Which red dot sight to get for a Ruger Mark 3?

[GeoRick]

Hey guys, just wondering what kind of dot sights people are using and recommending for the Ruger Mark 3 pistol. I'm waiting for a mark 3 competition for pick up very soon 😁.

What red dot sight did you get? Or other type of sight? And what did you pay for it roughly? Thanks for your input everyone!

-Rick

[CGT80]

I had a Cmore with the click switch and a 6moa dot on my Ruger Mk III Hunter 6 7/8". It worked very well. The dot runs $300 or so, IIRC. I put the dot on my 3 gun AR 15 build when I got into 3 gun. Both my parents run Cmores on their pistols (1911 9mm open race gun with comp and xd 4" 9mm no comp).

My Hunter came with the V notch rear sight. I hated it, so I ordered the square notch. I run that now. A red dot is fun, but I think I prefer fiber optic irons for my pistols. My XD 40 limited (tricked out) competition gun is fiber optic as is my Smith 460 Mag 8 3/8" revolver.

My brother had a cheap ($30-$50) dot that he used on my Hunter pistol, but it would not hold zero. Buy once and cry once.

[Occams Rasor]

I put a Primary Arms red dot on a Buckmark. ~$80. Holds zero have had no problems with it. Dot is about 3MOA. Window is kinda small, but some red dot are so large it looks like you mounted the Hubble space scope on the pistol.

[Catch]

How are your eyes?
a 6moa dot is much bigger than a 3moa dot.
A lot people like the trs-25 (around $100). I've owned a sightmark and lucid, both crisp and held zero on 9mm carbines.

[Press Check]

Between various MK pistols I've owned, I've used an Aimpoint Micro, Leupold Delta Point and an RM01, but I seem to always gravitate back to irons with a FO front sight.

[SKSDan]

I've got a Burris fast fire II on mine.

[2meterB]

The TRS-25 works just fine on mine. No complaints.

[Psykoasn]

Im in the same boat, but im just looking for the cheapest one I can find

[CGT80]

How are your eyes?
a 6moa dot is much bigger than a 3moa dot.

Not sure who you are asking. Mine are a step better than 20/20 with my glasses. My dad's don't seem to be as good. I think he runs a 6 moa dot on his pistol and he bought an 8 moa for my mom.

6 moa on a rifle is not for slow precise shots at distance. I am always on a timer when I compete and the targets are not paper bullseyes. Last match I did had 5 targets that were 70-100 yards, shot from a small hill. The plates were about human chest sized and at least 3 of them had flasher plates that were around 6" in diameter. I had to engage all 5 plates from three different shooting boxes as fast as possible. It wasn't necessary to hit the flashers. It took me around 25 seconds for 15 targets, with 10 round mags, with 3 missed shots (neutralized all targets) and I hit the flashers maybe 5 times. I was the 3rd fastest shooter for that stage out of the match and others ran 30+ round mags and scopes. I shot while standing for all targets, some people kneeled to help with accuracy. Many of my rifle targets are less than 50 yards (IPSC cardboard targets) and our max is 200 yards. I consistently give guys with big mags and scopes a run for their money. I was worried the red dot would be a disadvantage, but it works for 3gun.

The OP is getting a pistol. I am used to iron sights and having the sight line close to the bore of the pistol. I found a dot to be hard to get used to. When I ran it on the Mk III, it was just for fun. I have used the Mk III and factory fiber optic sights for steel competitions. It worked well. My parents don't do nearly as well with iron sights as they do with their dots. My dad is impressive with his 9mm open gun. He did pistol competitions with me for around two years or so, on a regular basis, but he hasn't practiced as much as I have. His speed is slower than mine, in general, but he still has the accuracy he learned when he started with a 45 acp 1911 and iron sights. Sometimes he does take out targets faster than me when his game is on.

My shooting is often based on hitting steel targets or going as fast as possible. With that said, I often shoot my stages clean with no penalties for low accuracy, hit hostages, or failures to neutralize. I will sacrifice some speed to shoot accurately, because it makes a difference in the end. A smaller dot would be better for shooting for small groups. That is ok when your target is consistent and you have time. The targets in 3 gun are often not painted and blend in with the range. We don't have any bullseyes to shoot.

The OP didn't list what he plans to use this pistol for, so that leaves things a bit open. Hey OP, have you shot a pistol with a dot on it, before?

[G21Shooter]

I've got a Burris fast fire II on mine.

+1 I have zero complaints about the Burris FFII I have on mine. Cost effective, quality, long battery life, and holds zero.

Fun, fun plinking setup.

[steel30]

Been looking at the Redfield Accelerator and Burris Fastfire ll, haven't pulled the trigger on either one yet...

[GeoRick]

Hey guys, thanks for all the great replies! To answer some questions: this will be my first time shooting a pistol with a dot sight, and I am still trying to figure out what kind of money I want to spend on it. Primary reason for the post. Also, I don't really know what style I might like more (aimpoint style or kobra/fastfire style). Probably because I've never done this before.

But this is just for fun plinking really. The competition model I'm getting has a great, long barrel, so I thought I would trick it out with a red dot. 😁

I have shot the 22/45 with iron sights before, and loved it, but am also just thinking about some possibilities for a dot sight somewhere down the line. So I wanted to see what's out there that people use for any accurate 22lr pistol. Thanks for all the great info!

I really like that Cmore.. But I'm thinking I should keep things in the 100-150 or 200 range tops...
Almost bought a vortex sparc, but it looks like it could be a little bulky for the mark 3, any experience with the sparc? Thanks guys.

[servo]

Almost bought a vortex sparc, but it looks like it could be a little bulky for the mark 3, any experience with the sparc? Thanks guys.

The tube diameter on the Sparc is pretty small. It's fine on my rifle with a short eye relief and very little movement after each shot. I put it on my AK pistol for kicks and it was somewhat difficult to find the dot after each shot. I haven't tried it on my 22/45 yet.

[Kiba]

I run a Burris FFIII on one of my MK3 Hunters and my other MK3 hunter with iron sights runs a VQ square rear sight (couldn't stand the V-notch) and Dawson fiberoptic front sight.

I like the Burris FFIII on the MK3 because it sits very low over the barrel with their dovetail mount. Had an FFII on it for years without an issue, upgraded to the FFIII earlier this year. Tried an Ultradot on the pistol years back and while it worked I much prefer the "window" style of the FFII/FFIII (much closer to the view through the C-more on my open blaster) and how much closer it sits to the bore.

[G21Shooter]

Another option to consider is the Trijicon RMR if you have the cash.