Better first upgrade accessory for modern handgun...

I would say the RMR, with the understanding if you're considering an RMR it is probably because of age/vision related issues and it is something you probably need at this point.

I've jumped on the Tom Givens bandwagon regarding weapon mounted lights. I just don't see a need for the non-mil/LE user. I get there are certainly some exceptions, but in general I don't see a need for a weapon mounted light.

I dont think it would be a bad idea at all to add a Laser / light combo for your H/D gun https://www.cheaperthandirt.com/pro...s&refType=&from=fn&ecList=7&ecCategory=119245 for a range gun i would look into a RMR

It would depend on your intended purpose for your new pistol.

For me personally, I like a quick attach rail mounted light. If i know im going to be out after dark , I just drop it in my pocket. It makes an excellent flashlight too.

Night sights.

If you're intent on one of the two listed though, an RMR.

I only put weapon lights on my HD guns.

Dr.Rob said:

Training/practice with said pistol is a given.
Which is a better first upgrade: A weapon light or an RMR? Some other bit of kit?

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You would have to retrain with said pistol with an RMR added. esp. if its one that uses adapter plates for mounting.
As your your previous hold is going to change. Plus being slide mounted, you have to wait for the dot to stop bouncing before you can follow up..

I don't think there is any way to answer this question without knowing what specific gun is at issue. Nor can an answer be very serious without understanding what is meant by "sport" use. If one is thinking of playing actual games, then the rules of the particular game will have a lot of influence over whether certain modifications are permitted and/or what competitive consequences they will have.

Regarding the two specific suggestions:

Flashlights: Flashlights on guns for civilians are great if you plan on identifying potential targets by covering them with the muzzle. IOW, they're not as great an idea as lots of people seem to think. I am fortunate enough to live in a time and place in human history where my dwelling is equipped with electric lighting. Similarly, very good flashlights can be had for much less than $100 that fit easily in a pocket (even a suit pocket or the coin pocket of jeans) and can be carried all the time. If I'm trying to decide whether a dark blob is a threat or a family member, I'm going to make that decision before I point a gun at them.

Probably the best thing to do with a "weapon light" is to do what Bob Vogel (a long time cop who is a top-tier competitive practical shooter) does: take out the bulb and fill the thing with lead to make it into a weight. Using one of those, a polymer pistol can start to be as flat shooting as a steel-framed gun (albeit just as much of a pain to carry, if that's on the table).

Dot sights: Dot sights are definitely an interesting technology that does have the potential to improve shooting performance. They'll probably never be as absolutely fail-safe as fixed iron sights, but it seems like they can get into the reliability range of adjustable iron sights. The biggest issue with them is that acquiring the dot (on the draw or after "dismounting" the gun to move) is not something done quickly without practice. It's both painful and amusing watching shooters who are at least decent shooters with iron sights come into competition with dot sights for the first time - and start tracing figure-8's in the air with their gun as they desperately try to find the dot. It takes time to build an "index" that consistently gets the dot to appear in the window.

Of course, it takes time to build an index with iron sights, too, and lots of casual shooters haven't developed that, either.... but if you've already got a decent index for iron sights, it will take a few reps (like maybe a few thousand draws) to get back to where you were. Once there, the red-dot starts to become a gigantic advantage.

Once again, though, if "sport" use includes competition, the user needs to be aware of the rules-based effect that putting a dot on a gun will have.

I like night sights on a defensive pistol.
Small red dot sights are great for target shooting but, as ALTDave said, it takes a lot of practice to find that dot quickly.

Trigger upgrade.

Night sights are my go to, less for the glowing but my eyes pick up greens and orange better for front sights.

I prefer a handheld flash in most instances, though I do have a WML on my HD gun sometimes and I do like them on rifles.

RMRs are interesting but from my experimentations I have indexed iron sights long enough that the rmr slows me down. For a target/hunting/woods 10mm I am highly considering one, however.

So, other, good/night iron sights.

Night sights, no question.

I was kind of thinking a good quality holster to carry it in, and a case of ammo to practice with it... if it's going to be a carry/defensive piece.

Dr.Rob said:

Actually I was considering an RMR to see what all the fuss is about.

I did consider a tritium front sight as an option, as it's far cheaper than either.

