Pistol mounted optics. Red dot sights on pistols are here to stay – and they’ll not all red dots anymore. We see more and more of the in the hands of our students – whether they are citizens, deputy sheriffs and police officers, or service members. Yes, some improvements need to be made to these optics; and the manufacturers are making them.
Last week, we taught our second pistol mounted optic specific class. This week, one well-known company is here doing a media day with their new pistol mounted optic.
Some considerations for you, the user, to think about:
How are you going to attach the optic to the slide? Will you have the slide machined to take the optic? If you choose this path, who? Or will you go with a manufacturers’ design like the M&P CORE or Glock’s MOS? Do you stay with their mounting plates or buy an after-market plate? Once you’ve decided on one method, how do you do it?
Have you thought about an open emitter sight that is open to the environment? Or one where everything is enclosed?
Then there are the battery compartments. Batteries can be under the sight, on the side, or top. If the battery is underneath, then you are probably going to have to remove the sight to change the battery. Afterward? You are probably going to have to re-zero that sight.
Over the next several months, we will be writing about these areas and more.
We would be remiss if our focus were just on the equipment side of things. There will be pieces on how to best use a pistol with an optic mounted on it.
A few of the user-specific concerns we will be addressing are one eye or both eyes, what do you focus on, and does how you present the pistol change.
Until next time.
Erick
