I must be the dumbest guy re: Vortex and FNX45

[traheem01]

What started me down this rabbit hole was FN's customer service said I should use one.

Tbh I can see manufacturers customer service trolling people for not just googling things. Not that it’s right but. It’s kinda funny.

Also they could be saying that, since the optic has to come off to replace the battery with most optics I’ve seen in this pattern. To keep down wear and tear on the threads.

That particular model you usually have to fit the length of the screws to the slide. Never had a pair just fit length wise.

 

[cmshoot]

If the optic doesn’t tightly fit the cut-out in the slide, fore and aft, and the slide doesn’t have some sort of solid slides to lock into the base of the optic, then it’s possible for the optic to remove itself unscheduled under recoil.

Without a tight fit, or interlocking studs, the only thing keeping the optic in place are the screws. Standard screws don’t handle lateral force very well, and can snap in half, allowing the optic to fly off. This is a known issue, and why companies like Forward Controls Design developed, make, and sell enhanced optics plates.

 

[Gingerbeard Man]

If the optic doesn’t tightly fit the cut-out in the slide, fore and aft, and the slide doesn’t have some sort of solid slides to lock into the base of the optic, then it’s possible for the optic to remove itself unscheduled under recoil.

Without a tight fit, or interlocking studs, the only thing keeping the optic in place are the screws. Standard screws don’t handle lateral force very well, and can snap in half, allowing the optic to fly off. This is a known issue, and why companies like Forward Controls Design developed, make, and sell enhanced optics plates.

Silly question I suppose, but under these optic plates, you're still only secured by two screws. I'm assuming the role the plates play is to fill any gap up to the slide cut to mitigate lateral movement?

 

[cmshoot]

Silly question I suppose, but under these optic plates, you're still only secured by two screws. I'm assuming the role the plates play is to fill any gap up to the slide cut to mitigate lateral movement?

It would depend on the plate. In the ones that I can recoil, the plates fill the cutout in the slide. Also, the less the object weighs, and the shorter the screw (the plates are usually relatively thin), the less likely the screws are to sheer.

 

[Gingerbeard Man]

It would depend on the plate. In the ones that I can recoil, the plates fill the cutout in the slide. Also, the less the object weighs, and the shorter the screw (the plates are usually relatively thin), the less likely the screws are to sheer.

Just doesn't make sense to me why you'd add an adapter on this when you're essentially adding a second set of screws that are another potential failure point.

Both of these images of the FN 45 tactical have plates.....with gaps. Just seems like the only purpose the plate serves is to raise the optic.

 

[cmshoot]

Just doesn't make sense to me why you'd add an adapter on this when you're essentially adding a second set of screws that are another potential failure point.

Both of these images of the FN 45 tactical have plates.....with gaps. Just seems like the only purpose the plate serves is to raise the optic.
View attachment 6295094View attachment 6295095

The reason what I described doesn’t make sense when you’re looking at those pictures is because those are crap plates with a crap design.

 

[cmshoot]

The reason what I described doesn’t make sense when you’re looking at those pictures is because those are crap plates with a crap design.

THIS is what a proper optics plate looks like:

 

[cmshoot]

Just doesn't make sense to me why you'd add an adapter on this when you're essentially adding a second set of screws that are another potential failure point.

Both of these images of the FN 45 tactical have plates.....with gaps. Just seems like the only purpose the plate serves is to raise the optic.
View attachment 6295094View attachment 6295095

Although, if the plate in the pic has studs that engage recesses in the bottom of the optic, that would be a more rugged setup than installing the optic directly to the slide with only screws (no studs).

The screws attaching the plate to the slide are incredibly short when compared to their length, and as such are highly unlikely to sheer. Think of it like a 1/4” wooden dowel rod. If you take a 12” long piece, you can snap it in half with your bare hands quite easily. Take a 2” long piece and you’ll find it much, much harder to snap.

The short steel studs that are integral to the plate are impossible to break using the weight of the optic. The studs go into the recesses in the bottom of the optic, and take the lateral stress off the mounting screws that hold the optic to the plate. The screws keep the optic from moving vertically, and the studs keep the optic from moving horizontally.