Red Dot on a handgun .. any regrets?

[Boriqua]

So was out with a friend and board member shooting last Wednesday. Haven't shot outdoors in forever and it was a blast. What a difference sunshine makes!

Anyhow .. I have until this point only read about red dots and have never seen one much less look through one in person.

He had a glock 19 set up with a "Trijicon"??

Im pretty sure that was the brand. So I didnt shoot it but I did peak through and ... holy moly .. that thing was amazing! Its almost like cheatin'

If your draw stroke is tight that sucker came right on target. Now .. its an expensive proposition but I wouldn't say I havent been thinking about it. Not sure I NEED one but .. thought I would ask .. has anyone ever gotten one and thought .. meh .. I spent all this money and it aint all that?

 

[Winmagbill]

My only regret is buying a cheap one to test the idea out. A good red dot makes it so much better.

 

[RufusXG]

I tried one to give me another option in low light conditions as I no longer see nights sights very well, and it serves that purpose for me. As a bonus, in broad daylight I can certainly shoot faster using one, but it's not as necessary as in the dark IMO.

 

[knockonit]

I do not have one on any of my daily carries, but have a gaggle on some range gats, and i do like them, older i get the more i tend to lean towards optics, didn't used to. but...................buy once, buy good ones, and don't whine about it
Rj

 

[QuietM4]

I don't trust my life to things with batteries, so I won't use one one my daily carry, but I do have a Sig Romeo 1 on my P320. Only reason was that when I run the gun suppressed, the iron sights get eclipsed by the suppressor. The red dot lets me see over the suppressor. It was just a convenient excuse to buy one...I don't really need it to use the gun, just a range toy.

 

[thom]

I have a holosun green dot. It has battery and solar power. I can't focus on iron sights and the target anymore. But I can put the green dot on the target and hit a 6 inch square at 50 feet. Hell I am 70+ years old. My eyes aren't that good anymore and I am colorblind to red. Go green if you can. It doesn't wash out in bright sunlight.

 

[needsmostuff]

Over the years thru the buying and swapping of these things I had ended up with a pretty good stash of lower end red dots of various shapes and sizes. I mean , who needs them so I took em off and tossed in a box.
Now , like thom , I'm not seeing sights so well .
So I have spent a month or two sticking these things on all kinds of weird projects just to try them out .
I mean weird . Got one on a Mosin Nagant forward scout mount, got one on one of those weird Taurus 44mag Circuit Judge revolver carbine thingies , got one on a SKS .I ended up with two of the big ole Sightmark A sights and they ended up on a 327 henry lever and a 308 Mossberg MVP .
That proved to be a lot of fun and a cool way to shoot some "bang away " guns.
All shot as well as they ever did with irons and most considerably better,,,,,, plus it is faster and more fun .
Scopes probably shoot better especially at longer ranges but I do spend a lot longer with sight picture with a scope also . With the red dots I tend to put the red dot on it and fire away.
That led me to some mid priced sights (Burris & Vortex) for some handguns . I now have a S&W 686 and a Buckmark and a Kimber factory cut one all sportin Red Dots.

So much fun there will be more. A GP-100 and a Single Seven are wanting to be next.

 

[Boriqua]

Over the years thru the buying and swapping of these things I had ended up with a pretty good stash of lower end red dots of various shapes and sizes. I mean , who needs them so I took em off and tossed in a box.
Now , like thom , I'm not seeing sights so well .
So I have spent a month or two sticking these things on all kinds of weird projects just to try them out .
I mean weird . Got one on a Mosin Nagant forward scout mount, got one on one of those weird Taurus 44mag Circuit Judge revolver carbine thingies , got one on a SKS .I ended up with two of the big ole Sightmark A sights and they ended up on a 327 henry lever and a 308 Mossberg MVP .
That proved to be a lot of fun and a cool way to shoot some "bang away " guns.
All shot as well as they ever did with irons and most considerably better,,,,,, plus it is faster and more fun .
Scopes probably shoot better especially at longer ranges but I do spend a lot longer with sight picture with a scope also . With the red dots I tend to put the red dot on it and fire away.
That led me to some mid priced sights (Burris & Vortex) for some handguns . I now have a S&W 686 and a Buckmark and a Kimber factory cut one all sportin Red Dots.

