Yeah, I've just got to jump into this sh!tshow of a thread now.
1. I'm Gen X and under 50, so neither a millennial nor boomer. Why's that matter? Not sure.
2. My eyes just started to go such that I probably need bifocals or reading glasses. As far as shooting goes, the front post is getting difficult to focus on. The red dot makes that a non-issue.
3. I have a Trijicon RMR on my G17 along with co-witnessed suppressor-height sights. My EDC are either a G19 or HK45C, neither with an RMR.
4. Why have an RMR on my G17? To practice with and get better with the red dot. I have BUIS on all my rifles, but run red dots or holos as the primary optic unless it has a scope. Why not train up on a red dot pistol and get all the benefits of red dot on a platform that is more difficult to master/use.
5. Will I convert all my handguns to have dots? Nope. One, if my wife or kids need to use one, they haven't trained pistol with a dot. They have shot with irons. Second, too expensive. I'll either have to replace slides or have slides milled and I just don't see the need. I have a perfectly capable G17 with one when I feel like using it. I'd rather spend the money on another pistol or rifle. Then there is the whole holster thing? I've got OWB for all my handguns and IWB for my carry guns. Last thing I want to do is buy a bunch more holsters to handle a dot on all of them.
6. Will I run a dot on my EDC eventually? Yes. As I said above, I'm just starting to deal with my eyes going. As they get worse, I'll need the dot on my EDC. What I will probably do is pick up another G19 MOS and mount another Trijicon RMR to that. Then I have options as far as CC goes.
I agree with everyone that has said it is an adjustment to find the dot properly. It takes practice, hence why I made the decision to start working on it. You don't have to put it on everything. Just make sure you practice with and without it. Perfect setup is cowitnessed irons so you can practice with both.
For those who talk about being fast, accurate, etc with a dot, that's cool. I agree with the folks here that if you aren't shooting all the time, you're likely just an average shooter. I don't have the time to shoot as much as I would like. That may change next year or once we move from MA, but for now that is reality. I also don't particularly like handguns as weapons. They are secondary... a means of fighting your way to your rifle. I spent very little time in the service with a handgun and the reality is they are ineffective in modern combat as anything other than a backup or for doing the silent nasty when suppressed, given the common usage of soft body armor and helmets defeating pistol rounds.
Yeah, yeah, we CCW with pistols. Sure, and that's why we should practice with them. I just don't forget that my handgun is secondary to my rifle when it comes to home defense. The reality is anyone could own soft armor today. Hell, I was looking at armor inserts for backpacks for my kids. That mall shooter is lucky the dude he shot wasn't wearing body armor else he would have been lit up by that dude's rifle.
Anyway, this thread was all over the place. To those posting against dots on handguns, I recommend you set one handgun up with it. Doesn't have to be your EDC. For those who say dots are the only way to go, I'd agree to a point. If you have an unlimited budget for this particular hobby or absolutely love pistol shooting or have eyes so bad you just can't see the damn front post anymore. For the rest of us with competing interests for our fun budget or aren't a boomer with bad eyes, I'd say nope.
Now for some gun porn: