Collimator sight for 12 gauge: types and reviews

Hunters and fans of sports shooting, wishing to increase the efficiency of their weapons, improve the accuracy of combat, for "tuning" is best suited collimator. It is the collimating sight for the 12th caliber of fishing weapons - this is the most rational variant of the optical device. The aiming is performed by elementary targeting of the mark beam on the target, which significantly increases the speed of production and shooting itself. The eye of the arrow is located at a safe distance from the device, which excludes injury during kickback. And for the beginning hunters the best assistant and to think up it is impossible. Such sights provide comfortable shooting for people with insufficient visual acuity.

Collimator sight for smooth-bore weapons

A sight of this type is an electronic optical device. Applies to instruments of low multiplicity. For most serial samples, it is equal to one. The mark is projected onto the front lens (output screen) of the device. The mark itself can have various forms: be in the form of a point, a point in a circle, a gon or intersecting lines. Each of the options is designed for a specific fire distance: up to 100 meters, up to 400 and more than 400 meters. The brand color can be red or green. Ease of use is that the device does not obstruct the target, transmits light and transmits a clear image.

Types and types of sights

Depending on the brand of the device, the backlighting methods can be active if the energy of the battery is used, or passive. Active can accurately shoot at night and in bad weather conditions. Active stereoscopic project the label for only one right eye. Passive can only be used during the daytime, the brand is not bright and does not differ in contrast.

Sights are produced in two types: in the form of a tube that resembles the appearance of an optic, or in the form of a frame with a front lens. The tube consists of an LED emitter and two or more lenses. Such a device is compact and lighter in comparison with classical optics, but slightly larger than an open-type device. The advantage is the good visibility of the label in bright sunlight. All elements are reliably protected by a sturdy housing from shaking while firing. Closed collimating sight at 12 gauge is not entirely convenient, since this type of weapon is most often used when firing from an unstable position.

Open-type devices have a better overview when shooting and significantly less weight. However, it is difficult to use them even during small precipitations. A variation is the halogen sight, although some experts refer it to a separate type of equipment. Outwardly it resembles the frame of an open device. However, the image of the mark is projected onto the output screen by a laser beam. Depending on the conditions of hunting, the screen-plate can be quickly replaced. You can use it in any weather or fog.

Features of use

The practice of application shows that the aiming device is best installed on a quick-detachable console. If necessary, the equipment can be quickly dismantled and continue the pursuit of game. The device allows you to fire from a moving vehicle, as well as to hit fast-moving objects. On automatic weapons, it is usually fastened to the side of the receiver. Collimator sights are very sensitive to low temperatures. On a strong frost, the battery may fail, and the entire device will fail.

Real Japanese quality

One of the most common are Hakko BED collimating sights. Produced by the Japanese firm Tokyo Scope Co., LTD. This means a lot considering that almost all goods are manufactured in China. Brands of almost all industries have in the Middle Kingdom their production capacity. Hakko's collimator sights up to the last screw are assembled in Japan. The products are characterized by high optical characteristics and strength of the structure. Are made both in the closed, and in open versions. Both of them provide for the choice of one of the four labels. In closed devices it is possible to use 11 levels of illumination.

Owners who use these devices confirm that the devices are really waterproof and shockproof, and filling with gas of the internal space prevents fogging. Collimator sight "Hakko" is very reliable and can withstand the return of guns of the 12th caliber. The device provides installation on the fixing base Weaver. Although any Hakko BED collimator sight is not critical to the distance from the eye arrow: the most acceptable removal of the pupil from the output screen is a minimum of 100 mm.

Unsurpassed holographic sight

Many experts and professional arrows are recognized as the best example of the American holographic collimator sight EOTech. It is a direct descendant of a military product. The difference between these open devices from their counterparts is that they have a laser optical device (the label is recorded in the form of a hologram and is backlit with a laser), which gives considerable advantages. First, the brightness of the mark can be adjusted in a wide range - the variator assumes level 21. This makes it possible to fire at any weather conditions. Some samples are equipped with the functions of a thermal imager and night vision. And secondly, the EOTech collimator sight has practically no parallax effect. This was achieved thanks to a complex system of projecting the brand. It is visible even in the rain, snow and heavy pollution. The device remains operational for mechanical damage.

Long run time is achieved by automatic shutdown. The unit can be programmed for 4 or 8 hours. An important advantage is the small size and the curb weight. The device is very convenient when used on rifles 12-caliber. Many devices require the use of standard batteries: AA size batteries. Batteries can be found in any store. Their replacement is by simple manipulation and takes no more than a minute. When changing batteries, the collimator sight is not needed. Overseas products are very expensive. Top models cost over 60 thousand rubles.

Another American product

Sightmark collimator sight is much cheaper, but this does not mean that it is of low quality. Sightmark is a subsidiary of Yukon Holding, which produces products for law enforcement and the Ministry of Defense. Products are mostly open type, have up to 7 levels of brightness adjustment and are designed for installation on a smoothbore weapon up to 12th caliber. Mounting device such as "swallowtail", the bar has a width of 11 mm. Some samples are mounted on the Weaver / Picatini base. Sights differ in low weight and high reliability. A significant part of the products is produced in China.

