I don’t believe in carry optics.

I say that, as in, I believe they exist. I know they exist. I own several actually. I just don’t believe in carrying them as part of my conceal carry.

And this will get me called a "fudd" but hear me out, ok?

I’m sure you’re very aware of the concept of carry optics: small, pistol-mounted red dot sights (RDS) like the popular Trijicon RMR or increasingly popular Aimpoint ACRO P2 that enhance the shooter’s ability to acquire targets and fire accurately.

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And I want to add: I love carry optics. I have used them in competition and I run them on ARs alongside Low-Power Variable Optics (LPVOs). The ability to switch between a set magnification to literally a dot with the flip of a wrist is vital to my multi-gun performance.

But carrying a carry optic? For self-defense? No thanks, and here’s why:

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Most carry optics take a battery.

And yes, I’ll acknowledge there are models that run a fiber optic “thread” that amplifies existing ambient light (even in dark rooms, I know, because I personally own two of these types) but even these carry optics project a faint dot that’s easily washed out by a weapon mounted light, so good luck in a low-light engagement.

No, you want the battery-powered dot. That dot is reliably bright and crisp. But do you want to roll the dice on a battery?

Most carry optics’ batteries have a long life, they take the CR2032 which is like a flat washer-sized watch battery. You could probably keep your RMR06 (the battery-powered 3.25 MOA dot version) in the “on” position for a year or more and never lose brightness. But, what about the day you need it? What if you kept it on when you loaded up for the day, and 8 hours later you actually need it? And it’s dead as you’re about to be?

That’s why I tell anyone who’s running a carry optic to ALSO run back-up, suppressor-height iron sights. I’ve literally been in a situation where my carry optic failed and had to rely on my back-up irons. I was super grateful I had them installed. Switching to them was EZPZ.

I was mid match, shooting a stage and my Vortex Viper came flying off my slide. I was a big dummy and failed to apply blue locktite to the screws holding it to the slide. There was half a second where I was like “where’s my dot? My dots not there? Switch to irons dummy” and finished the stage with a respectable time/score. Thank god it wasn’t a life or death situation. The only injury I took was a shot to my pride.

The other aspect of a battery powered carry optic you’ll have to deal with is replacing the battery and re-zeroing. Most carry optics require the owner to remove the optic from the slide to swap batteries, which makes it a pain in the ass to swap batteries whenever you’re going out, like what my team and I did with our rifle optics before every mission (a common TTP among SOF teams).

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The new-ish EoTech EFLX addresses this by putting the battery housing on TOP of the optic, negating the need to remove the housing, but I’m not aware of any other company making this move currently.

Increase to the pistol’s footprint.

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Ok let’s face it, unless you’re running a little Derringer .22 magnum (like my dad used to 🙄) your carry gun conceals about as well as you can manage. If you’re like me, you wear baggy-ish clothing, hike your pants up a bit higher than normal, off-set your belt so you can get a true appendix midline carry position, or layer up with a light sweater or jacket. Your pistol, regardless of type, has a big ol’ butt in the form of a grip. Adding a carry optic to this footprint is only going to make concealment that much harder.

And yes, most, like, probably 90% of the people we interact with every day aren’t aware we’re carrying, as long as we’re not being assholes. The average person is too sucked in to their selves to care if we’re printing a little, or if there’s a weird little bulge at our waists. I mean, as you’re reading this, consider, how often are paying attention to some random stranger’s waistline while out grocery shopping? Probably not as often as you’d think, and YOU’RE a concealed carrier, right?

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But why add even more surface area to a pistol designed to be tucked/concealed on your person in such a way that you can get to it quickly if necessary? When a good set of quality irons will do the job just as well if not better?

Decreases the ability for a clean draw.

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And speaking of drawing, adding what is literally a giant hook-shaped object to your carry pistol will increase the likelihood of a bad draw. Imagine rushing to get the gun out of deep concealment only to catch your t-shirt or sweater, pulling the pistol’s grip out of your usual alignment? Seconds turn to hours in those moments.

And yes, you SHOULD be practicing your draw often, daily really. Develop good muscle memory. But shit happens, right? Thousands of flawless draws can be undone when it matters most.

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And like I mentioned above, if you’re running a carry optic, you should ALSO be running back-up irons, which are taller than normal, which then also increase your chance for an ill-timed snag. Is it something I’m willing to run the risk on? No. You? You have to decide for yourself.

But, I’ll say this: If it comes down to me engaging with a threat who’s unpracticed drawing with a carry optic on his pistol, I’ll take my chances.

Open emitters versus close emitters.

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Ok, this is a little nuanced, so let me quickly explain: An “open emitter” is where the optic’s dot is projected from a little hole in the optic’s body. Closed is the opposite. Why this matters? Because if you’re using a RDS for a carry optic and it’s open emitter (like the RMR and many of popular Holosuns) you run the risk of blocking that emitter with dust, dirt, lint, crumbs from your piggy mouth, etc.

Don’t believe me? Do me a favor, go check your conceal carry pistol right now. Stop reading, and go look at your rear sights. I bet they're fucking filthy. I bet dust has gotten in the notch and at the base of the rear sight. I know it, because I’m constantly checking mine and even though I clean my carry gun once a week or twice a month-ish, it’s always collecting dust and dirt there.

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And you’re not a dirty person, neither am I! But it’s just the nature of us being people and carrying a gun constantly. Your shit will get dirty. And if you’re running a carry optic, it’s probably open emitter, and you could end up fouling that beam.

Closed emitters, like the ACRO P2, are larger, look like mailboxes almost, and will add more surface area to your pistol, as discussed above.

Just get reliable, quality irons.

Smudges/Dust issue with lenses.

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Your carry optic also has a lens on it. And like above, it’ll get dirty. It’ll get smudged, covered in dust, or even scratched. Your glass will never be crystal clear just by the nature of it being tucked under your clothes in a holster all day.

Do you think the threat you’re trying to neutralize will give you a sec to microfiber wipe your primary aiming device’s glass? I won’t belabor this point, you get it. It’s just another variable in what should be a straight-forward encounter.

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So all that said, again, I like carry optics. I think they’re fun. And I can’t imagine ever going to strictly irons on a rifle after years of innovation in rifle-mounted RDSs and LPVOs. But I don’t conceal carry a rifle, and neither do you, amiright?

Curious about which irons I recommend? Shoot me a DM and I’ll build you out a comparison model to help you pick the right irons to upgrade to you that fit your needs and budget!

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