Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Handguns Who uses a red dot optic on their carry pistol?

hand held not on a pistol I have a hard time finding the dot as I have looked at 2-3 of them now. It seems they have to be fairly lined up to see the dot, but again this was not on a pistol just hand held.

I think you'll find it's easier to find the dot once the optic is mounted on a pistol. When you draw and present, you're going through the same physical motions with an optic as with iron sights. With iron sights-when I draw and extend, I want my iron sights aligned on target, hoping I don't need to make any correction, or at the least only a minor correction.

With a red dot, the dot will be visible, at a minimum, somewhere in the window when you've completed your presentation. If it isn't, then some dry fire practice would be in order. (But, I don't think the optic changes how easy/hard it is to get on target.)

EDITED TO ADD: FWIW I don't yet have an optic on my carry pistol. I'm planning to get one. After having shot two different carry guns with RMR's I have seen the light. It's the way to go (for me, anyway). I mention this, for purposes of full disclosure so that you can do as you will with my thoughts on the subject.

You didn't think you were going to get away with that one did you?

HA! That was accidental--really!

Durability - check.

Ease of sighting - check.

So far so good, I know from having a reflex sight on some Ruger Mk series .22's how fast and advantageous they can be over regular open sighs.

However, my biggest concern about a reflex sight on a concealed carry handgun is the added "snagability" of that (relatively) big thing projecting above the line of the slide. Seems like when drawing from under clothes, anything that can grab a fabric hem or get caught up by a fold of fabric - will. Small revolvers meant for concealed carry have their hammers covered for this reason. When I tried carrying a DAO Ruger SP101 even the little bit of cylinder extending beyond the recoil shield had this uncanny habit of trying to hang up on stuff.

Not taking a firm stand one way or the other here since I don't have any experience with this, but rather wanted to put it out for discussion. For those that do have a reflex sight on their concealed carry gun, have you experienced this and what equipment/carry method/other steps do you use to get around that?

I haven't experienced any catching with either of the dots I've used; the Aimpoint Acro has nothing for clothing to catch on, and the RMR's housing doesn't have any sharp edges like a revolver hammer has. I see the RMR and Acro as more akin to the humpback on a S&W Centennial or Bodyguard, in terms of the likelihood of catching on clothing.

I've got a bunch of Cabela's points burning a hole in my pocket and the RMR is on sale. I'd like to add one to my 1911 but it won't fit in the Alien Gear holster with an optic mounted. I think it's going to be a while until the holsters catch up, at least the IWB appedix carry ones.

Can these be run without the dot co-witnessed on the front sight? I have my carbine set up that way and I'm not sure I like it, but I haven't played with it a lot yet either.

While that is a common concern among people who haven't tried it, in reality is a complete non-issue. Red dots snagging on clothing or impeding your draw somehow is not something that happens.

There are many thousands of people using red dot optics on pistols for carry, despite the relatively low numbers on this hunting forum. These have been in common use in certain circles for well over 10 years now; that wouldn't be the case if something as simple as snagging on clothing was an issue.

I don’t even think about my front sight when using the dot

I'm still using a Burris dot on a .22 Victory pistol to try and get better utilizing it. Still don't find the dot on presentation nearly as fast as I do iron sights even though the dot is more accurate when I get it on target. As of now, no dot on concealed carry for me, but that might change if I learn to use it better.

For starters - cowitness is not with just the front sight; you'll want to use taller front AND rear sights to cowitness.

Yes, you can set up a pistol without cowitness, but you're giving up a lot, as well as making the initial learning curve much harder.

Guys, you can try to reinvent the wheel on this stuff if you want to. But you can be confident that all of this stuff has been tried, and the accepted method of a milled slide-mounted optic with taller cowitnessed sights is the go-to option for good reasons.

Finding a dot mounted on a pistol is tremendously easier than just holding one. It’s not even a comparison.

The way you present the pistol has a lot to do with finding the dot.

Don’t shove the gun out in front of you, lift it up to your line of sight. And keep your head upright, don’t tip your head or eyes forward at all.

That is contrary to most quality modern training that is fight/carry oriented, regardless whether the gun has a dot or not. Driving the gun out at chest height is generally accepted as best practice for multiple reasons, and having a red dot on the gun doesn't change that in any way. Competition stuff is a little different, but that detail is driven mostly by range safety rules; that doesn't make it the better way to do it but is what a lot of range competitors are used to. Practice is the key regardless of method; most people simply don't put in enough practice to be proficient. Those who do generally don't complain about issues online so we don't hear from them.

After looking at the one mounted on my air rifle, my neighbor bought a See All Open Sight for his little Glock 43. It fits in the rear dovetail. He didn't spring for the tritium model, which I think was a mistake, but otherwise seems to like it, and it fits his regular holster. They only make them for a few pistols: Glocks, XDs, some Sigs and maybe FNs, I think. Low profile, no batteries, and priced pretty low. Some have trouble with using them, just like red dots, but they have a 30-day return policy if you decide it's not for you.

I've got two, working on a third. None on handguns at present, but have used one on a Victory for a bit. Just replaced the scope on my crossbow with one, and early testing looks good. Dropped over a pound. Might try one on a rail on my .357.

The regular model can be seen in any light you can see irons in, but the tritium is obviously the way to go for carry. They claim 15-20 years useful life for the illumination.

Lots of YouTube videos on these if you're interested.

When I lived in Montana I put one on an M&P CORE. I really struggled with getting a sight picture quickly. Same goes for my Buckmark. Matter of fact, I got so sick of other people not being able to shoot my Buckmark with the red dot, I took the damned thing off and never went back.

I had nowhere to compete at the time so understand that these were just range toys and used for hunting. Now that I live in a place that allows me to shoot actual matches I will likely go back. Watch anyone shoot the Carry Optics Division and you'll quickly realize that it's the indian and not the arrow.

My point is, I wouldn't hesitate to carry one daily but be prepared to put some time in. IME, they are not a plug-n-play upgrade.

If you're going to transition people to an optic, you're going to have to change their presentation.

There's definitely a learning curve with all of these. The tube sights are easier to get on target, for me anyway, but out of the question on a carry gun. I need a little correction to see the red dots perfectly clearly these days, but that wouldn't be an issue for defensive use, or most hunting. The See Alls, for whatever mysterious optical reason, are perfectly clear to me, one reason I like them. Glasses are a pain at all times, but in the woods they really suck. I was in the woods Thursday with my ML using +1.5 safety glasses, and the neck gaiter I was wearing sent my breath right up to the inside of the lenses.

I read a deal about "dropping the dot in the bucket" basically presenting the gun muzzle high and lowering it till the dot appears in the window. All in the draw sequence.

After using one on my 22's and a CORE, it was the easiest method for me to use. I traded for a G17.5 MOS with a cheap dot on it this week and since Glocks point high for me anyway, it's really simple to find the dot. I'll shoot it a while then get a real dot for it. My hope is that SHOT will unveil the perfect one this year.

How are you affording to shoot in these matches? Thought you lost your job?