Domestic is not worse

In 2009, the market appeared collimator sight "Cobra" in the version of EKP-8-21. This is the first and so far the only digital optical device for civil use. The device of the open type is intended primarily for installation on semi-automatic weapons of the "Bekas" series. The Russian sight is mounted on a dovetail-type fastener. The electronic circuit allows you to select four types of labels, 16 brightness options, and also store information about the type of the label and the brightness of the glow. The maximum range of ballistic corrections is up to 600 meters. Collimator sight "Cobra" is highly reliable. The owners note that after a few dozen shots the settings are saved and the seat is not deformed. Moreover, over time, aiming is improved in low light conditions. Some owners complain that the device has significant weight and height. The device can be used with the barrel rifles MP-251, IZH-18, IZH-27, IZH-94, "Taiga". You can aim at one or both eyes.

How to mount?

An important question that pushes back the choice of the device itself is the way to attach it to a weapon. Most samples of smoothbore weapons do not provide any standard devices or consoles for installing additional devices. The exception is the domestic "Saiga", "Snipe", pump guns and some samples intended for self-defense. The hunter himself should seek a technical solution. The choice is not rich: the "swallowtail" and the base (also called planks) Weaver and Picatini. Mounting of the collimator sight in the vast majority of samples provides for placement on the Weaver strips with the help of integrated seats. For the "dovetail" type device, only the sights, equipped with special mounting rings, can be mounted. Some models are attached directly to the aiming bar of the gun. As a rule, such electronic optics has small dimensions and weight. These include the widely known compact Docter sights. The light mark of this device is clearly discernible in the snow, and even against the sky. However, their cost can exceed the price of the weapon itself.

Not very reliable

Domestic craftsmen mount a seat under Weaver and on the "swallowtail". For this special adapters are made. When choosing transitional devices, each sample requires an individual approach. Thus, the Vologda Optical-Mechanical Plant produces the product of the same name (VOMZ). The steel console is provided for placing on it an additional sighting device of any types of fastenings. But, for example, a 16-caliber IZH-27 collimating sight can only be placed on a ventilated aiming bar with a width of up to 7 mm. Such a design leads to a significant weighting of the weapon and a violation of its alignment. The weight of the adapter alone is more than 100 grams. According to the feedback from users, this kind of fastening does not differ in strength and starts to blur after a dozen shots. As an option, you should install a not too heavy optical device. Proceeding from this, the same collimator sight on IZh-27 should weigh no more than 90 grams. What can we say about more powerful weapons and the corresponding technical means?

To expensive stone - a worthy rim

If an expensive optical device is purchased, it makes no sense to save money on its installation. The bar and bolted connections must have a sufficient margin of safety to not only fix a relatively heavy sighting device, but also to withstand the impact load for a long time. A 12-gauge collimator sight should only be mounted with the help of specially designed standard mounting devices. Planks such as "swallowtail" and Weaver / Picatini in a large range are available for free sale and online stores.

It is necessary to choose a product that repeats the contour of the receiver. Also, the thickness of the body of the box itself should be allowed to drill a hole and cut at least three turns of thread. Cut the thread best on professional equipment. It should also take into account the distance from the eye, which will be a collimator sight. The testimonials of experienced owners indicate the need for additional processing of the thread sealant and the surface of the abutment of the console itself to the plane of the receiver. All other ways of installation are money thrown to the wind.

Spot Optics

Like any other optical device, after mounting on the gun, the sight requires adjustment. The shooter must have a clear idea of where the bullet or shot will hit at a distance of 35-50 meters. Most devices are equipped with regulators. In this case, fine tuning is done by adjusting in two planes with the help of two rotary knobs. For a certain distance, remember the position of the knobs. Many believe that there is enough so-called cold adjustment. In this case, a munition with a laser target designator is used. The alignment of the collimator sight may not give the desired result. This is due to the fact that sometimes in the hunting arms there is a mismatch between the axes of the trunk and the chamber. Cold alignment can turn into a firing chamber. It is necessary to take into account the correction for shooting from the hands, as well as a tangible return, because the 12-gauge collimator sight is most often mounted.

Another way to adjust the optics is by fixing the barrel in a special machine or vice. The barrel is aimed at a fixed point, and then the sight is adjusted. Cold firing can be replaced by a procedure of several dozen test shots. Any optics requires a painstaking adjustment, including a collimator sight. Reviews, which experts place on thematic forums, often contain advice to produce several series of four single shots. According to the results of hits in the target of a particular series, the mean hit point and its deviation from the center of the target are fixed. The adjustment of the sight is made and after that the next series of shots. And so on until a satisfactory result is obtained.

In the case of bullet shooting, the alignment is carried out using the same type of cartridges and at the same distance as will be used in real conditions. However, in practice this is impossible. It is best to shoot the device for use at several possible fire distances, and record the results of hits in the object with notes in the notepad. Corrections of the angular parameters proportional to the shooting distance are fixed here.

Reviews

There is no consensus on the model of the sight. Reviews are diametrically opposed. The choice of the sight depends on the conditions of use, the preparation of an arrow, the weapons and ammunition used. Most agree that with guns of the 12th caliber it is best to use open-type devices. The final choice depends on the solvency of the hunter.