Carry pistol ( optics)for bad eye sight

Freind is trying to get there first hand gun for carry and home defense. She loves my sig p320 and similar sized handguns ,hates them little dinky things. Problem is she don't have the best eye sight for iorns. Would a reflex sight or something be a good idea or ?

Taurus Judge. .410 buck shot.

I have a p320 with a romeo zero on it perhaps that's a set up that would work.??

XS big dot sights

Reflex is good and fast once trained to pick them up.

Problem is they don't naturally fall to the eye as easily as irons do. You have to get the draw stroke down pat so it does fall to the eye.

What are sights on a handgun? - find one that is a good "natural " pointer --- different for each person.

For a self defense carry gun, don’t use sights. She needs to learn to draw, point, and shoot accurately enough to hit a body sized target at 20 feet with no sights, in about three seconds. If you can’t do that there is no point in carrying. In a self defense situation you won’t have time to line up sights and carefully aim. What she needs to do is pick a gun that feels good in her hand and send 1000 rounds down range.

Serbu supper shorty should work. Not to small packets a punch

This is about spot on...

Is a laser an option?

12 ga.

Well the deal is it's not just a carry piece she also wants to be able hit what she wants. Like something smaller then a torso size target , feral dog,raccoon in the trash can type of stuff. She's really admit about being able to put round where she wants ( you can probably blame me for that one lol) I taught her the basic when I first showed he how to shoot a pistol. A small torso target isn't really hard for her at all , and I'm super confident she can pass in one of those massive qual targets I see being used ( heck the one I was having her shoot was half the size) beyond Hitting something like a water bottle however. Well...

Possibly

She actually really does want one nice fella at the range let her shoot his with a load of buckshot and haven't heard the end of it yet

The small red dot sights that many slides are milled for today are game changers, I put one on my Glock 17 to see if I would like them or not and while there is a training curve to get to where you instantly pick up the dot as Warrior pointed out they greatly improve your effective range with the handgun. I am able to consistently hit an 8 inch steel plate at 100 yards with mine whereas before with the factory sights it was very difficult because the sights covered and area over a foot wide at 100 yards. At close range my split times really didn't change, I think mainly because I was only referencing my front sight rather than getting a true sight picture, but from 25 yards out the dot sight is also faster than irons.

Don't use one of the mounts that replace the rear sight, get a slide that is milled for a RDS as the ones that replace the rear sight put the RDS to high and make them more difficult to use, plus most of the holsters for handguns with a RDS are designed around those mounted on a milled slide.

Carry optics is growing Fast and they are putting them on even budget guns these days

I have a Ruger MKIII with a Vortex Venom and can hit steel plates at 100 yards off hand , it is a huge game changer , irons I might hit 2 in 10 and dot I am more like 9 of 10 rounds.

are you trying to make one gun to do it all or a carry gun for personal protection that might also take some close targets ?

I know the Red dots are a game changer for distance and pistols , that said I am still carrying all irons I am running in Limited for the practice , because I am not going to carry a half magazine of ammo in production.

good red dots get into some money and require you keep up on battery changes so if this is going to be a gun that gets loaded holstered and forgotten about till it is needed I wouldn't go optic
but if she is willing to change a battery every couple months and keep the lenses clean it can add range.

red dots also make a larger package so if your trying to conceal it that can be a factor ,easier to carry the more often it gets carried and the less time left at home.

lots of things to weight out

think about all the targets she might want to shoot
and rank them in order of importance and assign them a likely max distance

my most carried gun is a Ruger LC9 , for me it pocket carries very easily it is 8 round if I need it , actual uses have been a few raccoons , never drawn it in protection , I try to avoid situations where I would need to but it is there if I need it. expected range of use with that I expect to be under 30 feet.

my second most carried gun is a G19 it takes a touch more planning to wear than just a gun in a pocket holster and that is why it gets carried less.

she , might be best served with a 2 gun approach

a small daily carry for those close personal defense issues and a back door or bedroom rifle or shot gun at home for more around the yard targets or bump in the night stuff

everyone shoots a bigger gun better than a little bitty , but will she carry it is the thing

no question a C class shooter with a PCC is running on par for a master times on the same stages so the old saying you use a pistol to fight your way to your rifle is fairly true , then again if you were expecting trouble you would bring a rifle , help with rifles or not go.

