Anderson Manufacturing just announced a new red dot on their Facebook page. While the red dot itself looks worthy, the Facebook post got them the kind of attention you don’t really want in a new product announcement.
First, let’s talk about the red dot. Anderson’s Advanced Micro Dot With Removable Base and Rotary Knob (or AM-MD-AD-RK for short) features a 2 MOA red dot that runs off a CR2032 battery. Anderson also includes a removable riser.
Digging into the specs of the dot further, it appears to have what I would look for in a light duty optic. A battery life of 50,000 hours when the optic is set to the middle setting on the 11-position intensity dial. They also claim that the two lowest settings are night vision compatible if that’s something that matters to you.
MSRP on the new Advanced Micro Dot With Removable Base and Rotary Knob (yes that’s its full name) is $154.18 according to Anderson’s website. Not bad.
The Facebook Flub
So that’s the new optic. But here’s why it turned up in my feed and got so much attention. Anderson got a question about the new red dot and it was answered by someone who’s probably not as familiar with it as he/she should be.
If you’re confused as to why that’s wrong, the image below, borrowed from a Breach Bang Clear article on the topic, should give you an idea of how parallax affects red dot sights. I suggest that you read the post explaining it in more detail. A better understanding of how things work is always a good thing.
Anderson removed the comment almost immediately after it was made on Thursday then removed the entire post sometime on Friday.
The good news from there perspective is that wrong answer gotten Anderson a lot of attention for their new product. They say there’s no such thing as bad PR.
Facebook flub or not, the red dot looks like it’s worth a look. Visit the Anderson Manufacturing Facebook page to enter their giveaway or visit the Anderson Manufacturing website for more information about the Advanced Micro Dot With Removable Base and Rotary Knob.
Is this entirely wrong? I mean, if it’s not magnified, and therefore has no focus, then wouldn’t it be parallax free by default?
Uh, no. all optics have some parallax, the best are typically EOTechs with something like 1 or 2 MOA shift, even more expensive ones like Aimpoints have 4 or 5 MOA shift. You have to remember that red dots are really more for short range, the assumption is that if you’re shooting at ranges, you’d align with the sight a bit more carefully so there’d be no shift. If you’re using a magnified optic, it’s obviously much better for ranged work, but the reality is that with a limited eyebox, if you’re not aligned, you just can’t aim. So, 3, or 10, MOA shift is better than a black view.
EOTech says they’re parallax free, but in testing, there is still a bit, you can only minimize physics, not deny it.
Put another way. At 50 yards, on the outer end of normal for what you’d use a red dot, and 4 moa, you are looking at a 2″ shift.
There is one optic that has absolutely 0.0000 parallax at all distances, no adjustment required. That is an electro-optical scope, like the ATN. In other words, you are looking at a screen. The “camera” that looks through the magnified optic is in the same place all the time. So no parallax. I’m not implying that ATN is superior, or even good. It just has zero parallax.
I hope by short range you mean within 300 yards. No problem doing work at that distance with an un-magnified dot. Aimpoint, eotech, even vortex crossfire 2 has no issues with 12×24 silhouette.
Open sights are Parallax free as well if you eyes are.
Parallax is not magnified scope exclusive. Parallax just means visual deviation. Parallax can be seen in magnified and non-magnified glass. Most rds say parallax free *after* 50 yards, etc. but what that really means is that parallax becomes negligible after “x” distance.
The specs look nice, and the price is comparable to (say) a Primary Arms micro red dot with a Fortis riser. But as shown, when it’s perched on top of the included riser, it looks a little, well, awkward and overhang-y.
If you look, you can find the big AA battery EOTechs or Trijicon MRO’s for $350-$400, so I don’t see why if you want the cheap option, you just don’t buy a TRS-26, I’ve had a couple TRS-25s on hunting shotguns and they get banged around quite a bit and they all still work, and I bought one for a 10/22 last month for $59 on Amazon, and the 26 looks to be a bit better.
So if I needed a duty grade optic, I’d save up for a better one, or if it’s just for a hobby, get the best budget one with some history.
eotech 512 will get you 600-1000 hours out of a set of batteries.
this one gets 50,000 hours. that’s 5 years of life without ever bothering to turn it off.
In practice, my eotechs were dead for no reason every couple of times I tried turning them on. My aimpoint has been left on at a bright setting for about 18 months.
This is why I sold my eotechs.
Holographic sights just don’t have the battery life of a red dot, mostly because they use a laser instead of a LED. There’s just no comparison in power demand there.
My EXPS2 works pretty well. It may be because the battery is mounted crosswise whereas the 512 batteries are going to be slammed back and forth with every shot.
So far I’ve shot about 3000 rounds on my current battery. Plus I’ve dry shot 120 simulated rounds per day for more than a year. [If the target “moves” when I pull the trigger on an empty chamber, there is something wrong with my technique.] I always turn my EoTech off when I’m done shooting. I carry new batteries with my rifle, so I’m ready when this current battery quits.
Lotta’ hate for Anderson anything on fakebook. Is it deserved? Dunno’ but this looks OK.
