When he said he had trouble picking up the red dot I was thinking to myself, "Has this guy just not spent a few hours training with one?" I couldn't pick it up well at first and figured it out within two hours. I'm cross eye dominant (or at least with this pair of glasses I am) and it's really not that difficult. I will say I often use the front sight to pick up the dot though.
People who use red dots on handguns need to take their ass to the range and practice with their iron sights. Practically, how are you supposed to carry with a red dot on top of your slide?
@@pjamese3 by putting it in your holster. That's not the part of the gun that prints when concealing. As stated above, I shoot better with my irons because I haven't practiced much with a red dot.
@@pjamese3According to everyone else's logic, how am I supposed to carry a Glock 34 gen5 with a 19 round mag and 21 round spare? With TLR1-HL on it? Appendix IWB with no printing. It's easy, and did I mention I have a red dot on that exact setup? As far as switching to red dot. I never had issues with it. Picked it up instinctively, and with my bad eyesight, it helped me a lot. No needing to focus on multiple focal planes, front/rear/target. Just focus on target, bring dot up, boom, easy consistent 100 yard shots.
VIRGINIANS “What country can preserve it’s liberties if their rulers are not warned from time to time that their people preserve the spirit of resistance? Let them take arms.” - Thomas Jefferson This is the most extreme attempt to take our rights to bear arms Ever. Give them a proper warning this 20th
Listen to VCDL's request to dress professionally, with no tactical gear nor rifles. Lobby Day is just to talk. July is when the new laws (might) go into effect. I hope to see you there!
@@Rex_Starborne Guys, guys, guys, I know the Virginian state government is going to pass the strictest gun control ever in American history. I know it will effectively ban all guns and make most citizens that don't comply with registration felons instantly. I know that means waiting for red flags or litigation to repeal these laws. I know we say we won't comply and simply threaten to boog if they take it "any further" But please, dress professionally like we've done in the past. It has done wonders to preserve our rights /s They know we have stashes of guns and ammo, yet politicians still behave this way If now isn't the time to truly bare you to bare your teeth, I doubt you ever will
What's sad is only 50k people are going & that includes people from outside the state. We have over 8mil people here. Some people are complacent because of the sanctuary districts, which should show that this is serious. Most people I talk to don't know or care. The response is "they won't do that", "people are getting upset over nothing " & "we have sanctuary districts ". With this attitude & the lack of interest the Democrats have played this well. Unfortunately not enough people give a damn any more. Best wishes
I wasn't a fan either, I got a chance to train with one for long enough, and man.... Wow. I can knock the hair tie out of a man bun from 30 yards with one now.
i have a laugh like jimmy carr but your description also sounds like mine too... in either case your words match me ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-t64-8IECAek.html
Mankind got what it kinda deserved. Man made Cylons, then enslaved them. The Cylons then set out to punish them. Not much difference. Politicians have created the enemy, and they are slowly enslaving us in so many ways. Paybacks a...........well, you know.
@@igotthis449 prices are coming down (check holosun) and trust me. Its a process, but once you achieve proficiency with a dot, you'll never want to go back
Vitaminstorm I actually have a Holosun dot sitting in my safe right now because I can’t use it do to my astigmatism. Still will never like them even if for that reason alone. Glasses don’t correct it for me and no matter what I do the red dot still looks like a blob.
@@igotthis449 Same problem with me, at first I just thought that the sight is broken, but my friends said that it was perfectly fine. I went to get an eye check and found out the reason why, it was my astigmatism
I didn’t hear you mention the greatest benefit of red dot shooting so I will: Threat Focus. Rather than focus on the threat, focus on the front sight, you are able to continuously focus on the threat and just place the dot on the target. I never found handgun marksmanship that enjoyable until I added a red dot. I found my eyes fatiguing as I shot as my eyes had to continuously adjust focus. Now with a red dot I also find I am able to focus even more on my grip and trigger squeeze fundamentals. Appreciate all you do! Jon
@Easliy Displeased Hey bro, chill. Why are you getting agro? Honestly, you should learn fundamentals before using a sight on any platform. Thats not exactly something to get knotted up over.
