Pretty much all of my stuff is iron sights except one AR which came with a pretty nice red dot. My WASR has a green laser but that's more to make me giggle. It's a cheap Chinese one too but it's really over built and has been going strong for about ten years so it's earned it's place. (I'm also just too lazy to remove it.). Another reason I'm hesitant to go red dot on my pistols is because I already have a huge box of holsters. I don't need a second box of red dot specific holsters.

 

I'm a 99% iron sight gun guy. I have a few red dots on 22's and 1 AR platform, but I'm a big fan of irons.

 

I actually prefer iron sights but a recent cataract in my right eye only has put stop irons for the time being. As far as using dot type sights I've recently developed some colorblindness to both red and green but so far scopes are still relevant! LOL

 

Last year I put a laser on my carry pistol, both AR’s have red dots. Everything else has irons (well the shotty has a Streamlight but it’s not a sight)

 

I use various optics on rifles- but always have BUIS equipped.

For handguns, I stick to iron sights. There is not a big enough advantage for me to add complexity and fragility to my system. I can hit with iron sighted handguns well beyond 100y, I have always won my divisions (limited/production) when competing and usually beat out most of the open division guys. I have zero issues with iron sights on handguns.

One thing that really locks me into iron sights vs. Red dots on handguns is space. I carry an appendix holster with an extra mag 100% of the time- I get better concealment and a smaller overall package when I can keep my mag closer to my gun without needing the extra space to clear an optic on the draw.

Here's a T1c axis slim appendix holster that can take an optic

Here's a t1c axis elite appendix holster with an even bigger gap to accommodate an optic.

Here's my custom holster- notice how much smaller the gap is between the mag and the top of the slide. This is more comfortable, and conceals much better. So irons sights have the benefit of being lower profile and aiding concealment given my preferred format of carry.

So despite carrying an optic ready gun- red dots don't mix with handguns for me personally.

 

Working fulltime as a firearms instructor at one of the largest PDs in the country, we see significantly more irons fail than optics. Maybe because we actually use good optics. As an example, for this inservice rotation, on one shift, zero optics failures with 5 failures of iron sights (one front sight broke off, four rears drifted completely off). If you want to count rears that merely drifted, but stayed on the gun, you can double that number. On optics where battery life is measured in years, it's hard to argue that irons hold any advantage.

 

What firearm, types of iron sights and what was the PM schedule on the firearms in question? Need some details- I've had a coupole leupold scopes fail, but one was due to negligence and the other -15/30 degree weather, both were over 30 years old.

Also, which sights are you seeing last the longest (not the battery)? We've seen a ton of holosun sights run without issue, more than we see Trijicon getting used.

 

I am 48 and the only firearms I currently have an optic mounted are my elk rifles. All carry and defence guns are iron sights. Kinda hard for fixed S&W or Ruger revolver sights to "fail". As I type this while sitting in a Denny's in Grand Junction, CO, the 1970 vintage Model 37 snub in my pocket is not handicapped with it's fixed aiming system. However, I may toy in the future with an optic on one of my AR clones or AR pistols.

 

I've seen irons fail- though it's generally less catastrophic than electronic optics failing. I've had inserts fall out of front sights and rear sight drift. I've seen adjust rears get bent out of wack aswell. I've seen alot of those skinny fiber optics fall out of competition sights aswell.

Here was a night fision front where the insert fell out- still functional.

Here's a trijicon front sight that took a hard impact and then drifted.

Far Less functional cause POI changed during shooting- Though not enough to miss at close ranges.

Not all electronic optics are created equal- the same goes for iron sights. I like to see set screws/adhesives being used for fixed sights rather than just friction fit dovetails personally and obviously i dont like plastic.

But I can attest to mud being easier to blow out of a rear sight notch then the emitter holes on a rds. There's ways around that, better tech that can be applied for certain situations/holsters etc.

I've seen alot of people complain about plastic sights on glocks... I always liked plastic sights cause I figured that's the first thing you swapped on a handgun anyways- I didn't want to pay for good sights that I wasn't planning on using anyways- I never thought people would actually depend on plastic glock sights seriously though obviously they've been used in deadly shootings plenty effectively. Just cause something can fail doesn't mean that it will, and just cause something shouldnt fail doesn't mean it can't.

Here's a nasty plastic rear from a cz- it worked fine for a few years- but eventually just wore out and wouldn't hold zero.

The fella who owns it still uses it on a gun he keeps in his daily driver and that picture was taken in 2017... 🤦‍♂️

What I think is that the engineering that goes into iron sights is becoming an afterthought because the market is trending towards red dots on everything. People aren't interested in making iron sights bombproof because people don't plan on using them. Not all iron sight designs are created equal- and that's something rarely considered by folks who are selecting a new gun to carry because the general notion is that iron sights cant fail- which isn't true.

Ymmv.

