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Pistol Red Dots: Are Iron Sights Better?

I use red dots on my target pistol, a Ruger MkIII and it's fine for that. However I have an astigmatism so I need the dot turned way down so it isn't just a random splash of red. Almost impossible to pick up quickly.

I've tried red dots that are on friend's carry guns and I'm not yet able to pick them up as fast as iron sights. Also my friends and I shoot weekly, doing basic CCW drills.

The guys that have red dots all have had the draw and no dot, more than once, guys who I know maintain their gear well. For whatever reason that dot wasn't on when they drew their gun, usually their first draw of the day from the holster. After that the dots are pretty reliable. The dots I've seen are Trijicon and Holosun and one other I don't recall. Two of the three guys have backup irons so it isn't a big issue, but it's an issue.

My iron sights are always on. So I'm personally not ready to switch to red dots for carry yet. Plus I'm not keen on cutting out a slab on any of my 1911s.
 
Excellent article. Thank you.
I can "see" the advantages.
However, even though the MRDS is ultra-small, it is still one more thing to get caught on clothing in an already stressful situation. I believe I will stick with the iron sights for CCW.
I do enjoy using a MRDS for general target shooting though. I have one on my Glock 20. Target re-acquisition on a pistol with considerable muzzle "flip" is considerably quicker than iron sights.
 
I agree that dots can make for better accuracy, but as much as I practice with my pistol/red dot (Hellcat/Wasp), I find it slows me down…a lot. I am almost as accurate out to 15 yd, using the irons, and waaay faster to get good hits on target. No doubt, training is the answer, but in a life and death situation, I believe that iron sights will work as well, and faster. Fast hits are what really count then. Not bullseye, pinpoint accuracy.
 
I’m old school too. My carry gun is for self defense, period. I carry SA 9 & 10.
I have tried the red dots and like them, but will stick to iron sights for self defense.
The problem I had with the carrying of red dots, concealed and in a holster, was after 3-4 days the lint from my cover shirts accumulated on the lense and made it very difficult to see through. What is a solution to this problem?
 
They are very different than iron sights and require a lot of practice. If you aren't ready to put that in, forget them. I used them for years on my race gun, so am very comfortable having one on my carry gun, but the learning curve is very real. I find them a lot faster because there's nothing to line up, but that was after a lot of practice.
 
Here's my problem with red dots. My guns are stored in a safe in my closet. I was curious, so after checking empty, I pointed my pistol with a red dot at my wife's "red" section. Oops. No red dot. I'm not sure what you should do when a bad guy shows up wearing red from head to toe. Probably point, shoot, check for disabled, laugh ass off. My red dot is on a home defense gun, which also has a light. My carry gun is irons only. I'm figuring on a carry gun, the bad guy has the advantage, so will be so close that it's hard to miss.
 
Well presented article thought I’d
add my 2cents.
I’ve competed in IPSC matches for
over 20 years in an open class, read
red dot sights here. I love my red dot but have found a couple issues
with it that may not be best for cc
personal defense. As one thread pointed out it is larger and protrudes from the gun and could
snag on clothing etc. The miniature
red dots may be better but the one
on my competition gun requires a
larger vertical opening to see through than iron sights. Another issue is if it rains or water gets on the lens the dot becomes a blurry
red glow. I understand the micro
red dot sights have good battery
life but I have had a battery go out
in the middle of a match.
I love the red dot on my match gun,
my carry gun has iron sights.
 
I've used red dot sights on hunting handguns ever since I missed a coyote at 60 yards with an 8" Dan Wesson 744 VH 44 magnum revolver. I had a 10'' gap between a couple of beech trees to shoot through, but nicked one and missed the coyote. I needed some help for my 50 YO eyes. In the mid 1990s I installed an Ultra Dot red dot on the DW and it changed everything. Off the bench I could regularly hit 2 liter soda bottles at 200 yards.
I've had my CCP since 1976 and carried iron sighted handguns until manufactures started producing optic ready pistols. Last year I replaced my iron sighted Walther PPQ SC EDC with a S&W MP 9 2.0 Compact and equipped with a Leupold Delta ProPoint w/ 6 MOA dot. It's so much easier to clean the Dot Torture target, consistently pass The Test with a 90 or better, and still get an aimed first shot off from concealed carry in under 2 seconds.
My Browning Buckmark, S&W 460 Magnum, and S&W 329PD all have red dot sights. I'd have nothing else.
 
