Aimpoint is shooting to be the go-to red dot for wing and clay shooters with its shotgun-specific Micro S-1 sight.

What features make the Aimpoint Micro S-1 a great sight for shotguns?

• The Aimpoint Micro S-1 is a red-dot sight built specifically for shotgun use.
• It features a 6 MOA dot set in the bottom third of the sight, and uses very low mounts.
• With this placement, it essentially acts as an electronic bead.
• It mounts in a forward position on the vent rib of a large majority of shotguns.
• As with other Aimpoints, the S-1 is parallax free and has many brightness settings.

Red-dot sights have definitely carved their niche in the shooting world.

From the ideal fast-acquisition aiming solution for mean-as-hell tactical rifles to just the right way to draw a bead on deer in suffocating thick timber, the handy electronic sights are just about perfect for all close-range work, except shooting birds on the wing. And now the red dot is shooting to gun that down as well.

The Aimpoint Micro S-1 is designed for use on the ventilated rib of a shotgun, and it aims to be the cutting-edge way to draw a bead on birds and clays. The Swedish company touts it as the ideal method to deal with cross-eye dominance, poor cheek welds and other shotgunning foibles. And there is some weight to that argument.

Like all of Aimpoint’s wares, the Micro S-1 is completely parallax free; in turn, it doesn’t matter where the red dot is in the sight, the shot will follow it exactly. This means no matter how the shooter’s head is positioned, as long as he keeps the dot on the lead — and follows through — he’ll put his pattern on target.

The S-1 is designed differently than what most have become accustomed to with red dots. The 6 MOA dot sits in the bottom third of the sight, for all intents and purposes recreating an electronic version of a physical bead. And it mounts extremely low on interchangeable base plates that make it compatible with the majority of shotgun makes and models. It is also meant to mount much more forward on the gun, again somewhat mimicking a physical bead.

Like traditional red dots, its has light intensity adjustment — 12 in this case — which makes it perfect for any shooting conditions, bright or dim. And being an Aimpoint, the high-strength aluminum body is water- and shock-resistant, so it’s ready for the most rugged hunts, no matter how deep into the duck marsh a hunter might push. The Micro S-1 should also be able to serve multiple roles, being just as comfortable for use on turkey and deer as on dove and duck.

Red dots have stormed every other corner of the shooting world, so it will be interesting to see how Aimpoint does with fowling pieces. Upland hunters and waterfowlers are a traditional bunch, after all. But maybe there are a few that want to be on the cutting edge and have the $804 lying around to give the Micro S-1 a run in the field.

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