I can't speak for everyone but I don't focus on my sights at all, I'm able to see them while focusing on the target. This is close range (25 ish yards or so) only, I do have to focus a lil more on the front sight at further distances. I watched a video from the warrior poet and he talks about threat focus and the benefits of the red dot, guess I don't need one lol
I have yet to shoot with a red dot, but I have lasers. And I love them. I just put the dot on, pull trigger. Hole in target. But I wanna try a red dot and see how I like it.
I like using a red dot on a pistol. Red dot with high rise sights is the best. Best of both worlds. But I agree with this comment. Red dot on a pistol also makes it faster to get your sight picture back after your gun recoils. Faster follow up shits and also great for night time use.
Nate Rivera Exactly! *Primary & Secondary Podcast* episode 208 - The Pistol RDS. Listen to it. This goes for anyone planning on getting into Pistol Red Dots. Cheers🍻!!
I hear ya, But... Of course employing a RDS on a pistol isn't *Necessary*. It also is Not just a another gadget thrown on one's sidearm to make them "feel good", at least it shouldn't be. Sure, there are a Lot of people that mostly dig the cool factor and that's fine, but when properly trained and utilized it IS a Potentially superior sighting system for many people (though not for Everyone).
This video highlighted everything I love about Colion's content. Great footage. Clever commentary. Crazy analogies. Relevant topics. I also happen to feel the same way about red dots on pistols so it was nice to hear that I'm not alone. Well done and Kudos to Sig for setting it all up. I love to see you doing content in this format again.Keep em coming!
@Blackriflesmatterfiftybmg Blackriflesmatter50bmg yeah I carry a usp compact .40 but lately been conceal carrying a beretta 92fs full size. Man I tell ya it's an effort
I’m with you. Just shot my first red dot on a hand gun. I feel you 100%. The gun just never feels like it’s aimed right even once you finally find the dot.
Thanks for being and keeping it human and not some ninja tactical uber pistol guru. Glad to hear you struggle with the same stuff I struggle with. Never could get a handle of red dot on a pistol. Thanks again!
I don't have that but I do have older eyes and am thankful for the clarity of a red dot. It also adds some of the time to target the aging body takes away.
Little late on seeing these, but this red dot series you made have really helped me since getting my RMR. I loathed it, but I couldn't justify removing it for the cost of it. Found myself focusing more on my irons than the dot itself, so therefore making a $500 purchase a waste of money. Listening to your gripes matching my own, this short set of videos have definitely changed my mind and after six more trips to the range. I'm finding that I quite enjoy the red dot now, but I'll be damned if a few volleys don't get out on target from my irons still. Haha. Always love your content though and will continue pointing people to your channel whenever possible!
Just tried my 1st red dot on a pistol. I'm in love. Yes, you need to ignore that dot moving everywhere, but after that is gravy. Way faster way more accurate.
Thoughts from an OG L/E and TacOps operator/instructor: - Sight systems are simple or complex... learn to use what you have, but don’t lose sight that what you’re actually doing is learning overall body/weapon system muscle memory... ‘cuz when that fancy dot fails, you’ll still be in the fight with confidence that favors your survival. - Keep your head and eyes up, toward the area of threat. During reloads, you repeatedly looked to your waist and mag pouch... the threat is not at your mag pouch! Reloading, tactical or emergency, should be by feel and fluid, with confidence it will happen 100% of the time... remember, smooth movement is fast movement. - Up your game... advance to the next level. You sprinted position to position, but every time took time to stop/establish a base and sight acquisition and THEN fire from a static position. You’re vulnerable in these moments, so start learning how to shoot effectively WHILE MOVING cover-to-cover. - In the shoothouse and from the vehicle, you exposed yourself entirely to shoot. Challenge yourself to get behind elements of cover (concealment, if that’s all that’s available) and ‘pie-clear’ that cover edge to the point the threat is identified and you make the decision to fire. Expose only your gun and that portion of your person absolutely necessary to intentionally engage the threat. Shooting fast is fun, but real world demands efficient deployment of resources to ensure/maximize effectiveness. So, start taking the next steps in your training.
