Red dot scopes have several advantages over standard reticles, especially for close-range shooting. Hunting from blinds, our shot distances would be between 15–25 yards and with the fast bows we used, one dot worked for any range. Should a big bull stop broadside at 30 yards, we’d just aim a little high on the shoulder. This was precisely my case as a trophy Nyala bull emerged from a thorn-covered water hole, opening a shooting window that lasted just seconds. The angle was very steep from the tree stand, but the tiny red dot allowed me to precisely put an arrow through its vitals. The blood trail was tremendous, and the one of Africa’s wariest creatures went just 40 yards.
African game, like whitetails, don’t stand still for long and the ability to sight and keep both eyes open is ahuge advantage. More importantly, African antelope must be taken squarely in the shoulder, like a heart shot on a whitetail. The arrow must pass through the muscle of the near shoulder to reach the vitals, and this takes extreme accuracy and concentration. Red dots make that easy. We actually had three models on this hunt:
H-2: This is Aimpoint’s newest sight, with improved optical quality in the glass and easy-to-operate adjustment knobs. The compact scope is miniscule in weight and size and it was a perfect for the Excalibur Micro, keeping total weight under six pounds. Battery life is never an issue with each sight rated for 50,000 hours of constant-on illumination. That’s five years if you never turn it off. Also, Aimpoint scopes are parallax free, meaning you can move your head around on the stock and as long as you can see the dot on the target, that’s where the arrow will strike.
9000SC: This newer version of the Hunter model is more compact, with all adjustment knobs easily accessible. To adjust the scope and sight it in, unscrew the windage and elevation adjustment caps which are tethered to the scope, so they can’t be lost. Using a coin or screwdriver, adjust the scope just as you would any standard model. The small side knob adjusts brightness easily and has ten light settings, from nearly dark to full-blown sunlight, just like all Aimpoint models.
Hunter: This scope is my personal model and I’ve had it for about five years. Personally, I think it looks the coolest, yet it has all the features of the above models. This unit was built for the military and that gives me great confidence in its performance. Aimpoint builds products like a soldier’s life depends upon it, and it often does.
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