Optical sight recommendations

[6GUNSONLY]

I have about zero experience with optical sights other than actual rifle scopes. I have a Mk 4 tactical with the 4" barrel and I have a Sparrow suppressor for it. I would like to put a red or green dot optical sight on it, and so looking for recommendations from experienced users. Not trying to cheap out but not looking to spend north of $500 either. What say ye?

 

[GunnyGene]

I have about zero experience with optical sights other than actual rifle scopes. I have a Mk 4 tactical with the 4" barrel and I have a Sparrow suppressor for it. I would like to put a red or green dot optical sight on it, and so looking for recommendations from experienced users. Not trying to cheap out but not looking to spend north of $500 either. What say ye?

I like Holosun. I have 4 of them. 2 SCS's on Glocks, and 2 HS510C's on rifle and shotgun. I like the solar charging/shakeawake/multi-reticle and several other features.

You'll want one that fits your rail, I'd recommend the 510C (red) or 510gr(green), unless you need a taller one for the suppressor. They have those also.

https://holosun.com/

 

[s4s4u]

I have about zero experience with optical sights other than actual rifle scopes. I have a Mk 4 tactical with the 4" barrel and I have a Sparrow suppressor for it. I would like to put a red or green dot optical sight on it, and so looking for recommendations from experienced users. Not trying to cheap out but not looking to spend north of $500 either. What say ye?

Have you looked through a "red dot" sight? Some of us see a bunch of grapes instead of a dot. Astigmatism.

I have a pair of glasses that are corrected for astigmatism, but I cannot wear them all the time because of distortion. I just put up with it because even with that bunch of grapes I can chew up the bull on a pistol target. It is just annoying.

General rules IMO:

I have both reflex and full body dots from JPoint, Primary Arms, Athlon, Sig and Holosun. All work fine and I can't really say one is better than another. I would suggest to be sure the sight has an adjustment for intensity. Some sights make that adjustment for you, but there are times that can be disadvantageous.

Sights that turn themselves on upon movement are nice for house or range guns, and even for carry guns. But, they will be on all the time when carrying regardless so take into consideration battery life. Most will go a couple years on a battery, but some will only do that on the lowest intensity. Check the specs, for me a battery should last at least a year or more at a midrange brightness. Makes it easy to schedule changes.

Also, for a pistol, I prefer a relatively BIG dot, 4 MOA at a minimum. I like green better than red, but use both.

The other thing to consider is the "footprint" of the sight. If it requires an adaptor plate, that may raise the height of the sight. I like a dot as close to the bore axis as possible on a pistol. It makes picking up the dot a lot quicker for me. If your pistol is already cut for a dot, find out what footprint and try and find a sight that shares the same. I have a direct mount on my Ruger 22/45 that fits the reflex footprint, much better than using a rail.

FWIW and all that

 

[contender]

I have several "dots" on handguns. And I see a LOT of them on USPSA competitors handguns.

For speed,, a bigger MOA dot is faster. For accuracy,, a smaller MOA dot is better.
Serious handgun hunters seem to prefer Burris or UltraDot.

There are "tube" types & "reflex" types.

Tube types seem to align easier for new folks to dots.

C-More was the industry leader & innovator for many years in competition. Nowdays,, A see a lot of folks prefer Burris. Burris has a heck of a good warranty,, as does Vortex.

For a starter dot,, you should look hard at Vortex, or UltraDot. Good quality, and durable.

Color of the dot. Each person's eyes see things a bit differently. Most dots are red,, but Green is quite good for many.

And yes,, an astigmatism can mess with your view of the dot.

 

[Hertervillian]

I went with a Vortex Defender CCW w/3moa dot. Vortex, because of the customer service. The Defender CCW because of its small size and it’s having several different mounting options in the box. The 3 moa because I wanted the least coverage of a target, I’m not going to be taking the MKIII to a gunfight.

I ended up removing the rail and irons in an effort to get it down nice and low on the barrel. The mount was $120 shipped I think, I believe it put me exactly where I wanted to be. The pistol should go in and out of a holster much easier without needing an ultra special cut to clear the RDS.

Here’s the complete package.

 

[6GUNSONLY]

Thanks for the feedback, all.

 

[Mobuck]

I have 3 Ruger 22 pistols with 'dot optics' mounted. One of the better combinations is a 'FastFire 3' mounted on the factory rail of a 22/45 MK3. Not overly expensive but a step up from the 'economy' line. The optic on my most used/abused 22/45 is a fairly inexpensive model ($40-50) and honestly has been foolproof although the clarity of the dot isn't great but that's more of an issue with my eyes.
For general purpose shooting (plinking), it's not difficult to find a suitable dot optic under $100-150. Mounting the optic as close to bore line as possible makes picking up the dot easier IMHO.

 

[Hvymax]

There are tons of options available. From $60-600. For a 22 most should be fine. Look for the reticle options to decide what is best for you. Mine are currently all dots but the dot in circle reticle is probably the best because it gives you a fast "Bracket" in the Circle while having the dot in the middle for finer aim.