As a direct result of the RDS duty gun thread, I finally took the step and decided to give this thing a try. I had an extra P320 Carry in my nightstand that seemed like the perfect host, as it's an exact copy of my duty gun.

I ordered the Trijicon RM06 Type 1 from DaBigBR, who is a standup guy...good pricing, great communication and really fast shipping.

The RMR being a Type 1, I had read that they had some issues with flickering. I ordered an anti-flicker sealing plate form Battlewerx, and used a Duracell battery as I've seen recommended, and so far it's been flawless.

Based on Chowser's experience, I sent my slide to Maple Leaf for milling. They are swamped with orders right now, but the owner took time to e-mail me personally and explain my options. I got the slide back in just about 2.5 weeks, which was earlier than I expected. The milling was perfect, and includes recoil bosses and properly sized pre-loctited screws from the RMR. They also offer a killer LE discount. I highly recommend them.

I took it out yesterday, zeroed it, and put a couple of hundred rounds through it. I shot it side by side with my iron-sighted duty gun, and definitely saw improvement with the RDS with precision at 25 yards, and it consistently shaved about half a second on the plate rack. I was pleased to find that my draw stroke and press-out allowed me to pick up the dot quickly and consistently...something that I was concerned about when casually handling RDS equipped guns in the past.

It was better than irons...not $400 better, IMO, but I know one day on the range with it is only the beginning. One thing I'm struggling with is that I think the way the RDS makes my shaking more apparent is causing me to try and "ambush the dot" and jerk the trigger when the dot crosses the intended POA. This is something I've mostly trained out with irons, but there's something about that dot that just makes it harder to overcome.

Any tips or tricks from you experienced RDS guys for getting the most out of this gadget?

quote:

One thing I'm struggling with is that I think the way the RDS makes my shaking more apparent is causing me to try and "ambush the dot" and jerk the trigger when the dot crosses the intended POA. This is something I've mostly trained out with irons, but there's something about that dot that just makes it harder to overcome.

Same thing for me, initially the RDS I had wouldn't keep zero, so along with some flaws in my technique, chasing and ambusing the dot.

Looking to see what the pro's ideas are as well

Dry fire. Red dots are the best practice tool I've ever used. Unholster, present, and press a few hundred times and you'll be amazed at how much faster you get. I've had a few observations in the last few years of using them:

- I've gotten way more confident my first shot out of the holster will be a hit

- The shaking has gone down. You realize where your gun is actually pointing and acclimate.

- I've begun to shoot with both eyes open a lot more. Impossible to do before due to bad astigmatism and cross-dominance.

- It's made me a better shooter with irons. I focus on the front sight more when shooting irons and guns just point more naturally.

- I'm saving up for more RMRs and hoping for a Glock 26 or 48 MOS

Stay 100% target focused. Focus on your target, not the dot. Move the dot, both eyes wide open. Squeeze.

Watch some of Aaron w/ Sage Dynamics videos on YouTube. He really breaks down the fundamentals of it all.

I struggled until about 260 or so rounds in and was like "Light bulb" Any bad habits you have with iron's, will be amplified with the MRDS.

I like your set up. I went the same route only Type 2 and I bought an aftermarket slide from Norsso so I wouldn't have to mill my slide.

I would recommend a set of suppressor Irons though to co-witness.

Thanks guys, some good advice here and I'll try it out tomorrow...I'll be off, so I won't be trying to cram in range time right before work in full duty gear in 90 degree weather... hopefully that helps some too. I'm ready for winter to come back!

quote:

I would recommend a set of suppressor Irons though to co-witness.

Yeah, that'll probably happen eventually... definitely if the gun ends up doing any serious service. Right now it's just a range toy, and I'm trying to do this on the cheap...plus I wanted to focus on learning the dot and didn't want co-witnessed irons muddling things up.

quote:

"ambush the dot" and jerk the trigger when the dot crosses the intended POA. This is something I've mostly trained out with irons, but there's something about that dot that just makes it harder to overcome.

This is my exact issue with my X-Carry. Snatching the trigger and chasing the dot.

quote:

Originally posted by 92fstech:
Thanks guys, some good advice here and I'll try it out tomorrow...I'll be off, so I won't be trying to cram in range time right before work in full duty gear in 90 degree weather... hopefully that helps some too. I'm ready for winter to come back!

quote:

I would recommend a set of suppressor Irons though to co-witness.

Yeah, that'll probably happen eventually... definitely if the gun ends up doing any serious service. Right now it's just a range toy, and I'm trying to do this on the cheap...plus I wanted to focus on learning the dot and didn't want co-witnessed irons muddling things up.

I wish winter never left. Less turds on the prowl!

Good luck with it. I'm currently waiting on my Glock 48 slide to get milled/coated and will have my 4th MRDS. I love them.

quote:

Originally posted by 92fstech:
Thanks guys, some good advice here and I'll try it out tomorrow...I'll be off, so I won't be trying to cram in range time right before work in full duty gear in 90 degree weather... hopefully that helps some too. I'm ready for winter to come back!

quote:

I would recommend a set of suppressor Irons though to co-witness.

