Pistol red dots…how important is back up irons?

[Red Squirrel 556]

Was going on a trip a couple of months ago. Picked up my 365XL. Romeo 0 was dead. Battery was 2 years old. I took a different gun.

And another reason I'm a Holosun fanboy.

 

[1gunsnotenough]

I won't have a gun without back up sights.

 

[hikingthehills]

After going to a range once only to find I had left my red dot on and not having a spare battery I put the gun back in my truck. I’ve never bought another red dot. Now I have all prism and traditional scopes. I did just get a Vortex razor lpvo. It’s got the best of both worlds.

 

[1gunsnotenough]

After going to a range once only to find I had left my red dot on and not having a spare battery I put the gun back in my truck. I’ve never bought another red dot. Now I have all prism and traditional scopes. I did just get a Vortex razor lpvo. It’s got the best of both worlds.

I do same. I only use Vortex optics with etched reticle and actually shoot with illumination off as Red and Green dots are not cruisp with my eye sight.

 

[renagadeinjun]

I’ve broken ~3 sets of irons and only one red dot so…..

The rear window of the dot acts as a ghost ring sight, so it is kind of a back up. Also the Holosun’s have a rear iron sight built in. I’m happy with mine and low/standard irons on my 365xl

Three Iron sight's you kin to Bypass aka Magnum???? how does one break an Iron sight ? ..............
Now I have over tightened a Matech and you know the thing ............

 

[BIKER13]

Put some 45 degree ghetto irons on an AR pistol just last night..

 

[steviesterno]

Three Iron sight's you kin to Bypass aka Magnum???? how does one break an Iron sight ? ..............
Now I have over tightened a Matech and you know the thing ............

I was a semi-pro sponsored 3 gun and USPSA shooter for about a decade. I have a few guns with over 100k through them. **** happens. Hitting a barricade, thrown in a dump bucket, you take a shot and go to follow up and the front sight is just gone, that kind of thing. Come in too high to a port, clip a corner, or even just not paying attention with your width and slam a holstered pistol.

To be fair, I broke a quality red dot, too. But they are not so fragile these days to outweigh the benefit. Yes there are a few cases where a red dot can get ruined, but you can still make COM shots using a slide sight picture or should be able to point/shoot in a pinch, so I'm not worried about it.

I shot the dickens drill last week. 12 rounds, cold, out of my 365xl with dot at 25 yards (my carry gun) then again with a target 1911 (my "favorite" platform). The drill is 12 seconds but I did it in 6. All hits, mostly A zone with the 365. two Mikes with the 1911. Was humbling honestly but showed me that the dot is worth it's weight in this case.