Should I get a red dot?

[Seabear1500]

OK, I have been shooting Steel Challenge with my 625 JM and now have switched to an R8 with a CR Speed Holster. I put the JM grips on the R8 and have come up with a fun load to shoot thanks to the advise from everyone here. I love the set up.

The issue is, an older friend of mine that I love competing with has decided he likes using a dot and wants me to get one too. Personally I think keeping my eyes working with sights is better than starting to rely on a dot. The Concealed Handgun instructor in me preaches using sights and training that way.

Long story short , I am considering setting the R8 up as an optic gun and leave the 625 as iron for Icore or IDPA should I start doing that too.

I've always been a 1911 junkie and still carry one all the time, however the revolvers have been fun and challenging.

So....I digress....

How many here use an optic on their revolver?

What would be an economical one to use ? (I don't want to put several hundred into one just to find out I don't care for it)

I have a Sightmark on my M&P15-22 and it works well although I had to add a sunshade to it to use in full sun and even then it can be hard to see.

Any other suggestions?

 

[dentkimterry]

I bought a cheap TRU-Glo and put it on my 686+ with 4" barrel. I mean Gander Mountain cheap......$30. And I can't believe how well it works. I shoot better groups with it than the iron sights now. How long it will last I don't know but I don't have much in it. It is very fun but it is a big ole hog and kind of makes the gun top heavy but not too bad. I might look at a lower profile style. I had to buy an adapter to replace the rear sight on the 686+ from Midway for less than $10.

 

[Smithboomer]

+1 to getting a red dot sight. I was just about ready to give up league shooting in the 1990's when the first red dot sights arrived. I bought one, and shot competition for another ten years.

 

[Falguy]

Is there any way you can shoot someone's red dot sighted revolver at the range?

I put one on a revolver(M617) years ago. Supposedly practicing with it would lead to great improvements with my iron sighed, IPSC/ICORE gun(JM625)
The opposite happened

I like/need to see the front sight as the gun is coming onto target. Rear sight line up while hammer is coming back. Shot breaks when front sight is on target. The red dot screwed that up


Who knows, a red dot might work extremely well for you.

 

[S&WIowegan]

I can't imagine why you wouldn't try one. You can get them in any price range from dirt cheap to outrageously expensive. You get what you pay for to some extent, but the ultra-expensive ones just aren't worth it.

I have two 4" 617s and two 627s for steel shooting. I use C-More reddots on one of each and fiber optics on the other. I'm 70 with terrible eyes. I shoot equally well/bad either way. I like both.

Some people are vastly better with dots and some get little advantage. Have fun and find out for yourself.

 

[scooter123]

I have a 617, 620, and 610-3 equipped with J Point reflex sights. It's a great package that makes shooting at 35-50 yards possible for me. However, I have found that it is VERY easy to become dependent on these sights. Because of this I haven't shot any of my reflex equipped revolvers since last November and have been concentrating on shooting with iron sights.

BTW, I haven't been able to focus on handgun sights for 4 or 5 years now so I focus on the target. Shooting with fuzzy sights is a bit of an acquired skill, and while you won't win a Bullseye contest doing, it will provide for serviceable accuracy. My personal "standard" for accuracy with iron sights is to try and shoot within 1-1.5 inch in group size for every 10 feet of range. What that means is that I'm satisfied if I can keep all my shots in a 5 inch sticker at 15 yards. When I found that I was unable to hit that "standard" I decided to set aside the reflex sights for a while and work on recovering that skill for shooting with iron sights.

IMO if you use Moderation there really isn't that big of an issue with using optical sights. However, it is critical that you exercise some self control, because they are SO EASY to shoot well with. Basically, I'd suggest limiting your practice time with the optics and mainly use them for your match shooting, the rest of the time you'll want to keep on shooting with irons. You may also want to resign yourself for not being able to shoot iron sights as well as you once could. I recently tried out my new Ruger SR1911 at 50 yards thinking the longer sight radius might provide an "edge", I'll choose not to discuss the result.

 

[handgunner356]

We shoot both open sight and scoped classes in our Bullseye league. There is no doubt the Red Dots' help, especially with older eyes. I use both but I also switch sighting methods between the two. With the Red Dot I focus on my target, when I use my open sights I have shooting glasses with my close focus prescription in them to keep my front sight sharp. The main thing is to change your focus back and forth between the two sighting systems. Trigger control is still a big part of shooting and I find my Open Sight scores are only a few points lower than Scoped ones.

 

[BobR1]

I would recommend an Ultra Dot in 30mm, or the MatchDot which is also a 30mm. The 30mm has a much better field of view than a 1".

I have both the 1" UltraDot, and the 30mm UltraDot. I do not plan to ever own another 1" one.

Check them out at Ultra Dot West Home

In my opinion this is the Red Dot to own.

Bob

 

[TSQUARED]

I have some revolvers with red dot sights and others with the iron sights. The only plus of the red dot is that you are sure of the sight alignment before pulling the trigger. I prefer the iron sights.