Red dot on Benelli R1 30-06

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delboybc

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Delta BC
Hi All

I have had a benelli R1 for a few months. It will be my primary hunting weapon.

I broke the vortex scope on it a few weeks ago and will I wait for the warranty return I have been thinking about other sighting options as backup and closer distances.

I live in BC and my primary way of hunting is walking through the bush. 200yards is pretty much my hunting limit and I have been using a 2-7 scope.

I enjoy shooting irons on my sks and find accuracy is good out to 150 for me. The R1 is drilled and tapped for irons and I can purchase a set for $200 but this got me thinking about a possible red dot for a similar price.

The R1 has a picatinny rail so I good swap between my 2-7 scope and a red dot.

Has anyone had experience with using a red dot for hunting versus the use of iron sights?

Thanks for your comments.
Del
 
I like a scope with a red dot in the cross hair ..I use a luppy 3 to 9 x40 vxr ,,,sweet rig ,what kind of groups were you getting with it ,Dutch
 
dutchhunter said:
I like a scope with a red dot in the cross hair ..I use a luppy 3 to 9 x40 vxr ,,,sweet rig ,what kind of groups were you getting with it ,Dutch
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I was getting mainly 1.5" to 2" groups with a few 1" still trying to work out what bullet and powder works best. I am really happy as hoping it would give me at least 2" groups
 
delboybc said:
I have had a benelli R1 for a few months. It will be my primary hunting weapon.
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"Weapon"?

delboybc said:
I broke the vortex scope on it a few weeks ago and will I wait for the warranty return I have been thinking about other sighting options as backup and closer distances.

I live in BC and my primary way of hunting is walking through the bush. 200yards is pretty much my hunting limit and I have been using a 2-7 scope.
Click to expand...
If you liked the scope set up, why not buy a higher quality scope? A Leupold VX2 2x7 or 1x4 would be perfect for you needs.
 
Red Dots are deadly for hunting,....I used one on a Remington Model 81 300 savage for over 15 years, I killed alot of deer with it,..doesn't mater if they are standing, walking, or running,...the Red Dot is a fool proof killer. No scope or iron sight comes close to the speed you can acquire sight on a moving target in the woods compared to a Red Dot. There is no "aiming", you're just "pointing",..with both eyes open you see a deer, be it standing, walking, or running, you throw the rifle to your face, still with both eyes open, and the Red Dot automatically lands in your line of sight and on target,...all there is left to do is pull the trigger. Most of my hunting now is done from a tree stand, so I use a scope for the extra light at dawn and dusk, but during "Bear Season", and when I am on foot hunting deer through the woods I swap the scope out for the Red Dot,..I love it and I don't care what anyone says you can't beat it for hunting the woods,...but,..if you are doing alot of shooting outside of 150 yards,..you might want to stick with a scope.
 
I agree with you on the red dot being very fast on target .I used one on my shotgun for turkeys and deer for years .But I wanted something with a little bit of adjustment so I went with the scope with the red dot in the center of the cross hairs ,,the leupold vxr 3 to 9 x40 ,,,it gives me the best of both worlds I got a good red dot to get on target very fast and I can crank up the power if I happen to need to ,,,Also if my battery dies I still have my cross hair to hot with .my red dot did not and if it died I was done for the day ,,,,I did not like this about the red dots ,,,yes I carried a extra battery in my wallet but if I found my self looking threw the rd dot and no light it is to late to change the battery if the deer of turkey is standing there looking at me ,,,,Dutch
 
SuperCub said:
"Weapon"?


If you liked the scope set up, why not buy a higher quality scope? A Leupold VX2 2x7 or 1x4 would be perfect for you needs.
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Funny, I should be more pc, was in the Army for 10 yrs so just use to calling them weapons. That's why I went to a semi, tried a lever and a few bolts but just didn't feel right for some reason.


You must be a mind reader that is my plan to give the vortex one more go and if something happens again will be getting a VX2 2X7. I really like the vortex and have had for a few years so want to give it one more go.

I have the scope thing covered.

