I bought an SCCY CPX-2 with a Riton Red Dot sight on sale for $270.00 in December of 2022. It took me nearly a year of dry-fire practice to master the 12 pound DA only trigger pull, and the use of a red dot sight. But once those things were accomplished, I found I was shooting more accurately than with any other handgun I own, including my 2011 from Remington. (Recon Commander 9mm; unfortunately, no longer available). The only reason I could outshoot the Remington was the optical sight. But the Remington’s slide isn’t cut for an optical sight, so my birthday gift this year was a Kimber CDS9. I bought this sight to go with it and so far am very happy with it:
If you look for sales from CDNN or elsewhere, you can find reliable red dots for as low as $125.00 or so.
One word of advice, and it took me almost a year to learn it. At first i was lining up the dot to float on top of the front sight; that worked, but takes extra time. Then I learned you don’t have to line up the dot with anything. So long as it is on your target and your trigger control is good, you’ll hit what you are aiming at. You can be viewing the dot from any angle and it doesn’t matter. Just hold the dot on your target and shoot.
I had similar issues. Shooting a pistol Ive owned for 40 years became a struggle at many indoor ranges. I fixed my issue by adding night sights to my 40 year old gun and buying a new version with red dot sights. My take away was regardless which system I use, there has to be a distinct contrast in light and color for the best results. Another older piece S&W revolver with blacked out front and rear sight was improved by swapping out the rear sight blade for one with a white outlined notch.
There are several good options depending on your goals:
Night sights: You can choose high-resolution night sights with large illuminated dots on both the front and rear posts, or opt for a configuration with illumination only on the front post if you prefer a simpler sight picture.
Optic-ready setups: If you want to mount a red dot or other optic, there are rear-sight replacement plates that convert the rear iron sight into a solid mounting surface.
If price is a concern, I recommend looking at the Vortex Defender or the recently released Venom series. They come in CCW, ST, and XL sizes and offer 3 MOA or 6 MOA red/green dot options. You can often find Vortex optics at reduced prices in the “refurbished” section at some retailers a few times a year (like AAOPTICS) and because Vortex backs their products with a lifetime warranty, refurbished units are generally a safe, cost-effective choice. I’ve had excellent experiences with Vortex customer service and run their Defender line on both my CCW and competition firearms with zero issues.
If Vortex isn’t your preference, other alternatives include Holosun, Trijicon, and other established manufacturers. They all make solid optics.
A few practical questions to help you decide (only you can answer these): Is it worth spending $200–$500 to improve your ability to defend yourself or a loved one? Are there lower-cost options that meet your needs? What firearms are you using for home defense, and would switching to a more user-friendly platform be a better long-term solution?
Hopefully this gives you some food for thought. Good luck out there.
Oh, definitely.
I didn’t include the enclosed version since it falls under the “Defender” line, but I appreciate you pointing that out. I don’t have hands-on experience with those models yet, but I’ll be receiving four different optics (both green dot Defenders and the new red dot enclosed versions) at our range soon to test and showcase to our CCW clients.
I don’t want to derail the topic, but I’ll provide feedback on these particular optics at a later date.
Also, thank you for the welcome greetings, everyone.
Oh, if only! XS has discontinued the only sight they made which fit one of my pistols. I was actually planning to buy one. They have no plans to manufacture any for the other pistols I own. So, dead end on that front.
It sounds to me like you are warming up to the idea of an optic. However I think before you take that dive maybe try a cheaper alternative as In the direction of your original post. Sight contrast can be achieved with simple model paint. While not as sexy as aftermarket sights or whizbang optics, a brightly colored front sight along with lesser and contrasting rear sight for reference might be worth a try. For less than $10 it is probably worth a shot before plucking down 5-10-15 or more times as much the results might be worth your time for a lot less money.
Might try a Big Dot sight from XS Sights. I use them on all of my shotguns. For my ARs I use an Armson OEG (just a black hole with a red dot), or Vortex with the front cover closed for the same effect.
True DIY? Take the rear sight off, tap in a big, flat front sight and paint it some nuclear orange or yellow.
