Hope this helps.

 

[Smellydog]

You can get glasses specifically for astigmatism and shooting - maybe worth a look, I think there may also be a lens cover for this for your regular glasses. Also try turning the brightness down very low.

Hope this helps.

Thank you. Yes have turned low but in low light it becomes to bright again.

 

[rocketdogbert]

I’m left eye dominant but right handed, it takes a bit of getting used to, but you’ll be there.
Suffered from astigmatism my entire life, but contact lenses correct it almost completely

 

[MilesW]

Just spent £400+ on glasses. Do have astigmatism in right eye. The flare is less with glasses removed.
Street lights have a halo. Car lights don't bother me.

Does your new prescription actually include a correction for the astigmatism? Is odd that removing your glasses reduces the flare.
Car lights may not bother you, but are they nice and sharp?
Pinched this from a local optometrist website.

 

[Smellydog]

Does your new prescription actually include a correction for the astigmatism? Is odd that removing your glasses reduces the flare.
Car lights may not bother you, but are they nice and sharp?
Pinched this from a local optometrist website.

My vision is like the left example thanks.
My prescription is for the astigmatism yes.

 

[MilesW]

My vision is like the left example thanks.
My prescription is for the astigmatism yes.

Seems we've exhausted that angle then. May just have to resort to trying a bunch of different ones until you find one that agrees with you. I have had similar issues with illuminated scopes (hence the interest) and found that Nightforce was the most agreeable. Pity that almost everything else about their scopes is much less agreeable to me. Forego illumination in any scope now.

 

[scotch_egg]

One way to check the quality of a red dot is to look through it with the camera on your phone. I’ve got a Vortex red dot and wondered if it was the scope or my eyes. It’s a perfect dot through the phone. My eyes see a stair burst.

 

[rocketdogbert]

I’be had dozens of red dots, Hawke are definitely lower end.
Vector optics make a nice range of piston red dots, my favourites are the circle/dot sights, great for fast acquisition.
You might also want to consider trying out various different dot sizes, I prefer smaller, but you can go up to 6moa!

 

[Smellydog]

Hmm, might just source some opens.

 

[finnbear270]

Smelly, Are you wearing your specs to shoot?