Red dot or reflex for S&W model 41?

[JagerDog]

I'm not very experienced with red dots, etc.

I don't shoot anything competitively, but I recently picked up a 41. I do like precision even when I'm just shooting at cans. At the range I want small groups. My eyes don't work too well with irons anymore.

Been looking at Ultradot HD or a reflex sight like the Burris Fastfire or UltraDot L/T. I think I want a dot on the smaller side. Something quality, but not break the bank quality. Couple hundred +/- is doable. I like the compactness of both of these.

The reflex would appear to work better with a both eyes open or just keeping a better eye on what's around. The dots seem to more prevalent in bullseye shooting.

[mrboma]

Congrats on the 41 score Jager!

I wanted to red dot my .22 pistol when I started shooting Steel Challenge. After trying a few low end RD's I ended up going with the FF3 with the 8moa dot and I love it. Very little added weight and a nice big red dot to aim with. Both eyes open is a no brainer and sight picture comes stupid fast with practice.

I would caution you to look through some RD's before you chose dot size. Smaller will help with precision for sure, but how precise do you need your pistol to be? The smaller the dot the easier it is to "lose the dot" when transitioning between targets. I found that for shots under 35 yards (max distance in SC) the 8moa dot was the perfect compromise.

Obligatory picture:


Regards,
Mike

[JagerDog]

Something to consider for sure. Thanks for the feedback.

My typical shooting doesn't involve transitions and where a hit is a hit as in steel. My nature tends more to precision along the lines of bullseye, but with less expectation than all 10's.

Red dots tend to be the rule in bullseye, but I like the idea of better awareness of what's happening around the reflex seems to provide since I'm often not in a controlled range environment.

I do have a couple red dots on carbines (Vortex Strikefire and a Sightron with multiple reticles), but haven't even used those much. Never shot a pistol with optics aside from a few shots with a couple scoped pistols.

If I was usually shooting paper, I've read that a dot which approximates a circle on the target can be advantages as the human eye is pretty good at superimposing circles. But when I'm out and about I just want to be deadly on cans and pine cones and perhaps a squirrel at longer distance than opens afford me. My slabside Buckmark proves to be the equal to my 41 using opens.

In reflex, I'd be looking at the Fastfire, Ultradot equivalent (seems Ultradot is highly regarded in the regular red dot bullseye games), and Leupold. I kinda like the motion sensing of the Leupold though it's a bit higher $'s than I was looking at, but in relation to the pistol value it's not out of line. Most my rifles have Leupold scopes.

[michaelthepsycho]

Get a C-More. That's what the competitors use. All the mini reflex sights are meh. The C-More gives you a nice wide window. and little bezel to obscure your view. 2 MOA sounds like what you want for precision.

Also, definitely go with a frame-mounted solution. It preserves your electronics better, and if you want to shoot faster, the sight staying put, as opposed to reciprocating with the slide, allows to you to stay on target better.

[JagerDog]

Get a C-More. That's what the competitors use. All the mini reflex sights are meh. The C-More gives you a nice wide window. and little bezel to obscure your view. 2 MOA sounds like what you want for precision.

Also, definitely go with a frame-mounted solution. It preserves your electronics better, and if you want to shoot faster, the sight staying put, as opposed to reciprocating with the slide, allows to you to stay on target better.

Due to the S&W 41 design, the barrel in relation to the frame is fixed when assembled.

I'll add the C-more to the investigation.

This is all preliminary. My barrel isn't drilled and tapped for optics mounting. I'm either looking at a barrel which is d&t'd, D&T'ing mine or a new barrel with integral rail.

[michaelthepsycho]

Due to the S&W 41 design, the barrel in relation to the frame is fixed when assembled.

I'll add the C-more to the investigation.

This is all preliminary. My barrel isn't drilled and tapped for optics mounting. I'm either looking at a barrel which is d&t'd, D&T'ing mine or a new barrel with integral rail.

So, basically like a Buck Mark. If you just want to dip your toes, D&T for a standard Pic rail and run an el cheapo like I do on my Browning. I personally don't run expensive options on .22s. It might look silly unwieldy, but it just works, and only 14 bucks! Not much to lose.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B074NCC554 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Blue sight is C-more 2 MOA for reference.

[Litespeeds]

Do you have a picatinny rail on your M41? I have a M41 that I bought used with a Weaver 1.5-4x scope and then changed to a Burris FF3 and now I have a Bushnell TRS-25 on it. The FF3 is definitely the lightest option but the TRS-25 is good enough for a range toy. If you plan on competing, then you might need something better.

[jr-abs]

Many M41s are drilled and tapped. Weaver makes long mount for this set up.
Here is a CZ Kadet upper that is drilled and tapped, with rail and a Ultra Dot 30.
It works great but adds approx. 6 oz.

[JagerDog]

My 41 doesn't have any tapped holes. I think they started doing that factory in '94. Mine's from early 70's (with cocking indicator). I could drill and tap it, but not sure I want to modify it. Though there's enough 41's out there I wouldn't consider them collectible, they are quite desirable. Seems "vintage" barrels are fetching as much or more than new barrels. I can get a new S&W barrel for $200 and add a rail or a Clark Barrel with integral rail. I did find a rail which utilizes the sight dovetail and set screws, but I kinda like the idea of having irons available either on the same barrel (remove optic) or a separate barrel.