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Prism sights suck and I’m going to tell you why. (not really)

by Carl Roebling

Jack: Hey Carl, what are you going to do for your next newsletter?

Carl: I’m glad you asked Jack, I plan on beating a “mostly” dead horse.

The gunz interweb have been comparing one power prisms and dots for a number of years now, with no shortage of opinions and even some facts. However, Professional Citizen readers know that we don’t try to tell you what you need to do, rather provide information to enable good decision making. I have been running one power prisms for a few years now, and like many other prism users, I originally cited my astigmatism as the reason to switch away from red dots. While that was (and is) true, the reality is that my astigmatism is a weak reason and I still use red dots without a problem. Despite that, dots aren’t automatically superior and this isn’t about what’s better. Rather I have found that after a few years running prisms, I prefer using them despite what dots bring to the table.

First, let’s get the “cons” out of the way. Prisms have drawbacks and they have been detailed by others many times over. So I’m not going to harp on them too much more than mentioning them and briefly stating why they weren’t a huge problem for me.

• Eye relief / eye box. I pretty much trained through this issue. Is it perfect? Nope. Is the dot better with this? Yup. But after shooting for a while and learning how use the sight from different positions, it doesn’t seem to be the problem it once was.

• Parallax. Same as above really. Once I learned to get my eye in the same spot, despite my position, the problem began to mitigate.

• Focus. Yeah… one and done really.

• Focus with a magnifier. Focusing both of them to work together took me about five minutes and I haven’t thought about it since.

• Night vision. Some dots (and holographic sights) are fantastic when it comes to night vision. Can the prism match that? Nope. But in that same breath I have to say that I haven’t experienced an insurmountable problem using the prism. As always determine what YOUR requirements are and follow the odds; if a high percentage of use will be during limited visibility under passive NV a prism is not be your optimal choice.

Lastly, there is a learning curve. If you are going to use a one power prism in place of a red dot, you will have to learn how to get your eye behind it with the same speed as you can with a dot. This learning curve is, of course, easier if you have run LPVOs in the past but one can’t denied the “forgiveness” of a red dot.

Prism vs RDS (Red Dot Sight)

“So Carl, why bother with the prism if using a dot is quicker and easier to learn?”

I’m so glad you asked because the prism does have some distinct advantages. First, is that you can have a better reticle… which is admittedly a “nice to have” when dealing with one power sights. Do some red dots sights offer more sophisticated reticles? They sure do, but not in a whole lot of them and they drain their batteries faster. When using it unmagnified, the reticle doesn’t make a huge difference, but when I flip the magnifier into place the presence of additional information… even if it’s a small amount of information… just makes life a little easier.

Second, is the batteries. Often times you hear prism advocates talk about “always having a reticle”, “batteries fail” and “when that EMP hits (your optic choice will be the least of your concerns)…” While these points are valid to varying degrees, the chances are pretty low that your RDS will run dry when battery life is measured in years. With one exception for the CR123 powered HWS option… and it can be a big one for many of us who live a little more north. Batteries can drain pretty quickly in cold weather. Many of us might spend an afternoon out in the cold with our rifles, hence, not a large impact. But what will happen when you have to spend longer periods outside in the winter? Will you be able to carry enough batteries to cover down? You need to look at your logistics if you live where cold weather is a concern and take this into account when meeting long gun requirements.

Lastly, is the Anti-Reflective Device (ARD). Unlike the red dot, prisms are not truly one power. There is a slight magnification… not so much that you constantly notice it, but it is there and it makes a difference. If you have ever put an ARD on a red dot sight, you know that it can be pretty annoying. One can train through it, but you definitely see it every time. Most one power prisms “burn through” the ARD and it effectively becomes a complete non-issue. I have only used one prism where you could see the ARD, but even then it wasn’t horrible and it was still better than an RDS. Furthermore, you can put an additional ARD on your magnifier and neither will be visible. I have been using ARDs on both my prism and magnifier for about six months now and I sometimes forget that they are there.

Summary. One power prisms and red dot sights occupy a lot of the same spaces, each with their pros and cons. These are the things that I have noticed about prisms after using them for a few years now. They aren’t the “end-all-be-all” nor are they just for folks with astigmatism. Take a look at your own situation and logistics, a prism may have a place in your kit.

The new CM-6 Citizen Ranger Handbook Releases this week!

The new CM-6 Citizen Manual, the Citizen Ranger Handbook (CRH) is launching in two days. Mark and I are more than excited to get this on the street for you, it has been a long process to get this one ready - but it turned out amazing.

Before anyone gets their sling rope in a twist this is simply modifying the existing, widely recognized and used Ranger Handbook for somewhat “normal” folks. This is the Ranger Handbook adjusted and modified to apply to the readiness community. First and foremost, this is not misappropriation of the Army Ranger or Ranger qualified title, or implying equivalence to those warfighting professionals. The CRH is simply a modified US Army Ranger Handbook, but like all our other manuals we have adapted it to the Citizen perspective. This manual does not equate the Professional Citizen to the elite fighting men past and present of the Ranger Regiment, it is simply a reference that is generally aligned with the recognizable and often used reference. Just because you use the tactics does not mean you are a Ranger nor should you pretend to be one or LARP your way into a faux tab. This is simply a reference you can use to hone these enhanced infantry skills and become more capable of assisting US military, state, or local law enforcement against occupying threats or counter-US infiltrators. This carries forward the published RHB format, but we have expanded some of the relevant content from the original and eliminated others (air assaults and artillery planning for example). The demand for a tailored version of the original RHB was incredibly high, we figured out a way to deliver one of the most-referenced small unit tactics manual for the community. Releases on our site on the 27th and on Amazon on the 28th.

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