Who likes the red dot on a handgun instead of front and rear sight?
Any pros, cons?

If you shake, it doesn’t work the best because it’s really magnified.

I have a Vortex red dot on a Browning Buck Mark and I really like it. Not magnified.

Also, are going to red dots on all our duty weapons at the PD. For point and shoot applications they are a game changer for an average shooter.

I'd like to shoot one to try it out. I primarily carry a Glock 29 for griz defense and don't know if they would be reliable enough for the harsh conditions I put my gun through.

Not
Trijicon.

Like it, have 2. Old eyes have a hard time seeing the back sight,

for target shooting yes , my 22 wears a Vortex Viper

easiest way to score 100 meter hits I typically have to hold the dot over the back of the ram and if windage hold off for that but it works well.

red dots on carry guns not so much it might work for someone but it isn't for me it is going to get dirty and full of dust in a holster. also one more more battery in my life to die at a really inconvenient time I just don't see needing the red dot on my carry gun. I can still shoot 100 yards and make hits with the irons , maybe some day if my eyes go bad. then I guess I will be spending a bunch of time cleaning lenses frequently.

I could even see running a red dot in an open class action pistol type set up or a hunting gun where I am trying to shoot further distance.

Thanks, sounds like some like them some don't, I'm mainly thinking personal protection, so I guess if I need it like in my house I'm close enough to just point it and fire

You could always put a laser on it , that would be good for in house distances.
Dennis

I'll check into that probably less money than a red dot

The Canik TP9SFX I'm looking at comes with plate to install red dot, or you can buy one already on it for 200$ more

at in the house distances I would put the money into a good light.

identifying your target with the light is more important than a red dot sight.

they make light laser combos if you have a hard time with sights

make yourself up some 16" wide by 20" tall cardboard targets and get good at aiming at the middle and shooting fast if you want a scoring ring take a small dinner plate about 8 inches center it on the target and draw a thin line around it so you can see the line when at the target but 20 feet back you can't really see the line inside the circle good hit , outside not as good , off the cardboard bad

then work on controlled pairs aim once shoot twice , it is a timing function when you get it you will have 2 rounds withing about 2 inches of each other in the center of the target at 25 feet put some targets in closer and out as far as your house would allow.in my house it would be about impossible to shoot longer than 30 feet.

gun , light , more ammo , more mags 3 is absolute minimum to do good training drills.

not for me for a carry gun.....just need the front sight to hit @ self defense distances. a good bright weapon light on a pistol is a good thing to have.

Thanks sounds like a good idea, the Canik TP9SFX holds twenty rounds, I was thinking about a third or fourth Magazine, it comes with two
These new tiny lights should work good
Thanks for practice ideas, I don't really know much about handguns and self defense, I mainly used rifles for hunting predators
Also a 12 gauge at close range, I have one ready
I found out it is hard for me to load the 9 mm magazine, it's painful to push a round into place

If it's just for home protection then forget a laser or dot and get night sights installed in the rear. Home defense ranges are point and shoot so you don't really need to find your sights to line anything up, just know where they are. Tritium night sights never die either

I have three. They are mounted on a 7 1/2 inch Redhawk 44, a 7 1/2 inch Super Blackhawk 357 Maximum, and a 5 1/2 inch S&W 41 22 target gun. I've made a lot of meat with all three. I also use a 5 1/2 inch Redhawk 44, a 5 1/2 inch Bisley Blackhawk 44 spl, a 5 inch S&W 625 45 auto rim/acp, a 6 inch S&W Model 14 38 spl, a 6 inch S&W K17 22 full target, and an extra barrel for the 41. All these have iron sights and have also put a lot of meat in the freezer. The three red dots are UltraDot sights both one inch and 30 mm. I prefer the 30 mm. I have never had a battery die on me in the field or on the range. The only one that did was sitting in my safe, forgot to turn it off. My fault that I didn't take it out for some exercise and see it. New battery and a couple minutes and I was out the door. My mood, where and what I plan on hunting determines what gun I use. As far as shaking, we all do it. I don't see a difference between the two. The red dots do hold an advantage at longer distances. My longest with the dot was about 100 yards, maybe a little more, bang flop. The longest with open sights was 89 good paces with a 4 inch 41 magnum at a dead run. That one took 3 shots. First was behind, second right lead but low, and the third was right on the money. She skidded 9 paces on her chin. The red dots are all 4 min dots and have polarizing filters on them so the dot can be seen in bright light and/or snow. Green would be better. The Max originally came to me with an old Leupold Gillmore with a 2 min dot that I thought would be perfect. Not so, too small and hard to find on bright snowy days even when turned up all the way plus it was big. Bullseye shooters around here tend to use 8 or 12 min dots. They want to cover almost the whole bull at what ever distance.

In the house I have a Shield 45 and an 870. The Shield carries the factory open sights. The 870 has a plain barrel that I docked to 20 inches, no bead, no nothing. Across the room or down the hallway the 870 will get the call. If an intruder can almost touch me it's the 45, don't want anyone to be anywhere close to being able to grab my weapon.

Thanks I'll look it up sounds good 👍

Fiber optic and tritium are preferable over a RMR on a handgun, for me.
I am a big fan of the XS brand Big Dot sight.

5 is a nice number of mags also remember semi autos run on magazines it seems like a simple thing but almost as much goes into designing a good magazine platform as does the rest of the gun , nothing causes malfunctions like a bad mag so if you have a problem trying a different mag is the second thing to try right after making sure the mag is fully inserted and racking the slide.

I label my mags so that if I get a jam I can remember which one it was , test it and if it is bad take it out of service.
for some mags all it takes is dropping the mag on the feed lip I have a bad ruger mag it got dropped , I will save the spring floor plate and follower for spare parts but smash the mag body so it doesn't end up getting back in with good mags. same thing for the AR get extra mags 5-6 is a nice number also


You need to get your self an an Jewish girlfriends Named LuLa well Mag Lula she makes loading mags very easy and your wife can use her also