Page 29 - IDPA TJ SUMMER 2020

Just like iron sights, you need to spend the time to find the dot and optic that works best for you.
Dot or not? That is the question! And for some of you the decision might be rooted in the fact that you carry a gun on a daily basis that does NOT have an optic on it. Should you consider competing with one? And will competing with one hurt your self-defense skills? In short, no. There are actually some great benefits from training with an optic sighted pistol, and I was once given a recom- mendation from a top shooter that if I really
wanted to take my game to the next level, I should consider shooting open division for a year. I followed his advice, and learned from the experience. Of course, if you do decide to compete with an optic then make sure you are spending adequate time training with your iron sighted carry gun as well.
Before we talk about how shooting a dot might improve your shooting, I’d like to give you a few tips on setting up your carry
optics gun. Here are some things you might consider:
1. Consider a milled out slide versus a dovetail or plate mounting solution. Keep in mind that the closer the dot in the optic is to where the top of your front sight would be, the easier it will be to find the dot quickly. Think about it for a second, you find your iron sights by driving them into your eye/
OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE IDPA SUMMER 2020 | TACTICAL JOURNAL 27