Yeah, that'll probably happen eventually... definitely if the gun ends up doing any serious service. Right now it's just a range toy, and I'm trying to do this on the cheap...plus I wanted to focus on learning the dot and didn't want co-witnessed irons muddling things up.

I've found that different sight heights work better for different pistols. There's definitely a sweet spot, kind of like the 1/3 cowitness with AR irons and red dots. My milled slide on my G19 uses lower height sights than my Gen 5 MOS G34. With a milled slide like yours I believe the all-black Ameriglos work pretty well -- it's what I've been using and generally been happy. I don't like distracting, colorful front sights when using a pistol red dot.

I purchased a CZ p10F optic ready with the intent of also getting my feet wet with a pistol red dot.

I watched all of Aaron Cowan with Sage Dynamics YouTube vids on RDS, some of them several times. Also Colion Noir has posted on some training he did at the Sig Academy which was some great insights for a new red dot shooter.

One take away from both was that we have been shooting pistols with iron sights since we first picked up a hand gun. We cannot expect that the first few hundred rounds will give us the same results we will gain after a fair bit of time and practice with the system.

I also went with the Trijicon SRO 5moa for my first dot. Again the wisdom seems to be that a larger window will help with the learning process. Last Saturday I went to the range and did a soft bench zero at 15 yards. I then proceeded to do my normal warm up and holster drills with mixed results. I was very pleased with my 20+ yard groups but not so much with anything closer. I plan on going again this weekend and will slow down and concentrate more on a few things.

If I can get close to my normal levels I will use it in some matches and a league that I was shooting before the Rona shut down.

Well, I took it out again today along with my iron sighted version, and put a few hundred more rounds through the gun with the RMR. I even got rained on, and was impressed with how little that affected the optic...the dot was still clear and visible even with water all over the lens.

I shot a couple of targets with each gun, starting at the 5 yard line, and working my way back to the 20 in five yard increments. The dot definitely demonstrated an edge over the irons in the slow-fire precision department (although my low-left-itis is still clearly evident...wish there was a magic fix for that, lol).





Speed was a whole other matter. On the timer, I'm still picking up the irons quicker, and have more accurate delivery in lower times.

I also shot our state qualification course, just because I know how I typically do on that. It was about on par with how I typically do, however the one-handed portion really threw me for a loop. I'd gotten used to the dot disappearing straight up under recoil...now all of a sudden shooting one-handed it was going off at an angle. The extra time it took me to re-acquire after each shot actually pushed me over time...guess I know what I need to work on next time.

Use your body's inherit self awareness to your advantage. Your intent when you present the gun should be to line the back of the slide up with your nose. That will be 95% of "finding the dot".

Can't find the dot? Which direction were you moving the gun? If you were drawing, look for the dot to be high and opposite your holster side. If you're a right handed shooter, look high and left. Those were the two directions you had to move the gun to get it that far. The likelihood is that you overshot.

quote:

Originally posted by 92fstech:
Well, I took it out again today along with my iron sighted version, and put a few hundred more rounds through the gun with the RMR. I even got rained on, and was impressed with how little that affected the optic...the dot was still clear and visible even with water all over the lens.

I shot a couple of targets with each gun, starting at the 5 yard line, and working my way back to the 20 in five yard increments. The dot definitely demonstrated an edge over the irons in the slow-fire precision department (although my low-left-itis is still clearly evident...wish there was a magic fix for that, lol).





Speed was a whole other matter. On the timer, I'm still picking up the irons quicker, and have more accurate delivery in lower times.

I also shot our state qualification course, just because I know how I typically do on that. It was about on par with how I typically do, however the one-handed portion really threw me for a loop. I'd gotten used to the dot disappearing straight up under recoil...now all of a sudden shooting one-handed it was going off at an angle. The extra time it took me to re-acquire after each shot actually pushed me over time...guess I know what I need to work on next time.

I swear I have the same issue that pops up once or twice a year. I have to watch this video and I get the fundamentals back.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eETQjJQT68w

Remember. Don't bring the dot to your line of sight. Bring the weapon to your natural point of aim. The main aspect of using an MRDS is staying 100% target focused. If you are looking for the dot, you are not focused on the target. The reason you are getting faster splits on irons is it is embedded into your muscle memory from years of it. Try closing your eyes and bringing the weapon up to where your natural point of aim is, then open your eyes. If you are doing it correctly, the dot should be there. I did about 400 dry fire practice draws before I ever hit the range.

I promise, when it "clicks" you will look back and laugh a little.

All of my defensive handguns have red dots on them now Except for my Glock 43x/48

This is my second attempt at using the dot

My first attempt I found I was indexing the front sight to find the dot. In my view if I already had the front sight why not just pull the trigger then instead of wasting time to find the dot?

So I got rid of all my dots

Then I took a G34 in trade with a delta point pro on it. The DPP sits up so high you can’t see the sights. Not even normal suppressor height sights. So I had to learn to use the dot on its own. It made a world of difference.

And now, as I said, every gun I use for defensive or carry purposes has the dot on it. And if the new smaller red dots get to the point where I am convinced of their reliability I will get my 48/43X slides milled for one of those as wel;


Tl;DR: if you’re struggling with the dot take the sights off the gun and train with just the dot