How to Use a Red Dot (Beginner's Guide)

To use a red dot, switch the optic on and set the brightness only as bright as you need. Keep both eyes open. Put the dot on the target and press the trigger. The power control is not the same on every model, so read the manual for the layout on yours.

Matt Rice founded Ozark Armament in 2016 and runs the company from Tigard, Oregon. He has personally zeroed hundreds of rifles across iron sights, red dots, lasers and optics, and he writes the resource articles on zeroing, sight setup and choosing an optic.

I'm Matt Rice, owner of Ozark Armament, and I tell new shooters to look at the target first and bring the dot to it.

What comes first when learning how to use a red dot?

Turn the optic on first. The control and its layout vary by model, so check the manual for yours before you change a setting. Ozark Armament's how a red dot works guide tells you to set the dot only as bright as a crisp dot needs, because running it brighter washes the glass out and runs the battery down faster. For different lighting conditions, Meprolight says some models offer adjustable brightness settings so you can adapt to those conditions. Ozark Armament's red dot category guide lists the Rhino Red/Green Dot Reflex Sight with a 4 MOA red or green dot and five brightness settings. For what that measure means, see the guide what is moa on a red dot. Auto-off and shake-awake behavior and the button layout also depend on the model, so read the manual for those controls on yours.

The battery in my Holosun 403 lasted about a year+ on the always-on setting.

Judge the brightness with your eye on the target in the light you have. Brightness too high makes the dot bloom and blur at its edges, which is your cue in that light to lower the setting. Too dim and it disappears in bright light against a bright background, so raise the setting until the dot shows. Repeat the eye check when the light around the target changes. A verified Rhino buyer wrote, "I like the five different brightness settings for both the red and green dot settings and the unit came with an extra battery, handy."

Brightness: bright enough to see against the target, dim enough that the bloom doesn't cover it. I bump it down as soon as I'm indoors or under cover.

The mistake I see most from new owners is turning the brightness all the way up, then fighting a fat, blurry dot at the range.

Illustration (AI-generated) of three brightness levels on a target, too bright with a halo, correct, and too dim.

On my own AR-15 with a Holosun 403, I run brightness setting 3–4 indoors and 8–10 in full sun.

Is keeping both eyes open part of how to use a red dot?

Yes, keep both eyes open. Ozark Armament's red dot category guide describes a red dot as a non-magnified 1x electronic optic that projects an illuminated aiming point, usually an LED dot, onto a lens, with the dot on the same plane as the target for fast target acquisition inside about 100 yards. Look through the glass at the target. Meprolight describes a red dot as a non-magnified optic with a single focal plane, so both eyes stay open. For someone moving to a red dot from iron sights, Vortex Optics says target focus with both eyes open is the opposite of how most people learn iron sights and can be a significant hurdle. It also says the optic keeps your eyes off your gun and on your target. Ozark Armament's guide to how red dots work calls the dot a collimated image, focused at infinity like the target, so your eye holds one point of focus instead of shifting between the reticle and the target.

A blog from Vortex Optics is written about pistols, and the target focus technique carries to a rifle. Keep consistent focus on the specific point of the target where you want the bullet to go, looking through the optic rather than at the dot. Put some tape over the front of the optic as a check of that focus. If you are truly target focused and keep both eyes open, your brain blends the images from both eyes and you have a good picture. If you are focused on the dot, you will not be able to see the target. For the optics behind it, read the Ozark Armament guide how does a red dot work.

Running red dots on our duty-style ARs, I keep both eyes open and let the dot float; if I'm chasing a perfect circle I'm already late.

Where should your head be when finding the dot?

Look at the target first and keep your attention there. Bring the rifle up to your shoulder in one motion after you are looking at the target. Let the dot arrive in the window as the stock comes up. Do not chase the dot by shifting your head around on the stock. Ozark Armament's guide to how red dots work says the image stays nearly in line with the firearm regardless of eye position, so your cheek weld does not have to be perfect for the shot to go where the dot sits. Leave the iron sights out of the search for the dot. Vortex Optics says using irons throws away being 100 percent target focused and tells you to get to the point where you can find the dot easily, then add dry firing.

The dot does not have to sit in the center of the window as long as it is on the target. In the words of a verified Rhino buyer, "my old eyes appreciate not having to focus on the front sight post for once." Burris Optics says a red dot lets you look through the optic at less than perfect angles. If you are shooting in a rush you may not get perfect alignment, but if you can see the dot, you can hit your target.

Illustration (AI-generated) of the dot sitting off-center in the window and still on the target.

How do you aim with a red dot?

