As both a red dot enjoyer and a fan of micro pistols I thought this package would be a great upgrade over a stock LCP MAX.

I finally found one in person to handle and while I didn't get to shoot with it, I was more interested in the optic than the pistol. This may be the first time I've ever found an optic to seem inherently worse than iron sights. The window is tremendously small, which was an intended feature to make it mate as slickly as possible on the gun. Normally I don't think window size is variable to care much about, but in this case it is so small that finding the dot in the window essentially requires lining up using the irons before the dot even comes into view. I have a habit of lining up irons with pistol dots but even so I usually at least see the dot in the window before I'm perfectly lined up. On this optic once the dot is in view it is a massive 15MOA red smear. It is not a dot and 15MOA donut, it is a solid gigantic red circle.

The dot is fiber optically illuminated, which seems to me that in the exact situation when you'd want it to be the brightest it will be the dimmest.

This is a very awkward aiming setup. While LCP MAX guns aren't exactly intended as target shooters and the statistical self defense use doesn't even need sights, having the ability to reach out further with faster accuracy is always a good thing, but in this case if I was trying to stretch the reach on an LCP MAX I'd pass on this red dot and keep the irons.

I'm decades behind the latest tech, so excuse me if this is a dumb question. I see a lot of compact red dot sights on semi-auto pistols these days. Do any of them include a bit of magnification, like 1.5x or so? I took a quick look online and was overwhelmed with options.

Asking because my eyes are getting older, and a little magnification is going to be helpful someday soon.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/48098538

Link to article.

Excerpts from article:

The US began the Squad Automatic Weapon (SAW) program in the late 1970s with four main contenders emerging.

The XM106 an open-bolt, magazine-fed adaptation of the M16A1 developed by the US Army’s Ballistics Research Laboratory under the direction of Timothy Brosseau who also developed the M231 Firing Port Weapon used in the Bradley Fighting Vehicle.

The XM106 boasted a quick-change barrel system, forward pistol grip and a modified fire control group which allowed the weapon to fire from an open bolt.

The XM106 was quickly discounted from the Squad Automatic Weapon program with FN’s Minimi/XM249 eventually winning out.

I fired this moderately upgraded Glock 47 side by side with a nearly stock Glock 19.

The Performance Trigger was an interesting upgrade. I was skeptical of how much I'd feel it. It doesn't lighten the pull at all but it is supposed to make it smoother. To my surprise it does this. On a stock trigger I can feel various internal components as the trigger pull moves them, while on the performance trigger I only felt a smooth pull. I didn't even feel hitting the takeup wall which was a little bit of a surprise to my muscle memory in the Glock.

Ergonomically a Glock is a Glock. I have no strong opinions for or against Glock finger grooves as my fingers have always fit into them, but I've never felt I needed them. The slide release remains as low profile and with a worn down face as always, so I pulled the slide on a reload as always. The Glock 47 includes front serrations to help. Not required but nice to ensure a little grippy on the front.

The Holosun had a dot in a circle reticle. It had already been zeroed for 10 yards. Against a 10 yard target my rapid fire mag dump landed all but 3 hits in the center, with the 3 flyers in the 9 ring. Which I will attribute positively to both the improved trigger and the Holosun. The Holosun especially made rapid fire while staying on target much easier.

The Performance Trigger annoys me because it is genuinely a great if unassuming upgrade for Glocks, but it costs $120ish which seems like Glock double dipping against consumers since they could simply make it the new stock trigger. I want to recommend it to non-competitive shooters who aren't looking for a hair trigger competition upgrade, but on the other hand it rewards Glock for its practices. If you find a used gun with one of these triggers already installed, it is a plus though.