 

I'm a big fan of fiber optic front sights on my handguns.
I love the aperture rear sight on my M1 Carbines.
Most of my long guns have some kind of optic, I prefer etched reticles to a floating dot requiring power.
I have one exception to that.

On my Zastava M77PS I have a square framed red dot. I have it set up like a squad support weapon and can use it with or without illumination.
I would love to have a binary trigger for it but Franklin does not recommend theirs for .308.

 

Nice looking rifle.

 

Hate to admit it but I am resisting red dots as long as I can.
Simple reason, cost.

At the same time, my iron sights are getting larger and brighter. The old small sights are a thing of the past most days.

A couple of months ago, a refresher course had me putting around a thousand rounds downrange out of the work pistol.
While I took top shot, it would have been better (easier) if I could have seen the sights.
Line up the blurs and squeeze the trigger.

I am slowly transitioning my carry guns either to larger more visible sights, or trading them off. The little CZ .32 I like, may as well not have sights on it.

Glock plastic factory sights are surprisingly visible, and I may be simply swapping the G19 to the steel version.

Find what you need and go with that. I can't find any better advice.

 

I’m 75 and grew into maturity long before anything other than traditional scopes had been invented.
I’m used to irons, I do have one scoped 22 WMR and one scoped 30-06.

 

The old school scoped 30-06.

One rifle to rule them all.

 

I have kinda struggled with this one. Always most comfortable with irons. But my eyes not as good as used to be. Pistols have the fiber type stock sights or Glock type night sights. ( don’t believe shotguns require ) My shotguns mossberg my 590a1 I absolutely love the ghost ring sights and hate the bead on my 500. Just last night was looking at a ghost ring sight setup for that one as well. In the past I bought some cheap a$$ red dots don’t bother if your Gona do it do it well. I did get one trijicon for my ar it’s super nice I’m just not that used to it ( also have irons on same gun 45deg off on side ). My favorite rifle .30 carbine and I’m very good with iron sights. I’m no navy seal or want to be but when I shoot with friends that are past military or hunters they are surprised I can shoot well I did buy the optic mount for my 1944 Winchester carbine safe queen and have considered getting another trijicon for that thinking it be the bees knees as I get older I hate the price of trijicon but never batteries large field of view And I don’t know what’s inside them but the warning list is scary chemicals wise.

 

I tried a Romeo5 or Romero5 from SIG. $100.

Could not call it a red dot. It was more like a group of smaller dots kinda clustered together in a blob. Took it back. Junk.

Then the owner of the range let me look at his Halosun on his M1 carbine. Crisp, clear, and just one nice sharp and clear red dot. It was awesome. $400 though.

So...yes, it was nice, but the carbine's ranges are short, so naw. I can hit to minute of man within 200 yards with irons on mine.

but...those iron sights had to be adjusted way the hell over to the left to make it hit point of aim. But, man...was it accurate when I did. Accurate meaning 5 shots within the size of the bottom of a soda pop can at 35 yards.

A Halosun would have made it even tighter, I am sure.

 

A vast majority of my rifles and carbines have optics on them. All of my AR's have red dots, halo sights and scopes, with most having back up irons. All, but one of my handguns are irons only. I coincidentally shot my CZ P-10C with a red dot for the first time this past Saturday. Even in that brief time, I was able to shoot it well with lessened need to be precise, while still getting good accuracy. Red dots and other optics can be extremely tough and reliable. Red dots specifically help me to get on target and make effective shots quicker than irons.

 

With rifles it is kind of a mixture. ARs have red dots. Hunting rifles have glass. Shotguns and lever actions are iron sights (all are really for close enough ranges I am okay with).

Handguns are all iron sights. With that said, I have three handguns with gold bead front sights. As I have got older I really appreciate gold beads sights.

 

Depends on use. I ccw a makarov, so no red dot there. At home, i use a bigger Arez Zero Tactical with a light and red dot.

Rifles i have a mix of irons, red dots, and scopes, depends on what its used for. I do have irons on everything.

Red dots do make accurate target acquisition a bit faster for me even if i have to apply a holdover, but in rain or mist, if they get wet or fogged its annoying.

Shotguns i prefer rifle sights but i do have red dots on some Vepr12's but those are more toys than tools.

You can use car wax or hydrophobic/oleophobic coatings on the glass to cut down fogging and bead off water. Fusso makes some (expensive) hydro/oleophobic cell phone screen coatings that i use on all my camera lenses, gun optics, sunglasses etc. It REALLY cuts down on red dots or scopes fogging up or getting misted.

 

. . .

Shotguns i prefer rifle sights but i do have red dots on some Vepr12's but those are more toys than tools. . . .

I'm a big fan of these for my shotguns.

Amazon.com

 

Past my 7th decade and I still use only iron sights on my CCW pistols.
My M-4 has a 'red dot' as well as buis.
And a few of my target .22's also have a red dot [ Sig Romeos].
I had the eye correction done a while ago and I see better now than I did 40 years ago,so irons are GTG for me.
And they have little to no chance of a fail.

