Bullseye Shooting - Red dot Y or N?

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I am interested in getting into bullseye shooting at my club (.22 / 50ft) and am wondering if you can do just as well with or without a red dot (Matchdot etc..)

Any insight would be appreciated!
 
disclaimer: I don't actively participate in .22 bullseye shooting but have tried it.

You don't NEED one to get started but will end up with one.

You can start with any decent target .22 and work on the basics of trigger control, breath management, hold, etc. Get used to the courses of fire. (slow, timed, rapid)
Talk with the guys who have been doing it for a bunch of years. I'm sure they will be happy to let you try their guns so you can see what works well for YOU before you drop cash.

Have fun and good luck.
 
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What Mike said.
You don't need to spend a lot to get your feet wet, but once you are hooked, you'll be looking for some equipment upgrades, likely starting with a red dot.
Most likely you'll do better with the dot.
If you upgrade your pistol, you can put your dot on the new one, so you won't have to buy that again.
 
A Ruger Mark 2 or 3 with a good trigger is the best bang for the dollar. I have a guy on my team who shot a 300 in practice with it. If you can shoot without a dot, then do it. Yes 99% of those in the sport including myself use one, but a regular iron sight will produce amazing numbers. Don Hamilton was setting records50 years ago and some I believe are still unbroken and he never used a dot.
 
If using iron sight zero your sights so that it hits dead center x at 50 feet while you hold on the bull at 6 oclock. This is Target zero (as stated) vs combat zero which is point of aim is point of impact.

Target zero or 6 oclock hold helps because your hold on elevation is more consistent because you don't have to "guess" if half the black bullseye is above the front sight.

Some people call 6 oclock hold the "lollipop".

Using a 6 oclock hold is just as good as a red dot.....For me anyway.
 
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I actually shoot bullseye better without the dot. Pins and plates are a different story for some reason.

This! Target zero or 6 oclock hold is just as effective as a red dot for bullseye ....Reason is stated above.
 
If using iron sight zero your sights so that it hits bull at 50 feet while you hold on the bull at 6 oclock. Target zero (as stated) vs combat zero which is point of aim is point of impact.

Target zero or 6 oclock hold helps because your hold on elevation is more consistent because you don't have to "guess" if half the black bullseye is above the front sight.

Using a 6 oclock hold is just as good as a red dot.....For me anyway.

Genius.The black sights / black target combo was my main concern. Thanks!
 
my own experience, I shot bullseye with an aimpoint first half of the league season and sucked. took it off and used iron sights, like night and day. shot way better without it. I also believe a gun youre comfortable with is as much a part of the equation as anything. easy to find out, some red dots are extremely cheap so basicly painless to try.
 
I shoot in a league and use a red dot. If you have excellent eyesight (I don't) you can do just as well with or without a red dot. Our league high scorer 2 years ago used a Smith 617 with iron sights, and cheapo ammo. He regularly scored in the 270's.

If you do decide to use a red dot, get an Ultradot brand. The top shooters in the sport use this brand almost exclusively. As your skills improve and you buy that expensive Pardini pistol, you can use this sight and at least look like a pro. [smile]
 
Depends on the shooter. Most older guys shoot better with red dot. It's rare that a good shooter doesn't shoot better with one. You just need to practice with it before expecting a 20 point rise in your scores.

All my bullseye guns had or still have an AimPoint.
 
I shot Bullseye for years with a S&W 41 and a compensated High Standard. Started with iron sights, but others were going to red dots, so I tried it.
Scores improved dramatically, but also with the red dot I became much more aware of how much my hand moved. Not as obvious with the iron sight pumpkin on a post sight picture. It helped me concentrate and steady my hand over time.
Try iron sights for awhile, but you'd probably go to red dot eventually. For .22 shooting you don't need to spend a fortune.
 
How old are you?

I need cheaters to get a clear view of the front sight. This makes the target far blurrier than is ideal. Next season, I'm red dotting it. In my league, people mostly say, "You're running iron sights?" Then, they laugh.

My scores are not anywhere near the top. Of course, that may be the reason that I'm a Trap shooter! That said, I ran my kid's Ruger with a Dot, and, despite not liking the gun, I had a nice (practice) target.

If you can, try both. Ask around at your Club and see who has what, and what you can test-drive.

FIND WHAT WORKS FOR YOU.
 
I started without red dot. Was OK outdoors. Indoors - different game. I have the red dot now, it did slightly improve my overall results.
 
learn with irons then move to a red dot. in the event of a failure of the red dot, you would still be able to have back up iron sights.
 
I made myself shoot with irons for my first year of competing, then switched to a dot. Most people are using them and you may feel like you're at a disadvantage without, but unless your eyes are going its great to learn (and continue) on irons. I will say that I think for slow fire the dot really emphasizes movement, which makes people anxious. Personally I think the dot brings down slow fire scores and helps with target acquisition for timed and rapid. When you go to the dot you have to tell yourself that the movement is there in slow fire and learn to accept it.

With the advent of 22 EIC matches being a good shot with irons is a nice advantage.
 
I shoot bulleyes for about 6 years now with a Ruger Mark III that I took all the crap out and it is a Mark II and had Greg Deer do a trigger job and install a Ultradot on it. Then a shot a match with a teammates Pardini and shot 40 points above my average! Now I need to find $2500 dollars to buy one.
 
Irons can shoot awsome scores, IF there are no mistakes in using them. PERFECT SIGHT ALIGNMENT!
I shoot about 10 points higher with a dot.

They're are no separate classes for irons and dots, so if you shoot better with one, why wouldn't you?
 
Thanks all. Iron sights it is (for season 1 at least). My eyes are still good, relatively speaking i guess, even though my kids call me an old man.
This works out well since I obliterated my 'shooting budget' already for the year. Not sure how I would pitch the red dot idea!
 
What league are you shooting in?

I have no idea! Joined WPRC last year and want to try out their pistol team. Pretty sure it is 4" targets at 50' with .22 at 3 different rates of fire. They break for the summer and start up again in the fall. Time to try and get some practice in.
 
Our league high scorer 2 years ago used a Smith 617 with iron sights, and cheapo ammo. He regularly scored in the 270's.

I'm pretty sure that crazy guy used a matchdot. [wink]

If you do decide to use a red dot, get an Ultradot brand. The top shooters in the sport use this brand almost exclusively. As your skills improve and you buy that expensive Pardini pistol, you can use this sight and at least look like a pro. [smile]

I second the ultradot recommendation. One big difficulty shooting irons in a traveling league is variation in lighting.
 
Thanks all. Iron sights it is (for season 1 at least). My eyes are still good, relatively speaking i guess, even though my kids call me an old man.
This works out well since I obliterated my 'shooting budget' already for the year. Not sure how I would pitch the red dot idea!

You can get into a red dot for about $50 including the rail if the pistol comes tapped. It's not really that expensive for a rim fire one.

I don't use it because I have an astigmatism in my eyesight that makes the red dot look like a comet! Can't find center too well with one.
 
P.S., everybody should man-up and shoot in registered matches this summer.
The first 2700 of the year is next Sunday, April 30 at Scarborough on their World-Class Bullseye Pistol range.
You can shoot it all with a .22 if you want. Many do, including myself (until my .45 gets completed).
 
P.S., everybody should man-up and shoot in registered matches this summer.
The first 2700 of the year is next Sunday, April 30 at Scarborough on their World-Class Bullseye Pistol range.
You can shoot it all with a .22 if you want. Many do, including myself (until my .45 gets completed).

Shot 900 matches a few times. 2700 is insane.
 
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