Just got thinking about irons or red dot when the rifle was sitting all bare. Would be easy to go with either as the R1 is already drilled and tapped for irons and has a rail so a red dot would be easy to. Just wanted to try something a bit different.
 
I tried an Aimpoint on my MR1 after running some 3-gun matches with irons.....it's so good it's still on there.

I use it for 3-gun shoots, and for hunting.

Very good system
 
My first thought was that this wasn't the reloading section.

My second thought was that a semi-auto '06 wouldn't cycle with Reddot.

My third thought was, ahh, he's talking about a sight.

Lots of guys use red dot sights, they're easy to see, provide the same field of view as your eyeballs do, and provide a precise close range aiming point. What's not to like. Being able to switch quickly between a red dot and a scope sounds good provided your mounts give you a repeatable zero, otherwise the system is unworkable. The next question is, will you be inclined to carry the scope while the red dot is mounted on the rifle? If the country you hunt in is usually thick cover, the red dot will shine, but it is at a serious disadvantage compared to a low power variable scope if the country opens up and long shots become a possibility.
 
The Benelli R1's "iron" sites are very awesome and will probably get you on target almost as fast as a red dot and you won't have to worry about breaking them.
 
dutchhunter said:
I agree with you on the red dot being very fast on target .I used one on my shotgun for turkeys and deer for years .But I wanted something with a little bit of adjustment so I went with the scope with the red dot in the center of the cross hairs ,,the leupold vxr 3 to 9 x40 ,,,it gives me the best of both worlds I got a good red dot to get on target very fast and I can crank up the power if I happen to need to ,,,Also if my battery dies I still have my cross hair to hot with .my red dot did not and if it died I was done for the day ,,,,I did not like this about the red dots ,,,yes I carried a extra battery in my wallet but if I found my self looking threw the rd dot and no light it is to late to change the battery if the deer of turkey is standing there looking at me ,,,,Dutch
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Hate the red dots for exactly the same reason...... Battery's ......something to fail at the moment of truth. I like a good old scope with crosshairs. Shoulder it, look, aim and squeeze. If for moving game keep it low powered and large FOV.
The acronym K.I.S.S. (Keep it simple stupid) best describes.
 
cdn1canhunt said:
Hate the red dots for exactly the same reason...... Battery's ......something to fail at the moment of truth. I like a good old scope with crosshairs. Shoulder it, look, aim and squeeze. If for moving game keep it low powered and large FOV.
The acronym K.I.S.S. (Keep it simple stupid) best describes.
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With a reflex sight you have the advantages of the red dot, without the nuisance of batteries. The one on my AR can be used at the same time as the irons, and allows use in low light where the front sight is indistinct.
 
cdn1canhunt said:
Hate the red dots for exactly the same reason...... Battery's ......something to fail at the moment of truth. I like a good old scope with crosshairs. Shoulder it, look, aim and squeeze. If for moving game keep it low powered and large FOV.
The acronym K.I.S.S. (Keep it simple stupid) best describes.
Click to expand...

Obviously you have never hunted with a good Red Dot,...and when I say "good" RedDot I'm not talking about the ones at Canadian Tire for $100. Battery life of most Aimpoints is 50,000 hours of continual use,...that's five years,..turn it on today and it will stay lit for five years straight. I have 2 different Red Dots, neither of them are Aimpoint, but they work great and I have never had a battery go bad in all the years I've had them,..as a matter of fact about a month ago I was in the attic rummaging through some of my stuff and I came across my old/first Red Dot, I took it off my rifle about 17-18 years ago, I picked it up and turned it on and it was as bright as the day I last hunted with it. Now when it comes to moving targets, especially fast moving targets, at closer ranges, 30-70 yards, in the woods,...the Red Dot will out perform a scope everytime. I have seen quite a few times that I missed out on getting a shot at a deer because of having a scope on my rifle instead of my Red Dot. They are also very tough,..you can beat the sh!t out of a good one and they will still work perfect.

I am not trying to start any arguments with this post and I hope it doesn't read that way,...I am just stating what I know to be true from many years of hunting with Red Dots and scopes.
 