 

As my eyes have gone from far-sighted to sucks all around-sighted , irons on handguns have become more difficult to focus on front, rear and target if I am "taking my time" and really trying to make it happen. Bifocals are a bitch. That said reactionary/point shooting remains spot on and my same old 20+ year EDC is still irons so there is that. I have of late put an RMR on FNX 45. After a little practice on dot acquisition, it is stupid easy to get right on target. Optic co-witnesses so if RDS fails I still have irons available. All my rifles except a lever 30-30 and .45LC have some form of optic (scope/LPVO, holo, RDS) with BUIS. I have one bullpup shotgun with a holo all the rest are hunting style single bead.

I had the eye correction done a while ago and I see better now than I did 40 years ago, so irons are GTG for me.

This has been a motivation for me to consider RLE surgery. Cost has kept me from moving ahead with it but if I factor in what it would cost to fit all my handguns with quality RDS the surgery is probably cheaper🤔.

 

A red dot would look silly on my M1 Garand.
Plus it might get knocked out of alignment if I had to do a bayonet assault.

 

ONCE YOU LEARN HOW….red dots are faster, and more accurate on torso sized fast shooting. Not sure they are better on slow bullseye shooting.

For longer distance, you can use magnifiers, or use a magnified prism sight, or use an LPVO that works as a red dot in close, but then allows you to zoom in for longer stuff.

I LOVE peep sights, precision aperture sights, and ghost rings. But the electronics and glass options offer more, for most situations.

 

I haven't went that way yet. However, I will only buy MOS versions of any new pistol I get. I figure its good to have options

 

I bought a few red dots, back when they were heavy and awkward. Now I think they’re lighter and awkward.
I just prefer peep sights. I don’t think it has anything to do with shooting a running coyote, at night, using a flashlight. But I’ve come to prefer the peep.

For handguns I’ll keep the three dot. Cataracts be dam-ed.

Hunting rifles are a different story, and I’m sure we’d all agree there, so I’ll shut up.

 

On the fence. Distance obviously we go optics, but I went with lpvo on my last one. Was hog hunting on a full moon recently… couldn’t see my sites, and the boar was on 50 yards away. Normally I prefer simple irons, but lower light conditions it’s really hard to see

 

Was hog hunting on a full moon recently… couldn’t see my sites, and the boar was on 50 yards away. Normally I prefer simple irons, but lower light conditions it’s really hard to see

For iron sights I always put a bit of bright red or orange fingernail polish on the front post, even on my pistols. I've found it too hard to apply the fingernail polish evenly to the rear sight.

 

Even though optics have been on hunting rifles for over 50 years, I still hunt with irons. It's not as efficient... I do just fine.

 

I do both. I have one red dot and it gets moved around from this to that, just to see how it works and where it works. I have no practical experience to say one way is better than the other, but - I like knowing how to do both, comers my @SS just as far as being able to make things work one way or another.

 

Iron sights. My eyes used to be really good. Never a real shooter, but did ok. Have been looking at a red dot for an M4gery for a while. Waiting for my son-in-law to upgrade and gimme a hand-me-down. My fav rifle is a 16" middy A2 variant with A2 stock and Eye-Ron sights. I do have an illuminated reticle scope for it, but it didn't feel right. Probably 1995 vintage. It ate CR coin battery's.

 

The eyes are getting older. For any gun (pistol or rifle) that would generally be shot at less the 50 yds I prefer a post and V iron sight. But all of my longer range rifles now sport either a traditional rifle scope or a red dot.

All rifles also still have iron or flip up plastic sights with the reddots mounted on quick release mounts "just in case". I'm careful to make sure that all of my red dots co-witness with my iron sights

One of them being a Holosun with a flip over 3x magnifier that I bought a few years back.
Amazon.com : Holosun HS510C & HM3X Combo Multi-Reticle Circle Dot Open Reflex Sight w/3x Flip-to-Side Magnifier 510C-HM3X : Sports & Outdoors
I'm thinking I paid about $380 when I bought it.
Solid build but expensive compared to most of my red dots.

just my 2 cents.

 

I always preferred AK irons, specifically the RPK ones as they have a wider U notch in the rear leaf, which is also windage adjustable, so no crooked/offset front sight post. Adjust elevation in front for 110yd/100m, windage in rear. Done.

I swap put all std ak rear leafs for RPK ones and paint the FSP obscene orange.

Stupid simple. Not a fan of peep or ghost ring sights but i have em on a few guns.

Red dots are great for poor lighting conditions. With AK's, only a few commie red dots cowitness, PKA Venezuelan and PK-AS. Those are the only red dots i use on AK's for that reason. Also super simple to remove or swap for a western rail/scope combo or commie scope.