Would you put a red dot on a defensive handgun?

I have this exact gun at home

I built one exactly like this. It is my house gun and is designed for self defense not conceal and carry. It works and works well. It's an eight shot .357 magnum.

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Iron sights are useless in the dark.
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Mine all work fine. Three little glowing balls out there in the dark.

I tried the laser, but couldnt ever make it work. To much going on with sensory over load and all, not to mention the dot on the target looked like Katherine Hepburn was holding the gun. :)

The difference between the red dot and the laser is, with the laser, you have to look for and find the dot. With the red dot, you look at the target where you want to shoot it, and the dot magically appears right there. :)
 
for me i would say no. only time i've used my gun in a defensive situation, all i could focus on was the perps. honestly dont remember even seeing my sites. sight shooting is fine for some but i practice point shooting so any gadget i have to look thru is pointless. better for me to spend the extra money on ammo and targets.
 
How far does point shooting extend? Can you make quick head shots at 15-20 yards on a hostage type target if you have to just pointing, or do you aim? There can be times when you need precision at longer distances, you do practice for that too, right?

Seems to me, having something and not needing it, is better than not having something and wishing I did.
 
i can't see a red dot fitting on my pistol while in iwb holster. it would just be to uncomfortable... along with the fact that i think i would bump into something and the red dot would lose its zero.
 
I love the look of the FNP45-TAC setup. The red dot is cowitnessed with the sights and sights are high enough to clear a supressor i using one. Problem is the mall ninja desert camo pattern looks awful (to me.)
 
There can be times when you need precision at longer distances, you do practice for that too, right?
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You could also need a precision close-range shot. Most times, I can put them in the same hole at 10yds and closer with the RDS. Sub-6" groups standing at 50yds isn't anything to sneer at either.
along with the fact that i think i would bump into something and the red dot would lose its zero
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As long as it is a good quality unit (not a $49 NCStar) this is a non-issue.

Tech continues to advance. I predict these to be common place in 5 years or so. I do believe most won't see the usefulness until they have been seen in LE holsters (like lights, lasers, etc).
 
i can't see a red dot fitting on my pistol while in iwb holster. it would just be to uncomfortable... along with the fact that i think i would bump into something and the red dot would lose its zero.
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Depending on the holster, it can be well protected and really not any less comfortable than a standard pistol. RMRs are tough anyway. Mounted on an AR, they can be dropped from shoulder height onto the sight and not lose zero.
 
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I've been carrying my G19/J-Point combo (in a self-modified holster) regularly since May in about the 1:00 AIWB. It hasn't been a problem.
 
Quoting Double Naught Spy:

This simply is not true if the sight is backlit and is therefore brighter than the target. Your eye will be drawn to the sight, not the target. So it won't be as claimed in "any environment."
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The odds of a situation where it's low-light but a lot of light is hitting you from behind is pretty remote. The Hexsights (front and rear) are recessed such that "side lighting" of any sort won't tend to light them up.

They work as advertised.

I have to comment on this pic:

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Ummm...yeah...you're kidding, right? You've got FOUR lit-up things out there of various colors for your concious mind to try and track. In a gunfight.

Seriously?

The majority of the co-witnessed iron sights with glass as promoted by Gabe Suarez and the like are plain iron sights, no lights. That, I can understand, you then only have one glowing thing out there to track and while I don't think that's optimal, at least you can't get it mixed up with any other glowing stuff.

But that setup? Ahhh...no. Not for me thanks. Whatever you do, don't add a laser, then you'd have five and your brain would melt by the time you've sorted out which glowing thing out there is which...
 
I have red dots and night sights together on a couple of rifles, and its not a problem at all. The difference between the two is instantly noticeable, and you wont confuse them. The red dot is also usually slightly brighter anyway, and is what your eye is drawn to.
 
you guys are right i was unaware that they made holster to protect the red dot. Dont get me wrong i think there very effective and have one on my ruger mark III but just not for me at this time.
 
When you can have the sights where they normally are?
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Actually I don't care much for the sights moved forward as they were in my picture. I don't think it makes sense to shorten the sight radius if you don't have to. The reason I posted that picture is because it was the first picture I came across that showed a red dot with cowitnessed iron sights. ;)
 
you guys are right i was unaware that they made holster to protect the red dot.
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If you get one of the higher $$$ models, they really don't need 'protection'. They ride pretty much unprotected on carbines every day without problems.
 
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