Gear Review: Redfield Accelerator Red Dot

I had just been looking at the Redfield Accelerator when Nick wrote about the Meopta Meosight III red dot. He mentioned the accelerator a few times in comparison and I liked what I saw and read. Then Christmas came and I got a gift card for Fisherman’s Marine and Supply. I go there a bit too often as they always seem to have powder, primers, and ammo. So the day after Christmas I was off to the store and picked one up . . .

First impression out of the box was good. I like the topside battery access.

I like that it auto shuts off after five hours. The dot, being six MOA, isn’t overly large when held at arms length.

Then I went to mount it on my 22/45. Hmmm. It comes with a “mount base” that is somehow attached to the empty dovetail on a slide.

After scratching my head, I looked at Redfield’s web site for some help. Zilch. They have this to say:

Adapter Plate
Included adapter plate allows mounting on most popular reflex sight mounts (sold separately).

Sold separately. Just not sold by them, apparently. The pistol came with a weaver style base, and the red dot came with an additional cross slot base. I really didn’t want to mount it that high, so back to Redfield’s web site contact page. E-mail sent.

I got back on the interwebz and exercise my best Google fu. Nothing. I did find that JP Enterprises makes what I need, but it appears to be proprietary to their red dot. And I don’t feel like blowing 40 bucks to find out it won’t work. E-mail sent.

Until I can get an answer from Redfield, (hello?), I guess I’ll mount it up high.

At the range, the sight didn’t have any issues. The adjustments were easy with the provided tiny hex key. You just have to remember to loosen the lock screws. I zeroed it for the .22 ammo I have the most of. With 80 minutes of adjustment for windage and elevation, there is plenty of room to play.

The sight window is 22mm wide and 15mm tall. It appears to have some “bending” issues on the outer edges, but if you’re looking to the outer edges, you’re probably not seeing the red dot. And speaking of that dot, with four illumination settings, I had no problem seeing it. And since I wear reading glasses, having this on a pistol held at arm’s length is a good thing. I can shoot without my readers on.

Turning it on and off is easy with a rubber-coated button on the left side. When you first turn it on, it auto selects the brightness level depending on ambient light.

The same button is used to change the brightness settings. The brightness decreases a notch with each push. There is no clicking with the push of the button, just a mushy push. So, like a woman, it’s difficult to know if you are pushing it right unless you see results.

One nice feature not mentioned in the Meopta review is a low battery indicator. In the photo above, it’s the hole looking on left just below the tiny Phillips screw head. The manual states that when it starts blinking red,  you will have several hours before the unit goes dark.

Another annoyance is the included over. It doesn’t fit. At least not well. It looks like most of the tops Courtney Stodden wears.

If I push down any more, that bulge on the left above the low battery indicator will probably turn into a crack.

Now, since Tyler found that really cool tool for tearing down my pistol, I can finally clean my gat properly for the first time. And if I can get someone at Redfield to answer an email about that mysterious base so I can mount this beast about a half an inch lower, I’ll be really happy.

Specifications: Redfield Accelerator Red Dot