Do you "really" use your back up iron sights?

[C.G.]

I don't have red dots on any of my Sigs, so yes I use the iron sights. I may put a red dot on my AR pistol one of these days, but not in a hurry.

[Snoopy47]

I tried the backups on my G34 I use is Carry Optics....the sights were a distraction, I like the dot only..

If you are going to run a dot, lose the sights and learn the dot. Don't handicap yourself with the irons.

That's what I thought.

One or the other. I had installed a Red Dot, but the front post was getting in the way (it just wasn't going to work out). So I drifted it out.

[003]

I have back up iron sights on a couple of guns for the same reason I have a fire extinguisher in the garage and pay for home owners insurance. Hopefully I will never need to use any of the three.

[jimster716]

I have been practicing target acquisition from low ready with countless presentations in the past week. It’s getting easier and more natural to have the dot in the window. The reality is, practicing with irons for years doing the same thing should make the dot also more likely to be present, I haven’t found myself hunting for the dot.

[BrokerB]

i have backups on my ar pistol. Red dot is way easier to use..and hell no I dotn cowtiness... why in the hell would I want to block more of my visal with balck towers?

I shot the ar pistol twice before I got my red dot on so I know they are zerod and hit the 300 yd gong with ease.

Now its pure red dot..or green unless it breaks..then flick the switch and the irons pop up.

[smittty]

Who cares what anyone else uses or puts on their gun!

[blasterp7]

I have back up iron sights on a couple of guns for the same reason I have a fire extinguisher in the garage and pay for home owners insurance. Hopefully I will never need to use any of the three.

That pretty much sums it up for me. The only exception I might make is for a dedicated range toy that I don't even own a holster for...

[GM4spd]

Who cares what anyone else uses or puts on their gun!

[Grumpyoldretiredcop]

I also use the front sight as a reference when coming to presentation. We'll see if that changes as I'm going out today to shoot a newly acquired Glock 41 MOS with a Vortex Venom and only the standard plastic sights.

On a range gun it's not a big deal to have backup sights; on a carry gun (which I haven't done as of yet) or competition gun, it would be a good idea to have them IMO.

Edit: Unlike the G19 with an RMR that I've owned (and sold) in the past, it's no problem at all to acquire the Venom dot on the G41 MOS as the pistol is brought into presentation. I may not bother to put suppressor sights on this pistol as I won't be carrying it for personal protection.

[JTROKS]

Back when I was shooting USPSA when I switched to Open Division, I started with PDP 2 and 3 red dots. Those things work well during practice, but for some reason during a big match Murphy comes rolling in. I was glad I had a back up gun, but just thinking if I had back up iron sights I could’ve still finished the stage without misses. I never did get BUIS on my Open div raceguns because it wasn’t the in thing. The C-Mores are reliable and tough, as I mounted them on my raceguns when money allowed. On a defensive pistol with a slide mounted red dot, it will be foolish not to have BUIS.

But do what you think is best for you.

[L84CABO]

$302k

THOTtie for sure.

[SAD338]

I hope to see some flip up technology developed soon, just based on my limited experience looking through a buddy's red dot Glock. I like just the dot without the cowitness. It's distracting.

[tomrkba]

I indexed off the sights as I learned to use the RMR

[hambam105]

OP:
Age related eye-sight issues is a real common concern with the experienced pistol shooters. I refer to the shooters who did shoot very well with irons in the 60s & 70s because that's all that there was at the time. A few of these shooters are still on the range, not just behind the keyboard, and they physically cannot clearly see their sights. And the eyesight issue isn't going to improve for them. So the red dots & aimpoints & lasers, et al are a necessity and not an alternative.

Sadly there are plenty of younger shooters or shooter that have correctable vision, that have the ability to clearly see iron sights but have not learned to use them effectively or refuse to believe or trust iron sights. Why I do not know.

Industry calls it,
"Moving from one shiny object to the next shiny object".

Plain and Simple:
Thousands of pistol shooters sadly believe that better shooting can be purchased. That shooting better is cheap, easy, and fast without much effort or study on their part. And there are plenty of Hucksters telling them that everyday. Instead of looking inward, they look to someone else that is going to fill in the skill portion for them. All it takes is money. Ain't happing.

Current Day:
It is most easy to design a course of fire where the benefit of having the latest wiz-bang attached to you gun makes it obvious this is what you never knew you needed until now. This is done with not only gajets of all kinds, but also with training with certain instructors, and training at certain facilities.

The OP is onto a great topic that I've already delved into too deeply for this kind of forum. So might as well go a little farther.

Look up, not just recall from memory, the difference between the concepts of, Strategy and Tactics. And remember, tactics dictate strategy. With this in mind combined with eyesight issues then you might have a better grasp on what is right for you. It never ends, so you might as well shoot and have some fun with your range friends.

[Matt P]

OP:
Age related eye-sight issues is a real common concern with the experienced pistol shooters. I refer to the shooters who did shoot very well with irons in the 60s & 70s because that's all that there was at the time. A few of these shooters are still on the range, not just behind the keyboard, and they physically cannot clearly see their sights. And the eyesight issue isn't going to improve for them. So the red dots & aimpoints & lasers, et al are a necessity and not an alternative.

Sadly there are plenty of younger shooters or shooter that have correctable vision, that have the ability to clearly see iron sights but have not learned to use them effectively or refuse to believe or trust iron sights. Why I do not know.

Industry calls it,
"Moving from one shiny object to the next shiny object".

Plain and Simple:
Thousands of pistol shooters sadly believe that better shooting can be purchased. That shooting better is cheap, easy, and fast without much effort or study on their part. And there are plenty of Hucksters telling them that everyday. Instead of looking inward, they look to someone else that is going to fill in the skill portion for them. All it takes is money. Ain't happing.

Current Day:
It is most easy to design a course of fire where the benefit of having the latest wiz-bang attached to you gun makes it obvious this is what you never knew you needed until now. This is done with not only gajets of all kinds, but also with training with certain instructors, and training at certain facilities.

The OP is onto a great topic that I've already delved into too deeply for this kind of forum. So might as well go a little farther.

Look up, not just recall from memory, the difference between the concepts of, Strategy and Tactics. And remember, tactics dictate strategy. With this in mind combined with eyesight issues then you might have a better grasp on what is right for you. It never ends, so you might as well shoot and have some fun with your range friends.