Using magnified optic as a red dot

[JediGuy]

I’m going to try this out next time I go to the range.

My Leupold VX-R Patrol 3-9 Firedot just got bumped from my “precision” rifle. But I love the thing for what it is: light, lit, and magnified. And I have a 13.9” upper ready to assemble.

Hypothesis:
I can get the benefit of a red dot and have “at hand” low and medium magnification by leaving the objective lens occluded and relying on the red center dot.

Is there an element in the 3x bottom magnification that will cause a problem if I occlude the objective lens and use like a red dot at close ranges?

This has to have been done before, I know it isn’t original? Experiences? Considerations?

[markm]

Never tried this. I definitely do NOT like running an un-occluded magnified optic at all in the close range realm. Interested in what you find out.

[Defaultmp3]

@JediGuy

I’m going to try this out next time I go to the range.

My Leupold VX-R Patrol 3-9 Firedot just got bumped from my “precision” rifle. But I love the thing for what it is: light, lit, and magnified. And I have a 13.9” upper ready to assemble.

Hypothesis:
I can get the benefit of a red dot and have “at hand” low and medium magnification by leaving the objective lens occluded and relying on the red center dot.

Is there an element in the 3x bottom magnification that will cause a problem if I occlude the objective lens and use like a red dot at close ranges?

This has to have been done before, I know it isn’t original? Experiences? Considerations?

I’ll just note, Molon showed that this is not necessarily a viable technique, given that everyone’s eyes are different, and phoria can cause serious shift in perceived POA/POI, with a serious degradation of both accuracy and precision. See: https://www.m4carbine.net/showthread.php?34549-The-Effects-of-Phoria-When-Using-the-ACOG-as-an-Occluded-Eye-Gunsight; several other posters in that thread, including folks like Leuba, Santoro, MM, etc. also noted this issue.

I wouldn’t think the magnification would be any issue, since it’s occluded, plus BAC with an ACOG is with a magnified optic anyway.

[WickedWillis]

@JediGuy

I’m going to try this out next time I go to the range.

My Leupold VX-R Patrol 3-9 Firedot just got bumped from my “precision” rifle. But I love the thing for what it is: light, lit, and magnified. And I have a 13.9” upper ready to assemble.

Hypothesis:
I can get the benefit of a red dot and have “at hand” low and medium magnification by leaving the objective lens occluded and relying on the red center dot.

Is there an element in the 3x bottom magnification that will cause a problem if I occlude the objective lens and use like a red dot at close ranges?

This has to have been done before, I know it isn’t original? Experiences? Considerations?

Sounds to me very similar to the Binden aiming concept that I have used with an acog in the past

https://www.badassoptic.com/bindon-aiming-concept-explained/#:~:text=Bindon%20Aiming%20Concept%20is%20the%20idea%20of%20having,the%20current%20rifle%20optics%20technologies%20we%20have%20today.

[JediGuy]

@Defaultmp3

I’ll just note, Molon showed that this is not necessarily a viable technique, given that everyone’s eyes are different, and phoria can cause serious shift in perceived POA/POI, with a serious degradation of both accuracy and precision. See: https://www.m4carbine.net/showthread.php?34549-The-Effects-of-Phoria-When-Using-the-ACOG-as-an-Occluded-Eye-Gunsight; several other posters in that thread, including folks like Leuba, Santoro, MM, etc. also noted this issue.

I wouldn’t think the magnification would be any issue, since it’s occluded, plus BAC with an ACOG is with a magnified optic anyway.

Thank you for sharing that link. Very interesting. The phoria test was also beneficial.

I’ll still give this a try now as much to see how much shift I get.

[One_More_Time]

Occluded didn’t work for me.
I run my 2.5x10 with both eyes open on 2.5 - 3 power without an issue at close range, illuminated or not.