I was at the range yesterday shooting my AR using just my irons.  I am ready to move to a 1x red dot optic like the aimpoint or eotech.  My questions is if these optics are effective when shooting at 100yards?  Will the dot obscure the target?   Im sure that a 4x optic like the acog would give me more accuracy due to magnification, however I was curious how these 1x dot optics do at 100yards.  

Thanks

Think of your 1x dot optic as a very fast set of iron sights. If you can hit something with irons at 100yds, you can hit it with a dot optic. I'd say a 6-8" area at 100yds consistently is about normal when shooting unsupported.

If you have a benchrest or bipod, it should be easy to hit within a 4" area.

These optics are meant for quick targe acquisition at 0-200 yards, although consistent hits at 200yds would probably require a LOT of practice and/or some type of support (bipod, sandbags, etc) - just like iron sights. These are definitely not meant for precision shooting at a distance.

If you want more precession at longer ranges you might want to take a look at the EOTech. The EOTechs 1MOA dot makes for more precise shots at longer ranges than the Aimpoints standard 4MOA dot. Or, if the Aimpoint is more to your liking try and find one with the 2MOA dot.

In the class I took last weekend 3 out of 10 shooters with dot sights or irons were able to get a hit on a 10x12 plate within 2 shots at 200 yards from a kneeling position.  There was an 11th shooter using a 4x scope (and a good bit of skill) who won that competition but he had to work for it.

vmpglen gave great advise...


I shoot my eotech equipped M4gery at a 300 yard target fairly regularly from a prone supported position, and hits are not a problem against a 3 foot square steel plate.