Red dot sight

[DDZ]

Anyone have a red dot on their CC pistol? I have been thinking about getting one for my Shield plus. I don't have the optic ready slide, so would have to get my slide milled for around $125. Or buy an optic ready slide for around $280.  I'm not sure if I will like it or not. I have a Viridian green laser for my Springfield .45 that mounts on the rail under the slide on the frame. When I shoot it I'm always looking for the sights instead of the green dot on the target. So for me that was a waste of $200.  If anyone shoots with a red dot sight. How do you like it compared to iron sights?   

[Dee]

I've got an Eotech on my rifle and love it, but the local Chief of Rangers insisted I shoot his Sig with a red dot and I spent more time missing than hitting.
I PAIRED my MantisX with my small tablet, and practice with that on my carry pistol. If I can hit that I don't worry. Invest a 100.00 on a MantisX and practice. It's cheaper, and keeps your muscle memory sharp.
I do bytheway have a Sig light on my nightstand Sig which is identical to my edc

[Lloyd Smale]

i keep a kimber crimson carry by my recliner. it has a grip switch for the laser. ive tried shooting a couple of my buddies red dot pistols. he has a full sized m&p he keeps by his bead and hellcat he carries. i tried fast drills with it and found myself looking around trying to find the dot fast instead of just lining up the front sight and shooting. im sure with some practice a guy would do good. the buddy does but he shoots more in a week than i do in a month. he shoots more than anyone ive ever met. what i like is a front sight that's tritium for night surrounded by white for day. if my kimber wouldnt have had the laser grips i would have bought them. there great up close and personal in the dark. but again slowed me down in drills because even at 10 yards under stress the bounce all over the place and spend to much time trying to steady them on target vs relying on instinct or a front sight. ive have decent muscle tone and keep up my arm strength for shooting. id say the problems with them will just get worse as i get older. what there probably good for is someone whos a poor shot and doesnt practice much because there going to be slow no matter which they choose or someone that is willing to put in the time and money for ammo to master them. to late to teach this old dog a new trick. for me a dot belongs on an ar 

[DDZ]

i keep a kimber crimson carry by my recliner. it has a grip switch for the laser. ive tried shooting a couple of my buddies red dot pistols. he has a full sized m&p he keeps by his bead and hellcat he carries. i tried fast drills with it and found myself looking around trying to find the dot fast instead of just lining up the front sight and shooting. im sure with some practice a guy would do good. the buddy does but he shoots more in a week than i do in a month. he shoots more than anyone ive ever met. what i like is a front sight that's tritium for night surrounded by white for day. if my kimber wouldnt have had the laser grips i would have bought them. there great up close and personal in the dark. but again slowed me down in drills because even at 10 yards under stress the bounce all over the place and spend to much time trying to steady them on target vs relying on instinct or a front sight. ive have decent muscle tone and keep up my arm strength for shooting. id say the problems with them will just get worse as i get older. what there probably good for is someone whos a poor shot and doesnt practice much because there going to be slow no matter which they choose or someone that is willing to put in the time and money for ammo to master them. to late to teach this old dog a new trick. for me a dot belongs on an ar

Kind of my thoughts on it too. All my life I've shot using iron sights on a handgun. As you say I think it would take a lot of practice to get as good with a red dot, if you are not accustomed to using one on a pistol. I do have one on my AR, and like it., but it wouldn't be the same as having one on your EDC gun.

[DDZ]

I've got an Eotech on my rifle and love it, but the local Chief of Rangers insisted I shoot his Sig with a red dot and I spent more time missing than hitting.
I PAIRED my MantisX with my small tablet, and practice with that on my carry pistol. If I can hit that I don't worry. Invest a 100.00 on a MantisX and practice. It's cheaper, and keeps your muscle memory sharp.
I do bytheway have a Sig light on my nightstand Sig which is identical to my edc

I have often wondered if the MantisX might be a good training tool. 

[Dee]

I like this one. I'm basically shooting at a 6X9 inch target.

