Being an avid and gullible gun magazine reader, I wondered what I’ve been missing not having a red dot on one of my handguns? Now after adding an RMR to my 1911 on a plate to replace the rear sight, I can report that I’d like to have my rear sight and $400.00 back. We have some friends visiting here from Australia where they don’t have handguns, so I took Steve shooting over the weekend. We started with a m43 S&W .22 and were hitting pretty well at about 20 yards. Next up was a CZ PCR 9mm with the fiber optic Dawaon sights and WOW shooting in full sun they really pop. Steve wondered where the battery was, they are that bright. Then came the 1911 .45 ACP with the RMR. Steve couldn’t find the red dot and finally after lots of coaching, he pointed it down far enough to see the dot. That handgun was sighted in for 10 yards, so my turn at 20 and the group wasn’t even on the 8.5x11 piece of paper, but below it several inches! Back at 10 yards it was right on again, wtf. Add to that we were shooting with a slight wind in our face and the blow back from the ejection port and muzzle was accumulating in the red dot lens and the image was getting more speckled with every shot.
I asked Steve what he liked best and felt most comfortable with. The CZ PCR and our targets confirmed that. The m43 was too light, the 1911 with that red dot was not even an honorable mention.
Maybe at a given sighted in longer range with muscle memory for finding that red dot more quickly a red dot might have some redeeming value, but for sure not on a CCW handgun for this shooter. Handguns are strictly short range defensive and expensive hole punchers for me and a red dot sure didn’t make that 1911 into a precision instrument.
