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How to make a C-More Dot Brighter?


BillChunn

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This particular club has their bays running east-west so the sun is either in front of you or behind you, depending on what bay you are shooting and the time of day. The match ran from 10:30 AM to 3:30 PM.

The non-click switch was cranked all the way up to it's brightest setting. It has a new battery (Duracell DL1/3N). The dot size was increased from 6 MOA to 12 MOA. It already has the Arrendondo Dot Module Hood in place.

What else can be done to brighten up the dot for outside competition where the sun washes it out?

HH

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Buy a couple of LED modules and select the brightest one, there is SIZABLE difference between the samples of the same MOA. Also, from the standpoint of visibility I find 8MOA the best - it is brighter than 12, and bigger... to my aging eyes - than 6.

Also, when replacing the battery, try to measure its voltage, as I just found one very weak one on the brand new strip.

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With C-More dot modules, the difference in dot sizes come from different sized holes in the module hood, no other reason. So when you go from an 8 MOA to a 6 MOA you are not just losing about 44% of the dot area, you're losing 44% of the light emitted from the module. One of my free repairs done by C-More they also re-drilled my egg-shaped 8moa into a nice round 12 moa. I really wish they made a 10 MOA like on my Aimpoint. If available brightness was not a factor I'd have a 6 or 7 MOA, for me it's about perfect for the different shooting challenges you see in USPSA.

Way back when, tube sights were always sold with rotating adjustable polarizing filters - if your dot started to go bad or you forgot spare batteries, you could just screw in the filter, adjust out some of the outside light, and viola - bright dot.

It's easier to get used to a big fat dot if you have 2 guns to compare, maybe your gun & a buddy's gun with some well-defined targets like a US paper target, a round plate, and a regular Pepper Popper set at 25-35 yards. After you compare just holding the guns on target, you'll see that a 10 or 12 moa dot wobbles around the same amount as a 3 or 4 moa, you just have to look for/imagine the center of the dot is where you hit and you get used to a fat dot part-way hanging off the side of a small plate or upper-A-zone. For the 12-moa dot to cover a target completely you're talking a 6" round plate at 50 yards, although at 30-35y it's going to feel like the whole target's covered because you wobble over the all edges of the target in a very short time.

+1 on the voltage tester (a digital multimeter) - if you shoot Open you should own one.

Edited by eric nielsen
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Click switch C-Mores are brighter than rheostat units.

I noticed that. A "backup" gun was recently purchased and it has the click switch. It also has a 12 MOA dot and when holding the two side by side, it is brighter.

Thanks.

HH

Edited by HoldHard
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I haven't found click switch to be brighter than a normal switch. But as everyone has said, different modules will have different brightness even when the same MOA.

After a recent match, I swapped guns with a couple of guys, one of the guns I could barely see the dot, The shooter said it was bright for him. When he tried mine, he said it was like looking at the sun, way to bright. So ever ones eyes will see the dot different

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Click switch C-Mores are brighter than rheostat units.

They have more linear regulation curve, so at any given position up close to maximum they will look brighter, but the maximum is the same. It is easier to make the switch more linear.

As far as the battery voltages - 3.26 is about right for the fresh battery, and I usually change them when they drop to 2.9 if outdoor shooting is in plans, although they are still fine for indoor shooting.

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News batteries will be somewhere around 3.1~3.2 volts dc. I generally toss an old battery when it reaches 2.8 volts. I have seen them go as low as 2.7 volts, but by then they are absolutely worthless.

Really?? I pulled two new ones out of the package and am only getting around 2.8 or so. That is not promising.

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Really?? I pulled two new ones out of the package and am only getting around 2.8 or so.

They will still work for a while for shooting indoors, but they are way too low for new batteries.

OTOH, I just found one among the new batteries that gave me very weak dot... turned out it only measured 1.9V. So defective batteries are not impossible to find.

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Maybe try two fresh 357 batteries instead of the 1/3n.

The nominal voltage for the 357 is 1.55 (x2) so they tend to make the dot a little brighter. Cost a little less and they seem to last longer then a duracell 1/3n, too.

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Maybe try two fresh 357 batteries instead of the 1/3n.

The nominal voltage for the 357 is 1.55 (x2) so they tend to make the dot a little brighter. Cost a little less and they seem to last longer then a duracell 1/3n, too.

Yep, that boosted the voltage nicely,

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  • 7 months later...

Our bays run east-west also, and I had troulble with the 6MOA dot on my gun washing out, even with a new battery. Replaced it with a 8MOA with an Arrendondo hood, and I've not had any problems since. I find it hard to belive that a 12MOA dot with a hood and fresh battery is being washed out, (unless you live on Mercury.) Maybe the problem is somewhere in the rheostat or other electronics?

Will the Arrendondo c-more hood make a difference in BRIGHTNESS outside with a Quinn type mount?

I have one on my gun with a Cheely mount, and it seems to help.

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Click switch C-Mores are brighter than rheostat units.

I only run them one way WIDE OPEN.

Can't do that with mine. About half is plenty bright. Cranking it all the way up just creates a totally red lens.

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On Aimpoints you can get a brighter dot by using three siver oxide batteries rather than the Duracell DL1/3N. Don't see why you can't do this on an C-More.

What model battery allows 3 batteries in the place of the single 1/3n? I know you can use two .357 batteries.

Funny, I'm actually flying out tomorrow to Allentown to shoot (video production) some physicians at Lehigh Valley. Back to Chicago on Thursday, and then driving out to hang with Sarge at the Ohio State Championship. Look like a bunch of GREAT stages, just hope I can get my sight to SEE More.

Edited by Chip_E
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If you're using a 1/3N make sure it's a Duracell and not some off brand name. I just went down this road and there is a difference. Duracells have the right voltage out of the box, at least the ones I've seen, and some of the others are useless even when new. If you look at the generic ones on Shooters Connection web page there's a little disclaimer about use these at your own risk and about how one of them only lasted a day at Nationals where another lasted much longer. I guess buy once, cry once applies to batteries too.

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The Limcat glare shield works better than the Arrendondo.

I have one of each and can't tell hill of beans difference. I do know 100% that a single drop of rain on the Limcat, in just the right place, will make the dot vanish on a WHO string at Area 6.

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I just put two no. 357 batteries in mine and will try it out at a match next Sunday. Just playing with it around the house, I can't swear it's any brighter....I am hoping though. I also have the Arrendondo shield on it as well.

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