1911 Red Dot

[JGC2006]

Hi Guy's. I just bought a 1911 Auto Ordnance pistol.

I would like to get a red dot sight for it, what will I need/how would I equip one? Looking to do it for hopefully under $100. Any help I can get would be greatly appreciated.

If you need to see it, this is a picture

 

[M1911]

You won't get a good red dot for $100, let alone a red dot, a mount, and the gunsmithing to go with it. An Ultradot scope will run ~$150 for the scope, depending upon what you choose.

 

[JGC2006]

red dot

Thanks for the reply. This is what I have found in the past few minutes while looking online, any thoughts?

http://ezine.m1911.org/showthread.php?t=60

 

[M1911]

Call up Greg Derr and ask him what he recommends and how much he will charge you: http://www.derrprecision.com/

Greg competed at the national and international level. He knows what works. Pay once, cry once. If you buy cheap crap, you buy twice -- once for the crap, and then once for what you should have bought in the first place.

 

[Supermoto]

what kind of shooting are you planning on doing with the 1911? For a cheap range toy. look at the Primary arms mini green reflex and use a burris dovetail mount. If you are looking for something for competitions, then you will be way over $100

 

[drgrant]

Thanks for the reply. This is what I have found in the past few minutes while looking online, any thoughts?

http://ezine.m1911.org/showthread.php?t=60

That mount is awful, the sight is going to be 10 miles from the bore.

You really need a mount that involves tapping the frame, or at least a sight that goes into the rear dovetail, and on an AO you would have to have a smith change the dovetail over to whatever.

-Mike

 

[ChargingCharlie]

Holy cow, is this UGLIEST 1911 setup I've ever seen. Please don't do this to your G.I. Style 1911.

 

[Gammon]

A stock 1911 is best shot with iron sights.

 

[In God We Trust]

Are you really going to be shooting at anything far enough away to warrant anything but iron sights? Use the money towards ammo or get night sights if you are going to be carrying the gun.

 

[M1911]

Bullseye competitors use red dot sights for a reason, so I don't have any problem with someone putting a red dot on a 1911. But if you are going to do it, have a gunsmith do it right.

 

[ChargingCharlie]

Bullseye competitors use red dot sights for a reason, so I don't have any problem with someone putting a red dot on a 1911. But if you are going to do it, have a gunsmith do it right.

This. IMO & IME Red Dot sights don't help at all for long distance or accuracy. They help most with faster target acquisition.

 

[JGG]

Could be he wants to shoot bullseye and the gun doesn't have adjustable sights??? If so, LPA makes an adjustable sight that replaces the factory one, and uses the factory front sight too. Think I saw them somewhere for $60. Most all top shooters in league I've been in use red dots. They all believe in iron sights for new shooters though....

 

[JGC2006]

Thank you all for the help!

Let me clarify a few things though so we can narrow down what I am doing and what my needs are.

1. I am going to be shooting just at the range for fun, no competitions or anything, and no more than 25 yards TOPS but probably 7-15 yards average.
2. My vision is not the best so Iron sights while great to have since they are already on the gun don't work the best for me. I would like a bright colored (red or green) dot
3. I don't wanna go the cheep way, if I need to spend more than $100 that is okay, but I do not want to spend like 250+ for a colored dot that I am going to use to pretty much just "plink"

 

[jar]

Could be he wants to shoot bullseye and the gun doesn't have adjustable sights??? If so, LPA makes an adjustable sight that replaces the factory one, and uses the factory front sight too. Think I saw them somewhere for $60. Most all top shooters in league I've been in use red dots. They all believe in iron sights for new shooters though....

Really? There's no way I'd suggest someone start bullseye with irons, at least in an indoor league. It would be an extremely frustrating experience.

 

[M1911]

3. I don't wanna go the cheep way, if I need to spend more than $100 that is okay, but I do not want to spend like 250+ for a colored dot that I am going to use to pretty much just "plink"

You get what you pay for when it comes to optics and mounts. Cheap optics suck -- they don't last. Cheap mounts suck -- they loosen up and as a result you can't hold a zero. It is far cheaper in the long run to buy quality. If you buy crap, you're just throwing that money down the drain because you end up having to replace it by buying what you should have bought in the first place. Buy once, cry once.

As I recommended above, call up Greg Derr and talk to him. He is a gunsmith. He has put red dots on 1911s and he has shot 1911s with red dots. He'll tell you what works and what it will cost. It will be more $100.

 

[M1911]

Really? There's no way I'd suggest someone start bullseye with irons, at least in an indoor league. It would be an extremely frustrating experience.

Indeed, particularly for those of us with old eyes. Red dots are a good thing.

 

[jar]

Indeed, particularly for those of us with old eyes. Red dots are a good thing.

The real problem is the poor lighting in most indoor ranges. The targets are well let, but the shooting area generally isn't. This makes focusing on the front sight pretty difficult.

 

[cevtv]

2. My vision is not the best so Iron sights while great to have since they are already on the gun don't work the best for me. I would like a bright colored (red or green) dot

Keep in mind that if you have an astigmatism, the red dot might end up being a blurry blob of red. Best bet is to try one out before modding your gun.

 

[JGC2006]

nah my eyesight isnt that bad where it would be a blurry dot. I had a red dot on my Ruger MK3, made all the difference, just need to be able to get a red dot on my 1911 which at the moment has no way of mounting one.

 

[eisenhow]

Keep in mind that if you have an astigmatism, the red dot might end up being a blurry blob of red. Best bet is to try one out before modding your gun.

nah my eyesight isnt that bad where it would be a blurry dot. I had a red dot on my Ruger MK3, made all the difference, just need to be able to get a red dot on my 1911 which at the moment has no way of mounting one.

I have a very mild prescription (-0.5) and a slight astigmatism (0.25). I shoot irons fine without correction just fine. If I don't wear my glasses my dot turns into a non-circular blob. It doesn't take much.

 

[M1911]

nah my eyesight isnt that bad where it would be a blurry dot. I had a red dot on my Ruger MK3, made all the difference, just need to be able to get a red dot on my 1911 which at the moment has no way of mounting one.

Gunsmiths know which mounts work best and how to mount them.

 

[Gammon]

Really? There's no way I'd suggest someone start bullseye with irons, at least in an indoor league. It would be an extremely frustrating experience.

I would suggest that any new shooter start with iron sights, unless their vision made this impossible.

 

[ChargingCharlie]

My opinion of the iron sights debate (which is worth exactly 1.5¢) is that every shooter should learn to shoot with iron sights because they come stock on just about every gun. But, I don't believe that beginners to bullseye should shoot iron sights (in competition) if they want to be competitive at all. IMO, people that shoot iron sights in bullseye do it to to get better at lining up their sites properly and quickly because they're happy with the level they're at with a red dot...or they just like the extra challenge.