Red dot or not

I am 70 years old thinking about my first red dot on my cz for target shooting only any thoughts ? Pros and cons
Rifle or pistol? I'm partial to Holosun, but there are many others with various reticles, solar power, shake awake, etc. And of course a wide range of prices. I suggest you spend some time on web research, and if you have a gun shop handy they may have several different makes/models they will allow you to compare. If pistol, is it optic ready?
 
Do you have astigmatism? Red dots look like a bunch of grapes to me, because of astigmatism. I have a pair of glasses that correct for astigmatism but I cannot wear them on a regular basic because of depth of field issues caused by the correction.

Green seems to be better than red for me as far as that goes. I can still hit with a red dot, as one of the grapes in the cluster is brighter than the others and that is what I target with. I would not use a red dot for precision shooting, but for defensive purposes they work fine.

I have heard tell that holographic sights aren't a problem for astigmatism, so I am going to look into that some more.

As for speed of target acquisition, a properly mounted mrds on a pistol is hard to beat. In my experience the little reflex red dot sights need to be mounted as close to bore as possible. Slides that are milled for them are a big plus, bit I have one on my 22/45 that is a bit higher than I like, but the tall front sight helps.

EUbL7S0.jpg
 
The size of the dot needs consideration. For target shooting, you want to be able to see the spot you are shooting for as well as the red dot. These things can get to be really expensive, so be sure you get what works for what you are shooting at. I still have Tasco red dots mounted on two .22 autos that I purchased probably 30 years ago. They are tube type, but still work quite well.
 
Rifle or pistol? I'm partial to Holosun, but there are many others with various reticles, solar power, shake awake, etc. And of course a wide range of prices. I suggest you spend some time on web research, and if you have a gun shop handy they may have several different makes/models they will allow you to compare. If pistol, is it optic ready?
Sorry my bad pistol
 
Rifle or pistol? I'm partial to Holosun, but there are many others with various reticles, solar power, shake awake, etc. And of course a wide range of prices. I suggest you spend some time on web research, and if you have a gun shop handy they may have several different makes/models they will allow you to compare. If pistol, is it optic ready?
No it’s not optic ready I have two ways to go cut the slide loss the warranty or they make a plate after you remove the rear sites . What I reading it’s not the way to go they cut the slide thoughts
 
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No it’s not optic ready I have two ways to go cut the slide loss the warranty or they make a plate after you remove the rear sites . What I reading it’s not the way to go they cut the slide thoughts
I've not had to get a slide cut, but have Holosun dot's on a couple long guns and pistols. Many pistol manufacturers have been coming out with optic ready models, and that might be the better way to go financially as well as finding a dot that works for you, instead of cutting up your current gun. Here's a pic of a Glock and a Springfield I've put dots on, both precut at the factory. The Springfield required me to buy a $129 special plate from them in order to mount the optic. The Glock did not require a plate and sits lower than the Springfield, but both allow co-witness thru the lens. Both optics are Holosuns but different models.

PS: The battery in the Holosun SCS on the Glock is not replaceable by the user. It must be sent back to the factory. The HS507K on the Springer carries a standard coin battery in a slide out shelf. Point is that ease of battery replacement is something else to consider, along with all the other details.

dots on guns.jpg
 
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Meh. I am not a red dot fan, rifle or pistol, but I don't hate them either.
As someone else pointed out, pay attention to the size of the dot, versus what you plan to use as targets.
I have found that I can pick up iron sights a lot quicker than I can a red dot.
Which reminds me, I have a front sight that needs to be painted. :)
 
Do you have astigmatism? Red dots look like a bunch of grapes to me, because of astigmatism. I have a pair of glasses that correct for astigmatism but I cannot wear them on a regular basic because of depth of field issues caused by the correction.

Green seems to be better than red for me as far as that goes. I can still hit with a red dot, as one of the grapes in the cluster is brighter than the others and that is what I target with. I would not use a red dot for precision shooting, but for defensive purposes they work fine.

I have heard tell that holographic sights aren't a problem for astigmatism, so I am going to look into that some more.

As for speed of target acquisition, a properly mounted mrds on a pistol is hard to beat. In my experience the little reflex red dot sights need to be mounted as close to bore as possible. Slides that are milled for them are a big plus, bit I have one on my 22/45 that is a bit higher than I like, but the tall front sight helps.

EUbL7S0.jpg
properly mounted mrds on a pistol Need more smarts Mrds???
 
I'm 64 had cataract surgery so my distance vision is good, need readers so the front sight is blurry, with a dot I just put it over the target and shoot.
 
I have an inexpensive red dot on my Max-9. I do shoot better with it than with the irons. I had to work at it for a while to train myself to pick it up when I present the pistol.
 
