Exactly what I suggested you guys check first. It’s a common problem when people install red dots.

Glad he’s got it figured out.

 

Yes it is.

 

What optic is he using?

 

I'm not certain. He mentioned Vortex, guess I'll ask next time we talk.

 

Not a fan of handgun optics for self defense purposes, and.....too old to
change.

Happy to hear problem was resolved.
I started to read your post and guessed what was causing the problem before I finished reading. There's been plenty of
similar posts on various bulletin boards about this occurrence.

 

The optic didn't cause the issue, in this case. I'm no spring chicken but I recently tried a red dot on a pistol and I'm sold 100%. At distances where the dot would slow you down, you won't be using any kind of sighting system, most likely. Nothing wrong with irons, but aging eyes more often than not gain something from a dot. Just food for though.

 

I didn't say the optic caused the problem, I read you right, it was a long mounting screw. And I've read this before. All optics use mounting screws.
Each to his own.

I find optics unnecessary at 5-15 yards for self defense. I'm almost 73.

 

I find optics unnecessary at 5-15 yards for self defense. I'm almost 73.

This, I think is a hard one to quantify.

I could say “I find guns unnecessary at 5-15 yards for self defense” if I’m just talking about my own experience. I’ve never needed at gun at any distance.

But I carry one and it’s irons.

But I can’t comment on whether it’d be necessary or unnecessary.

I can think of scenarios where a red dot would vastly improve my ability to hit the target at 15 yards over an iron gun.

Dark parking garage or alley. Poor backlighting. Moving target. Follow up shots that require decisive shot calling at speed.

All of those have a strong performance benefit with dots over irons.

If you’ve never tried it, spend some time doing timed drills at 15 yards on a black target with poor lighting using irons. It might be eye opening how much performance drops when the sighting system is vulnerable.

I make the choice to carry a small gun with irons for convenience, but there is a nonzero chance I might suffer from the performance and maybe dots were necessary. It’s very unlikely but so is using a gun at all for regular self defense.

 

He's in the market for a shorter screw? What a worthless "gunsmith" if he can't spend 5 minutes measuring the hole and then grinding the old screw to fit. VERY simple.

 

Well, it’s preferable to use a factory finished fastener than some ole hack-sawed diy junk!

 

It would be helpful if everyone coming to GT to help diagnose a problem would start with:

What the problem is

What have they added to the gun

What have they changed on the gun

Have you tried different magazine

When one of my students says they have a problem with a Glock, Sig, HK, M&P.....those are the first four questions i ask.

 

Here's more general info

https://www.glocktalk.com/threads/glock-43x-mos-optic-screw-size-for-507k.1887478/

 

My oldest son suddenly began experiencing FTE(xtract) with his G43 X MOS a while back.......

That is, after he put an optic on. The gun worked fine before that. Over lenght mounting screws are the most common problem for Glock installs. Every dot mounting is different, all screws have to be checked for lenght.

 

This has become a not-uncommon problem when folks install some RDS units and don't pay attention to the length of the screws used above the EDP assembly in Glock slides. First thing an instructor and/or armorer checks nowadays if someone reports extraction issues with a personally-owned Glock equipped with RDS.

 

Those are what I have on most of my handguns.
Recently, it occured to me that when shooting in dim light, no matter
what caliber, temporary diminished sight is going to occur whether you're using a red dot, tritium night sights or plain old fashioned iron sights.
It's just the way it is.
So, if God forbid I have to shoot a burglar in my darkened house at 15 feet, I better make the first shot count.

 

So, if God forbid I have to shoot a burglar in my darkened house at 15 feet, I better make the first shot count.

If they only have head exposed or wearing soft armor (more common these days) and you only have 1 second to make the shot before they turn and engage you…

Try and do that in dim lighting with irons.

I’d much rather have a dot in that scenario.

 

How about using night sights on the above scenarios you mentioned?

You have time and distance to "use sights?
for me this is a point and shoot situation, i dont care whats on top of my gun.

Same here.

 

When he finds the size he needs, amazon sells kits with bolts of different lengths and some include nuts.
Since he might have to file or grind one down, I've always found it easier to first thread on a nut so that, after filing, removing the nut will clean-up the threads very quickly. I find that method easier than trying to file and reshape like a pro.

 

I live by myself. I find my way around the house I lived in for 13 years and
my current house for 6+ years. I know where everything is even in the dark. Never once tripped over anything.
If I had to go into a building or room other than in my home I would want a flashlight. Obviously, I don't get paid to do room entries....

 

I DO keep a flashlight next to my nightstand gun.
I'm old and not a cool guy. I really don't want a flashlight hanging off the front of my gun, nor do I want an optic on top of slide.

Hey, you guys have choices, that's
great.

 

Oy, veh! On every thread about pistol optics... even threads about MOUNTING a pistol optic... Someone has to interject the red herring about disagreeing with the use of optics altogether.

 

It's exasperating…

 

What do you expect on bulletin board forums?
I'm on a lot of them. Many times I start a thread and someone starts thread drift. The only way to avoid it is not to participate.

Again, we have choices.

 

Of course. I've been on forums for over 3 decades now... before Algore invented the interwebz.

I just find it amusing that pistol RDS optics precipitate so much rancor.

I EDC an optic. I'm also formally trained in point shooting, so I understand when / where the optic comes into play. The point shooting at close distances argument would also be fairly applied against using iron sights, eh? Ha!

And after training with an optic, I am now faster with the optic than with irons. AND more accurate.

 

Wouldn’t have any of the problems in this thread if you just used a S&W model 10. No optics. No night sights. No rails. Just a man’s gun.

 

As they say, wheel guns are real guns.

 

I carry both old Colt and S&W revolvers, and modern semi autos.

 

You don't need any sights for real
world encounters where an assailant is grabbing you or is 9 feet away.
Ha!

 

So, logically... if an RDS isn't needed, then neither are iron sights.

 

Read my reply in post #34

"You don't need any sights for real
world encounters where an assailant is grabbing you or is 9 feet away."

 

And if they're a little farther away than 9ft and closing fast?

Or have you convinced yourself any and every attack you may ever have to deal with will always 9ft away....no more, no less 9ft???

Just curious but where did you come up with 9ft?

Now I'll grant you if somebody is grabbing you, then yeah it's a little late to be worrying about sites. Hell you'll be lucky if you can even get your gun drawn and in action in that situation.

But let's say you're on your toes and able to draw your gun before they get within 9ft and grab you, an RDS will give a much better chance of getting an aimed accurate shot than trying to line up irons.....if you know how to use it.

 

Have it your way.

 

Whenever possible.

 

I think some of you should go shoot some matches with dark stages. Shooting irons in the dark is quite a bit harder than pretty much anyone who hasn’t tried it realizes. A dot at 10+ yards is “easier” for most people in optimum lighting. In the dark that advantage is astronomical, and at shorter distances, too.

 

Can the perp see the dot from his end of things?

 

Since this thread appears to segway into the use or non use of red dot optics, what about using a laser?

 

Seems like it would work . .

 

Some aftermarket slides that come milled for an optic also come with a screw set with one shorter than the other... For this reason.

 

Last year, I had my P226 re-milled for RMR mounting. First trip to the range, the same happened to me. I took the screw out, filed it down a little, re-torqued it - problem fixed!

One more example of why you ALWAYS test self-defense guns after ANY change!