The dot life

[C-grunt]

Ive been shooting a red dot on a handgun for over a year now. Mine is a Glock 17 MOS with a RMR on a C&H Precision plate.

Last week I finally was able to attend my department's red dot class to carry it on duty. The class consisted of 3 days and roughly 1400 rounds fired. Our instructors have been to multiple red dot instructors courses including Sig Academy and other well known trainers. They also compete in USPSA with the dots. Basically they have fully embraced "the dot life" and now I have too.

My main concealed carry gun will have a dot soon and pistols I buy going forward will be bought with dots in mind. Except for things like S&W revolvers, single actions, and 1911s which I buy to enjoy their old school awesomeness.

Running a dot takes some definite effort to learn. Mostly learning to shoot threat focused and training your had eye coordination to draw the gun to the dot and not to look for irons. But once you get it down the dot is faster, more accurate, easier on moving targets, and way way easier to use in low light.

20210809_092542 by chase, on Flickr

 

[Riomouse911]

We have a few guys going to them here. Since I’m the one who really guides the.big boss on firearms policy etc., I also think they’re a benefit for the majority of LE applications… and most CCW uses as well.

I am chained to an administrators desk so my field time is now minuscule, but my duty G43X MOS that I carry daily is set up for one. I just haven’t invested the time nor money to research and buy one that will work for me… yet.

Good job getting to know the benefits of the single plane sighting system; stay healthy, stay safe and stay sane out there!! .

 

[entropy]

........ Don't work all that well for me due to astigmatism. For some odd reason green ...... look sharper to me.
Actually, I took the sights off altogether in my Primary carry gun, my PT145. I hit better without them.

 

[whughett]

All my red dots need to be turned on. Is this not a concern in a duty or defense carry.
And if that dot doesn’t glow precisely to match ambient light …. but all of mine are older and not high dollar to boot.

 

[.38 Special]

I suspect these will only become more common. Low profile, long battery life, and excellent reliability - combined with more and more guns either coming out of the factory with them, or at least set up so that adding one is easy and painless - makes it look like the wave of the future.

I agree that they are out of place on certain guns, but it's not like you can make a Glock uglier than it already is, so...

 

[ms6852]

I tried using red dots and just could not get used to them. I thought I could get better groups at 25 yards with my browning buckmark but was wrong. Before the red dot I was placing 10 shots within 3" at 25 with the red dot I had shotgun patterns. Have not completely excused them as I know that the red dot will eventually be my go to sights for when my vision fails me.

 

[tightgroup tiger]

I don't shoot them well either, also due to astigmatism, I hope. Mine is not a high end unit but it's not cheap either.
I just have trouble hitting the bullseye with it every time but I can hit it with my other guns that have open sights. It's frustrating!
I took my grand daughter to the range for the first time and she did this with my SR-9 at 7yds.




I gave her my .357 to try and the scatter around the bullseye on the target below was hers, the ragged hole in the center was mine with the same gun.

I am very proud of her and I think she will be out shooting me before long, if she keeps this up.

 

[25-20 WCF]

I’ve used red dot sights (both tube type and open reflex) on numerous firearms, both handguns and rifles. I found that cheap sights didn’t suit my vision, but mid-range and up worked much better and I sold the cheap ones. Overall I’m happy with them, with good accuracy and sight acquisition. I did mount a quality Crimson Trace green laser sight on my M45 carbine and like it a lot - no issues with astigmatism etc. I’ve not shot it past 25 yards but even in sunlight it was easy to use. Lots of options.



.

 

[wally]

I tried using red dots and just could not get used to them. I thought I could get better groups at 25 yards with my browning buckmark but was wrong. Before the red dot I was placing 10 shots within 3" at 25 with the red dot I had shotgun patterns. Have not completely excused them as I know that the red dot will eventually be my go to sights for when my vision fails me.

One issue, especially common with first time red dot users is you have to negate all your previous training to focus on the front sight, and instead focus on the target. The way red dots work is you look thru the dot and focus on the target, this also makes the astigmatism caused dot distortions mostly moot.

If you reverted to focusing on the dot for some of your shots, it'd explain you poor results. They are best for speed when you get used to them because you are looking thru the dot it can me anywhere in the window and if the dot is on target it'll hit unless you choke the trigger pull.

 

[The Glockodile]

We need dots with RMR profiles that are sealed.

I still have some reservations involving their use when it comes to moisture / precipitation, lint, and human debris.

But I have them on all my range toys.

 

[Bo]

My EDC is a Springfield Hellcat with a Shield Red Dot and a Apex trigger.
I practice a lot with it.

 

[Bo]

My EDC is a Springfield Hellcat with a Shield Red Dot.
I practice a lot with it.

 

[C-grunt]

We need dots with RMR profiles that are sealed.

I still have some reservations involving their use when it comes to moisture / precipitation, lint, and human debris.

But I have them on all my range toys.