I just recently shot a pistol with “red dot” it does let you know how much your moving when you think your holding steady! I think they are good for improving shooting skill... but for actually packing I prefer without!
I’m only halfway through, but this is easily the most honest take on pistol RDSs ever. It’s also comical af. I know it’s a year old, but well done, sir.
You got me with the cross-dominant eye solution. Long ago a drill sergeant shifted my rifle to my left to match my dominant left eye. I've never been able to incorporate that switch to handguns; I'm going to give this a shot...so to speak. Thanks!
@@georgeinthejungle2 For a drunken bedroom mission I might have to upgrade to the green aiming laser or the IR night vision optics! All I gotta do is figure out how to mount picatinny rail to my "gun"...
The nicest thing about a red dot is that you only have to focus on trigger control. No more lining up sights, just put the dot on the target and press the trigger. I don’t like the look of red dots on pistols, but I definitely see the benefit of having one
The hardest thing I had to learn about a no magnification reddot was to keep both eyes open. Look at the target, raise the firearm, when the dot is on my target pull the trigger.
Definitely shoot with both eyes open. It's an easier learning curve shooting with one eye closed, but both eyes open is tactically superior. If you close one eye, your field of vision goes down. There may be more than one bad guy.
@@josephperea4125 yup, it helps with field of view and target transitions. And it's one less step. Performance is all about removing eveything that isn't needed. Eg. Closer one eye, correct feet position, duck head, hunch shoulders all are not needed to fire the gun well, so don't do it.
@@dillionclayton2152 most people get spooked when they realize it takes repetition to upholster and see your red dot instantly like they are used to with irons. The having to "fish around" for the dot is what they hate. But that's just repetition. After that you are right it's pretty dang simple, even more than irons honestly. I basically decided people hate change even if it's good.
At the end of the day, red dots on handguns require that everything "goes to plan". Your grip, draw, presentation, etc needs to be perfect or you're just staring at an empty window with no idea how you're misaligned. On a rifle, this is no problem. Once your cheek is on the stock, it will always get you lined up to where you'll see the dot somewhere in the glass. (Unless you mounted your red dot in some wonky fashion.) On a handgun in the real world? Not gonna happen. You're gonna be loading your shopping into the trunk and get jumped by one or two guys. You're going to be within spitting distance. Your grip, draw, and presentation will not be perfect. For CIVILIAN shooting, not LEO shootings, John Correia, Active Self Protection RU-vid channel, watched thousands of gunfight videos and he’s mentioned the most common range is 3-7 yards. Claude Werner, The Tactical Professor, did an analysis of several years’ worth of stories from the Armed Citizen column in The American Rifleman. His summary on distance was that the majority of the incidents were “slightly in excess of arm’s length.” So you're spending hundreds of dollars on the sight, hundreds of dollars in ammunition, and countless hours becoming proficient in something that statistically doesn't help you in a civilian self defense shooting. Imagine going to a tactical rifle course and spending hours learning how to shoot at low flying aircraft. Completely useless? No. Something that's going to be useful in the real world? Probably not. What sighting aid DOES help you? A laser sight. They're about as fashionable today as bell bottom pants, but they do everything a red dot does and more, as far as a person is concerned for self-defense usage at realistic self defense ranges. If you want to have fun shooting watermelons at 100 yards with a pistol, get the red-dot. If you want something for self defense, get a good laser sight.
Shot my first red dot on a CZ P10C yesterday and yes although it took some adjustment to get the correct sight picture...once I had it down it started to become muscle memory. I fired only 50 rounds then immediately switched back to irons and found myself fishing for the front sight, which had never happened before and it felt really strange. So within 50 rounds my presentation with he gun had already begun to change to the red dot, I fired another 100 rounds and was extremely impressed not only with the ease of target accusation but accuracy as well. The RMR type 2 allowed me to zero the pistol in with a much higher degree of confidence than having to settle with fixed sights from the factory. My hits at distance were dramatically improved in only a short amount of time and couple hundred rounds. I resisted the move for quite some time but now Im a firm believer, give it a little time....there is a learning curve but when you start to see and feel the advantages you're confidence and proficiency will grow quickly.