For how to aim with a red dot, focus on the target. Put the dot on the spot you want to hit. Press the trigger while the dot stays on that spot. A red dot blog written for Burris Optics calls a red dot scope the same non-magnified 1x optic with no built-in magnification. Use those same steps with that optic. The author of the blog zeroes the optic, hands it over to a new shooter, and tells them to put the dot wherever they want to hit. That blog also says red dots are easy to get and stay on target with. Vortex Optics says red dots make you see better, not shoot better. They do not cover up flinching or poor trigger control, and they let you aim more accurately at speed.

Press the trigger when the dot is on target. Vortex Optics says not to fuss over a dead-center hold, and to keep your eye on the dot during follow through. The dot shows whether you are moving or flinching, so pay attention and make sure you are not flinching or moving off point of aim. A verified Rhino buyer said, "I was able to acquire the target faster than with just the peep sight." Dot size is the other variable, and Burris Optics says bigger dots are quicker to see and get on target, and smaller dots suit shooting at moderate distances. Ozark Armament's guide called difference between 3 moa and 6 moa covers that trade.

Why do close shots land off the dot?

A red dot sits above the barrel, so near the muzzle the dot and the bullet path differ. Ozark Armament's scope mount height guide notes a mil-spec AR-15 iron sight line sits roughly 2.6 inches over the bore. An optic on that rifle sits at a similar height to the iron sight line. Close shots can land a little off the dot. The right offset depends on your rifle and on the zero you have set on it. Learn the offset that your own rifle shows when you are at the range.

What beginner mistakes come up with a red dot?

Four mistakes are listed below, and each one is paired with a fix you can apply the next time the optic is in your hands.

• Turn the brightness down until the dot is crisp. Extra light washes out the glass and drains the battery faster, according to Ozark Armament.
• Vortex Optics finds that a dot focused shooter cannot see the target, so keep your eyes on where the hit should go rather than on the dot.
• Closing one eye is a habit to drop. Ozark Armament's red dot category guide describes shooting a red dot with both eyes open, so keep both open.
• Using the iron sights to find the dot throws away being 100 percent target focused, Vortex Optics warns, so search for the dot without the irons.

When do you zero and when should you re-check?

The dot and the point of impact agree only once the optic is zeroed, so zero it before anything else. Ozark Armament's red dot zeroing guide names 50 yards as its recommended zero distance for an AR-15 red dot and 25 yards as the common indoor alternative, and it says to pick a 50 yard zero if your range allows it and 25 yards if it does not. That guide also tells you to zero with the exact ammunition you plan to run, and that a 25 yard zero keeps impacts tight up close but drops away faster at longer distances. Across pistols and rifles, Meprolight suggests a 25 yard zero for pistols and a 50 yard zero for most rifles. Meprolight also says to re-check the zero if you change the red dot or the rifle, switch to a different ammunition type, or the firearm takes a significant impact. This article covers using the optic and does not walk through the zeroing steps.

When I zeroed my Holosun at 50 yards, it took about 10 rounds to get on paper.

Co-witness with irons saved me more than once when a battery died mid-session; I still zero the iron co-witness and treat the optic as primary.

Once the basics feel routine, shop Ozark Armament for an ar 15 red dot. The Rhino Red/Green Dot Reflex Sight sits in the under $100 price tier on Ozark Armament's red dot category page and has five brightness settings for the red and the green dot. Other makers such as Vortex Optics and Burris Optics sell red dots too, so a buyer can compare them before choosing. Ozark Armament has a No B.S. Lifetime Warranty and a 30 day return policy.

Ozark Armament checked the Vortex Optics, Burris Optics and Meprolight pages and its own guides on October 26, 2026 for the sourced claims used here.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Do you keep both eyes open when using a red dot?

A: Yes. Shoot it with both eyes open. Do that on every shot you take with the optic. Faster target pickup is the reason Ozark Armament's red dot category guide gives for shooting that way. Look at the target and leave the second eye open from the start of the aim until the shot is fired.

Q: What distance do you zero a red dot?

A: The distance depends on the gun in your hands and on whether the range is indoors. On an AR-15 you get 50 yards from Ozark Armament's red dot zeroing guide, and you get 25 yards from that guide when you are indoors. Meprolight gives you 25 yards on a pistol and 50 yards on most rifles.

Q: How does a red dot work?

A: A red dot projects an illuminated dot onto the lens, focused out at infinity the way the target is. Ozark Armament's how a red dot works guide calls that dot collimated, so the eye keeps a single focus instead of moving from the reticle back to the target. The image remains nearly aligned with the firearm when eye position changes.

Q: Do you sight in a red dot?

A: Yes. Sight it in first, before other work with the optic. The dot matches the point of impact only after the zero is done, which Ozark Armament gives as the reason for zeroing first. Meprolight lists one re-check that covers a swapped red dot or rifle, a switch to other ammunition, and a significant impact to the firearm.

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ARTICLE WRITTEN BY MATT RICE, OWNER OF OZARK ARMAMENT