Holosun 509 and the Aimpoint ACRO

 

[tightgroup tiger]

I put my Red Dot on my SR-9 Ruger that my granddaughter used in post 7 and I always thought that it had an ok trigger until I bought a Walther Q5 Steel frame Pro. Now I know how bad the trigger is on it. I may spring the sixty bucks to replace the trigger parts to fix the creep and overtravel problems.
Right now it's like pulling a sponge next to the Q5.
The SR-9 is a really good reliable gun and I think it's worth the trigger parts to help me with my shooting.
The next time we go to the range, I will take the q5 to see what she can do with it.
This Red Dot is probably a cheap one compared to what all of you are probably using.
I know the Holosun's and some of the Doctor brands are around $350.00 and up, and the Trijicon's are up to $600, so yeah mine probably is a cheap one.

 

[Buzznrose]

We have a few guys going to them here. Since I’m the one who really guides the.big boss on firearms policy etc., I also think they’re a benefit for the majority of LE applications… and most CCW uses as well.

I am chained to an administrators desk so my field time is now minuscule, but my duty G43X MOS that I carry daily is set up for one. I just haven’t invested the time nor money to research and buy one that will work for me… yet.

Good job getting to know the benefits of the single plane sighting system; stay healthy, stay safe and stay sane out there!! .

https://www.swampfoxoptics.com/military-law

https://www.swampfoxoptics.com/sentinel

I have Swamp Fox Sentinels on my G43X (non MOS) and G48 MOS. If I were using it for duty use, I’d put the Ironsides sleeve on it. I have one gun with the Ironsides on it, a Henry.22 with a SF Liberty. I only bought the Ironside sleeve because it was a special deal over Independence Day but I really like it, and would make it much more rugged.

Is it Trijicon RMR tough? Probably not…but I suspect it’s likely as tough as a Sig or Holosun red dot.

And if you are a LEO, they offer a great discount.

 

[Buzznrose]

I agree that they are out of place on certain guns, but it's not like you can make a Glock uglier than it already is, so...

Ugly guns? LOL! They need “love” too…

 

[The Glockodile]

Holosun 509 and the Aimpoint ACRO

A bit too bulky.

There's a newer ACRO coming out soon, which may have a smaller footprint (?).

 

[TarDevil]

I may spring the sixty bucks to replace the trigger parts to fix the creep and overtravel problems.
Right now it's like pulling a sponge next to the Q5.

Yours is a rare evaluation of the SR9 trigger. Mine is the best trigger I've ever shot. But I digress...
Can you co-witness the three dot sights with that red dot?

 

[Buzznrose]

Can you co-witness the three dot sights with that red dot?

In order to best co-witness iron sights with a red dot, you really need suppressor height sights as a rule.

Also, how the dot is seated on the receiver/slide makes a difference, as many folks who use a rear sight mount end up with a high red dot that will work okay but hard to co-witness.

Lots of folks swear by having the slide milled specifically for the dot. That is a good way to go but restricts the dot “footprint” options.

The new “optics ready” guns like the Glock MOS are a compromise…lower than a rear sight mount and higher than a custom mill job. They are pretty good in my opinion, and getting better. The Walther PDP and FN 509 optics ready models are supposed to have the best factory optics mounts going, but I’ve had good luck with my Glock MOS guns. Just use Loctite and check screws periodically.

I began this journey where I insisted on my sights co-witnessing. At this point, am fine with my front sight simply visible in the bottom third section of the window.

 

[tightgroup tiger]

Can you co-witness the three dot sights with that red dot?

No, you have to take the rear sight off and replace it with the mounting plate for the red dot.

Yours is a rare evaluation of the SR9 trigger. Mine is the best trigger I've ever shot. But I digress

When did you buy yours, mine is one of the first years of manufacture. I used to think it had an ok trigger for a 3/4 cock strike fire, but shoot one the new 100% cock strike fires and you'll find out what a good strike fire trigger is.

 

[Trey Veston]

I run a red dot on a G19 MOS and I tried it for carry. I agree that the red dot makes me much more accurate and a bit faster with the pistol, but the issues I had were that to co-witness the irons, I had to install tall, sharp suppressor sights that caught on everything during the draw. Plus, the sight was a Burris Fastfire III and added a lot of bulk to the already large "compact" G19. And, I started to get lint and other junk on the lens. Not enough to obscure the view, but enough to notice. And, since it doesn't have an awake feature, I needed to remember to turn it on. And, remember to turn it on again if I've been carrying more than 8 hours since it will turn off automatically.

But, I do see their value for a lot of folks, and the deputies around here all have them.

 

[C-grunt]

A bit too bulky.

There's a newer ACRO coming out soon, which may have a smaller footprint (?).

Our firearms detail is testing the new ACRO. Basically the same size and was just redesigned to accept a bigger battery. I havent compared the old and new side by side but they looked to be the same size. I would say to try and see/shoot one in person before you write it off. It's not as big as the photos make it look.

 

[The Glockodile]

I would say to try and see/shoot one in person before you write it off. It's not as big as the photos make it look.

I'll get one later this month.

My credit card's flitting around another potential act of fiscal irresponsibility as we speak.

 

[TarDevil]

When did you buy yours

Bought mine early 2012.