Best 9mm for a red dot?

[Atom Smasher]

So I want a new range toy, have several hundred bucks saved up, and am interested in getting a red-dot sight mounted handgun. Does anyone have suggestions for a good 9mm that looks good/handles well with a red dot? Also, what are good red-dots that hold zero solidly on centerfire weapons? I'm not really read-up on handgun sights; I was thinking about getting a Buckmark Camper and slapping a red dot on there, but I think I want something more powerful. Anyone have any ideas? I've got about $600 for the gun and $200 for the sight (or just an $800 total budget).

 

[robinkevin]

Well I can't say I have first hand experience in this department but in my opinion you want to go with a steel frame pistol for range use which will also have reduced recoil and should affect the sight less. I notice in some of the shooting sports that I watch it seems the 1911 is a favorite of steel shooters due to the weight of the pistol and how greatly the triggers can be tune. Rock Island makes some nice 1911s for around $400-500 you can get a nice 9mm 1911 from them which should give you a good starting point for what you want.

 

[WC145]

One Source Tactical sells modified Glocks equipped with Trijicon RMR red dots.

 

[FMF Doc]

Trijicon RMR is probably the best red dot for a handgun you can get these days.

 

[Steve C]

You can get a mount like this one on the 9mm CZ and mount a red dot:

Or you can get a small red dot sight like shown below that mounts in place of the rear sight on many different models of handgun.

I've got about $600 for the gun and $200 for the sight (or just an $800 total budget).

A high quality red dot sight can blow your budget at around what you have set for the gun but there are less expensive sight that are similar but usually last as long on the batteries (1,000 hrs vrs 8) hrs or less) You just have to do your shopping and compare specs. You will also need a few bucks for mounting, either to replace the rear sight or for the kit to do use a do it your self mounting kit.

 

[TennJed]

That is an interesting question and I am interested in the answer. I have a red dot on my Ruger MKIII .22lr and have not thought about putting one on a 9mm, but it is an interesting idea

 

[WC145]

I have a FNP-45 Tactical and a FNS-9 that are both equipped with Trijicon RMRs. The Tactical comes from the factory with the slide already cut for an optic. The FNS-9 was modified by One Source Tactical as a trial to see if it would feasable costwise but they're not doing anymore, too expensive. The RMRs work extremely well but it takes some getting used to for fast shooting because you focus on the target rather than the front sight. I'm transitioning from a 1911 to the Tactical for a duty weapon and have been training with it for a couple of months and I'm pretty comfortable with it now. I've been carrying the FNS-9 off duty and have found that even though the RMR looks kind of bulky, it really isn't and it doesn't hamper draw or concealability.

For me the big selling point is the single visual plane target focus. You look at your target and superimpose the dot on it, rather than lining up rear sight/front sight/target and then focusing on the front sight leaving your target blurry. Because I wear progressive bifocals I can't focus on the front sight without tipping my head back, which makes it harder to see the target. With the red dot both the target and dot are on perfect focus with both eyes open, I can see everything the target does while maintaining my aim and never lose focus. Plus the tall suppressor sights cowitness with the dot in case it ever fails. Actually kind of revolutionary once you try it.

 

[lostone1413]

I have a Trijicon on my Glock I had the work done here http://www.landmprecisiongunworks.com/drupal/index.php
Mark gave me a great price and did a great job

 

[earplug]

CZ or EAA Witness line

Both are available set up as Open guns for USPSA type shooting.
Both very accurate.
You price point is a bit low for real accurate guns.

 

[tuj]

ultradots are great red dots and hold up to 45ACP loads on my guns.

 

[jfrey]

Lone Wolf Dist. advertizes they can mill the slide on a Glock and put a FastFire II on it. Your budget is a little low for expensive sights like the Trijicon but you could go with a little less expensive sight and it might work well for you though. My FIL bought a steel mounting baseplate and a FastFire to put on his S&W 952 and it totally messed up the timing of the slide and caused ejection problems. If you are going to do this, you need to check around and find proven designs and the guns they work on. A lot of 1911 and CZ shooters use a mount that connects directly to the frame, not the slide. Makes a lot of difernce.

 

[tuj]

I have both frame and slide mount dots on my 1911's. Didn't affect anything adding extra mass to the slide and the dot has held zero over many many rounds.

Get an ultradot or a c-more.