Only a front sight in a firearm with optics

Installing a taller front sight would certainly help.

Why not sell it and get an OSP version? In long run may not cost you anymore and then would have one with proper slide cut

If you don't have a front and a rear that co-witness as backup sights, then I wouldn't even bother with the front sight and would probably take it completely off.

The primary advantage of a red dot is that you don't have to align two different sights - the dot shows where the bullet goes (once zero'd for a given load and with deviations between shots and at different distances obviously). If you're still trying to bring the front sight into play during normal usage you're slowing yourself down.

Below is what the internet is saying about a new offering from holosun.
The Holosun HS507C-X2-ACSS with the ACSS Vulcan reticle with an outer circle. This new set up supposedly allows rapid alignment of the RDS without using the iron sights for the initial alignment.
That chevron is very easy to pick up.

And the cool thing here is, if you’re punched out correctly, you actually shouldn’t see the halo portion of the reticle at all. It’s only really visible on the peripheral edge of your field of view if you’ve got the pistol canted incorrectly.

Therefore, if you draw and present the gun but don’t immediately see the reticle, you can still see the circle in the upper edge of the optic.

So, you’ll know immediately you’ve got that muzzle canted downwards. This allows you to make a quick adjustment and get that chevron on target. https://www.pewpewtactical.com/507c-x2-acss-vulcan-reticle-review/

More pictures

Crazy Horse said:

Would installing a tall front sight help with dot acquisition and consistency (having a reference point).

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No. Having a taller front sight just gives your eyes and brain more things to do. The target is your point of reference. If you are looking for the front sight through a red dot so you can find the dot you will end up focusing on a lot of things that are not the target.

Iron sights typically have the shooter indexing the sights at eye level (target, sights and eyes on a single plane). Having a red dot on a pistol requires you to index the gun lower (the dot is much higher off of the barrel) to get the target, optic and eyes in that same single plane.
What you will typically see with someone transitioning to a red dot is pressing the gun forward to where their eyes, the now missing iron sights and target are on a single plane. The optic is now above the line of sight. To correct this they will often point the barrel down in order to "find the dot". Now they are concentrating on the dot and not the target. The proper correction is to lower the entire pistol (you are using taller sights) so eyes, optic and target are on the same plane. If you are a lifelong iron sight shooter you need to retrain yourself to present your pistol a little lower to compensate for the taller optic. A helpful thought is to index the back of the slide off the tip of your nose.

barnetmill said:

Below is what the internet is saying about a new offering from holosun.
The Holosun HS507C-X2-ACSS with the ACSS Vulcan reticle with an outer circle. This new set up supposedly allows rapid alignment of the RDS without using the iron sights for the initial alignment.
That chevron is very easy to pick up.
View attachment 1018776
And the cool thing here is, if you’re punched out correctly, you actually shouldn’t see the halo portion of the reticle at all. It’s only really visible on the peripheral edge of your field of view if you’ve got the pistol canted incorrectly.

Therefore, if you draw and present the gun but don’t immediately see the reticle, you can still see the circle in the upper edge of the optic.
View attachment 1018775
So, you’ll know immediately you’ve got that muzzle canted downwards. This allows you to make a quick adjustment and get that chevron on target. https://www.pewpewtactical.com/507c-x2-acss-vulcan-reticle-review/

Click to expand...

I just noticed this sighting system for the first time a few days ago. Apparently it was introduced last year.

This is one of those cases where this is actually a game changer, and I want one.

Crazy Horse said:

Good morning,

I have an XDM elite in 4.5. I initially tried to get the slide cut for an optic, but because of how the firearm operates, no shop I contacted indicated they could do an optic cut on the XDM firearm. So, I installed an optics plate that requires the removal of the rear sight.

I have sighted it in pretty good, but right now, I just have the dot as reference. Has anyone installed an optic on an XDM elite using the same setup as I described above.

Would installing a tall front sight help with dot acquisition and consistency (having a reference point).



TIA

CH

Click to expand...

