Now, before I explain the “why”, I first must reiterate that my experience is based on one particular red dot, the Bushnell TRS-25. Today, I can say with confidence, for me and my style of hunting, it has been the most advantageous change to my hunting gear I have ever made. The biggest issue though I was having was speed and accuracy.Īfter several days of reflecting on missing another stud buck and Bill’s ever so subtle hints that I make the change, I finally made the decision to swap over to “the dark side” with the other two WMBT boys and put a red dot on my 7600. I would not rest until I had the perfect setup that provided speed, accuracy, and durability. Being a perfectionist, I was always searching for the perfect optic. I went through two Williams Fire Sights after breaking each of them traversing through the proverbial big woods “shit holes”. It would also become brittle in below freezing temperatures. The problem with the fiber optic was going through thick cover with it. Initially, I appreciated the brightness of the fiber optic as it was highly visible in seemingly every weather condition. I then swapped the factory front iron sight out for a Williams Fire Sight. The finger nail polished factory front bead just wasn’t cutting it for me. Always striving for improvement, there were a couple of issues with the peep sight setup which bothered me though. I was fortunate to harvest some quality bucks with the peep sight, both on my rifle and my muzzleloader. I would mark the tick marks of the rear sight adjustments with nail polish so in case of it being bumped, I would know immediately if it was compromised. If snow or debris got into the rear sight, you could just simply blow it out and you were back in action. While hunting, I would remove the rear aperture in order for a faster target acquisition. The peep sight was far less susceptible to being compromised by inclement weather. The particular rifle I used, the Remington 7600 Carbine, carried so much better with a peep sight than it did previously with a scope (it was also lighter). The advantages with this specific peep sight setup were immediate. I then swapped the factory front sight for the Williams Fire Sight, a bright fiber optic. I used red fingernail polish initially, but the color did not contrast enough with fallen leaves in bare ground conditions. I used fluorescent orange fingernail polish on the front bead for a contrasting color when hunting on snow covered ground. Along with the Williams WGRS-7400 rear peep sight, I first coupled it with the Remington factory iron front sight. The peep sight I first utilized was the Williams WGRS-7400. The transition from a scope optic to a peep sight just seemed natural. I just had not used them while hunting, mainly because it wasn’t really prevalent at that time and their price alone was a disincentive. I trained with red dots from various positions and under different conditions. During these years, I became quite familiar with red dots, and used them frequently in training. As my law enforcement career continued, red dot sights became more prevalent, smaller, and more sophisticated. ![]() In addition to a handgun, I was issued a Colt M-4 Carbine while serving on the tactical team for years. ![]() After my military service, I began my law enforcement career in which I utilized various types of handguns (agency dependent) with iron sights. It was a great optic, but large in comparison to most present-day red dot optics. Upon my arrival to the 82nd Airborne Division, I was introduced to the red dot, specifically the M-68, also known as the COMPM2 Aimpoint. This, despite my young “whippa-snappa” days plinking cans (and whatever) with the ol’ Red Ryder bee-bee gun, is where I learned to shoot irons sights. As a young airborne infantryman, I was issued the Colt M-4 Carbine. ![]() As years of youth hunting went by, I graduated high school, did a “brief stint” in college, and joined the US Army in 2001.
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