Sights: Telescopic (Scope), Dot, and Laser

Telescopic Sight (Scope): Small telescope mounted on your firearm. A scope gathers light to brighten the image, uses mirrors and lenses to magnify the target, and does away with aligning rear and front sights. The aiming device inside the scope is called the “reticle.” To aim, you simply look through the scope, and line up the crosshairs, post, or dot with your target. Telescopic sights provide the most accurate aiming, which makes them popular for hunting.

Dot Sight: Small device mounted on your firearm. A dot sight uses electronics or optical fibers to project a glowing dot or other mark on a lens in front of the shooter’s eye. Some dot sights also magnify like telescopic sights.

Laser Sight: Another type of small device that can be mounted on your handgun. Like a laser pointer, the laser sight projects a glowing dot on your target. Instead of using a laser sight, you can replace the manufacturer’s grip with a laser grip.