I'm 66. Been shooting at the age of 9. Always open sights until I went Antelope in Wyoming. It was my introduction to a scoped rifle. But 20 years in the Army, in three wars, I shot M16's always with open sights. I was on the AMU for 3 years shooting 1,000 open sight competition, as well as 1911 bulleyes competition. My very first introduction with a red dot sight on a pistol was this year. And I am struggling to get to like it. I have gotten to the point that I can run a rack of 8 plates almost a 1 full second faster with the red dot and with open sights, when I can pick up the red dot from the draw, but that's not consistent yet. I like it, but for self defense and daily carry, I'll stay with the iron sights for now.
I can’t change your mind. I EDC the worst sight 1911 for sale. Kimber RCP II with a trench/trough sight. I don’t need a sight at all because I train for no sight defensive shooting. If the aggressor is far enough away that I need real optics on my EDC defensive hand gun, then I’ll just walk away and they probably can’t hit me anyway. I can actually aim with my trench site and hit a pop bottle at 40 yards…so…yeah the red dot. Can’t change your mind. However, it’s a great optic for people who want to have ease of shooting without the requirement for practice. In agreement with your video my daughter carries with a red dot because her cross eye dominance makes target acquisition slower and more difficult.
I hated the thought of a pistol with a red dot. They can tend to be bulky, difficult to conceal on your concealed carry gun. Plus, I am really good with my irons. I never “hard front sight focus”. Even with irons, I target focus and can see my irons just fine in my peripheral vision. Served me well for decades. And the thought of putting battery in my gun seemed ridiculous. But then Holosun came out with their SCS optic for my Walther PDP. Now that my eye sight is not as good when I was a younger lad, I love shooting with my optic. I’ve gotten REALLY good with it!
I won't try to change your mind at all. I tried red dot sights on both my AR15 and my AK47 and also on a couple of my pistols and absolutely hated the damn things because I couldn't hit a damn thing. Switched to optical sights on the AR and the AK and could put the lead on target every time. Always use open sights on my handguns.
Colion - I understand your propensity to overthink. I am a retired Hi-Tech New Product Introduction Engineer / Program Manager. However, I learned through my years in Karate that "SPEED COMES WITH THE ABSENCE OF THOUGHT" (supported by 10k repetitions to instill muscle memory).
Like you grew up iron sights shooting got a Smith & Wesson M&P core when they first came out play the Red Dot on it haven't looked back took a little bit of training and now I shoot IDPA Optics Division and love when I shoot my 1911 with iron sights I got to go through a few practice magazines to get back to those fundamentals again and it all goes back to fundamentals appreciate everything you do
He admits that he isn't former military. He said in an interview that he didn't care for guns until law school. I think it was on Joe Rogan's podcast..
Funny when you know what is supposed to happen, when it's with a civilian who never had that type of training. I'm not laughing at Colion, just the situation.
I have to deal with blur now, either target or iron sight. One will be blurry. Not with red dot or laser. Extremely near sighted with the astigmatism. Thus my EDC has laser or red dots on them.
I appreciate your input, Colion. However, I am at that age where I can no longer focus on my front sight without glasses, but I don't need glasses for anything just a bit farther out, so if I'm wearing glasses, I can't focus on the target. The RDS fixes that for me.
I have carried a gun with a red dot for about five years. What I hear you saying is a training problem. It’s actually simple. Draw you handgun normally and look for your iron sights. after awhile you find you naturally transition to the red dot once its acquired.
When you see the dot "moving", your body (assuming you train often) will slowly and subconsciously make micro adjustments and the dot will stabilize if you put in the effort.
