.38 Special
Member
- Joined
- Sep 15, 2006
- Messages
- 7,412
I've put hundreds of thousands of rounds downrange with a dot.
I don't believe they are more accurate than irons, for a properly-trained man. They are slightly faster for the same man, and if you are playing a game where tiny fractions of a second count, then a dot may be a requirement.
For the fellow who is not thoroughly trained, a dot can be faster and more accurate. The absolute beginner will usually find a huge difference, in my experience.
I have far less experience with pistol scopes; probably a thousand rounds or so shot through revolvers so equipped. At very close ranges, I don't see significant accuracy gains over irons, but by the time we are talking 50 yards and further, the difference can be dramatic. At 100 yards, for instance, I am capable of holding about 2 MOA with a scope, but with irons, it's closer to 6 MOA. (All of that from the bench, of course...)
I am extremely slow with a scope, at least once magnification creeps up beyond 2x or so. I also dislike carrying them, and shooting them from unsupported positions.
Tl;dr: After a great deal of shooting, I have decided that optics on handguns are specialty items which have their place, but when I am picking out a handgun to accompany me for general-purpose field work, it's almost certainly going to carry iron sights - at least as long as my eyes will allow it!
I don't believe they are more accurate than irons, for a properly-trained man. They are slightly faster for the same man, and if you are playing a game where tiny fractions of a second count, then a dot may be a requirement.
For the fellow who is not thoroughly trained, a dot can be faster and more accurate. The absolute beginner will usually find a huge difference, in my experience.
I have far less experience with pistol scopes; probably a thousand rounds or so shot through revolvers so equipped. At very close ranges, I don't see significant accuracy gains over irons, but by the time we are talking 50 yards and further, the difference can be dramatic. At 100 yards, for instance, I am capable of holding about 2 MOA with a scope, but with irons, it's closer to 6 MOA. (All of that from the bench, of course...)
I am extremely slow with a scope, at least once magnification creeps up beyond 2x or so. I also dislike carrying them, and shooting them from unsupported positions.
Tl;dr: After a great deal of shooting, I have decided that optics on handguns are specialty items which have their place, but when I am picking out a handgun to accompany me for general-purpose field work, it's almost certainly going to carry iron sights - at least as long as my eyes will allow it!