Red dot sights are not only increasingly popular, they have made strides in affordability, reliability, and accuracy. The cheap red dot sights are useful for plinking and getting the feel for a red dot optic. The mid level—over $200, but far less than $1,000—is useful for 3-gun competition and home defense. The Lucid M7 fits solidly in this category.
The M7 Red Dot features a red light emitting diode that is the focal focus point of the sight. This red aiming point is superimposed on the target. The sight picture and sight alignment are the same. While we use “red dot” as a generic term, some have other colors such as green, but the Lucid is the standard red dot I find most useful.
The red dot offers a single aiming point and great speed. The red dot sight is not only fast, it works without a perfect sight picture or perfect hold on the rifle. Eye relief isn’t as important as it was with a standard optical sight. Red dot reticles are visible in dim light to no light and even help avoid eyestrain in long-term firing sessions.
The Lucid M7 offers unlimited eye relief. The red dot also offers brilliantly-fast operation, and an unlimited field of view as the red dot may be used with both eyes open. This is possible because there is no magnification involved. When engaged in tactical movement, the red dot is much faster to acquire than any other system. Today, red dot sights are sturdier and more reliable than ever—even the less expensive but quality packed versions.
Some of us are reluctant to rely upon battery operation, but the M7 uses standard AAA batteries. (Use a high quality battery—I have learned the difference between poor and good quality using Nikon cameras. Good quality lasts much longer.) The M7 has an automatic shut off that turns the power off after 2 hours. Therefore, the M7 will run for many hours with this standard battery. The battery is easily changed (quickly), and the battery cap is tethered to the aluminum body.
The M7 features several layers of brightness. The default is an automatic setting that turns the brightness up and down as required by ambient light conditions. This is accomplished by use of a photo sensor mounted on the red dot body. Some of us will prefer to set our own brightness, and this is easily done with controls marked with an arrow—up for brighter and down for dimmer. The red dot itself is 2 MOA, which means it will subtend a 2-inch circle at 100 yards. This allows greater precision than a 4 MOA dot, and greater precision is something I prefer.
The Firing Line
The Lucid M7 was properly mounted with the supplied riser and taken to the firing range. Magazines were loaded with the Winchester USA White Box 55-grain FMJ, a useful and accurate loading. The rifle was sighted properly for 25 yards with a minimum of ammunition. Next, I addressed man-sized targets at 7, 15, and 25 yards. The red dot was bright, the large 25mm glass had plenty of visibility, and the zero was maintained after firing 100 rounds of ammunition. The Lucid M7 is a winner for close range work.
Changing to the Winchester 69-grain JSP, I settled down to the 50-yard line. Carefully addressing the trigger and catching the link on reset, I was able to record a 2-inch 50-yard group. Next, I stood on my hind legs and took a few shots at 50 yards and also shots at range bric-a-brac such as large sticks and dirt clods on the 100-yard berm. The rifle ammunition and red dot combination turned in good results. The Lucid M7 is a good value, reliable, and offers good performance. I would not hesitate to recommend this red dot to 3-gun competition, personal defense, or hunting use.
Have you had success with a red dot sight? Do you shoot 3-gun? Share your experiences in the comment section.
[bob]
I own a sig sauer red dot sight for my pistol. A red dot sight is important to improve aim and accuracy. You had shared a good information in your article i like it. Thank you!!!
this is all fine and good, but where do I buy one?
I’m still trying to find where “”the large 250mm glass” is in any of the photos.– 250mm is over 9 3/4 inches, considerably larger than ANY dimension of this device, and certainly larger than any of its glass, or all its glass put together.
Good catch. Sorry for the typo. It should have read “25mm”. ~Dave Dolbee
I went to a gun sho a few years ago. I was impressed with the first Lucid I got to check out. Solid and simple. I was about to get one for my 308 build. It had a few flaws. It was their first offering. They have improved them over the years. It’s pretty good. Solid and clear. Well, I bought a house instead, and have to wait for a while. Soon, we’ll be back on track…..
Curious, why are they reviewing an outdated product that’s no longer on the market? I looked all over the Internet for this product, and no one sells it. There is a LUCID HD7 model, and that’s it!
My thoughts exactly?
@Jim
I too prefer green over red but if washout is your problem then perhaps your using the incorrect red dot sight for you needs and requirments. There are several which do very well in bright light and under extreme conditions. If all one is doing is acquiring inexpensive red dot units then your getting exactly what your paying for and washout is at times a problem. Perhaps if you saved up for an upgrade you might agree.
I’d also not make the assumption that Mr. Campbell has insufficient expierance with this type of sighting system or its use at longer ranges. I suspect that he simply has had better access to superior equipment than you or I may likly have had. It seems you also aren’t as familiar with termialogy that has been in the gunners lexicon for some years as placed there by the likes of Keith and Shelton to name just two.
