Math On The Range
Fun and math are two words that rarely intersect in my world. However, you need to step out of your comfort zone and try something different. PRS Before I retired, one of my guys frequently talked about his PRS (Precision Rifle Shooting) hobby. While it was an interesting conversation over coffee, it was not my world. Fast-forward a few years, and I live in a far more firearms-friendly place with a wider variety of ranges. [...]
First Impressions – Aimpoint’s COA and Glock’s A-Cut
For as long as we've been mounting miniaturized optics on pistol slides, there have been debates over the mounting footprints. Several designs have come and gone, while a few have established themselves across multiple manufacturers. Many have voiced a hope that the firearms and optics industries would unite and standardize [...]
Dot In A Box — Trijicon’s RCR
When Trijicon released the RCR—Ruggedized Close Reflex—in '23, there was much discussion of the optic's form, especially of the mounting system. The RCR is an enclosed emitter optic, like the Aimpoint Acro, Steiner MPS, and others. What Does Enclosed Mean? Most of the optics on long guns – carbines, [...]
Pistol Mounted Optics — Revisited
Back in 2012 (I know, I know—that is like Prehistoric times), I started using a pistol-mounted optic on duty. Initially, that was going to be a one-year experiment to see what my old organization might want to know about implementing and using those things in an on-duty capacity. Several things [...]
Open Or Closed? Your Choice Of Emitters
Which style is better? Is an open-emitter optic design best? Or would a closed-emitter model work better for you? What are we talking about? An open emitter optic does not enclose the space between the emitter and the window the reticle's image is projected onto. Likewise, with a closed [...]
Program Development For Not-So-Big Agencies
Let me know if this sounds familiar. “Sir, I have a great idea. I think we should put optics on our pistols.” They are rugged and valuable pieces of equipment, and many places are going to them. Administrator response: I don’t know. If you want to do that, it is [...]
Vortex’s Defender CCW — Concealed Carry Optic
You do not have to have an optic on your pistol—not even on your carry guns, whether concealed or duty. However, I do. I have optics on many of the pistols I shoot regularly. One, because they complement my vision. Second, because I want commonality. I prefer that my defensive [...]
Visual Attention And HiViz’s Fast Dot H3 Sights
For most of the time that man has used projectile weapons, we have looked at what we wanted to hit. We kept our visual attention on that spot and then endeavored to deliver the projectile to that spot. There was a combination of how our body works (kinesthetics) and where [...]
Blocking Your Dot — Occluded Optics
Two advantages of pistol-mounted optics (PMO) are the ability to keep both eyes open throughout the shooting process and the ability to focus on what you are trying to hit (threat, target focus). Those can also be two of the components that require extra work when transitioning from iron sights [...]
Set It & Forget It
Where do I set the dot? Is it like lights? Can it be too bright? Can you, or should you, tailor the dot's setting to the current lighting conditions? What about the situation? That dot is all the way up. Even at this distance, it is difficult to see [...]
Zeroing Your Dot
We recently received an email from a reader who has also listened to the GUNS Magazine podcast and the episodes over there about pistol-mounted optics. He pointed out that while we have covered several dot-specific topics, zeroing has not yet been addressed in those conversations. What These Aren't The [...]