Red Dot for a Newbie?

[marklbucla]

As I understood it, a Red Dot was more of a tool to make shooting easier once one's already learned how to use the iron sights and has had some experience with handguns.

Would it be okay to use a red dot as a learning/teaching tool, or is it pretty much necessary to stick with the standard sights until a reasonable amount of proficiency is reached?

 

[Standing Wolf]

...is it pretty much necessary to stick with the standard sights until a reasonable amount of proficiency is reached?

The only necessity in learning to shoot is to master the fundamentals of firearms safety.

I'd recommend learning to shoot with iron sights, but must confess I hardly ever use them myself any more: I just can't see well enough. Middle-aged and older shooters with less than acute vision could easily lose interest in shooting simply because they can't see well enough to have a chance at shooting well.

 

[birddog]

I have a couple of guns scoped with red-dots, many more with iron sights, and a couple with standard scopes. I don't see any reason you couldn't learn on a gun with a red-dot. The fundamentals of good shooting form don't change. Basically all that changes is the appearance of your sight picture. I find red-dots to be great for fast target acquisition and there's very little to think about once you have the scope zeroed. You just superimpose the dot over your intended target and off you go. For deer hunting both with my .44 mag revolver and with my slug-gun, I've switched to red-dots with great success. Again, this is mostly due to the reduced time to get on target. I also have a red-dot on a .22 target pistol and enjoy plinking with it too. Whatever you're comfortable with and can afford, go for it.

 

[ChristopherG]

Before I really answered the question, I'd want to know: what do you want to shoot a handgun for? If you're preparing to use it for carry or home defense, do you envision using a red dot in these circumstances? If not (and I would recommend not), then start of with the gun configured the way you intend to (potentially) use it. If you're preparing for competition, is it a type of competition in which you'll use a red dot? (Learning to shoot on a USPSA open-class gun = not a very good idea).

The only circumstance in which I'd really think it a good idea would be if you were planning to become a handgun hunter, or maybe steel competition. But even in those situations, learning to use sights is not that hard; I mean, virtually everyone who's ever learned to shoot a handgun has learned on them. I like having a red dot on one of my guns, and would consider getting them on more; but when I take my son shooting, I'll hand him the open sighted .38 instead of the red-dot mounted .22, and gladly pay the difference in ammo to have him learn to shoot a gun the way they're shot the vast majority of the time, and the way he'd most likely need to shoot one if he ever did, god forbid..

 

[Bullet]

I learned to shoot with iron sights. When Red Dots came along I called them cheaters because they made shooting easier. I don't think it matters if you start with Red Dot sights or not. It might be a good idea for some people. New shooters seem to have more fun if they can hit what their aiming at. Either way I would recommend learning to shoot both ways.

 

[280PLUS]

just FYI

Red dots will magnify the perceived motion of the firearm as compared to iron sights. In other words the dot will look like it's all over the place which leads to a lot of "chicken finger" or hesitation on the trigger pull. Aslo a cheap scope will give you parallax or misalignment problems if you do not have the dot centered in the scope every shot.

It would be better for you to learn to shoot iron sights first and then go to a red dot if you want.

I prefer the UltraDot myself. I have one on my .45 and one on my .22 and they have both performed flawlessly and continue to do so.

If only I could perform as flawlessly when behind one...

 

[eab]

what 280PLUS said is true. Just shot a handgun (been shooting rifle for a LONG time) for the first time last week with AFROTC. We got to shoot the pistol clubs Ruger MK IIs. One had a red dot site and the other was just some iron sites.

With the red dot site I felt like I was all over the place, felt like I could not hold it steady. When I shot with regular sites I "felt" as if I was more steady. Was probly just as wobbly as before but I could not tell. I personaly would not but a red dot site on a pistol for a person who is just learning to shoot. But hey I have only shot a pistol once

just my $.02

 

[Zak Smith]

Many IPSC shooters claim that learning the ability to track one's sights during recoil is enhanced by using a red dot sight in the begining. In other words, your brain is better prepared for tracking an iron sight during recoil if it has already tracked a dot during recoil.

 

[280PLUS]

That's interesting Zak. I'm going to try to pay attention to that next time I shoot. I feel like I don't track the dot with eye movement during a series of shots but stay centered on the target and periphally maintain sight of the dot and bring it back down to center in my line of sight. But I'm not sure now.

Of course, in my case I'm usually only shooting at one target.

In other word's I don't feel like I'm tracking the dot, it's just there in my field of vision and I'm just making it match back up to the center of the black circle.

 

[Zak Smith]

I didn't mean physically track it by moving your eyeballs, but mentally track it, which requires some visual input.

For more on this topic, I highly recommend Brian Enos' book, "Practical Shooting, Beyond Fundamentals".

 

[vwfool]

While y'all are on the subject...Is there a decent, cheaply priced red dot out there, or is it cheap$=cheap quality? I have thought about trying one, but I don't want to invest a lot just to see if I like it ot not. If I do like it, I can move up to a better one.

 

[280PLUS]

I had an NCStar that was only about $25 but it had parallax problems and then crapped out after a year or so. It would probably suffice as a tester.

Zak - thanks for the title I'll get a copy.

 

[vwfool]

That is pretty much what I was wanting to spend, $20-$40. Thanks. It will probably go on something cheap to shoot like my .22 or SKS so I can give it a fair chance by shooting it a lot.