Jump to content
Brian Enos's Forums... Maku mozo!

Frame Mounted or Slide mounted Red Dot for Steel ?


CPW1265

Recommended Posts

What are your thoughts on frame or slide mounted red dots? I am going to build an Open steel gun and am building it off of a M&P (mainly because i have 9 magazines already and shoot a M&P 9L for USPSA). My decision is either buy the Pro 9 CORE or a regular one and put a Carver custom red dot mount on it.

If you are for the slide mounted way which red dot do you prefer?

If it is the frame mounted i was going to get a C-More sliderail

Im also using the M&P because its economical for me and have a SVI Sight Tracker on order already and going to be ordering an open gun from them in the near future. So please no comments on that i should get another gun. Thanks :-)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Frame mount. It allows you to use the full size Cmore with a better field of view that is more durable as the slide mounts tend to have issues at some point from getting beat to death moving back and forth. I have also found it easier to track a frame mount as the dot isn't moving on the slide

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I don't recommend slide mounting a red rod, especially the Burris Fastfire. I had two of them, which Burris replaced a total of 2 times each. Other brands claim to withstand the punishment, but then, so did Burris.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Ok, then which is "better" :devil:

Open guns have evolved from the days of Soda Can sized Aim/Pro Points optics to C-Mores...to the current

style ( or evolution) of micro sights( RMR) mounted onto the slide....I love the look....BUT which works better....

I get it you have to have two identical guns...but as of yet, I've not seen any Youtube vids to swhow that this is the "next step".... :surprise:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I just shot my first RMR mounted open gun in a match. Slide ride gets the dot lower, which makes an easy transition from iron sights.

It was easy enough to track. It's also pretty ideal for 3 gun, since you need a holster it won't pop out of, even prone. And it was cheap enough to do.

My vote is slide ride

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Frame mount. I've used everything. The slide rides are not only subjected to more abuse, they contribute to more muzzle flip thanks to their added slide weight. I like the horizontally mounted c-mores, but wish C-mores were brighter in bright sunlight. This all being said, on the mentioned platform, you will have added inaccuracy from the frame mount thanks to relatively poor slide to frame mount.

Almost forgot to mention, if you decide to ignore my advice (may god have mercy on your soul), get a slide-mounted dot which doesn't require you to dismount the dot in order to change the battery.

Edited by Whoops!
Link to comment
Share on other sites

What dor size where you running that you were having an issue with in the sun

I've used 4 and 6 and had issues with both. I need it to be brighter. I've used 4 different C-mores and had the same issue with all. Glare shields help a ton in direct sunlight, but brightness would be even better.

Edited by Whoops!
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Only if you cut the slide to mount it, in which case you could cut the slide in the same way and still use a frame-mounted dot and have an even lighter slide.

No matter how you cut it, if you put extra metal on the slide, you add weight to the slide.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I just shot my first RMR mounted open gun in a match. Slide ride gets the dot lower, which makes an easy transition from iron sights.

It was easy enough to track. It's also pretty ideal for 3 gun, since you need a holster it won't pop out of, even prone. And it was cheap enough to do.

My vote is slide ride

One match so far, eh?

Please keep us advised if, and when, you have to send the sight back to be repaired.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I will keep it updated, but from what I understand the newer RMRs hold up much better than the older ones did. As an iron shooter, it was an easy transition for me to make since the dot was so slow. I've seen a bunch of other local guys run them with good effects, so I hope it turns out to be the right choice

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I am abandoning the slide mount on my 3gun Open pistol (9mm comped XDm). Biggest issue for me is that when the slide cycles, the dot is hard to track, and the window on it is so small that out-of-position shooting often makes it hard to find the dot. You can get just as low with a 90degree mount and a c-more, and the sight doesn't move with the slide. It's weird, because it never bothered me that the iron sights moved with the slide, but I could always see both sights and their relationship to each other as the slide cycled. I didn't get anxious about regaining my sight picture. The slide mount has KILLED my confidence, and my scores went down. I am building a 90 degree mount for the c-more to give that a try. I see the point about holsters for 3gun, but when I RO'd at the NWMGC last year I would say 90+% of the open class shooters were running Hi-Cap 1911 variants with C-Mores in speed holsters. Obviously you have to be conscious about protecting your pistol when diving in the dirt, but it seems to be working for most.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

Only if you cut the slide to mount it, in which case you could cut the slide in the same way and still use a frame-mounted dot and have an even lighter slide.

No matter how you cut it, if you put extra metal on the slide, you add weight to the slide.

If you remove that chunk of steel and replace it with the aluminum of an RMR they come out very similar in weight. Long talking with Doug from ATEI and stephen pineau about milled in RMRs

As far as the topic of the thread. Being its a steel gun and not a USPSA gun. Tracking the dot for multiple shots in a steel gun is much less important compared to the weight of the gun and consistently finding the dot. Which is very similar to an iron sighted gun. Which may or may not matter to you. Depending if you're used to iron sights. Me being very used to irons and wanting to have both dot and iron sighted pistols with no presentation differences. The slide mount is the choice for me.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I run a slide mounted FF3 as do 2 other guys I shoot 3 gun with. None of us have had issues with them holding up to recoil. 2 of the 3 are run on 40SW.

The 9mm has had the same optic on it for 2 years with no issues. The 40's are just over a year each with no issues either.

I cannot comment on which I like better as I have only run a slide mounted optic. I can say it is important to tune your springs for you "sight speed". In other words find a spring weight you gun will run reliably on and allows you to track the dot well.

As to adding weight to the slide. My glock slide weighs the exact same with my FF3 as it did before it was milled.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...