Tabacco Brook said:
Obviously you have never hunted with a good Red Dot,...and when I say "good" RedDot I'm not talking about the ones at Canadian Tire for $100. Battery life of most Aimpoints is 50,000 hours of continual use,...that's five years,..turn it on today and it will stay lit for five years straight. I have 2 different Red Dots, neither of them are Aimpoint, but they work great and I have never had a battery go bad in all the years I've had them,..as a matter of fact about a month ago I was in the attic rummaging through some of my stuff and I came across my old/first Red Dot, I took it off my rifle about 17-18 years ago, I picked it up and turned it on and it was as bright as the day I last hunted with it. Now when it comes to moving targets, especially fast moving targets, at closer ranges, 30-70 yards, in the woods,...the Red Dot will out perform a scope everytime. I have seen quite a few times that I missed out on getting a shot at a deer because of having a scope on my rifle instead of my Red Dot. They are also very tough,..you can beat the sh!t out of a good one and they will still work perfect.

I am not trying to start any arguments with this post and I hope it doesn't read that way,...I am just stating what I know to be true from many years of hunting with Red Dots and scopes.
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No argument here just saying for me ....I wasn't happy with the red dot. I found one other annoying thing with a red dot. They screw up your night vision. One opening day of whitetail season I had a nice 8pt'er walk under my stand about 1minute after legal shooting time. And when I say underneath I mean like I felt like I could jump onto its back. Anyway I slowly shouldered my shotgun to peer through the my red dot and to quote a song " I was blinded by the light" all I could see was that annoying bright red dot even after I stopped looking through the scope. Tried 3 x's until the buck figured out I wasn't part of the normal landscape a disappeared for the rest of that season. So for me red dots kinda suck!
 
cdn1canhunt said:
No argument here just saying for me ....I wasn't happy with the red dot. I found one other annoying thing with a red dot. They screw up your night vision. One opening day of whitetail season I had a nice 8pt'er walk under my stand about 1minute after legal shooting time. And when I say underneath I mean like I felt like I could jump onto its back. Anyway I slowly shouldered my shotgun to peer through the my red dot and to quote a song " I was blinded by the light" all I could see was that annoying bright red dot even after I stopped looking through the scope. Tried 3 x's until the buck figured out I wasn't part of the normal landscape a disappeared for the rest of that season. So for me red dots kinda suck!
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I will agree you can not beat a scope for low light conditions,...but I also have to say that if a red dot is turned down to its lowest setting it should not blind you in low light conditions,...maybe the sight you were using was not designed for low light conditions.
 
mondostud said:
The Benelli R1's "iron" sites are very awesome and will probably get you on target almost as fast as a red dot and you won't have to worry about breaking them.
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I had a look at the low profile Benelli R1 iron sights on line but could not see anyone using them with the picatinny rail installed as well. They were $200 and was concerned as I own a ruger 10/22 and I find the scope base on the receiver interferes when trying to use the rear iron sight that is mounted on the barrel.
 
I couldn’t help myself and I went out and bought a red dot to try it out.

I picked up a Holosun HS515C from reliable gun.

It is amazing I like it better than iron sights, quicker to see, no need to focus on the front sight and your front post does not obscure your target.

I went out yesterday and did some scouting for deer season and to give the red dot a try.

Was not hard to zero in and I found I could fire it from 130metres in a sitting position into my 8” circle targets. When I used my XS sights I found at 100M the front post would cover the entire target.

It also carried well on the rifle I could grab the receiver at the balance point similar to a lever action without a scope.

Just interested to see how it will perform in the rain and snow.

The HS515C has a solar automatic setting that adjusts the circle to a brightness that fits into how bright it is outside, seemed to work well as would change if I went in dense brush or into direct sunlight.

It also has the option of red dot only or dot with circle reticle pattern. Prefer the red dot and circle.

I have included some photo’s, thanks for everyone’s comments.
001_zpslt7pi4cg.jpg

004_zpscz44s0jz.jpg
 
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