Will red dots replace lasers on pistols?

[Bullet Bob]

"Will red dots replace lasers on pistols?"

I don't know; fashions come, fashions go. I do know it's hard to buy a pistol these days without the slide cut for an optic, so it seems the current market says yes.

But as Coco Chanel said, what's in fashion is what's going out of fashion. Plus amnufacturers need new designs to keep us buying.

 

[walkin jack]

I have never used a laser. I did have a red dot on my Ruger Mark III. It gave me a choice of a small dot or a larger dot. the small dot afforded me more accuracy but was difficult to see on sunny days. And not having any magnification did not help me much either.

I never went shooting at night and I didn't want one on a carry gun so I sold it and never looked back. The laser has no appeal for me. Currently have no type of scope on any hand guns. My Ruger 10-22 has a 3 to 9 Leopold rim-fire scope and my Savage 12 ga has a "Ghost Ring" scope...which I dearly love.

I'm good.

 

[LVSteve]

There are some that could still accessorize such a contraption by adding at least a spare battery container and a bayonet sharpener.

They were all out the day I called Brownell's.

 

[brucev]

At present, am well served by Trijicon night signts on my 9mm 226 Legion. Tshe day may come when I need/want to do something different. Will likely go w/ a green laser as it will likely best suit my interests. For my other shooting interest, can very much see where a good red dot would be very helpful. However, going to be a problem. Older S&W's and Rugers are not D/T for base plates, etc. Sincerely. bruce.

 

[quikdraw67]

My Glock 45 MOS has the set up for a red dot.

I won't be using it. I'm fine with iron sights, I can shoot fine with them, and I'll spend the money on something more productive.

Like hookers and blow

 

[fishcreekrim]

Sometime, about the early 50's I am guessing, this same conversation went on. Only it was about the fad of replacing iron sights on rifles with telescopic sights.

 

[quikdraw67]

Sometime, about the early 50's I am guessing, this same conversation went on. Only it was about the fad of replacing iron sights on rifles with telescopic sights.

I doubt hookers and blow were involved in the conversation.

 

[Farmer17]

I have a Sig 365 XL with Holosun and the difference in accuracy is great. Give someone my gun with absolutely no experience shooting a handgun and in very little time they will be able to out shoot someone with 20 years of shooting experience.

 

[prairieviper]

Red dots are definitely the game changer for those of us with 'old eyes.' Easier to use than irons, faster and more accurate. Granted, there is a learning curve but not much of one, if you make any effort at all.

 

[cmj8591]

Sometime, about the early 50's I am guessing, this same conversation went on. Only it was about the fad of replacing iron sights on rifles with telescopic sights.

To a point that is true but there are many situations where iron sights are superior on a hunting rifle. If you have ever hunted in heavy brush, a telescopic sight can become useless. It is also problematic on snowy, rainy days when you flip up your lens covers and the lenses are fogged over or they get snow or rain on them. If you watch someone hunting dangerous game at relatively close distances, they usually don't have a scope. If they do, you can bet the PH backing them up doesn't. The same can be said for a red dot. If the emitter gets a drop of rain or snow on it, it's done and you are searching for a non existent dot when you should be shooting. Lasers, red dots and flashlights on a defensive pistol only introduce options at a time where the only option should be shoot or don't shoot.

 

[coltle6920]

I have a Sig 365 XL with Holosun and the difference in accuracy is great. Give someone my gun with absolutely no experience shooting a handgun and in very little time they will be able to out shoot someone with 20 years of shooting experience.

For me target acquisition is easier with the red dot but I wouldn't challenge Jerry Miculek.

 

[ChuckS1]

I have red dots on my bullseye pistols, but still stick with irons on the others. Surprised that nobody’s mentioned the problems folks with astigmatisms have with red dots.

 

[Golddollar]

I much prefer green dots, especially during daylight, so much better all around.

From my experience I tend to agree. I am a competitive handgun shooter, and I had a red dot optical sight on my target .22 pistol that I used at a big match outside Harrisburg 2 years ago. Unfortunately, the sun wiped out the red dot and my scores were absysmal. The following year I went to a green dot optical sight and it didn't get washed out by the sun. I only shot the .22 matches but I discovered that last year when using the green dot sight my total score went up by 69 points.

