Ideal angle for red dot installation

[BK14]

While scrolling through the gram, I saw a post from the LE/Mil rep for STI, Buck, who mentioned in passing that the STI Duo has a downward angle. I asked for clarification, and his answer was just that it gave better dot acquisition from the holster.

My only time with a dot is a Glock MOS. Is angling the mounting surface a thing that others have played with, or possibly an open gun concept? I would assume with the angled sight you might have to worry about parallax with some dots like an RMR.

Thoughts?


Here’s the screen shot of the brief conversation:

[YVK]

I don't know much about speed of dot acquisition but I am aware of cases when shooters ran out of vertical elevation adjustment on CZs and 1911s when slide mounted optics were installed without some downward angle.

[ADK]

https://www.umtactical.com/store/c22/OPTIC_SHIMS.html

[UNK]

I don't know much about speed of dot acquisition but I am aware of cases when shooters ran out of vertical elevation adjustment on CZs and 1911s when slide mounted optics were installed without some downward angle.

Like how much range? Can you or anyone expand on this? This is the first I have heard of it.

[YVK]

I can't find the thread but this was posted on Enos forum by Primary Machine who know a thing or three about slide milling. I thought that it was analogous to a 20 or 40 MOA rails used for long range shooting. Anecdotally, we have forum members who could never zero their optics on milled CZ slides, allegedly because of this problem. That's the best I can do; maybe email folks at the Primary.

[awp_101]

I keep thinking I either read somewhere or heard on the P&S 1911 podcast that the 1911 was designed with a very slight angle to the sights but it’s not often done by manufacturers now. Maybe it was @JoeC or AJ Zito that mentioned it?

If so, maybe that’s why the slight angle when milling for an optic makes a difference?

[voodoo_man]

This may be for non-ACRO/SRO type dots because they were designed inherently counter to the way we naturally draw a firearm, hence not being able to pick up the dot on the draw on the RMR or the like (going really fast)

[Erick Gelhaus]

The principle at Chambers Custom has talked about milling slides so the PMO/RDS has a slight downward angle for ease of visual acquisition.

Don't know what the angle is.

[GJM]

I had two CZ Shadow 1 slides, and Cheby had one of the same, direct milled by L&M for the DP Pro, that apparently were milled level instead of with the proper angle. As a result, the DP Pro has insufficient elevation travel to properly zero the optic on these slides. I brought a slide to CZ Custom to see if they could fix it and they said no. Primary has discussed in posts on Enos, how they mill at an angle.

No idea if this is CZ specific or general practice for all slides.