Best Zero For Your Red Dot Pistol: 10 vs 15 vs 25

This article first appeared on AmmoLand News on July 2, 2025, and appears here now with fresh updates

. If youve joined the red dot revolution on pistols, welcome to a faster, clearer, and (lets be honest) more forgiving way to shoot . Whether its a concealed carry gun, a home defense setup, or a weekend range toy, adding a red dot is one of the best upgrades you can make. Butand its a big but a red dot is only as good as its zero . If you just slap it on and call it a day, youre basically setting yourself up for failure. Getting a proper zero isnt rocket science. It just takes a little understanding and a few adjustments to your red dot . So Whats the Best Distance to Zero a Red Dot Pistol? Spoiler alert: It depends . Heres a quick look at the three most common choices: 10 Yards: Its fast, easy, and great for concealed carry guns and home defense 15 Yards: Best overall balance between all three 25 Yards: Best for competition use and requires a hold-over at closer self-defense ranges 10-Yard Zero: The Real World Carry Gun Standard Most self-defense shootings happen within 710 yards

. At 10 yards, a properly zeroed dot means if you need to make a life-or-death shot, you can just press the trigger without second-guessing where to hold . If youre stretching it out to 25 yards, expect a little holdover. In simple terms, you might need to aim a hair higher if youre trying to hit dead center at a distance. But at self-defense ranges? Youre golden . Regardless, with a 10-yard zero, if you hold the center of the A-Zone, youll hit inside the A-Zone out to 25 yards . 15-Yard Zero: The Do-It-All Distance If youre running a gun for both carry and occasional competition or drills, 15 yards is arguably the sweet spot. The bullets flight stays super flat out to about 70 yards . Translation? You wont have to adjust muchif at allwhen shooting at different distances . Its forgiving, flexible, and keeps your brain power focused where it belongs: the targetor threat 25 Yard Zero If youre a competition shooter or you just like the idea of ringing steel plates at 50 yards and beyond with your carry pistol, the 25-yard zero is your friend . Some serious USPSA and IDPA shooters set a 25-yard zero so they can nail longer shots without major dot adjustments. At close distances, though, they know theyll have to hold a little high

. This isnt ideal if you never plan to shoot past 10-15 yards. For pure concealed carry? Its not ideal either

. How I Zero My Red Dots Before I ever hit the range, I boresight my new red dot at home. I use a 9mm bore laser that loads into the chamber like a normal round . I pace off 10 yards in my house or garage, bring my pistol up in a normal shooting stance, and make my adjustments right there until the pistol red dot and the laser are stacked on top of each other . Its not a final zero, but it gets me damn close. Confirm at 10 Yards At the range, I use a standard cardboard IPSC target and put my focus on the a-zone . Shooting offhand (I dont fight using a bench rest), I fire slow, careful shots. Once I can put three rounds into the center of the a-zone, Im good. If theyre off, adjust, shoot again . Verify at 15 and 25 Yards Moving back to 15 yards, then 25 yards. Look for elevation and windage drift. Tiny errors at 10 yards become big misses at 25 if you dont catch them early . Bonus Once youve completed the zeroing process, a good drill to practice is the Achilles Heel Tactical DOPE Drill . Final Thoughts: The Best Zero Is the One That Makes You Fast and Accurate At the end of the day, theres no one-size-fits-all answer (although I prefer 10 yards). What matters is consistency and confidence . Pick a zero distance based on where youll actually fight or compete. Then zero and confirm at different distances

. The guy with a 10-yard zero who trains will beat the guy with a perfect 25-yard zero and no trigger time every single day of the week

. About Scott Witner Scott Witner is a former Marine Corps Infantryman with 2ndBn/8th Marines

. He completed training in desert warfare at the Marine Air Ground Combat Center, Mountain Warfare and survival at the Mountain Warfare Training Center, the South Korean Mountain Warfare School in Pohang, and the Jungle Warfare school in the jungles of

Okinawa, Japan

. He now enjoys recreational shooting, trail running, hiking, functional fitness, and working on his truck. Scott resides in Northeastern Ohio.