Red/Green Dot Holographic Point and Shoot sight on Magtech 7022 (Mossberg 702). Field Test.

April 16, 2013 at 10:24 pm

This sight was originally fitted to my Relum Z II springer air rifle and was impressed by it’s point and shoot quality, when shooting barn rats at close range and the occasional pigeon in the rafters. Unlike a scope, where the target is identified by eye, then located in the lens before firing, the holographic dot is visible at the same instant as the target, with the dot only needing to be placed on the target and the trigger pulled.

The model I purchased has added features over some of the lower priced dot sights. Some are moulded plastic, but this one is made from anodized alluminium, giving a solid two allen screw, 11 mm dovetail mount. A choice of four images are available, a 4″ MOA dot, a 1″ MOA dot with outer ring, a 4″ MOA ring with outer cross hairs and a cross hair. These are selected with a positive toggle switch at the rear of the sight. Another feature is the colour of the reticule, which is also adjustable, one to five in level of brightness. In the barn, I found the red light setting at level one, fine for reduced light,  while on five it worked well with a filtered torch. For shooting in the field, I found green best and level five required in very bright sunlight.

The sight is easy to fit to the 11 mm scope grooves and unlike a scope, eye relief and focusing are not needed, the manufacturer recommending at least 3″ from the mirror to your eye when shooting. In practice this will be about 8″ in the normal shooting position, which allows an instant view of the target, whether moving or static. Zeroing is by way of an allen key, which is fiddly and the clicks are only just  noticeable for elevation and windage. On the average scope, each click is usually 1/4″ at one hundred yards, while this scope has only 1″ per click at one hundred yards, so adjustment to the level of a telescopic scope is not possible. For the air rifle I had set the sight at twenty yards on a target and I did the same with the Magtech .22 semi auto rimfire. At twenty yards, the trajectory of the .22 subsonic, will give point-blank at 50 yards. This shows up a disadvantage of the Dot scope, as with no magnification, even if the bullet holes were touching as mine were at twenty yards, on a target, the bull was obscured by the cross hairs at fifty. At fifty yards I shot a 2″ dia group, within the killing zone for a rabbit chest shot with subsonic ammo. I didn’t try one of the other reticule settings, which may have framed the paper target better. My rifle is used for hunting small game, so I will compare the options with use.

Following my setting up for zero on my woodland target range, I ventured out into the fields to put theory into practice and rounding a corner saw three rabbits feeding about seventy yards away, too far for an untested sight, but clearly visible through the mirrored window. Using cover I was able to get to a slope within forty five yards of the three and with the Magtech rested on my shooting bag, placed the cross hairs on the chest of the biggest and fired. The bullet impacted where I had aimed, sending the rabbit skyward in a reflex kick, while the others briefly looked on, then bolted down the field. I realized that I could have taken another shot in the following second, as the targets were there for the taking, but I was overawed by the simplicity of it all. This sight suits the semi auto, where multiple targets can be taken on in rapid succession.