The Firing Line Forums - View Single Post

JFritz · February 9, 2020, 05:31 PM

I have had a Mini-14 for a couple of years and it is a fun rifle to shoot. I use it for target shooting and general plinking at the range with max distances around 100 yards. I began using it with the open sights, but due to a LASIK procedure years ago I have a hard time focusing on a thin front sight as it is blurry and I sometimes see almost a faint double image.

So I had a $40 4 MOA UTG Red Dot laying around and was able to mount it to the Mini-14 where it has stayed. It is reliable, accurate, and doesn't move around after firing or transporting. It is also easy to adjust for accuracy and it has various red and green brightness settings.

I took it out to the range today and was shooting at an Allen sight in target with the 6" orange block at 100 yards. About 1/2 of the shots were within the target zone and the rest were just outside the target area. At 100 yards with a red dot (or open sights) I can see the target area, but just barely.

Well I began thinking. Does it make sense to upgrade to a "better" red dot? I see the Bushnell, Vortex and many other models for quite a bit more $$$, but will I benefit from the upgrade? I assume better glass, sharper dot (I guess), but my accuracy is only as good as I shoot now. The only thing I notice sometimes with the UTG is that the dot is not a perfect circle sometimes, but that could be my eyesight in general. Any thoughts and suggestions would be appreciated.

Also, I'm not interested in putting a scope on the rifle and it will either have a red dot or go back to a better open sight system.

February 9, 2020, 05:31 PM	#1
JFritz Junior Member Join Date: March 26, 2019 Posts: 9	Mini 14 Red Dot Advice I have had a Mini-14 for a couple of years and it is a fun rifle to shoot. I use it for target shooting and general plinking at the range with max distances around 100 yards. I began using it with the open sights, but due to a LASIK procedure years ago I have a hard time focusing on a thin front sight as it is blurry and I sometimes see almost a faint double image. So I had a $40 4 MOA UTG Red Dot laying around and was able to mount it to the Mini-14 where it has stayed. It is reliable, accurate, and doesn't move around after firing or transporting. It is also easy to adjust for accuracy and it has various red and green brightness settings. I took it out to the range today and was shooting at an Allen sight in target with the 6" orange block at 100 yards. About 1/2 of the shots were within the target zone and the rest were just outside the target area. At 100 yards with a red dot (or open sights) I can see the target area, but just barely. Well I began thinking. Does it make sense to upgrade to a "better" red dot? I see the Bushnell, Vortex and many other models for quite a bit more $$$, but will I benefit from the upgrade? I assume better glass, sharper dot (I guess), but my accuracy is only as good as I shoot now. The only thing I notice sometimes with the UTG is that the dot is not a perfect circle sometimes, but that could be my eyesight in general. Any thoughts and suggestions would be appreciated. Also, I'm not interested in putting a scope on the rifle and it will either have a red dot or go back to a better open sight system.