New Pistol and Shotgun Optics
BY Herschel Smith
1 year, 8 months ago
One pistol, the other shotgun.
The Defender CCW is made from 7075 aluminum. “We did a lot of different material selection tests to find the optimal material. We found 7075 has some better impact characteristics than 6061,” Morell says …
I immediately proceeded to bash the front of the optic against the bench a dozen times. I loaded the gun and rechecked zero—it held. At 500 rounds, I once again bashed the front of the optic a dozen times and checked zero. At 1,000 rounds, I went back to hitting the front of the optic, but I didn’t go straight to checking zero this time.
I dropped the unloaded M&P 2.0 All Metal, weighing 30 ounces, optic down onto a concrete paver from chest height. I picked up the gun, checked for damage, and then checked zero at 15 yards. Not only did the CCW have no damage, it also held zero.
[ … ]
“I bet we have over 100,000 rounds of effective recoil testing on these. So, in addition to the drop durability, we have a lot of confidence in the entire electronics and mechanical design. We have some folks that we’ve given these out to for extended testing, and they have north of 40,000 rounds on them and they’re still running strong,” Morell says.
It appears to be rugged and it’s aesthetically relatively pleasing.
Here’s the catch.
The Defender CCW is made in China. Whether it’s American manufacturing pride, improved quality control, or avoiding supply chain issues, there are advantages to making a product on home soil. Of course, that would also come with a significant price increase.
It sells for $250.
Here’s an interesting idea for a shotgun optic if your gun isn’t designed for an optics attachment (most aren’t, although that’s changing).
If you’ve ever wanted to mount a red dot on your vent-ribbed shotgun but didn’t want to take the time to get it milled for a red dot, Burris has a new DIY solution for you. The new Burris SpeedBead Vent Rib Mount is an affordable solution for adapting your favorite shotgun for use with the Burris FastFire series of red dot sights without the need to permanently modify your shotgun.
It just attaches right to the rib. The attachment device sells for $60 (no, not the Buris optic itself). At Optics Planet that optic pictures sells for $380.
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On March 17, 2023 at 7:52 am, Latigo Morgan said:
I have a couple red dots for rifles, which are used for precision shooting, but I wonder at what point the electronic sight becomes a crutch when added to firearms that are typically shot instinctively?
I’m especially having a hard time figuring out the utility for shotgun use when I know that front sight-target-lead-trigger-follow through is all I’ve ever needed to make fast shots on target. My accuracy goes down when I start overthinking my aiming instead of relying on instinct.
The era of so much information has caused us to go with the latest techniques and gadgets instead of trusting our God-given instincts. When was the last time you practiced just drawing and shooting without taking the time to use the sights at close range? Try it. You may find you are more accurate than you realized.
Lots of folks seem to really like them, and I don’t fault them for that, but I’m just not willing to add a layer of complexity to my own repertoire that I believe to be unnecessary.
On March 17, 2023 at 8:11 am, Latigo Morgan said:
A PS to my above post: I’m not against the red dot sights. I have a target pistol with one on it that is so accurate in slow, aimed fire that it is almost boring to shoot.
I’m primarily referring to quick reaction type shooting and ignoring one’s instincts in favor of tech aids.
On March 18, 2023 at 7:47 am, xtphreak said:
+1 Latigo Morgan
What happens when you become dependent on the red dot and the battery dies or it just quits?
Or OMG an EMP!!!!!
I do like them techno-toys (on my Camp 9), LPVO 1X6 on AR, Burris Eliminator III 4X16 X50mm laser ranging (love that thing) on my M1A, but I still practice with iron sights and carry iron sights for Concealed (KISS Keep It Simple Stupid).