I have an inexpensive red dot on my Max-9. I do shoot better with it than with the irons. I had to work at it for a while to train myself to pick it up when I present the pistol.

Holsters for optics equipped pistols can also be hard to find, although the holster makers are getting better at it. Compatible Plastic is easier to find than leather and also cheaper. I can't stand plastic, but some folks are ok with it.
 
Since target shooting is the preferred use,, I agree that a smaller MOA dot is better for more precision.
And a dot can be a bit "confusing" at first,, but they are quite good overall.
My first attempt at them,, I had a hard time adjusting to NOT having to try & center the dot in the optic window. Made me sell my first one.
Later on,, I tried again,, with good instruction, and discovered they have a very good place on many guns & several reasons to use them.

Many, many USPSA shooters put a dot optic on their CZ handguns.

I also have an astigmatism,, which can cause various degrees of a "starburst" effect. But with proper corrective lenses,,, that is almost negated most of the time.

In general,, a lot of "older" shooters have discovered that a dot optic can make them feel younger in how they perform when shooting.

Burris FastFire III is an excellent dot optic,, AND with their warranty,, hard to beat. If a "tube type is preferred,, then UltraDot is another excellent choice.
 
" they make a plate after you remove the rear sites . What I reading it’s not the way to go they cut the slide thoughts"
I have the dovetail mounts on a 22/45 and the P95 I carry in the house. Both have held up fine although I don't shoot the P95 all that much. The 22/45 is my trapline pistol so gets used/abused pretty hard but hasn't come loose or shifted zero.
I'd say it depends on how or how much you intend to shoot the dot mounted pistol.
 
I am 70 years old thinking about my first red dot on my cz for target shooting only any thoughts ? Pros and cons
One thing that's obvious, but with perhaps deeper implications, is that sight radius does not matter to a red dot or any other optical sight. So now you can get an "X" frame for a G-26 - essentially a G-19 frame with a G-26 slide, with red dot. Very handy 15+1 9mm with snubby bbl.
 
" they make a plate after you remove the rear sites . What I reading it’s not the way to go they cut the slide thoughts"
I have the dovetail mounts on a 22/45 and the P95 I carry in the house. Both have held up fine although I don't shoot the P95 all that much. The 22/45 is my trapline pistol so gets used/abused pretty hard but hasn't come loose or shifted zero.
I'd say it depends on how or how much you intend to shoot the dot mounted pistol.
Yea I know it not the best way but I am leaning towards that way . I really don’t want to void my warranty and in case I don’t like it I can put it back to iron sites
 
I am 70 years old thinking about my first red dot on my cz for target shooting only any thoughts ? Pros and cons
I am near 80, and I have tired one. I am so use to iron sights, that I have to make a mental switch when going from one to the other. So, I am staying with iron sights, and I don’t have to worry about keeping the battery replaced, and the iron sights keep the gun to a smaller size for concealed carry.
 
I never thought I would be a red dot user, but I am now. Had cataract replaced and prism lenses put in my glasses and it made a world of difference. I have inexpensive ones on a 22 that has lasted for years and can't seem to die. I have two sig Romeo 5's and they work great, just basic red dots, stay on zero with no issues. I shoot club competition and have a Prodigy with a Holosun 507 Comp on it and also shut the dot off and use in the Limited Class. I liked it so much I put one on my S&W 627 and could not be happier. The one on a 22 does do both green and red dots and I find that helpful depending on light conditions. We are also using the green rubber targets at the range so the red dot works best for the contrast. On the 507 there is every configuration known to man, almost too much. At first I thought I liked the circle with dot in it and I tried that for several months and decided my eyes were trying to look at too much at one time so I went back to single dot. Being able to change the size and brightness of the dot is very helpful moving between high light, low light or outside conditions. I forgot to say, I am almost 72 and there is one advantage and disadvantage to a red dot - it will tell you exactly how much you are shaking!
 
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Do you have astigmatism? Red dots look like a bunch of grapes to me, because of astigmatism. I have a pair of glasses that correct for astigmatism but I cannot wear them on a regular basic because of depth of field issues caused by the correction.

Green seems to be better than red for me as far as that goes. I can still hit with a red dot, as one of the grapes in the cluster is brighter than the others and that is what I target with. I would not use a red dot for precision shooting, but for defensive purposes they work fine.

I have heard tell that holographic sights aren't a problem for astigmatism, so I am going to look into that some more.

As for speed of target acquisition, a properly mounted mrds on a pistol is hard to beat. In my experience the little reflex red dot sights need to be mounted as close to bore as possible. Slides that are milled for them are a big plus, bit I have one on my 22/45 that is a bit higher than I like, but the tall front sight helps.

EUbL7S0.jpg
I suffer from the exact same thing and it aggravates me to not end and to add to that, I'm allergic to polycarbonate so I have to choose my lenses carefully.
 

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