There has been a lot of talk lately about “Pistol Red Dots” as they are commonly called, and they are showing up on the ranges, in competitions, and in the holsters of Law Enforcement agencies everywhere. There are also a lot of misconceptions out there that need to be clarified if you are going to make an informed decision on whether to make the jump.
First impressions are everything, and too often I see people pick up an inexpensive optic to try, have difficulty with finding the dot, seeing the dot in daylight, or even getting it to hold a consistent sight position, resulting in their getting discouraged and dismissing the sight as a viable option. As with anything…including your firearm….there is quality and there is junk, and the junk wont enable you to make a soild decison on whether an optic is right for you.
So what can a quality optic do for your shooting and your ability to be effective with your pistol?
To start off, there is simplicity. With an Optic you are not lining up a front and a rear sight, you are using a single red (or green) dot, placing it where you want the bullet to go, them completing the shot. Many variables are eliminated.
Clarity. If your sights are blury due to eye conditions, or even dare I say age, then the dot will provide a sharp, clear sight picture, enabling you to comfortably use both eyes and focus on the target, and not your sights. Blurry sights mean inconsistently aligned sites and accuracy issues. Your dot optic resolves this problem.
Low-light conditions. Your dot is illuminated…you will see it in bright light, low light, and even no light….and only you will see it, not your attacker.
Speed. Initially people have trouble “finding the dot”. This goes away with a little training and practice. Once you have adapted to finding the dot it will appear every time you draw your weapon, and it will be ready for you to complete your shot. No taking the time to align blurry sights under low light. Put the dot on where you want to hit and shoot!
Accuracy. It is very easy to be accurate with a dot optic. The dot is smaller than your front sight post, amd there is no possibility of misaligning the front and rear sight. If you do everything else right with your shot, you will hit where the dot is. Like with any shooting experience, there are a lot of variables that can cause you to miss. The dot optic eliminates the sighting variables leaving you to focus on your target and other aspects of your shooting.
I hear people say “but what if my battery dies?” Well, the average life span of a battery in a quality optic varies between 30,000 and 50,000 hours. There are 8,766 hours in a year, which means your battery is good for at least 3 years! Change your $6 battery every year on your birthday and you will never come close to having to worry about your battery dieing.
I also hear “so what if my optic gets damaged? There are 2 aspects to this. First a quality site is very rugged and takes a lot of abuse. Second, if there is enough damage to prevent it from working, there are alternate sighting techniques that will still keep you on target. You wont be out of the fight.
There are Many advantages and very few disadvantages. Training and practice, as always, is important. If you have any questions, Femme Fatale Arms & Training has a certified Pistol Optics Instructor on staff who can help you decide. We will also be offering a class specific to Pistol Mounted Optics very soon!
Femme Fatale Arms & Training has a full progressive and systematic curriculum that can take you from being brand new to firearms to being able to effectively address any threat, at any realistic distance. From Basic Firearms Use and Safety through to our Protective Tactics classes…we can get you where you need to be.
Femme Fatale ARMS & Training is a woman-owned business that provides education and support to an over victimized and underserved segment of our population. We have programs to build confidence and skill without the intimidating aspects that tend to exist elsewhere in this industry. Our goal is customer satisfaction and loyalty. We’d appreciate an opportunity to show you how we are different, yet still, help you to accomplish your education and safety goals.
Amyone can shoot a gun, we train you to defend yourself!
Femme Fatale Arms & Training is located at 160 Malabar Road, Palm Bay, Fl. We are open Mon-Wed 10 to 5, Thurs and Fri10 to 6, and Saturday 12 to 4