I’ve thought of doing the same to one of my “house pistols”. I shoot it with blurry sights anyway, especially the rear, so it seems like a reasonable thing for me to try.

Naturally, I’d need to see how it shoots for me with the power off to simulate a dead battery.

kidneyboy said:

No. Having a taller front sight just gives your eyes and brain more things to do. The target is your point of reference. If you are looking for the front sight through a red dot so you can find the dot you will end up focusing on a lot of things that are not the target.

Iron sights typically have the shooter indexing the sights at eye level (target, sights and eyes on a single plane). Having a red dot on a pistol requires you to index the gun lower (the dot is much higher off of the barrel) to get the target, optic and eyes in that same single plane.
What you will typically see with someone transitioning to a red dot is pressing the gun forward to where their eyes, the now missing iron sights and target are on a single plane. The optic is now above the line of sight. To correct this they will often point the barrel down in order to "find the dot". Now they are concentrating on the dot and not the target. The proper correction is to lower the entire pistol (you are using taller sights) so eyes, optic and target are on the same plane. If you are a lifelong iron sight shooter you need to retrain yourself to present your pistol a little lower to compensate for the taller optic. A helpful thought is to index the back of the slide off the tip of your nose.

Click to expand...

Not how it works for me with higher rear and front sights. I have never tried just the front sight for alignment.
In a combat scenario you cannot always 'present' the pistol as you do on a sq range in a standing position, especially if you are using cover and not standing.

barnetmill said:

Not how it works for me with higher rear and front sights. I have never tried just the front sight for alignment.
In a combat scenario you cannot always 'present' the pistol as you do on a sq range in a standing position, especially if you are using cover and not standing.

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If you have suppressor height, or raised, sights the same practice applies. You have raised the sight plane higher than the standard sights and need to present the pistol lower in your sightline to align the sights. It takes practice to acclimate to the higher sights. From a sightline/acquire the target perspective there is little difference in the physical presentation of the pistol when using suppressor height sights and an optic. The difference with an optic is where your focus is and how much are you willing to practice to make the new focus point work.
I'm guessing that "combat scenarios" weren't your priorities when you were learning how to use iron sights. That came with a higher skillset. Same applies to optics on handguns.

kidneyboy said:

If you have suppressor height, or raised, sights the same practice applies. You have raised the sight plane higher than the standard sights and need to present the pistol lower in your sightline to align the sights. It takes practice to acclimate to the higher sights. From a sightline/acquire the target perspective there is little difference in the physical presentation of the pistol when using suppressor height sights and an optic. The difference with an optic is where your focus is and how much are you willing to practice to make the new focus point work.
I'm guessing that "combat scenarios" weren't your priorities when you were learning how to use iron sights. That came with a higher skillset. Same applies to optics on handguns.

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First of all relative to sights and combat priority a big issue is that most of it occurs under poor lighting conditions and close bad breath distances. Your sights will not be helping so much and if you do not have cover you will want to be getting off the X. But that technique is separate from the using RDS.
I want to see you do what you discussing laying or squatting on the ground behind available cover like fire hydrant or truck tire using your off hand presenting no more of your anatomy than is necessary to fire your pistol.
Those that I follow are those that have killed multiple times on one on one. The RMR concept while not invented by Gabe Suarez he was the first major trainer about 2009 to popularize it and he insists on suppressor sights. Also they are a backup for if your RDS fails. I have had an RMR fail while shooting a water moccasin.
I am not saying that you are wrong, but each man/woman has got to figure what works best for them. I suspect while standing you can draw and do exactly what you say. You may have very well have killed some people that way too.

This is the image that is suppose to appear

Crazy Horse said:

As you pointed out, I press the gun forward to find the dot (due to alignment, which is why I was thinking of using a tall front sight to help with alignment), which makes me take my eyes off the target and focusing on the dot. Once I have the dot in sight, I change focus to the target.,

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Your mount point has changed from many years.. it will take some adjustment.

Tape the front of your site off and practice that way for a while