Which pistol for Red dot?

[22shooter]

I want to get into pistol shooting, informal target, and plinking. I would like advise on which Ruger to purchase. I want to put a TRS-25 on my new pistol. My issue is how will the Red dot affect the balance of the pistol. I am considering the 22/45 with 5.5 bull and the Mark III with 5.5 bull. Also was wondering if maybe I should consider the 22/45 light for better balance with the Red Dot. Have handled and shot each of these pistols without a Red Dot. Even though I am not a competitive shooter accuracy does matter to me.

 

[Fox Mike]

I have a BSA red dot on my MK III Target and honestly do not notice any major difference in the weight.The weight of the sight is centered over or near the center of balance so it doesn't affect how it feels...at least no to me.

 

[Acorn]

Same for me I have a Barska red dot on my Comp-Target and don't even notice the extra weight

 

[contender]

Welcome to the Forum!
THe best thing to do is find the gun that fits you & feels the best to you. Then mount the red dot & enjoy. Most of the time the slight balance difference isn't noticable to most folks.

 

[mattsbox99]

I've had a few and there is a huge difference in the quality and size of the Red Dot / Reflex type sights out there. Some may like them, but the BSA is the biggest piece of junk there is. I'm not saying you have to go buy a $400 Leupold Delta Point or Docter or JPoint, but I promise those are the top sights for a reason. They are very good and weigh less than half an ounce. I have a JPoint on my MKIII and it dramatically improves my shooting. The Bushnell Reflex is a pretty good unit, its slightly more bulky than the above, but it works really well and its under $200. I picked my JPoint up on Ebay for half price and it is still working 3 years later on the same battery, adjustments are easy and the mount is as solid as they get.

 

[BlkHawk73]

I agree with what contender said regarding finding a gun that fits you first, then worry about what dot to go with. Don't put the cart before the horse and base the gun around the optic. That being said, I also strongly agree with mattsbox99's assessment of the BSA. 110% garbage from the couple examples of their stuff I've had experience with - 2 of which were their dots. Wouldn't take the gift of one.
If you're wanting a dot that's not going effect the feel or balance, go with one that's lower so the height doesn't change the lateral balance of the gun. One doesn't need the $$$ ones but certainly if it's important, going cheap will give poor results. At a minimum, I'd go with the Bushnell First Strike (read one bad review from shotgun use, but a bunch of positive ones) but for me, I'd go with a Burris Fastfire. Consider bot size as well.

 

[Fox Mike]

I bought the BSA an I have shot hundreds of rounds through the pistol and have had no problems with the 'red dot' in any way. What is the reason for the negativity towards them? Remember some of us cannot afford a BMW we have to drive a Yugo.

 

[CraigC]

Who said anything about a BSA??? The OP stated a Bushnell TRS-25 which is a good optic.

I despise cheap optics and typically avoid them at all costs. That said, I bought an el cheapo BSA for $30 as my first red dot because I wasn't sure if I would like it or not. That cheap red dot has survived quite a few years mounted on several different guns and being rezeroed numerous times.

To the OP, don't worry so much about the weight as the balance. You can shift the optic around on the mount and alter the balance to what feels best for you. On a field gun like this Buckmark, I like the scope mounted forward to shift balance towards the muzzle. I agree with the others about finding the gun that fits you best being your first priority.

 

[Chuck 100 yd]

I just bought a TRS25. It will be going on my Ruger 22/45 Mk.lll
It looks to be just the right size for that gun.

 

[Faux Paws]

For diverse reasons, I recently bought a Mk-III Target and installed a Tru-Glo red dot. The confessional part is that I've never fired through an optical sight before (age 61). I could not get the hang of it at the range at 30-50 feet.

On the other hand (right), I can get some wonderfully satisfying groups with my two Colt Woodsman .22's.

So, today, I took the logical step and stripped off the Tru-Glo sight from the Mk-III.

Bingo. Very satisfying, especially with the Volqhartsen trigger mod.

I suppose that I'll learn optical sights, someday. I've seen some unbelievable efforts from the real shooters at the Wake Co. range. I'd have to switch to de-caf, though.

Faux Paws

 

[PRM]

Excellent sight for the money: Ultra Dot 1"
Excellent customer service: Katie at Ultra Dot North

 

[rugerguy]

to answer the OP question, the sight mentioned will add little to the overall weight, "feel" and you stated you have tried and used BOTH so its what YOU can afford, what YOU can hold up and shoot accurately,,,,me, I would "shop the deal", but would prefer,the 22/45 5.5, as to what you'll end up with....

just a note, use a mount that will NOT have you need to remove the iron sights, the battery can and will go out at the most inoppertune time......

 

[abumpa]

I also like the Ultra Dot. I have often said an Ultra Dot on my Mark II competition target is unfair to the target.

 

[pistol pete]

I have a MKII target, 5-1/2" slabside with an Ultradot on it. You won't object to the extra weight of the TRS 25. I like the heavier guns at least up to the weight of my model 17 with the heavy lugged bbl. I would have liked it 40 years ago, it's too heavy for a one hand gun, at 67 I'm not as strong as I used to be, it's still great with 2 hands.
I do have the TRS on a 10/22 carbine, it's really worth the 80.00 it costs, steer clear of the 30.00 BSA, it's not worth bringing home.

 

[jstanfield103]

Hawkeye what is that scope on yours ?

 

[Chris]

Check Vortex optics, great optics and a REAL life time guarantee

 

[Larry from Bend]

I have an UltraDot MatchDot on a 4 3/4" Ruger Standard. It balances great to me. However, the 30MM UD is mounted in SOLOW mounts, which I understand are no longer available. Too bad, cause this was a great system.