Going for a Glock 17 Gen 5 Mos - RDS sights? Indulge another RDS question.

[Glenn E. Meyer]

There are various RDS threads which I have read, so I'm going to ask indulgence for a specific question. Given my vision, I've decided to try a RDS on a Glock 17 Gen 5 Mos. I'm a Glock guy, so I'm staying with the platform.

A well known and knowledgeable friend (whom I won't name to avoid splash back from my idiocy) suggests a Trijicon SRO. I see that there are versions with different MOA. If one went with this - what MOA? the 2.5 seems most common in on line stores. The 5, easier to work with?

They also say you need their mounting plate. The Glock ones won't work? My buddy recommends a C&H aftermarket plate and also some aftermarket higher irons for co-witnessing.

Thoughts on this?

If you have a better idea for a sight that you have used, I'm open to that. My usage would be matches and perhaps, the bump in the night gun.

Thanks.

PS - I see some other sight threads are hot also. The Holosuns are attractive too.

[steve]

I got a G45 MOS. I put a Trijicon 3.25 on mine with a forward control designs plate. Installation was a breeze and I like the plate a lot. As far as dot size and what type of RMR I would hit red dot forum here and just do research. It is an expensive purchase to make and not like.

[Up1911Fan]

I've pretty much gone all Holosun. My direct milled guns have 509T's. My MOS guns use a C&H plate and a 508T. Plain black Dawson sights on all of them. Toss the Glock package of plates in the trash.

[1Rangemaster]

It would seem you’re on the right track. I don’t have an extensive amount of experience with the SRO, but @GJM I believe shot a fair amount of competition and didn’t have any big negatives as I recall. G17 is a good call also.
The factory plates can be utilized-see @SoCalDep experience-but many, myself included, have used C&H plates. There is an occasional issue with everything, but their customer service is responsive. Forward Controls has a good rep also.
On a handgun/SRO setup, I’d go with a 5 moa dot-it’s a little easier to pick up.
All that said, I’m usually carrying a 5/19MOS w/an ACRO. I strongly prefer the enclosed emitter for carry- JMO, YMMV, blah, blah...
There are plenty of folks who shoot better than I do with a single lens. I would certainly take a single lens over irons at this stage in my game-69, minor eye issues, etc.. In fact, contradicting the above, I have a 43X w/a small Holosun that’s carried very occasionally.
Ameriglo backup sights-done, IMO.
One thing I believe will be mandatory for your success is working with the dot. One MUST retrain oneself to pick up the dot. Dry fire mandatory here.
Best wishes for your journey...

[SoCalDep]

In my opinion dot size is very personal. My vision is as follows:

I’m right handed and left eye dominant, but my left eye has worse vision and a more significant astigmatism than my right. Go me. Dots are not “dots” to my uncorrected eyes. If I’m wearing glasses or contacts things improve.

So… uncorrected I much prefer a smaller dot. Corrected I like different reticles at different times for different things.

For gaming/home defense you have a lot of options. The downside to the SRO is strength of the optic housing against impact (though it’s stronger than many contend), increased glare in low sun angles, and size for carry or holster compatibility. Upsides are it’s rad performance which makes it great for competition and perfectly serviceable for carry or home defense. I certainly wouldn’t talk you out of it… I have two and love ‘em.

As for the plates, I think the FCD is the best, and Glock vs C&H is a toss up. The C&H gives more thread engagement with a smaller screw. Problem is it doesn’t matter how much engagement you have if the screw comes loose and one needs to be real careful not to use too much Loctite when installing them. Of course, the loctite is the main line of defense against loosening, so having the bigger 6-32 screws with the FCD or MOS plates can work great, even with the lesser engagement.

The reason they said you need a plate for the MOS is likely becAuse the screws that come with the SRO are not compatible with the MOS plate. If you purchase the Trijicon sealing plate kit for the Glock it will come with the correct length 6-32x 3/8” screws.

