We?re seeing more and more handguns with Red Dots. Why?
Because after a short learning curve they?re simply faster and more accurate than iron sights. Especially beneficial if like me, you have aging eyes.
If you still have doubts, consider this exhaustive 4 year study by Sage Dynamics of RDS for military and LEO use:
https://lockedback.com/results-4-year-handgun-red-dot-study-sage-dynamics/ But like many new things in electronics, the choices are confusing and shooters who want to improve their skills often ask?Where do I start?
There are a number of good threads on the CZ Forum about RDS, especially in the ?Lights, Lasers and Red Dots? section and a lot has been already written by others more experienced than I, including s0nspark one of the Forum's administrators who's very knowledgeable especially about RDS.
But perhaps I can share a few tips I've learned (the hard way) that might provide a starting point:
A good red dot to mount on a semi-auto slide will start around $200 (Burris Fast Fire 3, Vortex Venom or Viper), with mid-price units $300-400 (Sig Romeo 1, Shield RMS and RMSc, JPoint, Leupold Delta Point Pro} and go up over $500+ for Trijicon?s top RMR models (like RMR 06 and 07) . A moving slide can generate G forces in the 1000's so they have to be built to withstand this and hold perfect alignment; so that's why they cost so much.
If you want a low-risk way to 'test the water' you can mount a relatively inexpensive RDS (I started with a Browning Buckmark Reflex p/n 1290230 ~$45) that just fastens on the picatinny rail of my Buckmark 22LR pistol (or Ruger MK III or IV, SW-22 Victory, etc) where the RDS is not subjected to those high G forces of the moving slide. This gave me a chance to see just how much easier it was to shoot with BOTH EYES OPEN looking through the reticle lens at the target and the dot would appear exactly where the bullet would go (after dialing it in). Although this type of inexpensive red dot sits rather high atop the picatinny rail, and in no way is the ideal setup; In no time I was shooting tight groups again at 20-25 yards. Almost felt like cheating, a competitive edge older eyes sure can use!
Next step for me was purchasing a handgun that was 'Optic-Ready' like a Canik TP9SFX, FNH-FNX 45 Tactical, S&W M&P CORE, Springfield XDM OSP, etc. The slides are pre-milled and ready to mount various optics without gunsmithing. I chose a Glock 17 MOS (Modular Optic System) that had the slide pre-milled to mount an optic with interchangeable plates that fit all the major RDS so I could try several. I went with a Leupold DPPro. But a less expensive Burris, Vortex, JPoint/Shield or other good RDS will get you started until you really know the various RDS features that are most import to you. Anyone handy can mount these in the pre-drilled tapped holes.
There's also the choice of dot size to consider depending upon intended use, from a small MOA (moment of Angle) like 2moa for longer distance target shooting, to a larger dot 6 to 8moa for faster defensive shooting.
Another way to get started is with a mounting plate that goes in place of the rear dovetail. A fairly easy DIY once the rear sight is removed. There are a number of companies like Springer that fit specific handgun dovetails. Another source for these RDS mounting plates is Midway or Optics Planet. The mounting plate locks into the dovetail and the RDS will fasten into pre-drilled tapped holes in the mount, but of course there are 5 or 6 different hole patterns for all the different RDS. Some plates will accept multiple models. In another thread I posted a detailed how-to DIY to mount a Shield/JPoint on a CZ-75 variant using a Leupold CZ-75 mount that also fits a Shield or JPoint. This allowed me a chance to try a RDS on my SP-01 without milling the slide.
But
for a defensive handgun, not just a range or competition gun; having BUIS Back Up Iron Sights is considered essential, where the irons will be available looking through the lower 1/3 of the reticle lens to provide working sights in the rare instance the RDS stops working. It takes some getting used to and practice presenting the handgun so the red dot 'appears' in the Lens and the BUIS also helps provide you a reference. However, after considerable practice, you won't even use the BUIS as just acquiring the dot will become instinctive and much faster.
Again, for defensive guns the ideal scenario is to get the optic mounted as low as possible, milling the slide so the RDS sits even lower and lines up so the stock irons can be utilized for BUIS. There are a number of good resources to do this milling and optic mounting turn-key including CGW, CZ Custom and Primary Machine and cost is roughly $150 to $200 for this, plus cost of the optic you choose.
Primary Machine's website has an excellent info page called 'Knowledge Center' that has much more in depth info on the subject of RDS.
Last but not least; there are several ?turn-key? handguns now available that come from the factory with the RDS optic mounted and a matched set of co-witness sights. Sig Sauer?s RX series features a choice of their P320, P226, or P229 mated with their proprietary Romeo1 RDS and their excellent XRay 3 night sights that are properly positioned as lower 1/3 co-witness BUIS. There's also the Springfield XDM OSP that comes with a Vortex Venom mounted and BUIS. And Walther just introduced their sub-compact carry PPS M2 with a SHIELD RMSc mounted and matched to BUIS. I?m sure there will be more in the future, as
Red Dots on handguns will become as prolific as scopes on rifles!Hope this info helps. -Vinny
