How do you manage RDS brightness settings on a concealed pistol?

[frozentundra]

Are people using optics with auto adjustment, or are you using manual adjustments?

If auto, does your optic to respond well to transitional lighting and flashlight use in dark environments?

If manual, how do you manage the settings over the wide variety of lighting conditions from bright daylight to possible flashlight use in the dark? Do you keep it at a default setting 24/7, or are you somehow adjusting it to accommodate changing conditions on the fly?

For either approach, are there conditions where you automatically go straight to the irons because you know preemptively the dot will not be visible? If so, do you develop a feel for where this going to happen so that it becomes predictable and intuitive? Or does it take many thousands of reps of "WTF!!" and it still surprises you from time to time?

[Olim9]

I use a 1 MOA RMR but the way I do it is have it on manual only. I’ll have it on setting 9 out of 11 which will let me see the dot during a sunny day here in Florida and it’s plenty useable during night where I’ll be using a handheld flashlight. It isn’t a perfectly crisp 1 moa dot under low light conditions but it is far easier to see and track a dot if it’s too bright rather than too dim. I’m not a fan of having to adjust dot brightness depending on the time of day or lighting conditions, I often forget and it’s frankly something I don’t want to have to keep remembering. I’ve had good luck with the 2 MOA Holosun dot where it was useable in all lighting conditions on a certain setting.

The reason I don’t like auto adjust is because it doesn’t account for your target and its lighting condition, only what is being projected onto the optic. A dot get washed out by a high output weapon mounted light is an example of one of the failure points of auto adjusting.

[GearFondler]

Just a civie here, but I found that with a 500lm WML the auto adjust on the RM06 worked pretty well for me in all conditions, but I don't do any tactical stuff so my opinion is suspect.
With the Holosun 507/508 the auto-adjust is rubbish... Totally unpredictable aside from usually always too dim. I set the 2moa dot on the highest setting and leave it there... That works well for me in day or at night with a 500lm WML (TLR7).

[secondstoryguy]

I'm currently working 4pm-4am and generally adjust mine (ACRO) when the sun goes down. It bright sun I run it maxed out or one down and then click it down to about a 7 or so (3-4 clicks down from max) when working at night. I sometimes make the adjustment without even taking it out of the holster. I have, during very busy shifts, forgotten to turn it down but still feel I can put relatively accurate rounds on target even with the extreme "bloom" using a BAC (bindon aiming concept) type technique.

[Default.mp3]

With my RMRs and ACROs, I just leave it on the setting I would use for daytime shooting. I have a WML on at all times, so it'll always have enough light to overcome the bloom for any reasonable shot (I run a DG switch, so turning the light on is not an issue); if it is dark and I need to take a shot without the bloom, and my WML isn't bright enough or can't be turned on for tactical reasons, I figure I'll probably have enough time to adjust it down enough. This is where having a lens that isn't all scratched up can be helpful, as it'll minimize the perceived bloom in the sight picture. I do the same thing for my rifles with RDSes.

[theJanitor]

RM06. Manual, three clicks from the top. It's bright enough to see in the sun, and it's nearly too bright in the dark. But both of my RMR pistols have X300U and when the light is activated, it's just right. No free lunches here. Pick the setting that works satisfactorily across all conditions, or perfectly set it for a scenario that has the overwhelming probability of it's need.

[ssb]

Currently with an ACRO, it's 7/10 at home and 8/10 when I leave for work in the morning. Plan is for battery changes on the first of the month. Thus far, 8 has been sufficiently daylight-bright for me.

With my RMR07, I initially left it two down from max; over time, I went with auto-adjust. I think the larger dot helps there.

[GJM]

Currently with an ACRO, it's 7/10 at home and 8/10 when I leave for work in the morning. Plan is for battery changes on the first of the month. Thus far, 8 has been sufficiently daylight-bright for me.

With my RMR07, I initially left it two down from max; over time, I went with auto-adjust. I think the larger dot helps there.

Agreed — I think the RMR 6.5 moa dot is more forgiving in auto. Same with the larger dot RMSc. I don’t trust auto on the SRO.