I've seen several posts about red dots on pistols and I've got questions. Obviously for some of us older guys, it might be easier to pickup the dot as opposed to aligning the typical 3 dot sights.

But how does battery life play into this 'convenience'? I'm thinking if the optic is left on, then eventually it's going to go on stand by or the battery isn't going to last long.

Is there something I'm missing about turning on the optic? As a range toy, I can see having the time to turn on an optic, have your fun, then go home. As a carry option, I don't see how having to stop and turn on the optic is practical. Maybe it's me. I only have a couple of range toys. Everything else is meant to be carried and trained with as I would use it if my life depended on it. Turning on an optic doesn't fall in there very well.

If these things are really supposed to be practical for carry use, who makes a line of holsters that accommodate such things. I see holster companies that have options for lights and lasers, but I don't see anyone with an option for a red dot mounted on a P226, for example. I'm guessing that mounted optic isn't going to slide into your standard paddle holster and have any practical retention.

First of all I do not carry. I own a P320RX and a P226RX SAO. The ROMEO1 red dot sight turns off after a short period of time when no motion is detected. When the pistol is in motion the dot will turn on. There have been reports of short battery life in a few ROMEO1 rds, which were defective it seems and SIG took care of the owners. If you do a search there are reports of outstanding battery life also. You can physically turn on and off the sight also via the buttons on the side that control the brightness.

Holster makers are coming on line with rds equipped pistols, although I don't own one.

I am 51 with pretty good vision still although I am noticing that it isn't as good as it used to be, and I love the ROMEO1!! I shoot mine a well as I shoot any of my pistols. Well, actually better! My P226RX SAO is the most accurate pistol I have ever shot and my P320 isn't far behind.

I can't recommend a ROMEO1 equipped pistol strongly enough.

I can't speak about any pistol red dots other than the Vortex Venom which I carry every day. I turn it on in the morning and turn it off at the end of the day and that seems to work with no problems. If I forget to turn it off at the end of the day, it automatically turns off after 14 hours to conserve battery.

My nightstand pistol has the same setup, just with a light attached, so I turn its red dot on before I go to bed, and turn it off in the morning.

Since one pistol is carried concealed and the other spends its "on" time in a drawer and both are in auto-brightness mode, they spend the vast majority of their time on the dimmest setting and I simply change the batteries every 6 months. As a failsafe, they blink when you turn them on if the battery is running low, so if you turn it on and it blinks, just change the battery.

As for holsters, pretty much anyone will make one that accepts a red dot. With a leather holster I'd imagine any holster would accept a red dot, but since I don't carry in leather I can't really speak to it with any authority. My kydex holsters simply required a few seconds under the heat gun to adjust and they work perfectly. I could have opted to simply order them already molded for a red dot, but why add extra time to an order when it's a 2-minute modification.

So in a nutshell, in my opinion battery life is a non-issue. I turn it on before I put the gun on (or in the drawer), check to make sure it's not blinking, and I'm good to go. Before I put it away, I turn it off. Every six months I change the battery proactively.

As for turning the red dot on only when you "need" it, I can't imagine anyone with half a brain carries it turned off. Though I'm sure there are people out there who do. Some people also carry without a round in the chamber, so who knows.

And as for holsters, I don't think that is an issue at all.

YMMV. There's another thread around somewhere about carrying with a red dot and some people swear they'd never do it. I do it every day and have zero hesitation doing so.

My setup - Glock 19 with a Vortex Venom (finally got the Heinie Straight Eight MOS sights so now the irons are cowitnessed) in a Raven Phantom.

Awhile ago I decided that having a red dot on a pistol is the only long term cure for my aging eyes. Its truly a game changer. After a warm up period of competition use I started carrying an optic mounted gun. I use Trijicon RMR's. Battery life is measured in years. The serious people that I know who have tried the motion dots say they aren't very effective, but I don't have any personal experience. Trijicon does not offer that feature. They do have versions that adjust to different lights, but I tested those and prefer the manually adjustable ones.
The same people that make my normal holsters (Bladetech) will make you one for an RMR mounted. Other makers just the same.
At this point I can't think of a single reasonable objection to getting the advantages that come with an optic.

