Optics & Red Dots

Articles and podcast episodes on pistol and rifle optics, red-dot sights, LPVOs, mounting, zeroing, angular measurement, durability, selection, and practical employment.

P&S ModCast 403 — Gun Nerds 20: The Special Purpose Rifle

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Alex Hartmann joins the Gun Nerds panel to examine Special Purpose Rifle history, mission-driven configuration, optics, barrels, ammunition, suppressors, and precision-rifle training.

P&S ModCast 381 — Variables in RDS

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Mike Branson, Tom Kelley, and Matt Landfair examine red-dot-sight manufacturing, quality control, durability, pricing, mounting, and realistic equipment requirements.

Low Power Variable Optics: The Close and The Far

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The world of Low Powered Variable Optics (LPVO) has bloomed in recent years with their increased use in both sporting and professional roles. Just about every optics company worth its glass has at least one LPVO and most have several to address either various price points or magnification ranges. This boom in optics has led to discussions over … Read more

How to Mount an Army Optic to an M4A1

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For training Tuesday, we are talking about the mounting of optics to Army weapons. Specifically, we are addressing the mounting of the M150 Rifle Combat Optic to the M4A1. The reference for this discussion is M150 RCO TM 9-1240-416-13&P and CCO TM 9-1240-413-13&P. The first thing that the Paratrooper should do is  check the eye … Read more

The Tolerance-Stacking of Errors and Zeroing

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For Training Tuesday, we are re-posting an article by Ash Hess talking about zeroing your weapon effectively. Engineers talk about tolerance stacking when it comes to malfunctions of parts. It is the same thing when it comes to your zero. If you accept being off one inch at 25 meters, you will be off 12 … Read more

What is our Standard for Zeroing?

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For Training Tuesday, we are discussing the topic ‘how many rounds should I use to zero?’ Reference for this discussion is Appendix, E, TC 3-22.9, change 2, dated August 2017. As we mentioned in a previous post, five-round groups are the preferred technique, as they allow you to discount fliers and adjust based off of … Read more

Zeroing the Close Combat Optic (CCO), Part 1:

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We are continuing our discussion on the M68 Close Combat Optic, or CCO. The reference for this is TM 9-1240-413-13P dated May 2013, and TC 3-22.9, Change 1 dated January 2017 To recap our discussion from last week, the close combat optic (CCO), M68 is a non-telescopic (unmagnified) reflex sight that is designed for the … Read more