I’ve carried a Glock 43 and 43x forever. I’m thinking of going to something with a red dot. Whats the best? I’ve always been partial to Glock, but would be open to something else…

I’ve been happy with my 365x with Romeo zero. I’m far more accurate with the 365 than larger full size pistols with fixed sights.

Glock 43X with a red dot is my daily off duty carry

I didn’t like the increased height of the gun for CC. I went back to Trijicon iron sights.

Trijicon RMRCC.

I went to buy a Glock 43MOS...ended up coming home with a Springfield Hellcat. I've got a couple hundred rounds through it and I like it. It shoots low compared to the Glocks but nothing that couldn't be over come and very likely my grip over the pistol itself. Just in the last few weeks have I gotten enough trust to start carrying it. I'm a fan of the sights in general...

You can send your slide to Maple Leaf (up in the DFW area I believe) and have it milled for whatever optic you'd like.

If it's purely a carry weapon, I'd probably lean towards something with a closed emitter. Holosun EPS is what I have on one of mine and it's very solid.

Mill your existing slide, buy a new slide, buy a new gun.
I run a 43xmos. Like stated above the red dot can add a little unwanted height. It can get a little annoying at times

that's why I suggested milling the slide to the footprint. it eliminates the height of the mos plate at the least.

I have the biggest rant with that optic!

Why the heck did Trijicon make a compact optic with a completely different footprint!! Why not stick with the industry RMSc footprint

Rant over…

This is a newer red dot optic from Holosun 507K (compact) and 507C (standard) that features the ACSS Vulcan Reticle. There is a large outer circle that you only see when you pointing the gun too far to the side... the outer circle gets dragged into the view screen like a bumper letting you intuitively know which way to correct/adjust the gun to get it on target. It is Great!!!! No more guess work trying to locate the Red Dot. I linked a couple of videos.

Raineir REview of Holosun 507K ACSS Vulcan Redt Dot

Holosun ACSS Velcan Red Dot Short Video #1

Holosun 507C ACss Vulcan Red Dot Short Video #2

I have a Sig P365 X Macro which is optics ready, but not for the Trijicon RMRCC footprint, so I had it further cut to mount the red dot without a plate.

Nice! I had an XL, but i kept it with a 507k. Cool pistol, but I sold it when I got bored of it.

43xmos

For the life of me I don't understand why anyone needs a red dot on a carry pistol? All the shooting stats show that almost all self-defense shootings happen at well under 10yds and a red dot doesn't really become an advantage over high vis irons until 15yds+.

I'm 71 with poor close up vision (2.0 readers needed up close) now and I don't have any issues keeping rapid hits within a 6" area out to 15yds with irons. Sure the sights aren't crisp like they were when I was under 50, but the sights being a little fuzzy doesn't prevent me from making good reliable hits at realistic self-defense ranges. For those young people with good eyesight a red dot on a carry gun REALLY doesn't make sense to me???

Heck out to 7yds I can point shoot plenty well enough to defend myself without the use of any sights at all.

For a range toy or on a hunting handgun I fully understand the interest in red dots.

Agree 10,000% not to even mention the larger profile is likely to snag something when drawn and the extra time it takes to get a picture could get ya dead quickly.

I think I'm riding with Mr. Wilson on this one. In the same vein, I only use tritium in the front site as well.

If you get to pick where you're self-defense scenario is going to be, then a dot might not matter. However if it's somewhere like a mall, or in a walmart, or a church, the dot can definitely make a huge difference and should be considered. I do agree that under most situations a dot will not matter in the slightest, but anytime you may be forced to shoot at somebody at 15 yards or in a tight window, and remember 15 yards is less than an aisle at a grocery store, especially if there are bystanders around, a dot could make all the difference in the world.


All that said, I still do not have a dot on my carry pistol either, but I have been and still consider it, and will probably end up with one at some point. If you do decide to put a dot on your carry gun, make sure you practice with it especially drawing and indexing. If you throw the dot on, sight it in, and don't think about it anymore, it's going to do you less good than iron sights.

I jumped on the train early on and all my handguns have dots. Honestly kind of tired of having to factor in an extra $350-$400 for a dot for every pistol purchase lol.

I’ve thought about this a lot and currently carry with a dot and even after training with them for a year + I’m still faster with irons. Definitely more accurate with a dot but slower. If I ever need to use it I’d much rather be fast and on target than accurate and slow. Could possibly get me dead.

Currently carry a G48 clone with a 507K. But probably going to move to a CZ P-01 Omega carried in condition 1. That’s the plan anyway if I can find one of the Omega’s, not wanting the regular P-01 with decocker.

I resisted the urge, thinking I too was father and better with irons, but after a 2 day class where we shot about 1500 rounds, I can confidently say I’m much better with a red dot than with open sights. I’m just as fast where I need to be when I need to be. I carry a red dot on duty, and have my off duty gun setup the same. My off duty is also what I carry into the woods, so having that dot for precise shots sure is handy.

I appreciate all the recommendations. I didn’t ask red dot or no red dot. That would be a question for another thread

Yes and spot on.
A man fight is really close. Point and BOOM, BOOM!

I went from this…




To this and could not be happier.



The red dot did help me get my gun on point faster at first, but with muscle memory it is a non factor. Like Bill said I hope you can hit your target within 15 yards without the Red dot as an aid. I guess once you get accustomed to something and rely on it it becomes more valuable. I do believe I can be proficient with both, just like the easier draw and less weight as well without the Red dot. YMMV.

Did you expect people to read what you actually wrote and respond accordingly?

I mean, that would be fair, but you know better.

It’s different when the stress is high. Standing still and shooting at paper is easy. Positional shooting, shooting while moving, is completely different and that’s where the dot excels. You no longer have to line up front and rear sights and gain the proper sight picture, with a dot it’s both eyes open and a dot appears over the target. It’s much more instinctive shooting than with irons.