Red dot on pistols are here to stay no matter what anyone says, which I think is a good thing.

They offer some serious advantages- two of which are they are dramatically easier to use for those with vision issues (like me due to my age) that does not allow the shooter to see the front sight clearly.

Another huge advantage is the ability to engage targets accurately while moving or at a moving target or both. The RDS is a game changer in this area.

But they come with a higher degree of end user sophistication and maintenance than iron sights. If your the type of shooter that puts a Glock 19 in a drawer and forgets about until the next time you’re looking for your lost car keys then an RDS is a no go.

You have to stay on top of the mount and mounting screws staying tight , battery life, and keeping debris out of your emitter if your using an open emitter RDS to mention just a few requirements.

My personal opinion is a closed emitter RDS is the way to go for duty and self defense use and an open emitter RDS is fine for competition and general range use – once again keeping the emitter free of debris (like rain and lint) is a must regardless of how your using it

As far as closed emitter RDS go the Aimpoint ACRO P2 is king. It’s an Aimpoint product so ruggedness, reliability and battery life are a given (with the exception of the ACRO P1 which had terrible battery life and is to be avoided). In my opinion the mounting system Aimpoints uses on the ACRO is dramatically better than anything else on the market- kudos to Aimpoint for that.

Of course nothing is perfect and the ACRO is fairly bulky (especially for the viewing window dimensions) and not cheap. In addition a retired LE friend of mine in Arizona told me he has seen failures lens with the P2 that normally would never happen.

I attribute any potential  failures to the tremendous amount being manufactured due to overwhelming requests for the ACRO with military and law enforcement around the globe. There are a few things on the ACRO P2 which could be better from the factory – Tangodown has addressed 3 of these with more rugged battery cap, steel mounting clamp with slotted screw and a lens guard. All 3 are excellent upgrades for your ACRO and are very reasonably priced.

The other Aimpoint that has gotten a lot of attention and as far as I have heard great end user feedback is the COA, which is  now available on other brands of handguns as well as Glock pistols. Demand for these has been so high that they are currently only being delivered to military and law enforcement customers. It features a unique mounting system and a slimmer profile than the P2 with the same sized viewing window. It remains to be seen if the COA will end up mounted on other platforms.

A closed emitter that has caught my eye is the Holosun EPS and EPS carry. They are very compact with a good viewing window and great battery life. They feature Holosuns shake awake system which turns the dot off when the RDS is stationary for a long period of time but immediately turns it back on with the slightest vibration. This of course increases battery life . The EPS like I said is very compact and a great option for mid sized pistols like the CZ Shadow 2 Carry. It can also be direct mounted on this pistol without the need of a mounting plate – which is a good thing. I personally prefer direct mounting of the RDS and despise mounting plates but unfortunately they are the only way to mount most RDS to the vast majority of pistols due to no industry standard for pistol RDS mounting systems.

The Holosun EPS carry is a bit smaller than the regular EPS and is ideal for pistols like the SIG P365 and Glock 43. I know the brand Holosun is a touchy subject for some end users due to being made in China but I do have to mention that I know more than a few shooters that have had great success from their Holosun RDS – one of which is the same retired LE buddy from AZ. The Chinese undeniably have great skill in small electronics devices – the smartphone many of you are reading this on is made in China. Just saying.

Last but not least is the red dot will take some getting used to when shooting as it highlights the ‘wobble zone’ much more than iron sights. This will take some practice but it can be mastered with diligence and patience. One plus is when you go back to iron sights they will appear to have no to very little wobble in comparison to an RDS.

There you have it – my down and dirty pistol RDS overview. Like I said they are here to stay so get some time behind one and learn the maintenance requirements so you’re ready when your life is on the line or a good score on the range.

Stay safe as always,

LAV out