Bought a Taurus G3C model a while back when you were lucky to find something available. It was not optics ready unfortunately.
Received an email from Taurus about availability of new slides to replace the existing one that is optics ready with the mounting plates (just move the spring and barrel from existing to new one). I did purchase the replacement slide and waiting for it to arrive.
I pinged Smith & Wesson as well to see if they supply replacement slides as optics ready for their M2.0 Compact line and got a (7) worded reply that really could have been just a single word, ‘No’.
Trying to avoid the milling/mounting plate direction.
Just curious other folks experiences in this case or other firearms you carry/experience with where you could replace the slide to be optics ready without any hassle? Looking into the crystal ball, will this be more of an option down the road once other vendors start providing it?
Replacing the slide with one that’s optic ready is certainly an option.
I opted to have the slide on my HK VP9 milled for several reasons:
1 Cheaper than buying a second slide
2 Mounting plates are one more thing to work loose. Cleaning solvents eventually degrade thread lockers like blue Loctite.
3 The optic (Holosun green dot) sits lower in the slide, allowing the front sight to be slightly visible and co-witnessed, although I don’t use the iron sights any more anyway.
Learning to use a dot optic is a steep learning curve at first, especially if you’ve been shooting iron sights for a long time. It took some relearning at first to keep both eyes open and put the dot where I want it, but I’m much faster and more accurate than before, especially at 20-30 yards. I’m an old geezer with old eyes, so the dot is a perfect setup for me.
My 11 pistols all use irons, but building 5 of them really made me realize how much aftermarket stuff is available for Glocks. Quick search on my phone, I stopped counting at 12 aftermarket slide manufacturers making rmr cut slides for Glock. Taurus search…you got O.E.M.
Faxon Firearms makes aftermarket slides for M&P’s.
I bought a Sig P226 Legion RXP, same deal, other options weren’t available. But I really love the gun with just iron sights. Turns out Sig sells a P226 Legion iron sight slide. So I bought it as an option. I really like the ability of swapping one for the other. I just remove the guide rod, recoil spring, and barrel, and put them into the slide I want to use.
It’s kind of like having not one, but two awesome guns.
Good to know on the learning curve. I did read it takes some getting used to and some great benefits to using one not to mention the time to get it dialed in.
Did you have any issues when you received the milled slide back?
I had mine cut locally, a machine shop that specializes in custom firearms. I brought my optic to him and he installed it while he was at it; the Holosun is the same footprint of an RMR so it wasn’t necessary he have the optic. The slide had to be re-cerakoted because of the raw metal after being cut, but that was no big deal, another $35 I think. It’s been a couple years.
I have optics on 5 pistols now. Two came with slides that were ‘optics ready’, and the rest had to be modified.
Why avoid the milling route? I have done that to a 1911 and a Glock 19 and they are far and away my favorites–I had them add suppressor height sights and now the red dot is cowitnessed with the iron sights, which are night sights as well.
Talk about best of both worlds.
I’m getting ready to send my Kimber 10mm in for milling. It will be an awesome hunting/SD pistol. It’s already the most accurate pistol I own.
I added a red dot to my Ruger 57 with no issues. The same with my Canik. The same with my Buck mark (after I got the picatinny rail). Yes, they work without a problem, but there are no back up iron sights if the optic fails (unlikely for the RMR, but possible for the vortex due to battery life).