[Bergeron]

I’ve got a SRO on a .22 pistol, abd I can recommend adding the Jagerwerks BROS shroud for the SRO as a means of maximizing the durability of that particular optic.

[Glenn E. Meyer]

Well, I decided to go for a Trijicon SRO with a 5 MOA. See how that works. Also ordered some co-witness replacement sights for the gun.

[SoCalDep]

Well, I decided to go for a Trijicon SRO with a 5 MOA. See how that works. Also ordered some co-witness replacement sights for the gun.

Solid choice!

[gtmtnbiker98]

For civilian concealed carry and/or competition, the SRO should be more than adequate. Wouldn't be in the running for any harder use, though. C&H plates are good to go, I've got quite a few deployed for duty use and are holding up well.

Open emitters are nothing more than dust bowls, though. That's the biggest negative for me.

[TCinVA]

A well known and knowledgeable friend (whom I won't name to avoid splash back from my idiocy) suggests a Trijicon SRO. I see that there are versions with different MOA. If one went with this - what MOA? the 2.5 seems most common in on line stores. The 5, easier to work with?

Not appreciably so, at least not in my use. If you want a 2.5 MOA dot to be brighter you can always turn up the power on the optic and it will bloom and appear bigger in all but the most bright sunlight conditions.

They also say you need their mounting plate. The Glock ones won't work? My buddy recommends a C&H aftermarket plate and also some aftermarket higher irons for co-witnessing.

The Glock plates are die cast and rarely true. (Meaning actually flat) They are the cheapest shit Glock could throw into a package while calling it "optics ready". They are to optic mounting plates what Glock's factory sights are to sights.

I've run plates from Aimpoint, C&H, and Forward Controls Design. All have worked well for me. I know C&H has had some QC issues lately, but hopefully they're fixing that.

I run the Ameriglo supressor height sights on my pistols. The sight picture isn't my preference, but it's no impediment to accuracy. I don't shoot any worse on B8's at 25 using them than when I use my dot. I use a tritium front and plain black rear. It works well enough (but again, not the greatest) at most low light shooting tasks and it's a secondary sighting system on the pistol.

As for optics in general, your choices are the expensive options or the discount options.

Trijicon's RMR, SRO, and the Aimpoint Acro are the sort of top of the line "duty grade" options. The Acro P1 is available and expensive, but apart from shit battery life that requires you to be proactive about battery replacement (I replace mine every 30 days) it's pretty trouble free as a pistol mounted optic. The enclosed emitter design doesn't give a damn about environmental conditions and so far it's survived daily life on a carry gun through thousands of rounds and a couple of trips through gravel without complaint. The Acro P2 is basically the Little Orphan Annie of optic choices. It's always x more days away for the last 10 months I've had one on order. The RMR requires removing the optic to change the battery, which sucks. The SRO does not, but that huge chunk of glass in it isn't likely to be anywhere close to the durability of the RMR. Does that matter on a concealed carry gun? Probably not in the vast majority of circumstances people face.

And then you faceplant going to the car one winter morning, landing gun first or get a car door opened into your midsection right where the gun is and maybe it does. I don't know.

The Chinese optics are frowned upon because the CCP should be collectively shot into the sun for the damage they are doing to the world, but in terms of quality the optics produced over there are pretty good. Their enclosed emitter option works well, although there are certain occasions where the sun is setting behind you that they can manifest weird artifacts (True of open and enclosed emitter options from Holosun) likely due to something with the lens coating (or lack of) that they're using.

I've had a Swampfox Justice on a couple of guns (including a 1301) and they've survived. From what I understand they upgraded the battery cover which was my one real big complaint with the optic. (The older style battery cover's torx cap was soft and stripped easily)

People have said good things about the Bushnell optic, but I haven't seen one in the wild yet.

My carry gun is the weapon I'm most likely to have to use in defense, so I wanted the best optic I could get on it that would give me the least problems. For me, that was the Acro. Apart from the battery it's a mount it and forget it proposition.