Red Dot on your pistol; what was your initial experience?

[Boo Vuccla]

I had posted my experience with a red-dot sight on another forum but since it's asked here, I'll add my 2 cents counting inflation of course!
it takes a great deal of time to get used to but, if you are of a particular age and or have tired eyes, they can help immensely with reactive/defensive shooting.
A red-dot shouldn't "wonder or jump" all over the place while moving. Sight acquisition should still be with the use of your iron sights. If you cannot co-witness with a mounted red-dot sight, that is not the what you should have mounted. Co-witnessing is a MUST have on any defensive carry pistol.
If you suffer from cross-dominant eyes like I do, the sight helps me keep both eyes open during target acquisitions. Again practice is the key.
The intensity of the dot needs to be such that it is not overly distorted in low light but bright enough to pick up easily in bright light or sunlight. If your RDS can't find a medium for this, it's not for you.
They need more attention due to lint, dust and residuals from shooting but the time it takes to wet a Qtip with alcohol and dry with canned air is about 2 minutes every other evening before bed time or during cleaning after a range session.

I love a Romeo Zero on a Hellcat. Use the iron sights through the red-dot as you would for any pistol or rifle and the dot is there when or if I need it. I do expect more shooters to have trouble than to not. But if you are having trouble with your eyes as we age, an RDS may very well keep your confidence level of engaging a threat where it needs to be.

[MARINE DIVISION TWO]

Red Dots are even more fun when your playing with the cat ! Make sure your firearm is un-loaded !

[tallbump]

I haven't tried one yet, but what most people have posted matches with everything I read
1) At close distance, irons are picked up quicker than a dot
B) At longer distances, red dots can really approve accuracy
* Red dots take a lot of practice to get really good with

[HanzMcFeely]

On an RMR cut slide, no. I couldnt find the dot (although with suppressor height sights it may have been easier).

On the Victory 22, mounted to a rail though it was tolerable. Still hard to get the sight picture quickly but with more practice that could have improved.

I still prefer open sights on a pistol. Leave the optics for a long gun or something shouldered

[jthrelf]

Buy a can of electronics compressed air. Blast it nightly on the way to your safe or nightstand.

To find the dot immediately you'll need to practice your draw and mechanics a lot. It takes reps and refining your motions of the draw to eliminate unneeded motion and build proper muscle memory. After that the dot will just be there.

The pros typically outweigh the cons. Read the Sage Dynamics white paper. It's 70+ pages but has tons of good info.

[Pizza Bob]

I have a red dot on a revolver since the early 80's (First Gen Tasco ProPoint when their optics were still made in Japan) and found it to be terrific for static shooting. Fast forward to the current day and the Carry Optics Divisions in both IDPA and USPSA are the most populated and fastest growing divisions in their respective games.

I am, first and foremost, a wheelgunner, but couldn't resist the temptation to try a RDS in competition. To that end, I bought a Sig P226 Elite, SAO with their Romeo 1 RDS. I shot exactly one IDPA match with it and back it went into the safe. This is a condemnation of my work ethic, when it comes to shooting, rather than the sight itself. I see so many people using them in competition - and using them very effectively - that you can't ignore the conclusion that they are a boon to shooting. They have a learning curve and you must be willing to put in the time to acclimate to their use, especially in a competitive or defensive environment. I wasn't willing to do so and stuck with my iron-sighted revolvers.

If you want one to enhance your static shooting experience, go for it. It's a no brainer - single focal plane, no sight alignment - what's not to like. If you want one on a defensive handgun, or want to play any of the action pistol games, prepare to put in some work in order to become competent.

Good luck with your decision.

Adios,

Pizza Bob

[PistolFan]

Great responses to my thread. I do appreciate everyone sharing their experiences.

I love having a red dot mounted on my rifle. It works great for me and wouldn't have it any other way. As for the pistol... that's a different story. I'm up there in age and don't want to retrain with a RD on a pistol. As the idiom goes, you can't teach an old dog new tricks.

Like I posted earlier, I spent a lot of time working on presentation and front sight acquisition with both eyes open and feel comfortable with that. Since most defensive situations are very close I think I'll stick with my iron sights and keep the pistol RD for range fun. I guess its a personal decision for all of us.

Cheers!

[wa3ra]

Tough to quickly see the dot.

Using a CT grip laser on my XD-45...no problem seeing that dot even in bright sunlight.

[Pete D.]

There is a learning curve. I used a RD on my Bullseye gun. My initial scores dropped. The problems were typical: finding the dot between shots and dealing with the *dot dance*.
Lots of practice solved both problems. I no longer lose the dot between shots. The *dot dance* as I call it**the dot never becomes completely still. Iron sights never become completely still either, though they may give the appesrance of doing so. Learning to deal with the arc of movement created by the dot - called trigger control - was ultimately the same as for irons.

[Bang]

Self-defense under 10 yards calls for a projecting laser in my book, if wanting something more precise than point-shooting (which I think suffices).