So I'm hearing the batteries in these things are rated for years? I get turning it on at the beginning of the day, that makes sense, but I had no idea the batteries were that good. I expected to be changing batteries fairly often, if not continuously.

Here's the RMR spec: Over 4 years of continuous use (when used at 70ºF (21ºC)) at setting 4 of 8. *Extreme temperatures (high or low) will affect lithium battery performance.

I have let it go two years on competition guns without issue, but I would never go that long on a carry gun. I do nothing like the turn on/off routine, it simply isn't meaningful for me, my carry gun is my gun 7x24 until its replaced by something else. I have a base setting that I have found to work in most conditions and that's where it stays. I might if I'm doing something I don't normally do (like a stage in a match) adjust the brightness in advance.
Again I have found very few downsides and a complete upside in accuracy.

Carry a G19 with a Trijjicon RMR, Dawson suppressor sights in a Raven OWB holster. Change the battery once a year.

I carry glock 19 with RMR RM06 (3.25), i also have a Glock 23 conversion as a back up/training gun, that has a RM07 on it.

Through about 1200 (RM06) and 400 (RM07) rounds i have had no issues, and i greatly see the benefits they offer me.

When my birthday comes up , i will do as i always do and change out the batteries in my Red Dot on my hand guns and rifles. Every other year i change out my WML batteries ( although i test them on the year in between)

RMR on two of my rifles, left on 100% of the time. The avg. lifespan of batteries so far (one change each, upon finding units dead) approx. 3 yrs, 3 months. I've talked with others who've seen slightly longer battery life with theirs.

Re Trijicon RMRs mentioned

Are they LED, adjustable LED, or dual-illuminated LED that are being used?

quote:

Originally posted by Ted H.:
Re Trijicon RMRs mentioned

Are they LED, adjustable LED, or dual-illuminated LED that are being used?

RM06 and RM07 which i have are LED adjustable.

quote:

Are they LED, adjustable LED, or dual-illuminated LED that are being used?

my experience with batteries is on the LED models. The dual illuminated ones don't need batteries. But if you are considering those for that reason I would advise against it as they are way less usable than the LED ones in my experience.

quote:

Originally posted by hrcjon:

quote:

Are they LED, adjustable LED, or dual-illuminated LED that are being used?

my experience with batteries is on the LED models. The dual illuminated ones don't need batteries. But if you are considering those for that reason I would advise against it as they are way less usable than the LED ones in my experience.

Only contemplating a RMR 02 and 07 for the aging eye reason and your posts seem to indicate you prefer an 07 type (adjustable)

after much testing of all the available RMR options I think the RM07 is the optimal choice. Some prefer the RM06 dot size but I'd choose between those two.

I tried an RMR on both my 226 using a bridge mount and a Buckmark .22 with several mounts.
In both cases, the RMR seemed waay too high for the site plain of the pistols and on the 226..I almost always had an acquisition problem.
For a combat pistol,imho,that's a fatal flaw.
If the red dot mounts too high for a normal line of sight use...It's useless. I have NO experience with a pistol slide machined to accept a red dot as a properly mounted rear sight..but if that;s possible..it looks like the best alterative to me. I have a match dot on the Buckmark now and it lines up very nicely.
The RMR is mounted on my AR Flat Top Carbine and co-witnesses nicely woth the stock front sight.

I'm not sure your point? If you mount the optic at silly heights on a pistol its not usable overall. A bridge mount itself is not an issue per se, just look at any unlimited race gun competition and see 1911 guys winning using a frame mounted bridge and a cmore mounted just a few mm above the slide. But obviously that setup will be totally hard to carry. The setup in your picture is useless and not anything that is a limitation of the current state of the art.
So mill your slide, or get one that comes milled and you can carry on.

Trijicon 04, no on/off switch, no batteries, an X6 does not need a holster. Problem solved.

I have RM01 and RM02 (non adjustable LED, 3.25 and 6.5 MOA dots respectively) and both have been great. Constant on for 3 years and over 10,000 rounds no problems as long as you snug the screws and use blue loc-tite. Both fit in all standard holsters I have.

Some info here if interested.

https://youtu.be/8dnXUU1ennA

In action, M&P CORE with RMR LED 3.25 MOA nonadjustable
https://youtu.be/AzdxsXx7ryg?t=1m5s