This is my first attempt to play with RDS on top of a pistol. A friend whom also has shitty eyes said it was a game changer for him, so I thought why not give it a try. My first sessions have been very promising.
Any tips or tricks for adapting to RDS hand gunning?
Practice.
Practice.
Practice.
Been using a RM06 on a Gen4 19 for suppressed NV use for a few years now and only recently threw one on a Gen5 19. The NV Suppressed RMR handgun game is easy because you’re not typically doing quick draws or ccw drills under NODs. Coupled with an active IR system you can **** a lot of pests up even from the sunroof of a BMW M3.
The Gen5 took a while to make sure the dot was at eye level (visible) each time I drew but now I can get chest shots in under 1sec from a holster at 7yards. It took like 1,000 rounds to do it consistently though.
I’m not one of those guys that’s gonna offer a YouTube link to some self professed know it all. I wish I had tips or tricks for you, but it took me, a shot timer, a pack of targets, and several dozen boxes of ammo shooting under the Florida summer sun to get the muscle memory down right.
Yup that is usually the answer, practice- ammo- practice ammo…I guess Im going to have to do some high speed drills out the window of my Taco on the ranch. Its no M3 but slow and steady and she goes everywhere.
PB
Dry fire’s your friend PB. Like Euro said; finding dot on presentation is the big hurdle.
Umpteen years of muscle memory shooting irons doesn’t help.
They make precision at distance easier though.
Yes, I shot the best 25 yard off hand group I may have ever shot. Didn’t push out further.
Piling on…
Been using an RM06/G19 since August and it helped me make huge strides in shot placement. I agree that it takes learning time to get the presentation down well, but additionally important, it lets you know when you sight alignment sucks and therefore holding off breaking the shot .25 secs to see the dot and get the sights aligned correctly.
I have 20/40 vision and an astigmatism, and often had trouble getting the front sight post to be the focus instead of the target or the shifting that would take place between the two. The RMR changes this. I also shoot the iron sights way better now that I’ve been shooting the RMR than I ever have. Not sure why, but its easier to focus on the front post now.
Not hitting A zone in under a second yet though…I am consistent in the placement around 1.6 to 1.7 secs at about 7-10 yards. I sure shoot 25 yd B-8’s better though!
I now carry a Glock 34 with RM07 on duty. I had a G19 with RM06 but did not like it and sold the optic. The key has been a metric sh*t ton of practice. Like 1500 rounds before I felt comfortable with it.
We are seeing not-so-good results with the Sig Romeo’s, just FYI. The P320’s however have been great.
I put a TLR8 on my M17,
And still have not found the easy button for a mount/RDS with front sight combo that will give me the cowintess BUIS I want.
When I bought it, I thought all that stuff had been ironed out.
For some reason I thought my light laser selection was going to be the M17/18 standard, but no easy button holster to order,
And thought the sight/RDS set up would also be a one click deal.
Suppressor sights (such as Ameriglo), and a proper RMR cut for the Trijicon RMR or Delta Point won’t accomplish the co-witness you are looking for?
Dry fire, daily. Both trigger control (because you will likely see movement with the dot you never saw before), and presentations from draws and other positions. I didnt put rounds down range until I had 2-3 weeks of solid, purposeful dry fire. First range session was on par with irons, now Im faster with the rmr.
Once you hit the range, mix up distance and raget size, find out what sight picture gets you hits. You’ll eventually have to learn you dont need to see the dot for every shot. When moving and shooting a close target, somethimes the dot moves outside the window, but the gun is still on target. Seeing the irons as a reference helps too, although Im using stock height sights.
Tldr: dry practice draws, learn to not “need” the dot.
The M17 already has the cut,
But is no one click buy package.
There is some discrepancy with the cut for the SIG RDS, what height front sight for the DPP, etc.
For some reason I had listened to some guys,
Thought the TLR8 was going to be the issue light/laser, with no problem with holster selection,
And thought there was a direct screw on RDS/hood/rear sight and front sight combo you could just order.
This has not proven to be the case.
I sighted in at 25 yards then shot an indoor competition with first sized targets at 7 yards. Gee wonder why I missed low. I kept thinking to myself, the dot was on that f$#@&g target. To make matters worse I often favor a 6:00 hold. Shit show.
You would think a guy with multiple RDS AR’s wouldn’t choke on that one. Classic Pappabear.
Maybe I just sucked last night, but I’m going to hit the range this weekend and see where my 7 yard zero hits. My buddy said to me, you keep missing low on all your missed shots so I thought I’m yanking the shit out of this trigger. Anybody pull this move with their pistol RDS or am I off base on my theory.
PB
Not in competetion, but my first couple of dot drill targets provided that “offset, dumbass” reaction. There’s a learning curve no doubt, but IMO, its worth it.
Mine is sighted in perfectly at 25- dot centered in bull is x hits (mostly 10 ring, but evently around the x).
At 15 on a plate rack for time, i hold at the top edge of the plates. I assume Im pulling a bit low on the timer. For dot torture at 5, im either dead on(1/2” or so low)or pull low. Worth checking, but I would guess you are pulling down slightly when mashing the trigger in competition.
Dry fire with the dot will show this if you dry-practice smashing it- which I suggest once you get a slow pull down pat.
I will do all the above. The competition is a Mickey Mouse indoor dealio with a lot of very small precision targets. I hear it’s good to do in conjunction with real IPSC comps to make you work on your precision game.
PB
I zeroed mine at 50y. I believe that coincides to a 10y zero as well. I have no real issues shooting things out to 200+ Yards Unless it’s windy.
Otoh I believe a 25y zero is flatter? Don’t remember.
I’ll shoot it and if it’s my finger banging issue, I’ll be the first to admit. I shot different ammo in desert vs indoors but whatever I’ll fess up the facts. I was exploring the offset points my friend sold me on.
PB
Different ammo can have a big impact too. I forgot about that. 115 gr loads hit noticably lower at 25 for me. Not enough to notice for uspsa, but small plates (texas star at distance) can bring this out- might be another reason for my high hold on plates.
I thought about this as well as I did use different Ammo.
PB
Took my gun out and shot for precision at 7yards, it was 2 maybe a bit more inches low. Which it could have been off at 25 yards because I sighted it in on steel in a pretty sloppy fashion. Did the 2 inches cost me some misses , yes but did I still yank the trigger and sucked with getting comfortable with a RDS handgun. I hoped it to have been more as bad as I shot so…I crapped out
Bottom line I need to practice practice practice as suggested, and I will do so because I still believe my old eyes will come to love it.
PB