Handgun Red Dots

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sham

(theSHAMOO)
May 20, 2022
115
386
Charlotte, NC
I have a swampfox sentinel. They are worth looking into.

For the other conversations in this thread, my 2 cents is that battery powered optics will the tried and true standard in coming years, if they aren't already. I've listened to podcasts of military professionals who run battery powered optics and no back up iron sights on their weapons due to the simple fact that the picatinny real estate on a firearm is valuable. They would rather have IR lasers, flashlights, and quality red dots/holographics. They of course change batterys way more often than needed. If worst comes to worst, instinctual shooting isnt all that inaccurate.

Target acquisition, follow up shots, and ability to be target focused instead of front sight focused are all advantages of having red dot optics.

Being that the red dot optic industry has only taken off relatively recently (especially for small form factors and pistols), I would guess that the next couple decades will be full of better, newer and cheaper options.
 

BarrelProof

Lifer
Mar 29, 2020
2,701
10,601
39
The Last Frontier
I have a swampfox sentinel. They are worth looking into.

For the other conversations in this thread, my 2 cents is that battery powered optics will the tried and true standard in coming years, if they aren't already. I've listened to podcasts of military professionals who run battery powered optics and no back up iron sights on their weapons due to the simple fact that the picatinny real estate on a firearm is valuable. They would rather have IR lasers, flashlights, and quality red dots/holographics. They of course change batterys way more often than needed. If worst comes to worst, instinctual shooting isnt all that inaccurate.

Target acquisition, follow up shots, and ability to be target focused instead of front sight focused are all advantages of having red dot optics.

Being that the red dot optic industry has only taken off relatively recently (especially for small form factors and pistols), I would guess that the next couple decades will be full of better, newer and cheaper options.

100%.
 
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woodsroad

Lifer
Oct 10, 2013
12,927
21,675
SE PA USA
For years, I didn't own any firearm optics. I enjoyed shooting (and won medals) with just open sights. Then I built a Mosin Scout with an M38 and a Leupold FX-II. I now have a variety of red dot sights on firearms, such as the Vortex Venom on my TAC 13 house gun. Especially with my wonky right eye, I really appreciate the rapid, heads up target acquisition.
 

Reggie

Part of the Furniture Now
Aug 22, 2020
660
3,178
Gardendale, Alabama
I was slow to accept the RedDot in the beginning. A Trijicon vender came to the Range on my Departments Range day and quickly schooled me in the efficiancy of the optics. I am 57 years old and my eyes are 67. The real benefit I have seen is shooting at distance. My patterns became so much smaller and my scores went up. And, we do NOT shoot a static range. It was a no brainer for me.
I have changed the battery in my Trijicon a couple times and the change in zero is very minimal. YMMV

On a side note, after some training, you learn that at close range you can aim across the top of the optic and still lay down very accurate gunfire. This would be done in the event that your optic went down.
 
Last edited:

georged

Lifer
Mar 7, 2013
6,102
16,738
From years ago. Just change "caliber" to "sights":

rotf

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------



There's nothing new about the Caliber Wars, of course, the Internet just makes it more visible.

Jeff Cooper did the expert witness thing for years, so saw MANY of gunfight outcomes, and was always amused by the Caliber Wars. In a nutshell, he said if people spent as much time learning to hit what they shot at---and drilling on it---as they did arguing about what calibers/cartridges were best, handguns would become unnecessary overnight because all the bad guys would be dead.
 

Wet Dottle

Starting to Get Obsessed
Mar 20, 2023
221
1,126
Littleton, CO
To the OP: I assume you are comparing the Holosun 507c to the Trijicon RMR. The pros: the Trijicon is smaller, has a nicer shape, and I like the button layout better; the Holosun doesn't need to be removed to replace the battery. The cons: the Trijicon seats on a sealer plate that is supposed to keep the battery dry, a system that like much less than the Holosun; I really don't like the solar panels on top of the Holosun (they should take them out and make the housing narrower). In the end both are good systems, but I prefer the Holosun because of the green dot vs. the red dot of the Trijicon. And the substantially lower price.
 
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TheIdahoan

Lurker
Jan 7, 2023
32
72
39
Southeast Idaho
I know what I said. Having installed
Trijicon Bright & Tough™ Night Sights - Glock Standard Frames
tritium to nearly 300 Glock pistols as an Armorer I said, “Go with the tritium.”

Iron sights are always the choice for a pistol in daylight - in darkness the tritium dots provide a secondary aiming method, albeit not as precise as acquiring a proper site picture.

I say this because installed and properly adjusted they are impervious to being knocked about.

Professionals do not rely on batteries and uncertainty —If you’re a recreational shooter, by all means. Enjoy yourself.

I stand by my original answer.

“Go with the tritium.”

OK I see where you're coming from. My apologies. I disagree with what you said, but I apologize for assuming you weren't tracking on the red dot thing.
 

Reggie

Part of the Furniture Now
Aug 22, 2020
660
3,178
Gardendale, Alabama
To the OP: I assume you are comparing the Holosun 507c to the Trijicon RMR. The pros: the Trijicon is smaller, has a nicer shape, and I like the button layout better; the Holosun doesn't need to be removed to replace the battery. The cons: the Trijicon seats on a sealer plate that is supposed to keep the battery dry, a system that like much less than the Holosun; I really don't like the solar panels on top of the Holosun (they should take them out and make the housing narrower). In the end both are good systems, but I prefer the Holosun because of the green dot vs. the red dot of the Trijicon. And the substantially lower price.
BINGO! Very well described!