As the name implies, this is a tube containing magnifying lenses that magnify the target.\u00a0 Extremely common on rifles (hunting and target shooting), these are seldom seen on handguns.\u00a0 When they are, they are usually special-purpose guns, used for hunting or target shooting.\u00a0 The magnification varies from 1-4 power up to 9-12 power or above.\u00a0 The greater the magnification, the greater the cost.\u00a0 Inexpensive ones will often leak, and allow moisture inside.\u00a0 That will fog the lens, and ruin the scope.
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Laser<\/strong><\/span> Electronic<\/strong><\/span> Don’t confuse the red-dot with a laser, which projects a red beam through space to the target.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Installation issues<\/strong><\/span> Co-witness sights<\/strong><\/span> Battery issues<\/strong><\/span> Training issues<\/strong><\/span> However, electronic sights are fun to use, and are very useful for target shooting.\u00a0 Within a few years, I expect that most semi-automatic handguns will come from the factory with slide cuts and cover plates.\u00a0 It will then be up to you to decide if those devices fit your needs.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Actually, that should say “Aiming Systems for Pistols”, but if you followed a link to get here, you are expecting to read about optics.\u00a0 Technically, not all aiming options for handguns are optical, but more on that later. Ten years ago, it was rare to see any kind of sights on a pistol besides the … Continue reading “Optical Aiming Systems”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[34,33,32,35],"class_list":["post-393","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-electronic-sights","tag-optical-sights","tag-optics","tag-reflex-sights"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mckinneyfirearmstraining.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/393","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mckinneyfirearmstraining.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mckinneyfirearmstraining.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mckinneyfirearmstraining.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mckinneyfirearmstraining.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=393"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/mckinneyfirearmstraining.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/393\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":404,"href":"https:\/\/mckinneyfirearmstraining.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/393\/revisions\/404"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mckinneyfirearmstraining.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=393"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mckinneyfirearmstraining.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=393"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mckinneyfirearmstraining.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=393"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
This is a device installed on a gun, that projects a beam of light out to the target.\u00a0 Ten years ago, this was the hot ticket.\u00a0 Some guns came with them from the factory, but the Crimson Trace company pioneered the process of adding laser capability to almost any handgun.\u00a0 These are not as common now, although every crime-drama on TV uses the imagery of someone realizing there is a red dot on their chest, from a sniper on top of a building 300 yards away.\u00a0 It is good TV, but lacks some realism.\u00a0 In the real world, lasers have to be zeroed for the distance used, and, when used on a pistol, the red dot often can’t be seen further away than 25 feet, and never in daylight.\u00a0 Another problem is that shooters have to focus their vision on the target, not the gun, so it is like driving a car by remote control.\u00a0 It is harder than it looks, and is of questionable value for a new shooter, as they never learn to use their sights.\u00a0 When the battery goes dead (which it will), you are stuck.<\/p>\n
These are, today, the most prolific types of non-iron-sight<\/em> sighting devices in use on pistols.\u00a0 They are also often used on defensive rifles, though not as much for hunting or target shooting.\u00a0 As the name implies, these are, like lasers, battery-powered.\u00a0 Electronic sights fall into two categories: red-dots<\/strong> and holographic sights<\/strong>.\u00a0 Both types have to be turned on and off.<\/p>\n\n
Similar in appearance to a very short telescopic scope, these devices do not magnify, and do not project anything to the target.\u00a0 You look through them, and a red dot is superimposed on an image of the target inside the device.\u00a0 It takes less battery power, the dot is visible day or night, and at any distance.\u00a0 Note that for people with cataracts or astigmatism, the dot may look like a star-burst, and not be precise.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/mckinneyfirearmstraining.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/barska_reddot.jpg\")
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These are known by several names: reflex sights, RMR sights, and red-dots.\u00a0 They have a different appearance, although they do a similar job.\u00a0 The difference is that the image superimposed on the target will be a 3-dimensional object, like a dot in a circle, or a reticle.\u00a0 Having depth to it, it is less affected by vision abnormalities.\u00a0 These are more expensive than other types of optics for handguns.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/mckinneyfirearmstraining.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/reflex-sights.jpg\")
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Lasers<\/span>, if they are aftermarket, are often attached to the grips, and activated by either an on-off switch, or a button under the middle finger.\u00a0 Scopes<\/span> and traditional red-dots<\/span> are usually fastened to a mounting rail on top of the gun.\u00a0 .22 pistols, and most rifles, often come with a rail, or have provision to easily add a rail.\u00a0 Note that these kinds of guns do not have a slide that cycles, as red-dots are heavier, and would be thrown off after a few shots.\u00a0 Holographic sights are lighter, have a lower center of gravity, and are attached by machine screws, to withstand the violent forces of a cycling slide (on handguns).\u00a0 These require that the slide be machined to accept a mounting plate, on which the sight is mounted.\u00a0 If the handgun comes to you Optics Ready<\/strong> (OR), the slide will be machined already, and a cover plate installed.\u00a0 Here is the catch<\/span>: the slide cut on the pistol has to match the mounting plate, which has to match the optic.\u00a0 There are at least three different standards, so make sure you have a plate that fits the slide underneath, and the optic on top.\u00a0 If you want to install a holographic sight on a pistol that does not have the slide machined, there are services that will do that work for you.\u00a0 Buy the optic first, so the shop can make the cut to match the plate.<\/p>\n
When an optic is set up to co-witness, that means that you can see both iron sights through the optic.\u00a0 You would not actually use both options, but if your battery is dead (very common), you still have a way to use the gun in a crisis.\u00a0 Sometimes the rear sight has to be removed to install the optic.\u00a0 In many cases, the iron sights are too short to see through the optic.\u00a0 Sometimes, the iron sights can be replaced with taller sights to fix this problem, sometimes not.\u00a0 If you want this type of optic, it is probably worth the money to buy a gun with the optic installed at the factory, with the understanding that the iron sights will co-witness.<\/span><\/p>\n
The top makes of modern holographic sights have very long battery life, sometimes a year.\u00a0 You will still lose track of it, unless you make a note on your calendar.\u00a0 In any event, if the optic has to be manually turned on, and you are in a crisis, you are hosed, unless your sights co-witness (and you have practiced that way).\u00a0 There are some optics now that contain motion sensors, and will turn on as soon as the gun is moved, and will shut down automatically after the gun is still for a time.\u00a0 For a gun destined for self-defense duty, this feature is not optional.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n
The process of quickly acquiring a sight picture, firing, and follow-through, is quite different with any type of electronic sight versus iron sights.\u00a0 They can be a benefit in slow fire, but a drawback in rapid target acquisition<\/span>, or in target transitions.\u00a0 For many of the reasons listed in this article, I don’t recommend any of these options for a self defense gun, especially considering that self defense usually happens at 5 yards or less.\u00a0 There is a law of diminishing returns.\u00a0 Pushing your defensive skills out to 10-15 yards with stock sights is not that hard, with the right fundamentals, the right training, and practice.<\/p>\n