Red dot sights?

[Idaho45guy]

Well, took the pistol to the range yesterday as we had a rare break in the weather. Fired three shots and no holes on the target. Went to load another three rounds and noticed the sight was falling off the slide. Cheap $20 mount from Amazon failed in three shots. Garbage. Guess I will be ordering a $40 mount from a reputable source.

Then will have to wait another couple of weeks for a rare nice day of weather on my days off.

[gnostic]

I wish I could see with a with a RDS, it looks like a bunch of grapes. Iron sights still look sharp.

[GhostHawk]

Well you do not need to spend 3-500$ for a Red Dot sight for a pistol if you don't want to.

I have 3 Hipoint Carbines, pair of Ruger Mk III 22/45's 3 Handi Rifles, and a SKS. All sporting Red Dot sights, all under 60$.

Most of those have been there for the last 3 years.

I buy Truglo sights. I've had good luck with them.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I really like these
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

2x optical zoom. Brings 100 yard targets to look like 50's.
Reasonably small, lightweight, compact.

I have 4 and 4 of those first two.

Scattered on a variety of firearms.

This one is a touch more expensive at 65$.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Bought it for my wife, and worth every dime IMO.

If you are anywhere inside my house, showing an eyeball, she can put a round dead center in it.
I kid you not. 20 foot range.

Now if you want to spend more, feel free. No argument from me.

I was on a tight budget when I bought these.

First one was the last one listed, Oct of 2015. It is on the Ruger Mk III 22/45.
Then 4 of the simple cheaper ones. Then the first 2x tube sight in Sept of 16.

I have yet to have one fail. I have yet to have a serious problem with one. They only lose zero if the mount comes loose. And I have replaced 2 battery's. Both were left on for a few months.

Found them turned on and dead.

That is my experience, yours may vary.

[charlie b]

I too have aging eyes & use bifocal glasses. I've never used a red dot sight & I have never thought much about it. But here of late, I've been reading a lot threads extolling their virtues & I've seen pictures of our military using these on their rifles in combat zones. Now I'm curious. It looks like there are some inexpensive models available that can be tried without breaking the bank. I have a S&W mod 19 w/adjustable sight & a Colt 1911 with a dovetail on the slide. Here are my questions:

1) What would be an inexpensive red-dot model to try as a starter?
2) Are there mounts for these 2 pistols? (the S&W 19 is pristine; heaven forbid I put a scratch on it!)
3) Would the weight on the 1911 slide effect the function?

Good info in this thread. Thanks for posting!

I got a cheaper copy of the Fastfire red dot for my wife's Colt Light Commander (.45ACP).

It had a mount that worked with the original dovetail.

Did not effect function and worked well, right up until the objective lens popped out at the range. Never found it. Bit the bullet and got a real Fastfire and it worked well. Used it for a while but my wife didn't like it. I used it on my MAK-90 and it was really nice. When I sold the rifle I gave the sight to a friend for his AR.

I had another red dot, an Aimpoint clone, around $100. The optics were good but the switch gave out after a few hundred rounds through the MAK-90 (it would turn itself off after every shot). I gave that one to a friend for his .22 rifle where it did fine.

Note that using a red dot sight on a pistol takes quite a bit of practice. The target alignment process is not as simple as with open sights. I had to practice for a couple of hours and then spent quite a bit of range time to get the dot in the field of view when the gun comes up.

[robertbank]

For me the excitement of using a red dot starts with the pull of the trigger. With spring here in full swing I have been busy playing with my PPQ and a Vortex Viper. I can see it takes practice not to chase the dot with your eyes. My results are slowly getting better. I hope to be ready for the WA State IDPA Championship in August. We shall see....I may be sticking with irons ...time will tell.

Take Care

Bob