All,
In the context of self defense use; what are the pros and cons for using a red dot on a pistol when compared to iron sights? I am considering purchasing a red dot.
Cost--Buy once, cry once. Trijicon, Deltapoint, and from reviews I've seen, the new Holosun looks promising.
Conceal Carry--For me, no big deal. I carry a G-19 with a Triji RMR appendix all day, with no issues.
Drawing--Same as it ever was, lol.
Batteries/Battery life--On my RMR's, I change batteries on my birthday every year. I do have one thats been on the med. setting for three years, on the same battery, and still going.
Speed--This is where training will come in. At first, it will seem a little slow, but once you get use to it, it's damn fast.
Finding the dot on draw--Same with speed, training will be paramount. I use back-up iron suppressor sights, and when I first started, I just lined up my iron sights like always, and whatya know, a little red dot appeared.
Changing Lighting conditions--I've actually tried a auto-adjusting RMR for my first RDS, and it was very good. Then my astigmatism got worse, and I had to go to a adjustable. It will change from night to bright, but usually you can find a happy medium if you don't want to adjust from bright to night much.
Thanks,
Alex