DrJonesUSA
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Dude! You gotta! It’s like shooting a gun on testosterone!!
OK, SOLD!
Seriously; which optic should I get?
I like the idea of the solar ones that Trijicon makes....or at least solar backup?
Question Pistol optics or iron sights?
- Thread starter 9mmContagion
- Start date
OK, SOLD!
Seriously; which optic should I get?
I like the idea of the solar ones that Trijicon makes....or at least solar backup?
- Messages
- 522
If you’re just getting started on red dots, I’d really recommend the Trijicon RMR Type 2 adjustable LED. Used market, these can be had for $250-350. You will have to hunt hard, but I can honestly say, of the 10 I’ve owned in the last 6-8 years, I don’t think I’ve paid more than $325. $250 was a bargain I got on a package deal, but it can be done. Only reason I’ve ever sold any were to fund Trijicon SROs.
OK, SOLD!
Seriously; which optic should I get?
I like the idea of the solar ones that Trijicon makes....or at least solar backup?
I’m old school and still like shooting iron sights on my handguns. That being said it is easier to shoot dots without a doubt. But doing both helps with both. One thing that steps both up is practicing with an occluded red dot. For sure you can’t see with a dot if you look for the dot. The only way to view your target is to look through your sight picture. Your brain fills in the rest/dot. For me training with the cover really reminds me to not look at or for the dot. When I take the cover off things really work. Well now I shoot (train) with my dot slide occluded and when I put the iron sight slide on (no occluding) I go right to looking target focused and the front sight is right there. And yes this is not for bullseye shooting. It’s more of a speed target to target thing. If this sounds strange Google occluded shooting and watch some videos…and take some masking tape with you next time you shoot some steel targets with your red dotted handgun. I’ve done it with my PCC and it also worked…. It’s a training thing.
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Very good point! One of the main reasons I began using Aimpoint PRO on my riflesI’m old school and still like shooting iron sights on my handguns. That being said it is easier to shoot dots without a doubt. But doing both helps with both. One thing that steps both up is practicing with an occluded red dot. For sure you can’t see with a dot if you look for the dot. The only way to view your target is to look through your sight picture. Your brain fills in the rest/dot. For me training with the cover really reminds me to not look at or for the dot. When I take the cover off things really work. Well now I shoot (train) with my dot slide occluded and when I put the iron sight slide on (no occluding) I go right to looking target focused and the front sight is right there. And yes this is not for bullseye shooting. It’s more of a speed target to target thing. If this sounds strange Google occluded shooting and watch some videos…and take some masking tape with you next time you shoot some steel targets with your red dotted handgun. I’ve done it with my PCC and it also worked…. It’s a training thing.
I have a friend that is cross eye dominant. Boy talk about about something im glad im not dealing with. I handed him my dotted slide with the occluded cover on it. He couldn't hit a barn. He said he couldn't see the target but could only see the dot. I kept saying open your left eye..like 10 times. He finally figured it out . As a right handed shooter is is so use to aiming with his left eye. When he just looked at the target with his left eye the dot appeared . Again this is just a training thing but….ive been known to leave the cover accidentally installed on my HD handgun…. Lots of fun stuff to try sometimes right…
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Definitely one of the most important things for shooting with dots is maintaining both eyes opened.
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Do you ever shoot irons with your rear sight taped? I need to do this.I’m old school and still like shooting iron sights on my handguns. That being said it is easier to shoot dots without a doubt. But doing both helps with both. One thing that steps both up is practicing with an occluded red dot. For sure you can’t see with a dot if you look for the dot. The only way to view your target is to look through your sight picture. Your brain fills in the rest/dot. For me training with the cover really reminds me to not look at or for the dot. When I take the cover off things really work. Well now I shoot (train) with my dot slide occluded and when I put the iron sight slide on (no occluding) I go right to looking target focused and the front sight is right there. And yes this is not for bullseye shooting. It’s more of a speed target to target thing. If this sounds strange Google occluded shooting and watch some videos…and take some masking tape with you next time you shoot some steel targets with your red dotted handgun. I’ve done it with my PCC and it also worked…. It’s a training thing.
red dots are super cheat mode and I have em on all my guns except the john wick ones lol. That being said I also only have it on my ccw type gun as well because no one has time to turn the red dot on if you need it and I want to be good with just irons in case even the battery dies. Other then 2 collectible guns and my carry gun, every other one is optic ready
Ha ha ha… Well no. I just close my eyes. Ha ha ha. I go from shooting a dot setup and then I switch to the normal iron sight system. Doing that always reminds me to look at the target and through the iron sight setup . When you stare at the front sight or the dot it is really slower.
