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RED DOT vs HOLOGRAPHIC SIGHT
05.12.2022
The forerunners of holographic sights are Reflective Red Dot type sights, which are also quite a modern invention. The essence of Red Dot sights is that a light source in the form of an aiming reticle (crosshair, dot, corner, etc.) shines on the objective lens at an angle, the aspherical reflector reflects the image of the reticle towards the shooters eye, and he sees the mark through the reflector lens.
It remains only to point and shoot the target. Initially, the collimator aiming system did not appear in the world of firearms, but … in military aviation! Namely fighter planes. For modern air combat conditions, special collimator sighting systems and systems for providing information to fighter pilots have been developed.
A special transparent screen acts as a reflector of the sight, it is in it that the pilots see the aiming marks, and operational information.
Finally, with the development of electronics, it became possible to install Red Dot sights on almost any firearm – from rifles and machine guns to pistols. The Red Dot allows you to make an aimed shot very quickly – 2-3 times faster than with a conventional open mechanical sight. In addition, Red Dots do not block part of the target, unlike mechanical sights.
The holographic sight is an even more modern technology, based precisely on the Reflective sights technology, and incorporating all its advantages.
Holographic sight, instead of an aspherical reflector lens uses a special plate with a holographic recording of the image of the reticle, and instead of the LED light of the reticle, a laser beam is used.
Thanks to this, the holographic sight is spared from the disadvantage of a Red Dot – from parallax, due to which, when the eye is shifted away from the axis of the collimator sight, the reticle dot is displaced from the target. Shooting in this position is not accurate. A holographic sight, unlike Red Dot, shows the aiming dot always exactly in the place where the weapon is aimed, even if the eye is not strictly on the axis of the sight.
Thus, holographic sights provide even easier, faster and more accurate shooting than red dot sights. For dynamic shooting at distances up to 100 meters, there is nothing better than a holographic sight!
Shooter has the illusion that the reticle floats a few meters from him.
Among the advantages of a holographic sight it is also worth noting:
- Large field of view, which makes it possible to use peripheral vision and instantly respond to various targets, moving and suddenly appearing objects.
- Even straight damage does not permanently disable holographic sights: a holographic reticle continues to function when the screen is broken or contaminated, with partial destruction of the holographic plate itself.
- At the heart of such sights is the idea of building an image without the help of lenses. The barrel of the weapon and the eye of the shooter can be generally on different lines – which does not affect the accuracy of the hit.
You can continue to use it even when window is obscured with dirt or snow.
Main disadvantages:
- Significant price. The reason for this is that the simplicity of “holographs” is an illusion: inside they have high-tech stuffing and complex electronics.
- Dimensions and weight. Other things being equal, the holographic sight will have a little more weight than the Red Dot, due to the complexity of the design and filling.
- Some holographic sights have protective “Hood” that is attached and surrounding the sight, because their important parts to the holographic system are connected to the main body of the sight, so they need an outer housing around it to prevent that from being damaged.
The important bits in the Vortex AMG UH-1 to the holographic system reticle are not connected to the main body of the sight, so that main body basically acts as the “Shell” by itself and no additional outer housing is needed.
CONCLUSION
These are the technological features of holographic sights. These sights are very useful for the military, for hunters, for athletes in practical shooting, i.e. for active weapon users. These categories of shooters use all the advantages of modern technology – super fast aiming, no parallax, operational ruggedness.
