This is a brief pistol optics FAQ.
Starting with the most common and simple question to answer:
Should I upgrade to optics on my handgun?
Yes.
Are optics actually an upgrade over iron sights?
Yes.
When should I upgrade to optics?
Now.
…That is the TLDR (Too Long; Didn’t Read – For our friends over 70) of this brief glance into the world of pistol optics. Now, let’s get into why everyone and their cat is sporting pistol optics on their handguns in 2024.
Firstly, yes, optics provide a higher potential of precision accuracy. From a hardware perspective, this can firstly be attributed to the size of the dot of the optic. For instance, if we have a 2 MOA red dot it will cover half an inch of our target at 25 yards and 2 inches at 100 yards. Conversely, a pistol’s front iron sight (depending on the model width) will cover anywhere from 3.75-5.50 inches at 25 yards and 15-22 inches at 100 yards. Of course, there are larger size optic reticles to choose from which would reduce this large gap in potential for precision accuracy. However, generally speaking we are going to get a more refined sight picture from an optic than from iron sights that are in some cases 10x larger than a precise optic. The picture below displays a 2MOA red dot over a Dawson Precision Competition front sight which is a very thin front sight post.
Keep in mind, there are many different reticles and sizes of reticles to choose from when purchasing an optic. To make this easier going forward we are going to refer to the reticle of the optic as the “dot”. There is many different schools of thought in terms of what dot size works best in what application but again, in general terms a smaller dot may be better for slow, bullseye shooting and a larger optic may be a benefit in faster, competitive or defensive shooting.
This is because as mentioned earlier, a smaller dot will give us a better reference point to stick onto a precise portion of the target and to return to it after each shot in a more precise manner. That’s not to say that we can’t use the centroid of a larger dot and achieve the same results, but many shooters find it easier to shoot precise groups with a smaller dot.
With a larger dot, many shooters find that the dot is picked up quicker by the eyes and appears to be more stable in the optic window. The stability of the dot is something that is entirely in the brain. No matter what size the dot is it is shaking with the same amount of excitement whether it is 2MOA or 8MOA, and that same shaking is occurring invisibly with your iron sights as well. You generally can’t see that shake in your iron sights because of the crude size of them in comparison to an optic, and further because you’ve got two things to split your attention on instead of one dot floating in an optic window.
This doesn’t mean we can’t get the same accuracy with iron sights, but most shooters will just find it more difficult to accomplish with them. Even though our front sight might be covering a larger portion of the target than an optic would, we can get very thin iron sights to mitigate this problem. This is similar to putting a small tick mark right in the middle of the front sight blade to line up with a bullseye on the target. This provides a finer aiming reference which helps ensure that small tick is exactly on the bullseye for each round fired.
Now here comes the second huge benefit with optics. We can focus on the target while overlaying the dot on a very fine portion of the target. In this way we can ensure that they are lined up for the shot using only one focal plane. Now, think of shooting a bullseye target or B8 at 25 yards. With iron sights, we really have to choose what we want to focus on. If the target is focused, then the sights are blurry and may not be perfectly lined up. If the sights are focused, then the target is blurry and the sights may not be covering the portion of the target that we want to hit. There are different schools of thought in terms of where our focus should be and in what context. There are some shooters that can target focus with iron sights with a high level of accuracy, and there are some shooters that can sight focus with iron sights with a high level of speed, but generally the average shooter will find focusing on the sights to be better for precision and focusing on the target to be better for speed.
With optics however, this debate isn’t very necessary. We pretty well always want to be target focused and simply allow the dot to be superimposed exactly where our vision is directing the bullet to go. Simple right?
Well, it is. A new shooter will be able to pickup a pistol with an optic and generally be significantly more accurate than with iron sights. However, building the ability to draw, move, and fire multi-round strings is going to take more time to get right. This is okay, because an optic forces a shooter to do it right. This is because you can’t see your sighting system until it is lined up almost perfectly with your eye. If you stay target focused during reps with an optic, you’ll find that you’re generally putting in better reps to see that dot overlay exactly where your eyes are telling it to go. With iron sights, you can see the sighting system at all times, even when they aren’t lined up, and when you do have them lined up you won’t have as much data and feedback to see your mistakes. That means a slower learning curve and often more frustrating results to diagnose.
In either system, the sights are the truth of where the round will end up on target, but with optics there is no concern about the sights being perfectly lined up. If the dot is zeroed properly (and you’re at your zero range), then the bullet is going where the dot is. After a bad shot with iron sights, there can be doubt over whether the sights were perfectly aligned, or if it was an error with the trigger press, etc. In this way, it can be difficult to diagnose what caused the bad shot.
So, what are the downsides to putting an optic on your pistol?
The downside to optics, especially for shooters just starting out, is the cost. Getting a good optic and a good mounting system can be more expensive than the pistol it is going on. Keep in mind however, that if you’re interested in learning to shoot better then you will be placing quick and accurate rounds sooner with an optic based on the above information. Sooner in this context also means less money on ammo sent downrange with iron sights that provide less data per round to improve upon. It pays for itself in the long run if your priority is becoming a better shooter. This means that the newer you are to pistol shooting the more advantageous it is for you to upgrade to a pistol optic. You will learn cleaner technique and have more data available to progress with right from the start.
Another concern that comes up is having electronics attached to your pistol. Electronics run on battery power and they can break. Unfortunately, so can iron sights. Anecdotally, I have seen front sights entirely dislodge while shooting and try to go downrange with the bullet. I’ve seen front sights sheered off by screws inside a holster, fiber optics break, dirt get lodged in between the rear sight blades and adjustable front or rear sights get bumped out of alignment. All of these issues will put you out of business just as much as an optic’s rear lens going down. Fortunately, nowadays, the durability of optics have increased to such a degree that the argument over optic failure (especially for casual shooters) has been largely silenced. Many trusting shooters even opt to remove their backup iron sights to have a cleaner image through their optic window. When you get deeper into the world of optics, you’ll find that shooting with a dead battery or broken front glass isn’t something to be hugely fearful of.
Hopefully this quick blog post has covered some of the concerns about upgrading to optics. Here’s one thing that you need to be prepared for if and when you make the switch. You will likely get a bit worse before you get much better. Just like switching to a new gun with a new grip, index point and trigger press; switching to an optic is an entirely different system and you have to be prepared to push through the difficulty of learning something new.
Don’t be fearful. Buy it. Mount it. Shoot it.
By wisdom and effort.
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