Just started watching your videos. Really like your mindset and sense of humor. Good stuff. Marine infantry vet here with zero pistol training however. Looking to learn.
Huzzah! A man of quality! I seriously hate red dot sights on handguns, too. Not only does it look unsightly, I find it to be useless and difficult to align with as well. I don't know why I let myself be convinced to get one.
I like the stock GI sights on my FS 1911 chambered in 9mm (I like to be able to practice a lot and 9mm is cheaper for self defense loads than a lot of other calibers) they are pretty accurate and easy to put on target, though an optic might be something to look into if I get another AR rifle
ACOG is the reason why infantry(US army) shoots expert or 40/40 haha but yes ACOG is durable and dependable. Pay for what you get, red dot on pistols is more for comp shooting. I got on my my STI DVC 2011. Noir is right though when you find that red dot it’s like micheal j fox holding the pistol shaking like crazy haha
I use one. My neighbor down the road swears by his. His name is Jerry Miculek. World champion hand gun and three gun shooter. He uses a Vortex Razer on his S&W 9mm M&P.
Looks like you learned to 'embrace the wobble' as a red dot enthusiast said on his RU-vid channel. Also there is a transition training needed as you stated. Did well in changing your mind. As a seasoned citizen I found that one focal plane to look at makes it easier for me to shoot without corrective eye glasses to get the front sight in focus.
@Dio Black depends on the dot and the irons, 200-700 dollars. Its like asking whayt a pistol costs, you can run the gauntlet from hi point to wilson combat. Red dots are easier to make accurate hits at, allow better situational awereness, low light ability, switching between targets. they are simply awesome to use. Not just for rifles.
Old LE here. Shot Red Dot today on two Glocks in prep for 218 Quals. Like a new language. Gonna take a lot of practice getting away from Iron. Speed on finding dot and it moving around is a concern. If I shoot quickly it seems do better. Few more trips and see.
On expense... a good red dot is about $220, good iron sights, about $120 and a $70 tool to put them on. No open sight system works well in the dark. I consider a red dot more important than light.
I just bought my first striker fired polymer 9mm pistol and it's the Sig P320 RX full size with the Romeo 1. It's a hell of a learning curve, and most days I feel like it was a mistake. Seeing that it gave YOU issues makes me feel a bit better. I just gotta get better is all.
Really well thought out and executed analysis. Also WILDLY entertaining!! Thank you for creating this and sharing with the rest of us. Your analogies are, of course, on the mark.
I like how you exaggerated finding the dot but clearly pulled up the iron sight and had to dip way down anyway in the first clip just to line up the irons
Having just switched to a red dot after 27 year of iron sights on a pistol. Lol a buddy of mine had me go to a match with him and just told me to show up and shoot I finally did it. A few corrections were made. I’m cross eye dominate and corrected astigmatism with glasses come to find out looking over the glasses to find dot was causing walleye vision and that’s why I hated it so bad . I never really had that problem with iron sights and just never realized I was messing myself up! Great video love the analogies lol been a fan for awhile of Noir just first time I’ve commented
I agree for the most part. I do, however think there will be an exception with the new Ruger 57. Something about that round, the large frame, and a red dot might be a winner.
Revolvers look better than semi auto’s and scope’s look cooler than red dots mix that with a nice looking scope and revolver you have a master piece. So yes I totally agree with you.
My 2 cents. They're two completely separate ways to orient the bore to the target. Folks cant understand that there's a disconnect here. I have one on a glock 19. I mainly use the iron sights. However, the optic is there in case I need it. Why would I need it? Who knows. Mainly for making faster precision hits at extended ranges like 75 to 100 yards. I zero mine at 50 which is the same as my red dot zero on my rifles. Offsets are neglegeable from 0 to 50. And my dot touches chin and collarbone at 100 yds for center mass hits. I'll always always always present and shoot looking through my irons. And if I need that dot, its there. Ive always had folks take my weapon and shoot the same drills using only the RDS. Its a grest training tool to show you where you're issues are. The dot gives you instant feedback on how your grip, trigger press and follow through are being managed.
