Deep thought around pistol red-dot systems

Discuss firearm optics, sights, and scopes here (magnified, red-dot, iron sights, etc).
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pneuby
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Deep thought around pistol red-dot systems

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Post by pneuby »

....excerpted from a blog I subscribe to with link to the article at the end......

When Red Dot Optics Fail: We knew that the Micro Red Dot Sight (MRDS) was finally becoming more normalized once Kimber began releasing factory options for them. This is a company that mostly makes its nut from a pistol designed over 100 years ago, and now you can get one red-dot-ready from the factory. It’s like your great grandfather joining Facebook and knowing who Lady Gaga is... This permanent modification makes for a larger commitment, but the training and shooting community’s unease about electronic failures were calmed somewhat with the availability of usable backup iron sights. And their concerns weren’t unfounded. Red dots on gaming guns would often break — Iain tells us he replaced Tasco PDP2s every couple thousand rounds, simply because the early red dot sights couldn’t handle the recoil. In the world of competitive shooting, this is partially why larger custom frame-mounted, non-reciprocating dots gained in popularity. Physically mounting a red dot to a pistol slide is rough as hell on an optic. How rough? 10,000Gs with some setups. That kind of force can make a whole helluva lot fail, especially when an optic gets hammered for thousands of rounds... Some day we’ll reach the point where slide-riding red dots will be as durable as their rifle brethren. We’re not quite there, but it’ll come soon. These days, it’s not a matter of if you’ll break your pistol red dot, but when. Even if “when” is 10s of thousands of rounds for quality MRDS. As with every secondary or contingency procedure, you need to physically hit the range and practice. You may find that one of them is more accurate or precise for you; once you do that, figure out your effective range with each using a man-size target. Like all failure drills, you shouldn’t rely on one single method. AMPUTATION: With this method you use the optical body itself as a target reference. Depending on the distance to target, you can line up the top of the MRDS frame with the shoulders, guillotining the head off. Completely. The amputation technique works regardless of the condition of the optical window. CORNERING: This technique works especially well with a Trijicon RMR; cornering involves rotating the pistol inboard and using an edge of the red dot itself as a rudimentary iron sight. The condition of the optical window isn’t important when utilizing this approach. It’s also noteworthy that cornering is especially useful when firing one-handed, as a slightly inboard cant makes for a more solid hold. FAT UGLY GHOST RING: Also known as the Michael Moore, the Fat Ugly Ghost Ring method uses the optical window itself to square up with a target. This works especially well with relatively longer red dots like the Aimpoint Micro because any angular deviation is more readily apparent.This can be performed with an optic that’s either dead or has a missing window, but not one with an obscured window. BACKUP IRON SIGHTS: If you have them, this should be your immediate first choice in the event of a dead optic. However, if the glass in the optical window is cracked, fogged, or covered in mud, this isn’t always a viable option. Furthermore, many events that cause your optic to fail, such as a high drop on a hard surface, may also shear off a front sight. INTENTIONAL REFERENCE POINT: Some will put a dedicated reference point on their optic to serve as a primitive sight. This can be as simple as a dot from a paint pen or high-vis nail polish. AN OUNCE OF PREVENTION: You can start out your pound of cure with the proper installation of a latest-generation sight. Ensure you’re using the correct length screws, with the proper torque with the recommended thread locker. Check your zero and change your batteries at regular intervals. Routinely inspect your red dot to ensure it’s not accumulating crud on the window or emitter. Apply RainX or Cat Crap (yes, the latter is a real product – and it works great) to the window, not only to repel water but also to prevent fogging... (If this topic concerns you, you must click the link for the illustrations. My experience with red-dot optics is limited to long guns and it is only on one of my .22 rifles that I did not ensure that I have backup capability with iron sights [BUIS]. One list member reports success with with pistol BUIS – taller sights that are typically marketed for use with suppressors or with RDO's. I remain concerned with reflexes tuned for the higher sighting planes provided by RDO's. While at least one of the above methods may work when you're using your own RDO-mounted handgun, what happens when you have to pick up someone else's that is not so equipped?)

https://www.recoilweb.com/water-is-wet- ... 36643.html


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338lapua
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Re: Deep thought around pistol red-dot systems

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Post by 338lapua »

Two pistols both with Trijican RMR's. Both approaching 50,000 rounds each. Zero failures. Change batteries once a year, zero dead battery issues. 4 battery changes zero shift in accuracy. Each pistol dropped on optic no failure. Buy quality and you are good. The round window Trijicon will not stand up to multiple drops and neither will the ones that aren't RMR's. Not ever going back. I do turn the optic off from time to time and just shoot through the window without using the irons, I am still deadly without the dot.
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