Dolph said:
I’m old school too. My carry gun is for self defense, period. I carry SA 9 & 10.
I have tried the red dots and like them, but will stick to iron sights for self defense.
The problem I had with the carrying of red dots, concealed and in a holster, was after 3-4 days the lint from my cover shirts accumulated on the lense and made it very difficult to see through. What is a solution to this problem?
Click to expand...
Pick up a can of compressed air and puff off the lint every night, should blow right off no problem.
 
The wave of red dot use has definitely been unleashed! The manufacturers all show their products with MRD's. Print ads and commercials continue the piling on! It seems the natural progression to be followed by devices with night capabilities.
"Keep it Simple" has been a beneficial rule so far but the future is calling. Prudence says MRD's on a carry pistol requires back up irons....$$$$$$.
 
I have two carry guns, when I need good concealment I carry my Mod2 40 sub compact “Iron Sights” with the extended magazine in a Galco leather Holster which holds the gun tucked in close to my body. My other EDC is my new Elite Compact 10mm with a Holosun 507C which I carry with a Blackhawk Serpa which doesn’t interfere with the red dot at all, it doesn’t conceal as well since it sits out on my belt but I have no issues.

I practice a lot both drawing the gun from the holster as well as just picking it up from my nightstand or living room end table and I’m able to now find the dot immediately on full presentation.
 
I own and am quite proficient with both of my XDs 45 Mod.2s one with the Tritium Night Sight and one with the Fiber Optic Sight. Perfect for concealed carry and capable of taking care of most situations I would ever encounter. I tried Red Dots on both handguns and AR-15s. I have also used lasers on my XDs and really enjoy that added feature. Now to say Red Dots are a new step in the evolution would be an over statement IMO. As a technology profession there always one thing that you can count on: Technology WILL FAIL. To that end I haven't tried to use a Red Dot in adverse weather conditions (Rain/Snow), but would suspect in light rain the Red Dot would become obscured and distorted. Further testing is required.

The article really seems to be written as way to "Promote" the new OSP 9mm and OSP .45 platforms that Springfield recently released and less on an in-depth Red Dot to iron sight all out comparison. Until a true comparison test between these models I'll stick with the tried and tritium night sight and fiber optic sight which haven't failed when I need them the most "batteries not included". p.s. switching from Red Dot to iron sight on the fly is not as easy as it sounds and most users I know haven't even tried it, I have. Love my XD-s Mod.2s
 
I would like to see more standardization of mounts. Some of the sights come with multiple plates. Some have a bag of screws and others want you to buy the screws you need. I would rather not grind off pegs on my new sight in order to fit my gun that has an optics cut.
Reliability is more of a concern. I've seen too many customers tell of having issues to jump on this bandwagon at this time.
 
I don't have anything against optics, but I plan to stick with iron sights. I have hundreds of hours and unknown thousands of rounds of experience with iron sights. I have ingrained muscle memory, and consider their simplicity and reliability to be an asset in a high-stress self-defense situation.

I have a few guns that are almost exclusively for range and plinking use. While I have occasionally considered getting a red-dot equipped gun for this purpose, I've never felt a really strong urge to buy one. I've decided that I enjoy the "tech-free" aspect of my range and plinking time. I'm surrounded by tech at work, and I appreciate getting away from it for a bit when I'm shooting. I even find myself shooting my revolvers and leverguns more often these days. Mounting a red-dot to either of those styles of guns would just feel wrong.
 
youngolddude said:
I would like to see more standardization of mounts. Some of the sights come with multiple plates. Some have a bag of screws and others want you to buy the screws you need. I would rather not grind off pegs on my new sight in order to fit my gun that has an optics cut.
Reliability is more of a concern. I've seen too many customers tell of having issues to jump on this bandwagon at this time.
Click to expand...
Oh my goodness, yes. Standardization of mounts. That needs to happen.
 
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