some in between guns like the G19mos and G45mos , G48mos bring the size down a bit while making them optics ready and still very shoot-able about everyone has a competitor to these this just simplifies approximate size
the P365xl optics ready might be something to look at also it is worth finding a range and going and renting all the serious options.

the Judge has extremely little practical use it weighs a fair amount , it is big , the round count is low , it spreads that buck shot fast and it is no better than a 45acp with 5 rounds if loaded with 45lc
so it is big heavy had very limited range with any type of shot , sends that shot everywhere you don't want
but hey you sure shouldn't need an optic for it shooting any type of shot

any rifle or shotgun for the house and things that go bump in the night should have a strong mounted white light

sit down with her and think about what her potential targets are and their importance

Do you like her???
Buy her one...be the Hero-knight

Contact lenses.

it's 2022 no matter how much you like her you can plunk down the cash but unless she is taking your last name and a ring she fills out her own 4473

American 180

glasses with strap also

in the famous Miami Dade FBI shoot out , the guy who was the best shot wore thick glasses and his glasses were lost in the crash , he from across the street could not see well enough to make the hits he would have normally easily made. dumped more than 2 mags from his S&W 9mm semi auto possibly scoring one hit in the arm of the suspect/driver/shooter taking out the other agents

Cap gun?

330 that would be the girlfriend loop hole.

If she likes the heavy weak judge she will love the serbu. Did anyone look it up?

For actual self defense from an attack I would say point and shoot is what to become proficient at....range will be under 7 yards. Aim for groin to minimize background issues and that will also go under most body armor and is pretty effective at stopping a threat.

No time to aim.....gun should be one that the user finds e-z to fire and will not/or minimize any malfunction's.

Nothing wrong with having 2 guns

I am aware of what it is , 870 with about 6 inches of barrel and 2-3 rounds in the mag tube in 12 or 20 ga

it might actually be a tiny bit more useful than a judge at the expense of another pound at least it isn't rifled but it is an AOW so there is that

For all you guys saying no need for sights remember this. Every bullet downrange has a lawyer attached to it.

Roll the dice and take your chances but I've done enough point shooting to trust my sights more.

The key for you slow folks is the draw stroke that puts the sights right there in your line of sight. From there it's either slide index fast and dirty or line them up proper as the situation merits.

And don't count on it being seven yards either. My first time having to draw for effect was 35 yards, fortunately the dude with shotgun got out of sight as I was stacking the trigger. But I still clearly recall the sight picture of front sight on blue bandana.

Practice pointing and shooting at 5, 10, 15 yards. Shoot till the threat is eliminated

Stay away from bad areas and situations.

Practice, practice, practice

a person who cannot see well may have no business shooting at someone @ 35 yards..I think it is best to work within the limitations of each person. On average most folks who carry cannot hit a human at 35 yards with their handgun with any regularity.

When I was in practice, long ago, a pie plate at 100 was in my regular routine. On a good day I could keep them all in but a man sized target at that distance wasn't safe any day. This was with irons on a model 36 Chiefs Special j-frame Smith.
When I switched to the 1911 I couldn't do it as the stock gi sights weren't tall enough to give a good sight picture as I had to hold a good bit of front sight above the notch.
I was also burning through a few hundred rounds a month back then as well.

But if you carry it is your responsibility to know how to use it under all possible scenarios or avoid those scenarios where you can't.

This is my recommendation, the XS big dot.




They also have a standard dot.



And they are tritium night sights.

Another thing on the red dots.

You mention vision issues. If she has any measure of astigmatism, as I do, most red dots will appear as a blur or smear even with corrective lenses. Don't ask me to explain the why other than to say astigmatism is a warped eyeball that renders the reception at the back of the eye with some parts in perfect focus with other parts out of focus. Don't know just why red dots and their laser or led light smears but it does. Depending on severity it can still be used with some level of accuracy if not precision. I can but don't care for the blur.

Etched reticles don't have this issue but I don't know of any etched handgun sights.

