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Not wanting to Hi-jack anyone else's thread, I wanted to post my personal opinion on not using / using optics like red dots on a CCW/EDC gun. You may not totally agree, but at least you might think about it before ragging on me.
No matter what brand, model or size of your optical sight, they are subject to failure. Batteries can die, a wire or contact can break or come loose, a switch can fail, or they can simply get knocked out of alignment or adjustment.
OK - I can already hear some shouting at me,"hey, I've been using one for XX amount of years, carry it every day and it's never failed me" or..... "hey, I replace the batteries every year". OK - not saying that happens everyday, but failures do happen and no one can choose when it does. Everything works 100% .... until it fails! I have personally helped friends fix a few wires, clean a contact, realigned a few and have eye witnessed more than one competitor pack up his gun and go home during a competition because their red dot failed. One thing that also disturbs me is when I see guys who rack the hell out of the slide using the optic as a cocking lever! Yes - I have seen quite a bit of that! Not to mention after using a red dot for a bit - you become dependent on it - like reading glasses. Sort of loosing your ability to do mathematics in your head because every cell phone has a calculator in it.
When you shoot & train with an optical sight your brain gets use to seeing the red dot. Should it not appear, you will still be trying to acquire it even though it's not there. While doing so, you are delayed in firing until it registers that you could have a failure. Valuable seconds lost! You also need to carry more weight, bulk and many times require a special holster to carry a gun with an optic on it. In some light conditions red dots are difficult to acquire - I've seen friends moving their head around looking for it more than a few times. Again, another delayed shot. Lasers you say? They draw fire right to you!
Another very important fact is that for the lions share of us (non LEO) private citizens, SD shootings occur at very short distances that simply don't require a red dot! To me I prefer the K.I.S.S. theory and don't like to add stuff on my EDC pistol simply because everyone else has or it looks cool. Many time an optic is a poor excuse to shoot better. I propose learning how to shoot correctly with iron sights in the first place. YES.... I am aware there are a very small minority that can no longer clearly see iron sights well, but then again, SD shootings usually do not require fine sighting at a few feet away. If you shoot someone at 20 yards, that will probably be called murder! Most here are not LEO's and are not taking 20 yard shots for SD. That would be the very rare exception!
My intention here is not to anger or piss anyone off - it's simply to inspire clear thinking on exactly why one wants to or has mounted an optic on their EDC/CCW pistol. Please don't comeback with "OK, then why are company's selling optic ready pistols"? Why.... because it is a money making proposition for them and the optic company's. The pistol manufacturers, optics manufacturers, holster makers, battery company's etc. all profit while in fact many are being hoodwinked. Why do they sell cars that park themselves? If you can't park a car maybe you shouldn't be operating one. Why.... again it's a money maker!
OK - so for the guys here who have read the entire post so far and have not already started typing out an angry response, thank you! All I would like to do is for those who have been thinking about optics on carry guns, please rethink. If you still want to do it - then by all means - it's your choice.
I have posted my personal pet peeve here on optics for EDC/CCW guns and BTW this has nothing at all to do with target or competition guns. If you lose a match or miss a bullseye, no one gets hurt. I hope I at the very least I get a few here to think about this first before doing anything. That's about all I can hope for as I realize ultimately, this is your decision. I will apologize in advance if I have rubbed anyone the wrong way - certainly not my intent, I am just a bit passionate about this subject.
Regards,
Chief38
No matter what brand, model or size of your optical sight, they are subject to failure. Batteries can die, a wire or contact can break or come loose, a switch can fail, or they can simply get knocked out of alignment or adjustment.
OK - I can already hear some shouting at me,"hey, I've been using one for XX amount of years, carry it every day and it's never failed me" or..... "hey, I replace the batteries every year". OK - not saying that happens everyday, but failures do happen and no one can choose when it does. Everything works 100% .... until it fails! I have personally helped friends fix a few wires, clean a contact, realigned a few and have eye witnessed more than one competitor pack up his gun and go home during a competition because their red dot failed. One thing that also disturbs me is when I see guys who rack the hell out of the slide using the optic as a cocking lever! Yes - I have seen quite a bit of that! Not to mention after using a red dot for a bit - you become dependent on it - like reading glasses. Sort of loosing your ability to do mathematics in your head because every cell phone has a calculator in it.
When you shoot & train with an optical sight your brain gets use to seeing the red dot. Should it not appear, you will still be trying to acquire it even though it's not there. While doing so, you are delayed in firing until it registers that you could have a failure. Valuable seconds lost! You also need to carry more weight, bulk and many times require a special holster to carry a gun with an optic on it. In some light conditions red dots are difficult to acquire - I've seen friends moving their head around looking for it more than a few times. Again, another delayed shot. Lasers you say? They draw fire right to you!
Another very important fact is that for the lions share of us (non LEO) private citizens, SD shootings occur at very short distances that simply don't require a red dot! To me I prefer the K.I.S.S. theory and don't like to add stuff on my EDC pistol simply because everyone else has or it looks cool. Many time an optic is a poor excuse to shoot better. I propose learning how to shoot correctly with iron sights in the first place. YES.... I am aware there are a very small minority that can no longer clearly see iron sights well, but then again, SD shootings usually do not require fine sighting at a few feet away. If you shoot someone at 20 yards, that will probably be called murder! Most here are not LEO's and are not taking 20 yard shots for SD. That would be the very rare exception!
My intention here is not to anger or piss anyone off - it's simply to inspire clear thinking on exactly why one wants to or has mounted an optic on their EDC/CCW pistol. Please don't comeback with "OK, then why are company's selling optic ready pistols"? Why.... because it is a money making proposition for them and the optic company's. The pistol manufacturers, optics manufacturers, holster makers, battery company's etc. all profit while in fact many are being hoodwinked. Why do they sell cars that park themselves? If you can't park a car maybe you shouldn't be operating one. Why.... again it's a money maker!
OK - so for the guys here who have read the entire post so far and have not already started typing out an angry response, thank you! All I would like to do is for those who have been thinking about optics on carry guns, please rethink. If you still want to do it - then by all means - it's your choice.
I have posted my personal pet peeve here on optics for EDC/CCW guns and BTW this has nothing at all to do with target or competition guns. If you lose a match or miss a bullseye, no one gets hurt. I hope I at the very least I get a few here to think about this first before doing anything. That's about all I can hope for as I realize ultimately, this is your decision. I will apologize in advance if I have rubbed anyone the wrong way - certainly not my intent, I am just a bit passionate about this subject.
Regards,
Chief38
