Handguns with optics.

[Vinnie Boombatz]

Personally, I feel that optics are like golf clubs. Some guys are zhitty golfers and think that a more expen$ive set of clubs are gonna make them somehow a better golfer. When in reality they?re still crappy golfers who just blew a grip of cash for nothing.

Same could be said about installing an optic on a handgun.

I have to respectfully disagree. Now, if you suck with irons it?s not like you?re going to magically be amazing with a red dot. You still need good fundamentals and if you can?t grip the gun right and have poor presentation and crappy trigger control, etc., a red dot is okay going to fix those bad habits. But if you have the fundamentals down the red dot will only make things easier as far as shot placement and can really speed things up for you.

It?s actually similar to wearing shoes specifically made for Olympic lifting. I was against them for a while and kept saying I didn?t need them. I had good technique and decent foundation for squatting, cleans and overhead squats. Tried a friends pair of lifting shoes and was like, ?oh, crap. Now I feel a difference? and have been using them ever since.

So if you know what you?re doing and have good fundamentals a red dot can only make things better in many cases. Especially for those with aging eyes. I can?t see crap up close and wear bifocals/ progressives and the red dot is a game changer, even with astigmatism. One focal plane (red dot) instead of two focal planes (irons) is so much h better.

[Rcjackrabbit]

I criticized optics on handguns for a long time. Then, I witnessed how much better a shooter can be making head shots at 25 yards. I was sold.

Putting the 508T on 8 of my Glocks was the smartest gun thing I ever did.

In 2023, they are a huge advantage for CCW on an active shooter with a rifle and amor. You can make better head shots at a distance than with irons.

Getting robbed is not the only threat anymore.

[HKAllTheThings]

The only bad thing about adding a dot to your pistol is that it makes your hand tremble like crazy

[rodralig]

The only bad thing about adding a dot to your pistol is that it makes your hand tremble like crazy

_

[johncage]

nothing less than an acog on my m&p bodyguard

[Carcassonne]

I MIGHT give pistol optics a try. Having a choice of : Glock MOS models , P320 or M&P 2.0, which one is best for an optic? I been carrying with irons for years and know very little about mounting optics.

You can sometimes get a complete Glock 19 gen3 style upper from PSA on sale for around $200. Be sure it has the right optics cut: RMR vs Docter. Also be sure the barrel doesn't have a threaded barrel if you live in California.

RMR https://palmettostatearmory.com/psa-...rder=price_asc

DOCTER https://palmettostatearmory.com/psa-...rder=price_asc


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[Squidward]

I think that the real question to ask is; "which optic is best". "Best" meaning best for durability, operational options and "best" for your eyesight requirements.

[FNGGlock]

For SD/HD pistols I'm still on iron sights, HD/SD rifles all have optics on them- from simple red dot to Holosun's with circle/dot config. The AR's have 1/3 co-witness Magpul MBUS with the optic.

I am trying out optics for competition/target pistols and have found the Holosun ACSS system to work really well - as the big circle helps you to present properly when drawing or moving from different angles. The issue here is that I had one of these fail on me, and another guy at the club also had one fail on him. The replacements were send and has held up well so far, but still need some time to trust these.

For comp & target purposes just a red dot is fine, but for SD/HD/CCW having backup sights is likely a good idea. Also an enclosed system may be less prone to issues or interference from elements. I like backup sights on 1/3 co-witness as it makes the picture less busy.

Lastly as said above - red dots do take time to practice and use properly. It is fairly easy on a rifle (with huge benefits in terms of time to acquire a target), but handguns is much harder from presentation to focus, etc.