So much fun there will be more. A GP-100 and a Single Seven are wanting to be next.

I had no idea they could be fitted to Revolvers. Down another rabbit hole I guess!

 

[needsmostuff]

O yeah , and the hole is deep and dark.
But really mostly kind of simple ,,,,,, as long as the revolver has adjustable sights ,,,, then it's just a matter of choices .
The mount replaces the rear sight .Then either the sight bolts directly to the mount or the mount is weaver/picatinny and the sight attaches that way.
Happy shopping !

 

[thom]

I was out at sycamore creek shooting range today. I tried irons with a Gen 5 glock 19. Couldn't hit a shotgun clay at 30 yards(using a rangefinder). Pulled out my 19 with the green dot. I hit a clay at 91 yards on my 5th shot. Just put the little green dot at the bottom of the clay. Someday selling all my red dots and changing to green. Now to buy more holosuns.

 

[needsmostuff]

One of my cheesy tube sights has red, blue and green choices . and Yup, green is easier to see than red . Blue is kinda fun but it seems to be harder to see outside than the red.

 

[mikeh]

I put a Crimson Trace red dot on my FN Five Seven and I love it.

 

[superduty38]

My EDC has had a Trijicon RMR on it for 9 years. No regrets, ever. The older the eyes get the more the optic becomes a game changer for you.

 

[mtptwo]

I just got a carry gun with a mini red dot on it. Haven't shot it yet due to ammo prices, but the only complaint I have is I was really surprised how off a little tiny bit with the sight alignment basically means no dot in the optic view. It calls for very much practice to get the draw from concealment right.

 

[h8pvmnt]

I have Active LE Friends and i am told that some departments in AZ are allowing officers to choose to add a optic to there duty weapons. Completion of Red Dot Training is required. The Red dot sights do have a learning curve, do require training/Practice. I have one on a custom G45 that a friend of mine built and subsequently i ended up with it. I absolutely love it. But picking up the dot consistently takes a bit of practice. I can shoot more accurately at longer ranges with the dot. Shooting on the move is easier for me with the dot. Mine is a Trijicon RMR. I also have red dots on a bunch of other guns now and really shoot better with them in general. All of my dot equipped guns also have usable sights either suppressor height that can be seen in the window or some other arrangement built into the gun or site itself. The battery lasts really long but it can still fail, so having sights is a must. My PD friends are trained to use the slide as a backup sight as well, which can work. The reliability is proven, the long battery life negates many arguments about not using on a carry gun. Batteries cost very little change them periodically even if still working if that's a concern. The sight adds bulk, which is no big deal on a duty sized gun like the G45. But it would not be a good option on a pocket gun in my opinion. I have never tried one on a revolver. But i can see how it would be just as useful. Although more difficult to keep sights if the dot is replacing the rear sight. Obviously new or modified holsters will be needed to add a red dot to a handgun. Get one try and it and don't look back. I have mostly Trijicon RMR's but there are others that are highly regarded like the Burris fast fire and Delta point. Crimson Trace is in the market now as well. The Cheap amazon ones are best for plinking.

 

[jls in az]

I have them on a 686+, a Kimber 10MM, a Browning Buckmark Target and, Heaven forbid, a Marlin 1894 in 357. With failing sight, they keep me shooting.

 

[QuangTri]

How is availability of holsters for sidearms with a red dot?

 

[QuietM4]

How is availability of holsters for sidearms with a red dot?

Depends on the gun/red dot combo. Pick a popular pistol and a popular red dot, you should be good to go. Glock 19 with an RMR, 100+ holsters available.

Try an unpopular pistol with an unpopular red dot, good luck finding anything.

 

[RufusXG]

How is availability of holsters for sidearms with a red dot?

That should be a fairly straightforward mod to any kydex holster you're ordering, though I have not surveyed how commonly it is offered. Basically they leave everything behind the chamber uncovered and that pretty much handles it.

 

[was21]

I get the deal with not relying on batteries but I still have the iron sights to use if the battery fails... so I don’t see a down side.... and the up side is tremendous.

Have put many on revo’s and autos for people. The ones that didn’t like them were for the most part not shooters( they had little to no skills or drawstroke/consistent presentation). The ones that had skills knew immediately what a game changer it was for them.