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A couple of recent threads have asked me about my opinions on some of the different dots I have tried and used. There are also (IMHO) a lot of red dot opinions based off people who haven't trained or aren't using dots "correctly" and have a handicapped view of what dots have to offer.
For example, at 50 feet from a holstered draw I can put 3 shots in the IDPA -0 ring in 1.68s total with a dot.
START OF IMPRESSIONS:
Not only can you use sights at those speeds, they actually help with speed and accuracy to break the shot confidently.
Here is a 0.66s draw to center. And I still used the red dot sight. At that distance, as soon as you see a red flash on the lens you trigger.
It’s easier with a larger window. Basically it gives you more options and lets you trigger from all kinds of different positions.
See below, it is a perfect head shot despite the gun being crooked.
With a smaller window you don’t get that option. You need a more perfect index which doesn’t hold up under extremes of speed and movement. Square range slow fire doesn’t count much for self defense except that if you can’t do it there, you can’t do it under stress and moving.
How many people with irons could see this sight picture and feel confident taking the head shot?
What about with the dot turned on?
But with a proper dot utilization:
You can see the whole head which helps with binocular depth perception.
Note that when you use the dot properly it floats in the center of the window and you do NOT use the irons in the same view.
That point becomes very relevant when we talk about back up irons at the end.
The dot is above the belt line and still doesn't extend outwards past the belt. It really doesn't change anything functional in my carry and can still easily do sub-second concealed draws.
So what tools for what jobs?
When I started with red dots, the RMR was pretty much the only game in town for a durable slide ride optic. Now we have lots of options.
The following are my opinions only and just like people who carry Glock 20s as their main CCW, YMMV.
For example, at 50 feet from a holstered draw I can put 3 shots in the IDPA -0 ring in 1.68s total with a dot.
START OF IMPRESSIONS:
- Dots are faster and more accurate everywhere and in every situation except heavy rain that can get on the emitter (lens is fine).
Not only can you use sights at those speeds, they actually help with speed and accuracy to break the shot confidently.
Here is a 0.66s draw to center. And I still used the red dot sight. At that distance, as soon as you see a red flash on the lens you trigger.
- Window size matters.
It’s easier with a larger window. Basically it gives you more options and lets you trigger from all kinds of different positions.
See below, it is a perfect head shot despite the gun being crooked.
With a smaller window you don’t get that option. You need a more perfect index which doesn’t hold up under extremes of speed and movement. Square range slow fire doesn’t count much for self defense except that if you can’t do it there, you can’t do it under stress and moving.
How many people with irons could see this sight picture and feel confident taking the head shot?
What about with the dot turned on?
- The ability to target focus is important, but more than that you don't have to have the body of the gun blocking out the important parts of the target. Being able to use both eyes in seeing things around the target helps with depth perception and triangulation at speed and with movement.
- THIS IS THE BIGGEST ADVANTAGE IMHO OF RED DOT USAGE.
But with a proper dot utilization:
You can see the whole head which helps with binocular depth perception.
Note that when you use the dot properly it floats in the center of the window and you do NOT use the irons in the same view.
That point becomes very relevant when we talk about back up irons at the end.
- Get the right tool for the right job.
- Adding a dot doesn't add hardly any bulk to a carry gun and doesn't change the draw stroke for me.
The dot is above the belt line and still doesn't extend outwards past the belt. It really doesn't change anything functional in my carry and can still easily do sub-second concealed draws.
So what tools for what jobs?
When I started with red dots, the RMR was pretty much the only game in town for a durable slide ride optic. Now we have lots of options.
The following are my opinions only and just like people who carry Glock 20s as their main CCW, YMMV.
- Dedicated competition: you want the biggest window possible for the above reasons. It matters in tracking and transition at speed. Ditch the irons because you don't want anything cluttering your window and it doesn't matter if your optic fails, you brought a back up gun anyway, right? SRO is my favorite. The Romeo 3Max (I have broken three) doesn't seem as durable and the button placement isn't my preferred (can accidentally turn off the dot grabbing the slide if you're a rear racker... I added front grip tape and non-issue now). But the 3Max works very well. Both are nice, crisp glass and dots. Leupold DPP is a good choice too, but does give up a little on window height which decreases tracking under recoil. It's a half step behind the SRO and the 3Max for all out competition. My Shadow 2s for USPSA Carry Optics wear the SROs and my TSOs for Open Lite (Carry Optics major for me) wear the 3Maxs. I just moved over one of my SROs to my EDC X9 for IDPA.
- Range fun and medium sized carry: Maybe you only have one or two guns and you use it for a number of different things. I personally don't have an issue with milled versus dovetail versus MOS plate guns. They all work fine and there really isn't any meaningful difference in how they work for most people. The MOS type guns are nice in that you don't have to commit to just one footprint. For something like a G19 MOS, you have medium window options that are pretty rugged and will survive drop tests and hard use. The RMR, Holosun 407c/507c/508T and the Leupold DPP are great options. I would lean towards the RMR and the Holosuns because they have usable auto-light adjustment sensors which I find a desirable feature for a carry gun that you might have very different lighting conditions. The DPP’s option is so subtle that I didn’t know it existed until I checked the manual. The RMR has a better light adjustment sensor than the 507c (I don't know if it's improved on newer models). I would go suppressor height sights that don't rise up very much above the optic body to reduce clutter. Doesn't matter to me if irons forward or back because they're not in play when you're using your dot. The one thing I don't like about suppressor height sights is that they sometimes don't shoot POA/POI for a particular gun.
- Dedicated carry: For the smallest guns, does an optic even help? I tested and it certainly does for me. https://www.glocktalk.com/threads/jcn-carry-gun-test-part-2-irons-vs-rds.1868396/#post-29782814 It doesn't add much bulk and the accuracy trade off is worth it for me. For a gun like a P365 or P365XL, I do want accurate BUIS and for that I really like the integrated rear sights of the micro dots. Just pick an appropriate height front (usually the stock front is pretty close). The Shield RMSc, Romeo Zero and Holosun 407/507k are ones I own and have tried. I think the new Trijicon offering totally misses the boat by being too tall for this. The Shield and the Romeo Zero aren't really that impact resistant, but for a CCW I don't plan on slamming it around. But for those reasons, I do want a usable and accurate set of back up irons. I chose the Shield RMSc as my favorite because it's the only option with an auto-light adjust sensor and going from indoor to outdoor as potential carry / self defense scenarios I really want that option on my carry optic.
- LEO / Military: I would absolutely pick an RMR here as it's the most well vetted option when hard use is expected. I would also choose a Glock as my sidearm for the same reason.