It’s OK, I didn’t understand a lot of what was being said in and around me when I was younger either….. But, I listened real hard and was rewarded by getting an acquired, extensive and sound vocabulary with accompanying lexicon where firearms, their attending systems, and those who have found a profession reviewing and writing, while providing sound advice, to the majority of us who perhaps don’t have the resources and/or connections to get the access to top of the line equipment as often.
I don’t disagree with your point concerning red vs. green in either “red dot” or for that matter lasers. If I have my choice I’ll use green every time.
The suggestion in your comment that you may find Bob to be speaking from a less than professional view point and opinion is disrespectful and shows a certain degree of argonance that’s just not needed here.
Simply put, you don’t have to like the way the information is presented or how a writer may choose to write but comment on the relevant content and points don’t disrespect to presenter.
Just an opinion of one reader who prefers to be informed and not have to suffer thru childish finger pointing and commentary more along the response of a grade schooler.
Sorry, Bob. Didn’t have the best of days today in great part due to listening to exactly this kind of response within a meaningful dialog causing the day to sour.
Thanks once again for your commentary and efforts. Always enjoy reading your articals and reviews.
Pete sends …
Pete,
Excellent, very well written and informative. Your comments are the ones that make it worthwhile. Drive slow, Shoot fast.
Informative? How much is it and how long does the battery last (even if just what the manufacturer claims)? Did I miss that information?
Ian,
No you didn’t miss it. I’ll see if I can’t help you with what you seek…..
I’ve run across them in the “around $200” envelope. I’ve not paid a great deal of attention to this product to know the MSRP. A quick google or two whould net this information for you if your really interested in knowing.
Batteries and their life spans is a somewhat different issue. The unit discussed here seems to use a singal AAA battery.. If this is indeed the case then battery life is variable depending on the MiliAmper rating of the battery bring used and how the device is using it. (If the device is on its highest illumination setting it will drain the dattery much more quickly than on a lower light setting. The higher or greater the MilAmp rating of the battery the longer it wil last. ie; as an example only to show that relationship …. If a 1000 MilAmp battery might last only 10 minutes at the high setting and on contiooal use, where as a say 5000 MiliAmp battery might last say 40 minutes under the same conditions.
Point being that it’s a kinda relitive bit of information given the variables involved so may not even be a known and published bit of information anyway.
From a personal point of view, when such information is provided, it’s has ally because the unit in question has built in rechargeable battery that can’t or normally is not changed out when it goes flat but simply recharged. So it is essently a know quantity.
Units such as the M7 that will allow the use of different (AAA) batteries, with different Ma ratings and/or internal make up (NiCad, LiIon etc.) will not have a set battery run time as it is likely to quite different over the spectrum of available batteries. Hope this gives you a better handle on this subject. It will get even more confusing as some manufactures require a specific type of battery or will say may be damaged if rechargeable batteries are used or not for use with NiCad and other such comments or instructions. I have yet to have a device be damaged by the use of different types of batteries but that dosnt mean they can’t. I hope this has shed some additional light on a somewhat gray area for all of us. An just to throw another wrench in the bucket…. There is a whole new generation of batteries coming out that will bee even better and longer lasting than what in the makket place now. Pete sends…,
Agreed, during my time with the military I was blessed with the opportunity to use equipment that is now financially out of my reach but has given me a good comparative base. Though from the civilian perspective it is easy to assume those trained individuals do not have any additional insight or experience over anyone else outside, nothing could be further from the truth. I could never afford nor would I have had an opportunity to shoot an M14 EBR as a squad designated marksman outside the Army. On the M4, I have engaged targets beyond 300 meters using red dots. I prefer them over green. Perhaps a personal taste due to a plethora of generic reflex/dot sights being produced overseas on the lower end of the spectrum with green/red dot reticle selection. I love my Lucid M7 and have zero issues with washout. Sure, it’s not the 4x combat sight made by a big name company, but it’s not intended to be. It’s the closest affordable clone to the Army red dot counterpart for the price IMO. Its extremely rugged and the fit and finish is excellent. I wish I had bought several more.
Thanks for saying what I felt too.
Shooting off the hind legs is an old expression used by Keith, Skelton and Colonel Askins as opposed to shooting off the bench. Mother read these to me as a child and I picked up their expressions. Lucid dot set on brightest setting never washed out.
Red is nice, green is better. I’d gather that Mr. Campbell has never had to use his red dot during the middle of a very sunny day as the red dot will all but disappear in bright sunlight whereas the green will not. Of course I shoot at longer distances from Mr. Campbell as well so perhaps at 50 yards, he can still see the red dot. I’m curious though as what kind of animal he is as most humans do not have “hind legs”!