I'd like the ability to zoom in on longer-range targets with my AR.

I hate the idea of using a magnifier, and having my 3 moa red dot increase to 9moa (or whatever).

 

Has anyone ever tried placing the magnifier forward of the red dot optic?

I imagine the eye relief would suffer greatly.

 

Craziness?

It just plain wouldn't work IMO.

Just my uniformed thoughts but the magnifier is probably focused on the back of the red dot, if you put it out front it would only be focused at a similar distance (like...your FSB would be in sharp focus and that's it).

 

Any optics with magnification have a focal length outside of which stuff will be blurry.

 

But, again, I don't have one.

In theory this would work, its the practicality part thats a problem. If you had a magnifying optic with enough eye relief I believe it would work.

I don't own a magnifier, but I would like to try it.

In combat situations, does anyone use magnifiers?

How about switch from 1x red dots, to magnified scopes with a QD mount?

 

Or is the system built with a purpose in mind, and kept that way?

I dont think the magnifier in front of the optic would work because of the eye relief issue. As for the switching between optics, its much more likely they would use a variable or fixed low power ACOG.

Dt, there are many ways to skin this cat and all of it is a compromise one way or another. But the bottom line is that the mission decides the equipment. I know someone who operationally uses just about every combo going. But in the end its an individual choice for what works for you and what compromises your comfortable with. This is a farily deep rabbit hole!!!

I'd like the ability to zoom in on longer-range targets with my AR. I hate the idea of using a magnifier, and having my 3 moa red dot increase to 9moa (or whatever). Has anyone ever tried placing the magnifier forward of the red dot optic? I imagine the eye relief would suffer greatly. Craziness?

 

well remember, the magnifier will increase the target 3x as well so in relation to that, your optic will still be 3moa

Just a thought, and a qualifier that I have no experience with the red dot/scope combos. A lot of scopes have reticules....wouldn't the red dot be redundant to use at the same time? I would think that just turning off the red dot would be a possibility, assuming that the scope was able to flip into use when needed ( is that even possible?)

By putting the red dot in front, basically your trying to recreate a poor mans S&B 1-8. Ret in the FFP, dot in the sfp. Since these scopes look like they are going to be well north of 3k, I can understand the interest LOL

Simple answer is no it won't work in theory or practice.

 

Slightly longer answer is optics are designed to focus at certain ranges and have what is called a depth of field zone where stuff between those distance is in focus and everything else is out of focus. The magnifier was designed specifically to work with your red-dot scope and thus was designed to focus just far enough away that it takes the focused rays from the scope and focuses them onto your eye, whereas your red-dot scope has a much longer depth of field. Basically neither optic would focus at the right distance and what you would get out of it would be useless.

Sorry spaceman your wrong. It will work. I know because I have actually tried to do it...successfully. There is no focus in a RDS because its true 1x with no parralax or eye relief. Your depth of field being longer in a RDS is simply wrong, it doesnt exist at all. So if the magnified optic has enough eye relief, you CAN fit the rds in fron of it and look through it. The only eye reliefe that matters is the magnified optics eye relief.

 

I have considered ordering a USO SN4 with extended eye reliefe and mouting an aimpoint m4 in front of it, but the practicality of weight is an issue.

My mistake I assumed there was some magnification in RDS which I see is not the case, hence it's not a lens hence it would not be affected as one.

Not a problem.

side note - from what I hear - if you use a clone or el-cheapo brand your dot increases too with use of magnifier so its useless. Whereas real good quality optics will remain - magnified or not the size of your dot is the same. I have no 1st hand experience but "people" have said this. Take it with a grain of salt and test.

Well its relative so it doesnt really matter. So say its a 2 moa dot. 3x makes it 6 moa. But say your target was 50 moa, now its 150, so you have a 6 moa dot on a 150 moa target so it doesnt really matter. Quality doesnt escape physics. Its making a choice between Second focal plain or first focal plain if your refering to magnified optics. In a red dot, cheap or expensive it works the same way. Its the same as using a FFP scope I supose.