First: It never stops looking kind of goofy. But that’s a minor consideration.
Second: You’ll be concerned with battery life, and so you’ll plan on leaving it turned off until you need it. Until you see what’s involved with turning the damned thing on, which sort of obviates the matter of needing the pistol at a moment’s notice. Then you’ll try leaving it on 24/7, and start waiting fearfully for the battery to have died just when you need the pistol.
I’m still working on finding the balance here. So far it involves buying batteries in bunches just in case.
Third: There’s the matter of the glass getting filled with dust ALL THE DAMNED TIME. Plan on carrying a microfiber cloth with you all the damned time. Like I needed something else to carry.
Fourth: Pistols are harder than rifles. Having the dot appear reliably on the glass without waving the pistol around as if you’re Harry Potter learning a new spell will involve lots and lots of dry fire practice. Which is always fun, so that’s kind of a plus.
Fifth: When you start getting it right – and when you have it zeroed right – you can very quickly put a bullet right where the red dot appears without your old eyes failing you in the matter of sight alignment, at any moment’s notice.
In short, if your eyes have gotten to the point where seeing the damned sights has become a problem…
But bring practice ammo, because you’re gonna need a lot before you get it right.
—-
*This is one of those posts I stayed up at night writing but refrained from posting till the morning, because “write drunk/edit sober.”
Lol. I always appreciate a good laugh while I’m eating breakfast, thanks.
So I take it the red dot sight doesn’t include a small solar panel then. Seems a silly oversight, and solar is an ideal power source for small appliances like calculators, watches, and, one presumes, laser sights.
*sigh*. “AS solar is an ideal power source”, not “and”:-(.
And I’m not even drunk! Dammit.
I would have gone with that for the pistol had it been possible. I have a Holosun on a rifle and like it a lot. However the solar panel showed me its one disadvantage one night when I really wanted the rifle: It fails to warn you that the battery has died.
In this case it wouldn’t be a disadvantage because I’m unlikely to ever want this pistol at night. But I was hampered by the fact that I could only afford to do this once. I needed an adapter plate that would definitely fit the pistol and an optic that would definitely fit the adapter plate. Which is how I happened to choose the Vortex.
There are now many red dot sights with Shake- Awake tech and really long battery life:…up to 1 year
For example> https://www.swampfoxoptics.com/liberty-justice
I just bought 20 of 2032 batteries on Amazon for $6 dollars or so.
Yup, Beaner is right. I have a shake awake red dot on my bedside rifle. Very convenient and long battery life. It should be looked into for your situation.
We shall call you… Dirty Harry Potter. 😂
Sorry, old man here with long learning curve needed.. I gather the ‘shake wake’ feature is for use on firearms left completely at rest until picked up and needed, correct ? Not for a firearm that is holstered – carried most of the day where battery would be switched on from movement.
The only red dot sight I own is a Bushnell TRS-25 on a Savage 24 o/u combination. I like it and so am not completely out of my element.
The use of shake awake would solve one of your mentioned problems.
Not having to worry about turning off the sight when you go to bed. Definitely prolongs battery life. And having an very, very easy to use on switch.
As both shake awake and non shake awake sights would be on while carrying that concern is a wash along with all your other concerns about dust ,looks , and using the sight.are just issues of using a different type of sight. There is no free lunch.
To me battery depletion is easily handled by changing them on my birthday. Easy to remember.
.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=72_t25YrhRs
That is the answer!