Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Handguns concealed carry with a red dot

Perfect presentation and sight alignment are fine goals however real world situations don't always allow for it.

Here we go again. Cue the circular reasoning music....

Dry firing is your friend.

My reasoning tells me that if you must practice MORE with a red dot to reach the same level of competency with iron sights then a red dot is in fact less intuitive and more difficult to use.

If you can reach that level then more power to you but acting like red dots are the best thing since sliced bread and every handgun needs one just because they're the "IN" thing right now is asinine. They have their place and their limitations.

Not correct.
With the proper presentation, the red dot simply gets in the way of the target.
That's not a bad thing.
Unless you are running some low tier crap on your pistol.

I'd say not being able to see the target is a bad thing.

Then you are going to miss any fast needed fire.
Real world dies allow for it and this can be proven just go to a major competition and the fastest shooters will be using DOTs.

Your grip must be consistent as well as consistent presentation to aquire the sights or DOT quickly

I signed up for a match this weekend. I think it is 80-90% dots now. I was a non believer until I wasn’t.

Real world self defense shootings don't take place on IDPA ranges.

Or internet forums. Lots of people use them and are very proficient with them. Just because you can't doesn't mean you're right.

Why is that? Not many if any at the police station either? Do you have a point are do you get off on posting BS

Red dots have been big with the race gun crowd since the 90's at least. No one is arguing they don't work. Do they work as well or better than iron sights on a carry gun? That is the question. It's for each individual to decide for themselves.

Red dots on handguns are faster and more accurate than irons. The gap between them gets larger the further you are from the target.

The data is there.

But, the bottom line is taking advantage of the edge in speed and accuracy that a dot gives you require solid fundamentals. The advantage of a red dot on a handgun is icing on the cake.

Most people don't have the cake.

The best part is I remember this exact debate regarding irons on rifles. The "muh I qualified at Pendleton out to 500 meters with irons, it's better than an optic" crowd was huge.

I was in that crowd.

I won't make that mistake twice.

All that said, if you don't have a fundamentally sound presentation, and you're not inclined to practice, sick with what you've got.

Your reasoning, or at least your conclusion, is flawed. You're not reaching an equivalent level of competency.

What you are really saying is that iron sights make it easier to cover up the deficiencies in your skill set. But if you're fine with that, run with it.

It’s frustrating to know how little formal instruction it takes to “get it” when it come to acquiring a dot during the draw, and to see so many people fail at it.

It’s understandable. People don’t know what they don’t know. The first time I tried a dot I hated it. But I went and found the people who did know and asked questions amd was willing to be the guy who didn’t know it all. If you’re willing to learn, and have someone who knows what to tell you, they’re really not that difficult at all.

Thank you for making my point for me. Irons are simpler and easier for most average people to become proficient with.

However that clearly doesn't apply to the high speed low drag operators here on the fire.

It is a great feeling to know where that dot lands is where that round lands.

I have a friend that teaches a red dot course for his LE agency. He told me that most officers come in thinking the dot is not for them but by the end of the course, they have all become converts.

Heck I went back and forth for a couple of years and used a similar excuse, “I’m faster to the first shot with irons.” Took some advice, put it in place and stuck with the dot.

Try this.

He not saying that.

But red dots and poor fundamentals don't get along well. So, I guess you could say that it's easier to hide crappy fundamentals with irons.