Low Power Variable Optic Vs. Red Dot Sights with A Magnifier

After several practice sessions at the range learning to manage the fundamental basics of shooting an AR15 with traditional iron sights, the next logical choice for most AR15 enthusiasts is upgrading the upper receiver of your rifle with an optical solution.

In today’s optical market, you’ll discover several solutions, and picking the right one for you may be more complicated than you first imagined. When researching, you’ll come across several quality examples of LPVO or low power variable optic solutions and just as many magnified red dot optics.

 

You’ll also discover that picking one without understanding the benefits of each will probably end up costing you more in the long run. Without having the knowledge of what both types of optics can do in your back pocket, you may need to try out several options before finding that one optical system that works for you as intended. While each optical solution promotes compelling features to entice you, you still need to understand how these features will resolve most, if not all, of your sighting requirements.

Battle of the Optics

When choosing the right optical solution for you, it’s probably best to compare each against a set of shooting requirements and then assign a level of importance to each. Is having a sight that allows a close-quarter tactical advantage more essential, or do you need an optical system that helps you rapidly adjust when targets present themselves in multiple ranges? Are you more interested in long-distance hunting or competition, or are you a close-range shooter?

These requirements and many more should come into play when deciding between an LPVO or red dot sight with magnification. While not a set-in-stone comprehensive guide, this side-by-side comparison of a few metrics of both types can help when it comes time to make the decision.

Off-Axis Shooting and Eye Relief

If the abundance of your shooting occurs in a more conventional upright position, then an LPVO optical system may be the perfect choice for you. However, if you frequently find yourself needing to take a shot while in an awkward body position, such as what you’ll find in two- or three-gun competitions, having a red dot optical system with the proper magnification may make better sense.

 

Most LPVO optics have varying eye relief measures, and all LPVO optic systems have a smaller eye box than almost all the red dot optic systems on the market. Regardless of whether magnified or not, red dot optics have more oversized sight windows because of their body design, which means far better eye relief and off-axis shooting ability, even in the most awkward positions.

When magnified, the red dot optic system might run into the same situation as an LPVO regarding off-axis shooting or eye relief. Still, when both have minimum magnification power, such as 1X, you’ll discover the difference between the two amazingly obvious in favor of the red dot optic with magnification. You can, however, resolve the LPVO problem by adding a piggybacked magnified red dot, but this increases the overall weight of your AR15, which is a point of contention for most AR15 enthusiasts.

Death By Battery

When it comes to battery usage, the pendulum swings back the opposite way in favor of an LPVO optic system. Not only do most low-powered variable optical systems require readily available watch batteries as their power source, even if the battery gives up the ghost, you can still use it.

Because most popular LPVO optic systems have internally etched or wireframed reticles, you can still acquire a target in low-light conditions without too much inconvenience. With a red dot optical with magnification, when the battery goes, you’ve got a dead and unusable optic system sitting on the top rail of your AR15. Unless you thought about stowing a host of additional batteries in your gear, you might end up spending the rest of your hunting trip shooting with traditional iron sights if you thought to keep them on your upper receiver.

 

That’s not to say if you scour the industry enough, you can’t find one of the older versions of red dot optics that rely on power sources such as fiber optics or self-powered tritium. Still, most of the more popular MRDS optical systems rely on LED batteries or lasers to project in today’s market.  

Day Or Night

When shooting at high noon, with a glaring sun overhead, finding a “daylight bright” LPVO sight that works well in these conditions is a common issue even today for most shooters. Remember that most LPVO sights operate without the need for illumination but having the brightness of a magnified red dot in harsh daylight gives you a significant speed advantage when acquiring a target, especially when targeting against a low contrast background. 

If budget isn’t a constraint, you can find an expensive second plane LPVO solution that makes bright light shooting easier. However, the choice between the two becomes evident when comparing the cost of purchasing a high-end LPVO against a magnified red dot optical system that costs a little over fifty dollars and performs far better.

When night shooting is involved, you’ll probably want to consider purchasing a red dot optical system instead of an LPVO. While wearing tactical NODs or night optical devices, viewing the target in the darkness is easier with a magnified red dot system than with an LVPO system which is next to impossible. Also, the same off-axis and eye relief restrictions apply when shooting with an LPVO. Another problem when considering an LPVO as your optic de jour is that you’ll discover very few low-powered variable optic systems come with a night vision setting. Attempting to use a low-powered variable optic system in a night vision setting can and often does result in less than optimum functionality.

Precise Shooting and Ranging

One of the most desirable traits most AR15 and gun enthusiasts seek is placing a shot or a group of follow-up rounds exactly where they intend. With enough practice, it’s not uncommon to finally achieve the ability to place your shots exactly where you want them to go with a magnified red dot optical system.

However, an LPVO typically has more complex reticle settings for more precise shots, and you can dial in the perfect windage, elevation, and different range settings on the fly if necessary. Making a precise long-range shot with a hologram-projected or LED reflected magnified red dot optical becomes a challenging situation at best.  

Making the Choice

During your research, you’ll discover many compelling arguments for purchasing an LPVO or red dot with a magnifier. With the items mentioned earlier, you’ll also want to consider durability, cost, weight, and parallax adjustment before making a final pick that will ultimately be a perfect complement to your shooting requirements.