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Every time I handle a handgun with a light or an RMR, I just think "This thing is unnecessarily bulky, and aside from open carry in the woods, I would never carry it." If you are just curious though, go for it, but the longer I shoot, the more I appreciate a package that just does what I need it to in as compact, but shootable, a package as possible. Night sights keep me covered if I'm out and about at night, and a weapon light covers me for a HD gun, but I still require night sites on a gun I may use in the dark.

I have one gun that has a forward night sight only, and I am seriously considering replacing the rear sight with one that has tritium lamps. It doesn't serve a defensive role right now, so it hasn't been a priority. The gun has only a black, dotless rear sight. The point of night sites is to be able to aim effectively in a low light situation, which is damned hard to do with an all black rear sight. You may be able to see the front sight, but how accurate or well placed a shot can you make without a clear sight picture, which is exactly what I get with a tritium front sight only. I've walked around my house with that gun in near dark, and had a really hard time lining up a decent dry fire trigger pull. I know a weapon light sort of negates this, but that doesn't help me when I'm carrying a gun at night for defense.

This may all be moot, as you likely have your defense bases covered already. Just sharing my experience and philosophy.

About gun mounted flashlights this guy actually has a good use case for them, and you don't need to cover someone with the muzzle to see them in a home defense situation.

I have been considering buying a Trijicon RMR 6.5 MOA red dot for several years, but I can't seem to justify the expense or the training to become proficient and/or comfortable carrying the RMR, especially since I am used to standard 3 dot sights on my handguns, plus I couldn't justify the additional expense to equip more than 1 handgun with a RMR set-up. Every time I get close to buying a RMR, the negatives (for me) outweigh the positives. I do have a couple Surefire x300's and for home defense, they provide exceptional bright light, so I guess that I would recommend a quality weapon light as a upgrade accessory and keep using standard 3 dot sights on handguns.

A red dot sight is useless if the target is dark enough that it can't be seen. A light is a much better upgrade.

I can't focus on night sights anymore, so a red dot (RMR) would make sense in a low light situation in my house. (Low light is not the same as the dark.)

However, I find that I'm not consistent in sight picture with a red dot on a pistol if I haven't had that gun in front of me in a week or so. So, I do like red dots (RMRs) but mostly for range use.

I personally seem to be better off having a weapon mounted light. Aiming the light down at the low ready still lights up plenty of area ahead of me in my house without muzzling anyone that doesn't need "muzzling".

Ammo, I know you said you have enough but you can never have enough. And its better than wasting money on the other two.

A high quality green laser works as a light and a laser. It puts you right on Target and you can see everything around the laser without a light unlike a red laser. If you got bad eyes it's absolutely the way to go.

Night sights are cool if you can see what your shooting at. The thing about night sights though is that if you use a mounted flashlight to light up a target they stop glowing, so there's no point to having them. If you plan on using a mounted flashlight, plain old fiber optic sights are the way to go, as they light up like a supernova when combined with a powerful rail light.

Don't get me wrong, night sights have their place too, but if you can't see for s***, nothing beats a green Crimson Trace in my opinion. I use night sights on my CZ po1, because that's my boat and fishing gun. While I prefer a green laser I don't feel like paying over $200 for a new one if it gets wet.

Dr.Rob said:

Say you just got a new-fangled poly-frame pistol for sport and defensive use. You already know how to shoot reasonably well and you have spare magazines. Training/practice with said pistol is a given and you have a lot of ammo on hand.


Which is a better first upgrade: A weapon light or an RMR? Some other bit of kit?

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One of the issues here is that I see two different needs, defensive use and sport use. What I might do for one I wouldn't do for the other.

A pistol used for self defense should be as smooth as possible, "like a used bar of soap". It should be less likely to hang up on things or bang into them, rather than more likely to. All it needs is a decent trigger, sights you can see and use at speed and in low or no light, and be accurate enough for the job it's intended for. It does not need lights, laser or electronic sights. These add bulk and complexity and once you begin beating someone with the piece they become disabled and a nuisance.

A piece for competitive shooting or hunting is different and the needs are different. Here a Rugged Mounted Reflex (RMR) sight, has a place.

Dr Rob what is all steel BHP clone as my go-to defensive handgun.