 

[SweetMK]

I just got a new barrel for my Ruger MKII pistol,, for target practice.
are you guys telling me that I bought the WRONG OPTIC!!??

 

[Hawg Rider]

Interesting post...I guess that I'm now in the red dot camp. I've used lasers in the past, and currently I have Crimson Trace stocks on my 627-5 and like them. But it doesn't compare to my M&P 10mm 2.0 with Holosun 507C red dot. With a little practice, it's much easier to pick up and steady the Holosun's Circle-Dot reticle than the bouncing red laser dot. My wife's Ruger LCR .22 Magnum revolver has a trigger guard laser that works well, but she won't use it. She gets a little nervous when shooting, so the little red laser dot bounces all over the target. Even though she practices, she has trouble picking the right time to squeeze the trigger! She prefers the iron sights!

 

[AzShooter]

I've been using red dot sights on my pistols for about 40 years. My accuracy went way up when I started using my first one on my Model 10 for USPSA matches. It didn't take long for a lot of people to follow me especially since Jerry Barnhart starting winning big time.

Now, I play with irons every once in a while but with the dot I don't have trouble finding it. With Irons I just can't see them all the time and forget about using them in the indoor range I go to.

As for holster, there are tons on the market now. In the past I made my own and still do.

Just one of my holsters so that I can use the C-More Railway on my Black Mamba. The new RDS are easier to make holster for. Basically you can just replace the rear sight and only need to cut away about an inch of the holster.

 

[bushmaster1313]

Red dots on pistols are the hot item now like lasers used to be. Although both serve their purpose in certain shooting/combat scenarios, sooner or later people are going to realize that you can get off faster shots/target acquisition from the holster with good ol' iron sights.

Red dots on pistols and range day with old friend
Bright nickel magnums and warm barrels smokin
Original boxes and stocks that are matching
These are a few of my favorite things

 

[forrestinmathews]

For true dominance of the situation I would take both the laser and the red dot. I would also require high contrast sights preferably with tritium. Just hear me out for a second here...
My thoughts are:
The iron sights are always going to be physically present and they assist with the acquiring of the red dot. Therefore, I need a good set of them. I like tritium because it helps me orient the pistol in the dark.
Red dots are fast and I like how they don't obstruct the target. They are sometimes difficult to locate in a hurry. They also live on batteries.
Lasers are wonderful at night and in low light. They are especially useful from unconventional shooting positions. Lasers with a white light rule the night if you don't have night vision. If you do, IR rules the night completely. They rely on batteries and aren't useful in daylight.
White lights mounted on the gun are always present. Strobe feature is good for deterrent. If you can do nothing else, putting the beam on the target and firing the weapon will likely result in hits. They involve a drawn gun and rely on batteries.

 

[mike campbell]

I don't understand the mindset that lasers and iron sights are "either/or".

I don't think anyone grinds off their irons when they install a laser.

A laser is an accessory which, among other things, is very useful when irons are absolutely useless. I liken them to headlights on a car. Guess what....headlights are very hard to see in bright sunlight. But try driving without them on a dark rainy night.

As to red dots; I have them on 4 range handguns and love them for target shooting. Contrary to lasers, they are not an accessory to irons but a substitute for them...which is fine on a target gun. I don't know what I'm missing, but there is no way I would want to pick up or draw a handgun and go searching for the red dot. With my lasers I can draw and instantly point to center of mass ... from the hip. I don't even need to see the gun. I don't, and wouldn't, carry a gun for self defense that was not equipped with a laser.

 

[USMCshooter]

I've never gotten the red dot bug (yet?). All my guns are for self defense, carry and have high viz sights. The night stand gun does have a laser/light combo. Really only wanted the light as a back up to a handheld flashlight. The laser seems like a fun toy. Besides, I've got too much invested in holsters and not interested in replacing them all. Guess I'm just old(fashioned).