REFLEX SIGHT REVIEW Kahles New Helia Red Dot Sight The Austrian company’s new 1 red dot sight lives up to the mantra “red dots for quick shots,” especially anywhere a shot must be taken at running game, and it’s the top choice for a levergun.

THE main advantages of a red grams. The red dot sight is dot sight are their compactness, mounted just like a scope, but light weight and unlimited field since eye relief isn't critical, it of view. It all began back in the offers plenty of latitude and mid-1970s when the Swedish can be mounted well forward. company Aimpoint introduced Many red dot sights were a novel aiming device that designed for use on shotguns soon became widely known as and are attached to vent ribs, the Red Dot sight. With its but a compact, low-profile sight short compact tube, long eye like the Kahles which sits in relief and illuminated dot the lowest possible optical axis reticle, the Aimpoint was as is equally at home on a quick to see as a shotgun bead. levergun. The Kahles dovetail But it was soon seeing clamps over Weaver bases or a 2 widespread use on rifles and Picatinny rail. By removing the pistols as well as shotguns, and two screws used to hold the drew the attention of other base on, you can exchange it makers of optical sights. Today, for a another base to suit a nearly every maker of scope different size dovetail. sights, includes a red dot sight Most red dot sights operate in their range. the same way: Light from the ON THIS PAGE The latest company to climb front passes through a a lens on the bandwagon is Kahles with a partially reflective Compact and lightweight, the GmbH who have introduced coating on its back surface. A 1 Kahles RD was attached to the an ultra-compact red dot sight battery powered diode behind levergun using a Picatinny rail. made of aircraft quality the lens emits a small, bright When not in use the red dot aluminium alloy that light that bounces off that lens 2 sight has a protective cover measures 50mm long by and back into your eye. The which has storage for a spare 30mm wide has a height of red dot and target appear to be 2032 battery. 38mm and weighs a mere 42 in the same plane, so your eye

62 | SPORTING SHOOTER _ NOVEMBER 2019 REFLEX SIGHT REVIEW

3

ON THIS PAGE Kahles Helia RD was mounted 3on a Marlin Model 336 in .307 Winchester and shot at 50 metres for accuracy.

Adjustment dials for windage 4and elevation are easy to read, clicks have a value off 15mm at 50 metres.

You needn’t centre your eye behind a red dot sight. The dot will be visible even if your eye is some distance out of line.”

very bright light. Power is because dots are measured supplied by a 2032 battery against the target as it appears 4 housed in a slot in the side of in the sight. the unit. A spare battery is in For poor light conditions, the protective orange cap that you want that red dot at its need focus only on the target. A red dot sight works very comes with the sight. If the lowest setting as your eyes The window size is 26x22mm. well for short-range rifle sight is motionless for three will have dilated to to absorb The Kahles RD was shooting in brush and heavy minutes, the brightness as much light as possible. A designed specifically for timbered areas, but in many switches off and goes into bright dot in dark bush has an driven game in Europe, a sport hunting situations the extra standby mode. adverse effect, it hides what's I once experienced at a Kahles brightness of even a low-power Dot size is measured in behind and a lot of what's seminar. It was carried out scope works better, minutes of angle. Many around it. In right sunlight, during winter in a forested area particularly one with an electronic sights offer a choice however, you'll need to crank where light conditions were illuminated reticle. of dot sizes; a few even let you the dial to a high setting. poor, and the low-powered The apparent size of a dot change reticles in seconds. A red dot gives you plenty scope with illuminated reticle can vary with its brightness, a Because there is no of latitude in eye placement. was ideal. I top-scored with spring-loaded catch on the magnification, you want a big You needn't centre your eye seven boars, all taken on the side of the Kahles is marked dot - at least 2 MoA for rifles behind a red dot sight. The dot run from 50 to 80 metres. The +/- to vary brightness to suit and to my eye 3 MoA is better. will be visible even if your eye Kahles electronic sight is 1x four different light Some hunters even swear by a is some distance out of line. If (no magnification) and has a conditions. It is good to have a 6-minute dot which makes a you can dab that dot on target 2-minute dot. A dot this large wide range of brightness, lot of sense if the bush is thick, - no matter the dots apparent makes a lot of sense if the range especially on a hunting rifle the range is short or the light position in the window, you is short or the light is poor. that might be used in dim or dim. You need a big dot should hit it, at least at short

64 | SPORTING SHOOTER _ NOVEMBER 2019 HANDLOADING TIPS

range. Some shooters believe Allen key to rotate a small nut that red dot sights are in the centre of a circular unsuitable for big game rifles “clockface" on the top and because at long range parallax side of the the unit to move can cause serious aiming the dots impact point right or error. But the truth is, if your left and up or down. Each eye lines up with the middle click has a value of 15mm at of the lens, there is no 50 metres. parallax, because the dot is For testing Ken Harding relative to the bore line. obtained a Picatinny rail and On guns meant for use clamped the Kahles RD Helia with iron sights, red dots to his Marlin 336 in .307 speed up the shot. they are Winchester. We shot it at a 50 faster than irons because all metre target and five shot you have to do is dab the dot groups consistently on the target. They're faster measured just over or under than any scope because eye one inch. Despite its Five shot groups at 50 metres measured just over or under one-inch. relief is much less critical compactness, the sight is not and the dot stands out delicate. These days you against dark backgrounds. simply can't equate for hunting heavy cover in all Another advantage: you can Although parallax and ruggedness with weight; the weather. It doesn't fog and it take it off a rifle and mount it reticle subtension limit their lighter the sight, the less its doesn't leak. on a handgun or shotgun usefulness at long range, the inertia and the less apt it is to The Kahles Rd may have receiver and get the same Kahles RD with 2-minute vibrate off the gun under been designed for hunting view. It's a good sight for slug reticle should be effective for recoil. The Kahles RD would driven wild boars from a guns. But whatever use you big game out to 200 metres. be the logical choice for a stand, but it would be just as put it to, it will live up to kind Windage and elevation are .45-70 levergun like the effective for shooting Aussie of sight's reputation - " red dots adjusted by using the small Marlin or Winchester 1886 pigs in lignum of thick brush. for quick shots."

FOLLOW YOUR INTUITION HELIA RD – designed for driven hunt The unique Anti-Reflexion coating makes NEW viewing so comfortable, you only see dot HELIA RD and target –and nothing else.

kahles.at

66 | SPORTING SHOOTER _ NOVEMBER 2019