Anyone CCW sometimes an iron sight handgun and sometimes one with a red dot?

[L-2]

Practice and shoot a lot (I mean 1,000-rounds-a-lot) with both an optic sight and the iron sights, even during the same range & practice session.
With enough repetition switching back & forth, a person should be able to become familiar with both methods.

If, for some reason, a person just isn't satisfied with either method, at least the shooter can make a better-informed decision as to which system to stay-with or keep.

Whether a P365 with optic can fit in one's pocket or a different carry/holster system can be considered as an alternate is yet another subject.

And if both a red-dot-sight and iron-sights are used, just shoot & practice a lot to maintain proficiency & familiarity. With the ammo prices, this can become ~$400/month effort. Some people shoot more; most shoot less. Holster drawing and dry-firing is likely good-enough to develop the habits of focusing on a front sight vs. looking at the target/bad-guy through a sight window.

[Up1911Fan]

Yes. Mostly due to work requirements.

Same. Iron sighted Gen5 G17 at work. Gen5 G19 with a 508T and TLR-7A on my own time. When I go smaller it's a P365XL ( soon to have an EPS carry) occasionally a J Frame. Would prefer to have a dot on everything but the J.

[Warped Mindless]

I have red dot pistols but carry a 365x with irons 90% of the time. I have perfect eye sight though.

[1Rangemaster]

For nearly three years I have carried a dot equipped pistol on a daily basis- 90% of the time. The other 10% of the time it will be a pistol with irons. For me, there is a positive performance difference with a dot. But, I’ve qualified and “tested” myself with irons. From church this morning to lounging around the house it was G26 with the Bold sights; IOW, I’m comfortable with switching back and forth.
I do try first thing before leaving the house to present and dry fire 5-10 times. Then load up and carry on…
YMMV,etc.

[4mykaren]

I have red dot on my range gun, but for ccw pistols px4 storm/Glock 26 I only use night sights and factory parts/set up. I tried to carry a G19 with red dot winter time but gave up. Maybe I am kind of old school though, but main reason is I am too busy to have range practice time, so I am a little worried about I can not find the dot under pressures, iron sights easier for me at close range. I like to keep it simple and stupid, just my 2 cents. Anyway good luck man and happy 4th of July 👍

[Oldherkpilot]

I carry both. I am all in with the dots but when working at the torture facility (the wife's small farm) I find the irons pistol best when its warm and I don't have a cover garment on. The 507C is great for catching detritus. Both pistols are the same otherwise, so finding the dot when I switch back and forth isn't a.problem.

[RJ]

To answer the OP, yes.

Basic retired geezer, so I carry with either a Ruger LCR .38 in a Desantis Nemesis pocket or a Sig P365X with Holosun 407k in a JM Custom Kydex AIWB WC 2.5. I did an experiment putting the P365X FCU into a Sig P365 grip module, optic and all, into a Vedder Pocket Locker. That actually also worked pretty well, reference the linked thread.

I'm not in the same category of most of the shooters here, but can put rounds on target if I focus. As a comparison, I recently shot my Glock 34+HS 507c game gun, back to back with a rental Rock Island Armory 5" .45 with basic iron sights. Both were at 7 yards. My groups were comparable in size. With the optic I shoot target focused, see dot, press trigger. The iron sights on the .45 were a bit of a pain, after shooting dots since I converted to optics mainly, in 2020. I think I shoot irons better now, come to think of it.

[Bucky]

As someone who been shooting dot sighted handguns longer than some others (Open division guns back to the early ‘90s), I just haven’t made the jump for CCW. i certainly understand their value, but for civilian CCW, I don’t find it a necessity. - yet. My iron sight skills are still good, and eyesight is workable, but is starting to show decline. So, that may be the jump point. Now if I had a job that required me to carry, that’d be another story.

BTW, I do love my carry optic gun, a Shadow 2 + SRO, and particularly love the sight. Does anyone run an SRO on a duty or carry piece, or is it too big / heavy / fragile?

[JCN]

As someone who been shooting dot sighted handguns longer than some others (Open division guns back to the early ‘90s), I just haven’t made the jump for CCW. i certainly understand their value, but for civilian CCW, I don’t find it a necessity. - yet. My iron sight skills are still good, and eyesight is workable, but is starting to show decline. So, that may be the jump point. Now if I had a job that required me to carry, that’d be another story.

BTW, I do love my carry optic gun, a Shadow 2 + SRO, and particularly love the sight. Does anyone run an SRO on a duty or carry piece, or is it too big / heavy / fragile?

Some agencies went to SRO with BUIS with the thought that the shooting benefits outweigh the durability drawbacks.

If you look at the Jedi black belt standard list, a large percent used SROs on their presumably carry guns.

The Tier 1 holster guys do too.

I resisted going to dot on my AIWB carry gun for a while but on repeat objective testing I was just so much better with the dot enabled gun and from that holster position it didn’t add any significant bulk or weight.

The low light performance of a dot is what sold me. Think of dark parking garage or alley with poor contrast. Makes irons tough to be accurate with. Especially at speed.

[CraigS]

I don't have a dot on a carry gun but I used to do a lot of pocket carry w/ a Keltec PF9. What I found was that the opening to the pocket was most important as to whether I could make a smooth draw. Regular jeans pocket is pretty much impossible. But the main pocket (not the cargo pocket) in Wrangler cargo pants/shorts works fine. Seemed to me that the closer the pocket opening is to a standard dress slacks shape the easier my draw. A vertical opening is MUCH better than a horizontal opening.
No good;
https://www.wrangler.com/shop/mens-w...olor=112314599
Good;
https://www.wrangler.com/shop/wrangl..._color=60FTWML
not all cargoes are good as some have a more horizontal pocket. So my thought is I'd give the 365 w/ a small dot a try. You may be limited in what it will work with but it is worth a shot.