Personally I really like shooting with iron sights more. I just do…but I’m weird so that’s a given. I don’t carry so I have zero input . I also feel shooting with a dot on a handgun is like an oversized tennis racket of huge golf driver. Not a good or bad thing ….just different.
If you’re interested in pursuit spots further, I recommend a book called Red Dot Mastery by Mike Ochsner. There is a lot of discussion of cross eye dominance and other eye issues as they relate to shooting, both generally and specific to shooting with a dot. It’s a good read.
I shoot with PMOs on all my autos, but am also a lover of my snub revolvers, which only have gutter iron sights. I prefer PMOs, but also like guns they can’t be mounted in, so I still shoot irons quite a bit.
Most of the difference in ability between irons and optics comes when shooting at small targets far away. Optics are superior in that regard. Some people say they can acquire irons faster up close. I think a lot of those people tend to have an over-reliance on corrective aiming and haven’t learned to do most of their aiming with the presentation of the gun. Irons can be a crutch that hides what the dot makes apparent - some people’s draws are inconsistent. That’s not a sight problem; it’s a presentation problem.
Most of the difference in ability between irons and optics comes when shooting at small targets far away. Optics are superior in that regard. Some people say they can acquire irons faster up close. I think a lot of those people tend to have an over-reliance on corrective aiming and haven’t learned to do most of their aiming with the presentation of the gun. Irons can be a crutch that hides what the dot makes apparent - some people’s draws are inconsistent. That’s not a sight problem; it’s a presentation problem.
Optic for me. My first optic was a Burris FastFire III with a 8 MOA dot (wanted the larger dot because of my eyesight not being the best). Originally liked it but thought I had a harder time finding the dot than I should have.
I've since switched to the Holosun 507C-X2 with ACSS Vulcan Reticle and am not going back. It may sound like a gimmick at first, but that large outer circle makes it really easy to quickly adjust your aim to find the reticle, which is a chevron rather than a dot. You have to shoot it to really understand what that combination brings to the table.
I've since switched to the Holosun 507C-X2 with ACSS Vulcan Reticle and am not going back. It may sound like a gimmick at first, but that large outer circle makes it really easy to quickly adjust your aim to find the reticle, which is a chevron rather than a dot. You have to shoot it to really understand what that combination brings to the table.
Malibu
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When I started shooting 1911’s and revolvers as a teen back in 1979, iron sights were all we had, and they worked. I remember watching the old SWPL and Steel Challenge when everyone used a .45, before the craze for the hot-rod .38 Super major loads. Then came along Aimpoint Electronic; it was a short time later that some innovative gunsmith figured a way to mount that on a sidearm, and the rest is history.
As I’ve become older, a good RDS has made a difference on not only pistols, but rifles as well. I firmly believe in co-witnessed iron sights on every weapon that has a RDS. I did find on a few occasions that my RDS lenses fogged on the outside in wet weather, so there is that.
As I’ve become older, a good RDS has made a difference on not only pistols, but rifles as well. I firmly believe in co-witnessed iron sights on every weapon that has a RDS. I did find on a few occasions that my RDS lenses fogged on the outside in wet weather, so there is that.
Seconding the other gentleman's opinion on the rmr type 2, I'd pick up a rm06 personally
OK, SOLD!
Seriously; which optic should I get?
I like the idea of the solar ones that Trijicon makes....or at least solar backup?
I would avoid the solar version, illumination is terrible under any sort of sunlight and pretty much unusable in socal. The battery operated rmrs last for years and I really only replace them for peace of mind, haven't actually ever had a battery die on me.
Regardless of CCW, batteries last for quite literal years on end so there is no real reason to run a rds that isn't always on in this day and age.
Malibu
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Yes, and that is something I’ve had to learn to accept. I was brought up to always turn off anything electrical when not being directly used, as a means of saving $$ in regards to utility costs. Leaving lights on in rooms not being used was a way of life, so it took a bit to get used to leaving my RDS always on. Actually, at this point I think there is a greater chance for wear or malfunction by constantly turning them off/on, so I leave them on. Batteries are a negligible expense over their service life. Haven’t had one fail yet with a good battery.