Warrior makes a good point about red dots

this is what a red dot looks like to my phone camera



this is my artist rendering of what it looks like to my eye


this is on a rifle and inside 100 yards it isn't an issue just put the red startburst on the target out at 200 it gets a little harder an 8 inch steel plate is mostly covered by the dot it should only cover 4 inches but it seems to be more like 6 to me



on a pistol because it is farther from the eye it isn't as star bursty to me but she should look through several before buying and see what they look like to her

maybe see if you can rent a gun with a dot at a range

To me I get a smear to the upper right. The left bottom pretty clear. And yes close in splatter it on target and bang, further out well it's there somewhere.

Exactly what I was thinking.

What kind of eyesight problem are we dealing with?

This thread is full of really bad advise.

In order to defend oneself in a self defense shooting, accuracy does matter. AVERAGE distance for self defense shootings is 21 feet. A bunch happen within arms reach so to average 21 feet that means some happen at much greater distance. She needs to be prepared for anything.

I personally hate electronic dots. I have fairly good vision and the dot is always misshapen to me. Not enough to matter but enough to be distracting. I much prefer a good light gathering sight. There plenty on the market, just make sure the front dot is a different color than the rear sight or dots.

In my opinion 2 guns is the best option.

I don’t care for any form of electronics on a carry/defense gun. As others have mentioned a defense situation is going to be close quarters and be a high stress situation no need to complicate the situation with gidgets and gadgets.

For small/medium critter defense get a quality rimfire with a reflex sight if needed. Fun and relatively economical to shoot even in these times.

Asking for gun site advice for someone who can't see well would seem to me to be the same as me asking how an old broke down man like myself to choose which fighting style i should use to handle hand to hand combat with an irate MMA fighter.
Everyone has their limitations. If she can't see well, and corrective lenses aren't an option, she needs a shotgun.
As far as my scenario with the MMA fighter, I choose to go with the age old saying, "Never challenge an old man to a fight. He won't fight you. He'll just kill you."

What Carl said.

Carl has a very valid point. Especially when you consider pistols are what you fight with until you can get to your rifle or shotgun or if your long gun goes down.

Aimpoint was one of the first proven patrol rifle optics . with 3 years of battery life if you changed it every year you had that insurance it would be plenty.

now a number of manufacturers are putting out optics with 10K, 30K, or 50K hour battery life

10 years ago you need to buy a really high dollar optic to get that kind of battery life today you can get it for 300 dollars

we are at that point where guys ran battery powered optics successfully in Iraq and Afghanistan some needed regular battery changes weekly or monthly.
they have gotten better

now that we have 20 some years with dots

now that several police departments are using dots for patrol officers side arms they will continue to improve

so while I was anti battery widget on an SD gun in the past, with a set of backup irons lower 1/3 co-witness on a rifle and backup irons with a low mounted optic on a handgun they have lots of benefits and fast backup if the dot does fail.

that said she needs to look at them see how they work for her eyes

laser is an option also it can have the same battery failure so they are all just tools in the tool box but don't forget your irons as backup. watched a guy with a laser who didn't have trigger control , you could see the laser dart off the target just as the trigger broke and the shot when left or low left , had a flinch but it was easy to see for the spectators he didn't see it

LPVO low power variable optic is also an option on rifles and shotguns there you have etched glass reticals and many have illumination also , illumination is great when it works and looks like a normal scope if not working

We've been talking about it alot. What it really boils down to is she wants something that she can put bullets where she wants. After someone tried pulling her out her car at a gas station while she was with come friends she really wants something she can have in her car first and formost. Point blank range like that instance doesn't worry her.
Again where's she's worried about aiming is when she's walking or babysitting and there's a snake or a dog or something. She wears glasses and can't really shoot iorns very well. Scoped rifles are just fine but she's can't just carry around a long gun when she's babysitting or out on a walk .
And she's all for guns btw . Loves shooting just some stuff is going on in alot of different aspects and right now a pistol with something that will help her aim better is kinda the main thing.

Wolfdog nothing beats practicing. With enough of it she will get so instinctual she won't really aim (or realize she is doing it.. But that's not likely to happen with current ammo coat and available. So most likely a Lazer may help her out. There are many types from after marker grips to some that go in the guide rod. Red dots are fine but like other's above I have aging eyes and they Starburst on me and I am not a fan.