If I understood the Breach Bang post, any change in cheek weld will cause a change in actual aim point although the dot stays on target center.
I discovered this myself one day when I was focusing my dot ten on a target ten feet away. I was amazed at how much my dot moved when my face moved even though my rifle was fixed. I figured that the same would occur but to less extent at distance.
In an attempt to deal with this, I drew a circle and crosshairs on piece of hard clear plastic which I cut in a circle just the right size to fit into the flip-up lens cover housing I a had pushed onto my EoTech magnifier. I line up that crosshairs (blurry but visible) with the dot and target. I’ve shot that way many times, but I’m not sure it makes any difference.
Does anyone have any thoughts about this subject and how to correct for it?
I don’t have a solution but I have the same problem.
The problem to me is that with iron sights or a scope, I will always adjust my cheek weld to line up both sights or eliminate fisheye.
I was using cheap amazon junk like Ozark armament, UTG, some lens junk in a green box with no success. I then spent a little more money and got a dig said Romeo 5 and a Burris and I still don’t get anything out of them. (Yes, my eyes are fine)
They’re junk to me, which is a shame because I would like to shoot in low light conditions.
Trijicon RX06 or RX34
Put one on your AR and take it deer hunting and you’ll get the most out of the time between sunrise and sunset. Probably 15 min more either side than your hunting buddy without one.
The type of shooting done with a red dot isn’t typically affected by a small amount of parallax. Optics with higher zoom are often adjustable for parallax. Here’s an article on what it means, how it works, how to easily test for parallax error, etc: http://www.thetruthaboutguns.com/2017/09/jeremy-s/scopes-beginners-parallax-adjustment/
The only way I know to deal with parallax is muscle memory.
What I mean by that is, you have to make sure your head meets the stock in the same way every time, in every position you use for shooting. By extending your neck fully before you lay your cheekbone on the stock, you help insure your face will find the same spot.
For folks learning to build their position the same each time, I’ll take a bit of masking tape, roll the long edge to make a lump, and put the tape on their stock where they’re placing their cheekbone under full neck extension. This gives an index to use until muscle memory gets built – ie, find the lump with your cheekbone.
One you start doing this, you may find the need to change how your scope is mounted. Because most people seem to have it mounted in a bad place for being comfortable while having their eye in the scope’s eye box.
Anderson makes an awesome lower, especially for the price. I happen to live in Hebron where they’re based, and I’ve found them as low as $29. For that price, I pick one up every time I see them, even without an actual need. They’re complete rifle’s are fine, but I’d just rather buy a Ruger or S&W for the price for a basic rifle.
Live in Cincinnati, Have a lower, upper and BCG all from Anderson on a build. Ain’t had problem one with it at all. They were making other mfg’ers parts when they lost Hamilton safe business they started making their own stuff. So far so good.
Have you used their lowers with uppers from other manufacturers? How is the fit and finish?
Had a DPMS upper first, fit just fine. Finish is fine. The stuff that should be staked on the BCG IS. As I said no problemo and for 49.95 for upper and lowers you can spend more for stuff. The lower parts kit was cheaper than CMMG and works. BCG was 89.95. I have mid rails, and M4 profile barrel and all works.
Meh…. i got in to a row with Optics Planet for over two months (trying to get a replacement lens cap) over the difference between an objective lens and ocular lens. In the end I got the correct cap for free.
Howdy! I am left eye dominant and I shoot right handed. I have tried an Aimpoint red dot and I have issues to understand how to use it. You are supposed to use a red dot with both eyes opened correct? In my situation (right hand/left dominant eye) and with an FSB + red dot setting, is that possible? I find it very hard to get a good sight picture, should I focus only on the red dot and forget about the FSB? What tricks me is before trying a red dot I exclusively used iron sights on my AR 15, and to get my sight picture I would close my LEFT eye and use my non dominant eye. I am not a doctor and I don’t know how to explain it, but my brain adjusted to using my non dominant eye. However if I do that with a red dot + FSB it results in huge parallax, as if the dot moved sideway from the FSB, and I lose the advantage of keeping both eyes opened with the red dot.
My wife is the same, she has to close her eye
I’m righthanded, but I shoot lefthanded because I’m left eye dominant. I can shoot a notch sight left or right handed, but I must shoot a peep lefthanded.
So I shoot my AR lefthanded, and kept doing so even after I replaced the iron sights with EoTech. With that I can shoot with both eyes open.
I can’t imagine shooting a righthanded AR (like mine) righthanded. The BCG release is on my thumb side when I shoot lefthanded. And I can be sighted on the target when I flip the safety to “fire” with my thumb. That would seem to be awkward shooting righthanded.
WHERE IS IT MADE? Chicom or the free world?
It’s not magnified, thanks!
The good news from -there- perspective is that wrong answer -gotten- Anderson a lot of attention for their new product.
Get er done gotten Andersen from they’re pirspective.
Maybe when pointing out flaws, you should proof read your criticisms.
Maybe YOU should proof read your criticisms before you criticize someone else’s. It’s “their” not the contraction “they’re” and perspective is spelled incorrectly in your sentence it’s “per” not “pir”.. Just saying.