coolhandluke 22:36 said:
No, not true. As has been mentioned above, a typical home defense shooting takes place at a distance of 10 ft. Optics are as useful there as an accordian.
In my experience, optics are still faster there; just like they are faster at 50yds and for the same reasons.
oneounceload said:
35 years of shooting shotguns, sometimes under extreme stress
Well, the reason I asked what your experiences are is because your conclusion is pretty much 180 degrees from mine, and I am trying to figure out what different experiences we have that lead to our conclusions. Your response above is mildly helpful since it indicates one big difference (I don't shoot much shotguns); but it doesn't tell me much about the specific instances where you have irons to be superior to red dots at short ranges (<15 yds).
In your experience, what is the speed differential between red dots and a shotgun bead? Any difference in hits?
playing soldier and worrying about what armed forces do in CQB is irrelevant to 99%+ of the regular homeowners facing a burglar or home invasion
I'm not sure if that was directed at me; but it strikes me that being able to utilize cover better, being able to shoot quickly, being able to shoot in low-light better, and being able to shoot while moving both more accurately and quickly are all potential benefits that benefit a person whether the issue is self-defense or CQB.
If you were arguing that red dot sights aren't a necessity for home defense, then we pretty much agree; but it seems to me that several people are arguing that iron sights are better than red dots at home defense distances - and in my experience that isn't true.
remembering to turn your red dot on? that time it takes might get you killed; damn, the battery died? You think the BG is going to wait while you find a replacement and change it?
That is the second time I've seen that criticism made. Besides making me question how much time the people making it have with red dots, here are the reasons I don't feel it is valid:
1. You've got time to deploy a rifle or shotgun; but not time to flip a switch? If that extra 0.5 or so second makes the difference between you living and dying, then maybe going for the long gun wasn't the best choice to begin with.
2. Buy an Aimpoint and you've got between 10,000 and 80,000 hours of battery life depending on the model. If you are smart enough to change a battery every six months, you can leave the optic on permanently. If that is too much of a task for you, you can even go with Trijicon sights that require no batteries at all, though they have other shortcomings.
3. Let's assume it does make a difference though, all I have to do with optics is use the tube/screen like a big ghost-ring sight with co-witnessed irons and proceed as normal. At household distances, this will give good hits.
4. Don't have a front sight for some reason? Hey, we finally have a scenario where we can point shoot a long gun, though strictly speaking, we aren't entirely point shooting since we can center the target in the dead optic. This will yield hits at 15yds as well.
Obviously, if you don't devote the time to learning how to use the equipment, then maybe a red dot isn't the best choice for you; but realistically, if you don't have the time to learn how to use a red dot, then the issue of irons vs. red dots is the least of your problems.
had me re-investigating. I can't build an upper like this at this price, Seems a lot of folks lately have gotten into collecting NFA SBR's but I think you are probably right, they really are for collection not defense.