Search is your friend. Many other threads around here discussing the topic.
No regret going to a red dot. Went into it with the understanding that it would take work to make the transition; not with the belief that it would turn me into a God.
Delta Points seem to be having growing pains and suck batteries dry often. I’d stick with RMR for duty or defense.
Regret, yes. Not on the RMR itself, but on what I choose to put it on. I went with a Glock MOS and sold a Gen 3 19 to fund the MOS, in retrospect I wish I kept that 19 and just did the slide mods to correctly mount the RMR.
My favorite pistols as well as my work guns all have RMR’s . They are fast and accurate, they do have a learning curve. They allow me to shoot accurately without having to put on reading glasses.
So does getting acclimated to a red dot, to where it’s working on brain and muscle memory, screw up the shooting of iron sights when you go back to them?
It doesn’t seem like it would work so well going from a red dot in one division, and then iron sights in another, during the same day, weekend, etc.
I can’t speak for others, but I still draw to the irons. That never changed. I don’t look for the dot, if it’s sighted in, when your draw the irons the Dot will find you.
I did have some initial “dot searching” delay, but worked on just driving the irons as usual, and the dot pops right into view.
The best way to get over it is just to burn some reps.
Good buddy of mine is a M level production shooter with a G17 that was looking to get into CCO (welfare open) and I cautioned that it took me a few reps to consistently land the dot. He quicly responded that he had no issue at all with transitioning to the dot, most likely because he has burned in draw to shot and target transitions so well that the gun is aligned faster and more precisely than those that aren’t putting in the reps (dry and/or live) to be fast to sights anyway.
So, bottom line, aligning the gun to target subconsciously through repetitive self-training will put the sights, of whatever flavor, where they need to be close enough to refine for sighted fire.
I tried a friend’s 17 for a magazine full with the red dot. I’m real used to Glocks but that red dot was no where near where it needed to be for my regular sight alignment. With my regular hold there was no red dot.
I get it that with a number of dry fire repetitions or live fire it will come to you, but for me it seemed to require holding the pistol higher than I do with irons.
Irons are pretty basic, so I guess your eyes just naturally go to them even if you are used to a red dot. So far I’ve had no desire to go to a red dot to find out.
Can you consistently, on demand, draw to hit a 3x5 at 7 yards in 1.5 seconds or less?
I’m not asking in an attempt to discredit you or challenge your skill, simply pointing out the subconscious skill level of the users I am basing this on.
Just to expand on some of the other advice offered here, I’d be sure to get some type of co-witness height sights. If you prefer it absolute or lower that’s up to you, but being able to find your iron sights will greatly help with finding the dot.
At first its find the target, present the handgun, find the sights, see the dot, place the dot and fire. Eventually its one fluid act.
I regretted buying the RMR for my Glock 19 MOS so much, that I sold the complete setup. I could never find the dot but I am getting old. The Leupold is parallax free. If I ever go down the red dot route again, the Leupold would be my choice.