If she wants a handgun that will also perform snake duty and probably wouldn't need a handgun for long shots, the Taraus Judge does sound like it might be a good option.

good I am glad you have been talking

sounds like she mostly needs self defense at fairly close quarters under 30 feet

covering every distance is the hard part

just me thinking out loud here , if she is baby sitting it needs to be worn on body in a secure holster , and most likely concealed.

if she needs it in a hurry at a gas station or road rage type issue it has to be close (onbody) or it is no good

carry guns are 100% compromise you can compromise on comfort & concealability or shoot ability & capacity

the perfect handgun is a rifle

start with the most pressing need , person to person personal protection that she can and will carry on body everywhere she wants

you might go to a bigger woods bumbing pistol for later where targets of opportunity can be taken

right now deal with the what gun can you have on you all the time and of those options which one do you shoot the best and go rent some and see.

something like a SIG p365 they also make a p365xl and other guns in that size class it needs to be big enough to get a grip to shoot decently

unless snakes are just something she deals with on the regular I would just take them out of the equation for now or get a basic revolver with snake shot for walking in snake areas , I admit I have no real experience with snakes everything here in WI runs from you for the most part extremely few venomous I have never seen one in the wild.

I am serious when I say she should pick out 3-4 outfits she can wear comfortably to do her driving , baby sitting and other regular tasks she does and you figure out what she can do for a holster and carry options you might be able to point out some that just won't work right off , I don't know what she wears

my Aunt lives in GA and found stretch pants with a belly band holster worked for her lifestyle cause when she isn't in scrubs in the OR where she can't carry and doesn't need to it is likely sandals , stretch pants and a dress or long blouse with the p365 she went to the range and tried a bunch she was trained on the M9 from the army but knew she couldn't conceal that beast nor did she want the bulk or size to carry with regularity.

My uncle has a G26 and she carried that some but she didn't really like it after hurricanes who ever was outside carried and they would switch off , she didn't want to switch off any more and, the M4 (I know it isn't actually an M4 but it is an AR15 set up as close to her M4 as possible) wasn't really practical to carry although it was the gun she was most comfortable with.

part of the reason there are so many handguns in this sub compact size is we all have different hands and fractions of an inch and ounces matter in carry guns every manufacture is trying to make the biggest small that can be concealed well hold the most rounds and be most shoot-able and that is different for a lot of people.

I ended up getting a laser with a used LC9 I got as a packaged deal I had carried the LC9 for years at that point so adding a spare seemed smart at that price when the laser was on it compromised my grip and dug into my middle finger that laser clamped to the trigger guard and changed it by less than an 1/8 of an inch but that was too much when I was already using very 1/64th" of grip space.



to sum this up , focus on the person threat , work out how she will carry and conceal. what holster , what she can wear , find the gun that fits her that she can conceal and she can still shoot decently.
look at carry optics , look at the options for optics ready guns in that size class , but I wouldn't get hung up on having an optic most of her threats are close and she seems to shoot well enough with irons adding a laser might also be useful.
carrying a bright white light besides is something she should be doing also

one more thing , she may need a portable storage option while baby sitting , for those times when she is doing tasks where she is best to not be carrying the gun or it gets in the way, a way to lock it out of the reach of little hands.

besides that situational awareness , having a "go" word and plan with the kids keep it not scary but make a game that sometimes if I say this word we just need to go you will sometimes hear cops talk about a word or phrase or look they have with their spouse that says your going for the door and I am dealing with something or leave the cart we are going now. hopefully you never need it but better to have it be a practiced thing.

Have you considered some of the aftermarket fiber optic sights, I recently bought a CZ75 that someone had put some aftermarket fiber optic sights on and they are really easy to find and put on target, even more so then my red dots that I have been putting on more of my pistols because of my eyes slowly going out, my experience has been that a red dot is a great aid for at least my eyes but with the fiber optic ones on this new to me CZ75 there as e even more easy to pick up




Believe me I totally understand about bad eyes and gun sights

Great Advice A person with Poor eyesight identifies and stops assailant at what 30 yards 50 or 100

I doubt there is any state which allows the use of deadly force unless there's a felony being committed (example ) knocking out a window screen and crawling thru felony breaking and entering Walking thru an unlocked door unlawful entry Misdemeanor
Basically your at a point and shoot for self defense Accessibility, largest caliber they can handle and practice often with and concealability And NO a large purse or Handbag that can be grabbed set on a carhood or left in a shopping cart doesn't qualify

I really like the sights on the Springfield Hellcat. My old eyes can see them.