Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Handguns Red dots on a handgun?

I have carried 3 pistols with red dots installed: A Sig P365XL w/ a Holosun 507K, a Glock 19 MOS with a Vortex Venom, and a Sig P320 AXG with a Leupold DeltaPoint Pro.

I got rid of the G19 in favor of the Sig P320 primarily because I dislike Glock's MOS system. (It's not what you asked about, but MOS guns are known for shearing off screws (which happened to me), because their adaptor plates don't fit snugly and also warp easily.) The Vortex Venom currently sits in a drawer, because of my concerns about the unit's durability. Mine has withstood a few thousand rounds without issue, but it seems that a good number of others have not been so fortunate. I think Vortex remains a solid choice for range guns, but until their reputation for durability improves, use something else on your EDC.

I still have, and carry, the Sig P365XL with the Holosun 507 K. I love the gun and I love the optic. The Holosun 507K is pretty much the industry standard for that pistol. In fact, I'm not sure I've ever heard of somebody having a different optic installed on it.

My Sig P320 AXG is still rather new to me. It only has +/-350 rounds through it. I like the Leupold DeltaPoint Pro. The glass is very clear. The Leupold has a smidge of blue/green tint to it that you don't see on the Holosun, but I mean a miniscule amount, and it does not affect my shooting in any way. The DeltaPoint's single button that is poorly located is the worst feature about it. Others who carry their gun all day have pointed out that when the Leupold is not allowed to go into its sleep mode, battery life is significantly worse than other manufacturers' offerings. I only carry mine through the parking lot twice per day so I cannot comment on battery life.

As to your situation specifically, do it. As our esteemed colleague, Bluedreaux, said, "Red dots are not the future; they are the now." This is especially true for those of us who can't see iron sights. Red dots are amazing and very easy to use. Anyone who says that they can't find the red dot when they bring up the gun hasn't had the 60 second class on how to solve that issue. Also, if the red dot fails, just use your irons--a failing red dot is not a handicap to shooting old school. Here's a pic of me sorting out my iron-sight picture (through the windshield of my Leupold). Granted it's not great shooting, but it will save my life. Plus, I don't shoot any gun with irons much better than that anymore--especially at speed.



As with so much else in the shooting world, the biggest barrier is cost. Cost is what held me back for a time--I didn't want to buy the wrong gun and/or the wrong optic. I feared that I would end up with a $1250 gun/optic package (plus holster and extra mags) and end up with the "wrong" stuff. That's largely why I initially went with the Glock MOS--it allowed me to try different optics on a gun that would be easy to resell--which is exactly what I did. Just do your research and make the best decision you can based upon best available information. (Just like we did in the Army).

You might want to check out this guy's videos. https://www.youtube.com/user/SageDynamics/videos . He's kind of your stereotypical know-it-all gun guy, but he does do some thorough duty-testing and torture-testing of a lot of red dots.

Good luck in your decisions!