[JustaShooter]

I'm working on transitioning to an optic on my carry gun.  As my friends who use them told me, it is taking a lot of practice to get to where I'm "on the dot" when I draw and present the gun.  I find myself "cheating" the dot in by getting on the front sight as that's how I've always been taught and trained, but I'm getting better and better.  For sure, once I'm on the dot my shots are more accurate and my follow-up shots are faster as measured by split time on my shot timer so once I get the draw down pat I see a benefit.

[Ranger99]

I've tried a dot on a hunting long gun
some time ago and didn't care for it.
Had to constantly fiddle with the brightness
of the dot to jive with the daylight.
That's been a while back, and they've
probably got that problem whipped with
more advanced technologies

[Dee]

I guess they're OK. For me they're just something to have to fool with, and hope they work when they need to. Dropping a pistol on concrete could be a problem. Dropping one in snow, or mud could be a big problem. Using one in heavy snow falling, or rain on the lens could be a big problem with sighting.

I've always viewed a pistol as a close in fighting weapon, and I know from personal experience, others experience, that the first shot off usually wins, whether it hits anything or not.

Like I said: I don't have anything against'em, I'll just stick with what I know works,  regardless of the weather, or battery life. I do like the Sig flashlight on my pistol, but if it quits working, the pistol sights don't. ]

[Lloyd Smale]

good ones are pretty durable. i always remember the video where 2 guys stook 30 yards apart on a cement parking lot. they had comp 2 aimpoints on ars. the both shot 3 shots at 25 yards took the aimpoints off and slammed then hard on the cement skipping them over to each other then the threw them back by throwing them as high as they could letting them hit the cement again remounted them (still working) and fired 3 more times right in the same group as the first 3. they came to the conclusion that youd break a rifle before they broke.if they couldnt take a beating special forces and swat teams sure wouldnt use them. i doubt a civilian would ever break one. now obviously im talking good units not cheap knock off chinese junk. big thing now with aimpoints, Ecotech's and lately sig romeos is the chinese making clones.


 ebay had a bunch of complaints and returns from people about the sigs has ebay demanding using the term "FOR" sig in the adds of clones. ive got 13 of them so im about sure i have a clone or two. Used to be there were visual clues but when people figured that out the chinks adjusted production and today you cant tell. they even cloned the boxes and took serial numbers from all ready produced one so ifyou call sig and give them your number sig will think its real too. i heard sig has adjusted there warantee and now only cover units that were registered and they were registered to the person making the claim. isnt just the romeo 5. they are the most cloned because they sell so well. there also cloning the little red dots for handguns and even vortex is starting to see there stuff cloned. common sense goes along ways. if your seeing a 120 dollar sig for 60 bucks or a 700 dollar aimpoint or Ecotech for half price run the other way

[DDZ]

My son just ordered a Walther 9 compact pro, and has a Swampfox sight for it. Ill have to try his out before I decide to spend the money on one for my Shield plus.

[JustaShooter]

good ones are pretty durable. i always remember the video where 2 guys stook 30 yards apart on a cement parking lot. they had comp 2 aimpoints on ars. the both shot 3 shots at 25 yards took the aimpoints off and slammed then hard on the cement skipping them over to each other then the threw them back by throwing them as high as they could letting them hit the cement again remounted them (still working) and fired 3 more times right in the same group as the first 3. they came to the conclusion that youd break a rifle before they broke.

And with the plastic sights shipping on some handguns these days, you are more likely to break them before you would a good set of optics.  For sure, all sighting systems have plusses and minuses, but durability isn't an issue with well-made optics anymore.

[Dee]

And with the plastic sights shipping on some handguns these days, you are more likely to break them before you would a good set of optics.  For sure, all sighting systems have plusses and minuses, but durability isn't an issue with well-made optics anymore.

Im the first to agree on plastic pistol  sights, and have always immediately upgraded any pistol that came with them.
I also agree that optics are far more reliable than ever before. Unless covered in mud, or snow have been smeared across the lenses after an accidental drop,  or in a storm, or something as simple as rain water droplets distort the view.

[Lloyd Smale]

ive got a collection of glock sights in the drawer