One of the many hazards of growing older is, at some point, you wake up thinking you’re all caught up with a particular technology, only to find you’ve been left in the dust before your first cup of coffee is gone. I can think of many examples in my life, but red-dot sights (RDS) are the most recent reminder that time is no friend to me.
When I received my first Army-issued, battery-powered carbine optic in the early 1990s, it wasn’t exactly a standard-issue item. In those days, RDS were commercial products that lacked features like sleep mode, “shake awake” and night-vision-compatible settings. Weaver rails bolted to AR carrying handles, the only practical mounting option, placed our optics in an unnatural, one-height-fits-all-necks position.
If you mistakenly left your optic powered up overnight, it would likely need new batteries in the morning. Failure was common enough that iron sights weren’t known as “backups” in those days. Instead, they were simply what you transitioned to when your glowy thing was dead (again). But, I was in training for a job that prioritized close-range speed and accuracy, so when it did work, the non-magnified optic’s illuminated “dot” reticle was still a welcome alternative to the M16 family’s post-and-aperture sights.
Unsurprisingly, some of my unit’s old timers resisted the newfangled optics. These were pros who’d been honing their iron-sight, close-quarter-battle skills for years, so their reluctance was understandable. Eventually, the main red-dot bugs were fixed and we were all solidly in the electro-optical camp. By the turn of the century, RDS use was on the rise in many other circles, too. I’ve employed them continuously, in one form or another, since those days.
In spite of that long experience, I’ve somehow managed to become part of the resistance, only this time it’s with handgun-mounted red dots. Apparently, I’ve been living under the delusion that my handgun skills would remain just shy of where they were when offensive handgunning was a key part of my job description. In reality, my attempts to aim open-sighted pistols—even with multi-focal corrective lenses—have gradually become an all-out war between speed and accuracy, with each side demanding unconditional surrender and neither winning a single battle.
I’ve replaced sights and triggers, and even returned to the larger pistols I shoot best. I’ve tried different prescription shooting glasses, amped up my training time and burned through a lot of ammo chasing my tail. Miniaturized red-dot sights have been a potential solution for years, but problems that plagued the earliest models kept them on my “nope” list.
Like the full-size RDS used on competition handguns in the 1980s and ’90s, the first mini red dots were fragile and still too large for concealed pistols. Today’s micro-red-dot sights (MRDS) are smaller and far more rugged. Bottom-mount batteries were another early concern due to rapid power consumption and the need to re-zero after removal for battery changes. Side- and top-mounted battery designs, as well as MRDS that have years’ long, constant-on illumination, have eliminated those problems.
Where mini red dots provided little or no brightness adjustments, MRDS often have rheostats and multiple reticle choices. Concealment holsters for optic-equipped handguns used to be a rarity. Today, many IWB, OWB and even pocket options exist for popular carry pistols. Likewise, where semi-automatic handgun slides originally required modification to allow MRDS mounting, new handguns are increasingly optics-ready straight from the manufacturer.
With all this in mind, and after a late-winter struggle session with my everyday carry gun, my aging eyes yanked me back from the abyss of full Luddite status. Fortunately, I already had a Springfield Armory Hellcat OSP sitting idle and ready to become my test bed. After looking at different features, specs and footprints, I ordered Riton Optics’ relatively inexpensive 3 Tactix MPRD as my first micro red dot.
A few days later, I was on the range with the optic mounted and the dot reticle dialed in to my iron sights. After 10 rounds, things were starting to look up. After 20, I was sold. Unlike when using irons, my farsightedness doesn’t slow down the aiming process. The sight’s 3-MOA dot is large enough to acquire quickly, but small enough for relatively precise aiming.
Even with the Hellcat’s notoriously unforgiving trigger, I was quickly making 100-meter, upper-torso hits on FBI Q-target silhouettes faster and more consistently than I can with the iron sights of my best shooting, full-size pistol. Like many MRDS, the Riton model has a rear sight channel that allows a low factory-sight co- witness for backups, though mine haven’t been needed yet.
The benefits don’t end there for me. I normally require corrective lenses to see handgun sights, but with the MRDS, I can still see the reticle and hit my intended target without prescription glasses—even with some astigmatism. Although I’ve been shooting traditional handgun sights with both eyes open for nearly 40 years, I’m finding it easier with a red dot atop my pistol.
I’ve put approximately 750 rounds through my pistol since mounting the Riton optic. With a dab of Loctite 242 on the mounting screws, zero retention has been perfect. Paint-marker witness marks on the screws and double-checking the reticle against my iron sights provide peace of mind between range sessions.
My MRDS transition hasn’t been seamless. A tweak to my presentation was necessary to place the reticle between my eye and my targets more naturally. I’ve also changed how I focus since I no longer have to make the shift to the pistol’s front sight. These are training issues I quickly overcame, so I don’t count them as detractors.
I plan to have the slides from a couple of my older carry guns cut for optic mounts. If the results mirror what I’m seeing with the Hellcat, those feet I’ve been dragging will be kicking me for not joining Team MRDS sooner. Now that I have my eyes sorted, if anyone knows of a trigger that cures arthritis, tendonitis, neuropathy and crooked fingers, I’m all ears.
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