I’ve been using red dots on my rifles for the better part of 2 decades. I started off like every other “kid” that didn’t have a lot of money, and threw some trash RDS on my tricked out AR, so I could LARP with the best of them. Soon after, when I went from just shooting trash at the range, to taking beginner level, and then advanced training classes, and becoming an instructor myself, I found out why the term “buy once cry once” wasn’t just a cliche saying, but a cold hard FACT.
I transitioned from whatever off brand I was using, to the likes of Aimpoints, EO techs and Trijicons (in no particular order). I opted to put the top-of-the-line dots on my work and home defense guns, because I watched them, firsthand, withstand the torture that lesser optics couldn’t take. Plus, if it was good enough for all the alphabet agencies, it was good enough for me (insert eyeroll).
Aimpoints and Trijicons were mainstays on my go-fast guns, my teaching rifles, and my home defense guns. While not a fan, EO techs were the optics of choice at work. I didn’t think I’d ever stray, as these brands served me well in the roles they played in my life, until a few years ago, when I was introduced to Prism Scopes.
Prism Scopes differ from a traditional red dot, by featuring a prismatic optic, with a reticle that’s etched on the glass, instead of a reticle being projected on it. While it may seem like a similar concept, prism scopes are a bit more complex than your standard RDS. One major difference is that prism scopes use a fixed magnification, instead of variable. They also are usually a lot more compact because they require less space than a standard RDS due to the arrangement of the lenses inside the optic. This feature keeps a compact gun small and allows for more rail space if needed for lights and lasers since the optic has a smaller footprint.
Theres a whole other bunch of pluses and minuses to a prism scope that you can read up on, but one of the reasons why I’ve made the switch, has a huge impact on my ability to hunt, so that’s what I’ll focus on for the sake of this post.
What do I mean by that?
With a standard RDS, you’re a slave to battery life. Now I know someone will say, “well an aimpoint micro has 100,000 hours blah blah blah”. Thats all well and good until Ol Murphy comes knocking, and you’re sitting over a bear bait in Saskatchewan…150 miles from the closest store that sells AA batteries let alone CR2032 because, Trudeau outlawed them in 2020, and your optic dies…as a Boone & Crocket bruin comes strolling in for an afternoon delight, and you left your spare batteries back in the good old US of A.
With a prism scope, while they DO run on batteries, to illuminate the reticle, fear not, for the reticle is etched on the glass. So whether you forgot to change batteries, your battery cover got lose and the battery fell out, or Chiiiiina hits us with an EMP…you won’t need battery power for your optic to still be effective.
Personally, for my purposes and what I’m mostly using my guns for, this is a huge advantage, and one that I’ve gladly taken in stride as my standard RDS’s have taken a backseat to the likes of Primary Arms, Hawke Optics and Vortex. So, while cry once, buy once may still be a popular phrase in the optics game…I can tell you this: I’ve taken these scopes into some nasty territory, and asked them to stand up to way tougher tests than your average chest rig wearing larp boy will, on any given weekend, and they performed over and over.
That’s why prism scopes will be staying on my guns for the foreseeable future, both for hunting and non-hunting purposes.
Black Dirt Diaries 