Red dots on pistols

[Mr. Booshie]

I have been toting a MRPD on my 43X for the past couple of months, and while I enjoy it while shooting, I have concluded it is a worthless concept for me on my carry gun.

I am constantly struggling with it to keep the glass clear. Between deodorant that drops out of my pits, dead skin, hair, sweat, and lint, it only takes a couple of days for the lens to be so filthy is begins to obstruct the view. I understand that I am supposed to keep both eyes open and simply transpose the dot onto my target and not "look through the glass", but a few times the lens has been so bad I question if I would be able to pick up the dot.


I was speaking to a LE friend who told me about one of their guys drawing his gun to qualify and throwing the french fry that had been sitting in his RMR for who knows how long across the range. From what he told me, his department has banned optics on pistols due to the amount of crap they were finding on the glass, and how many were completely obstructed.

For a range gun, I am a huge fan. For a carry gun, it's not for me. If I wanted to have to jack with keeping my gun "clean" every couple of days, I wouldn't be carrying a Glock.

I’ve been carrying an RMR pistol for 3 years. I’ve never had the emitter or glass get obstructed by anything with the exception of shooting with a suppressor. If you are using the optic correctly you can cover the front of the lense with duct tape and it is still 100% useable. Research “bindon aiming concept”

 

[November Sierra]

I have been toting a MRPD on my 43X for the past couple of months, and while I enjoy it while shooting, I have concluded it is a worthless concept for me on my carry gun.

I am constantly struggling with it to keep the glass clear. Between deodorant that drops out of my pits, dead skin, hair, sweat, and lint, it only takes a couple of days for the lens to be so filthy is begins to obstruct the view. I understand that I am supposed to keep both eyes open and simply transpose the dot onto my target and not "look through the glass", but a few times the lens has been so bad I question if I would be able to pick up the dot.


I was speaking to a LE friend who told me about one of their guys drawing his gun to qualify and throwing the french fry that had been sitting in his RMR for who knows how long across the range. From what he told me, his department has banned optics on pistols due to the amount of crap they were finding on the glass, and how many were completely obstructed.

For a range gun, I am a huge fan. For a carry gun, it's not for me. If I wanted to have to jack with keeping my gun "clean" every couple of days, I wouldn't be carrying a Glock.

Get an $8 two pack of duster spray and hit it once or twice when you take your gun off at night.

 

[bulletpaluza]

Get an $8 two pack of duster spray and hit it once or twice when you take your gun off at night.

You should never spray any canned air on any optic glass ever! It kills the coatings.

 

[November Sierra]

You should never spray any canned air on any optic glass ever! It kills the coatings.

Okay, get a $8 lens pen then.

 

[GAgunLAWbooklet]

Maybe you are in the wrong thread? Where do you see lasers being discussed?

Red dots, lasers, it's all the same thing to me but you seem to up on the latest mall ninja gear...

MANY PEOPLE SAY Micro red dot optics, like lasers, are a crutch for poor shooters who can't be bothered to learn proper techniques.

I've done a lot of training, a lot of practice, entered many competitions, and have a shelf full of trophies at home, but I'll say that these things are very useful when you need to shoot more accurately or longer distances.

This past weekend and I pulled out my daily carry pistol --a 3 inch barrel model smith and Wesson J frame that wears the same set of crimson trace laser grips that I've had on three other J frame revolvers for the last 20 years.

This was cold bore shooting --the first time I'd pulled the trigger on that gun in six months. No warm-up.

I shot five rounds of my expensive Hydra-shock hollowpoint carry ammo. The exact same cartridges that have been in my gun's cylinder for about a year now.


The human silhouette target was placed all the way back to 25 yards at that range (and their lighting was poor back that far because frankly nobody shoots pistols at 25 yards indoors anymore. That was old school; something Fudds and the Boomer generation would do. Everybody shoots handguns at 5 to 7 yards now --no further!)

My first two shots were designed to imitate taking down a mass shooter at some public venue-- a mass shooter that wasn't aiming at me at that moment but was using his gun on other innocent people around the place. I thumb cocked the gun in the single action mode, put the laser in the middle of the targets face, and fired two single action rounds. The bullets hit only 2 inches apart just a little bit off-center to my left. They would've hit the bad guy in his right eye and his right cheekbone.



Then I fired three rounds at his torso, center of mass, double action only but due to the long distance, taking about two seconds to fire each round. No jerking the trigger; I pulled it smoothly.

Three hits -- one Dead center in two more slightly to my left. All three bullet holes could be covered with your hand.

I cannot shoot that well, that quickly with any 3 inch barreled pistol using iron sights.
The laser is what let me do this at 25 yards.

(and I'm sure a micro red dot optic on an equally accurate semi auto compact pistol would have done the same.)

Call it a crutch, if you want, but it works!
And I didn't have to spend $1000 in 38 special ammunition cost over the last couple years to do it. (.38 Spl ammo costs about $.65 per round even for cheap practice stuff, and this particular gun shop /indoor range was set trying to sell it for $60 for 50 rounds!)

 

[Asbestos]

I have guns with and without red dots. I, at this point, will only carry a gun without a red dot. Simply because I'm old and have been shooting irons on pistols since I was a child. All that means is I'm better and faster with irons because it's what I'm use to. I practice with red dots and get better with them every time I practice. When I'm consistently better with a red dot (and I will be, eventually) I will carry a pistol with a red dot on it.... the same one I trained with. Seems to me, ruling out any theories or practices that COULD improve my accuracy and speed is the REAL irresponsible act.

"There is a principal which is a bar against all information, which is proof against all arguments and which cannot fail to keep man in everlasting ignorance – That principle is contempt prior to investigation.” Herbert Spencer

 

[Dav]

Spinner rims of the pistol world

Its funny, but it's a misguided belief. People who don't see the benefit of a red dot usually, lack training, and a skill set to benefit from it. Typically it's the guys who try to follow the front post to get the red dot in thier view. When it's design is for you to focus on your target, and if you trained long enough it'll show up on command in your presentation of the handgun.

 

[sewerman68]

Its funny, but it's a misguided belief. People who don't see the benefit of a red dot usually, lack training, and a skill set to benefit from it. Typically it's the guys who try to follow the front post to get the red dot in thier view. When it's design is for you to focus on your target, and if you trained long enough it'll show up on command in your presentation of the handgun.

I get that. I've actually played with a pistol with a red dot on it since I wrote that. I've trained for speed shooting without one for so long it slows me down drastically and I'm not in a place I can retrain at this point. I used to have my own private range in my backyard when I was shooting bowling pins.
I was kind of impressed at how easy it made long distance shots if I wasn't in a hurry.