I Got My Eye On You....

Druids believed spirits lived in objects, especially oak trees.  That gives rise to the pundit’s remark: “We grew up as reformed druids.  We worshiped at oak furniture.”  You can see why that joke has been official banned from the stand-up lexicon.

Still, I found myself driven to get my Beretta 92F repaired when the 20 year old rear sight failed much for the same reason.  Over 20 years ago I replaced the rear block of metal that Beretta called a rear sight with a low profile adjustable sight.  This sight drove a screw in the metal of the frame tilling the rear sight slightly to the right.  I was used to shooting it that way and it shot quite well, but metal fatigue took its toll.

I got the two dot rear sight that lines up with the the dot on the front sight.

The Beretta has been a good gun and never let me down.  It fed everything, including fired 9mm cases used in jam clearance drills.  It is the gun I put on my waist when I feel there may be trouble.  And now my loyal and trusty gun needed repair.  I always felt that there is bond between user and equipment that goes beyond rational explanation.  Of all the inanimate objects in my life, the only one I feel that way about is, yeah you guessed it, my Beretta.  Maybe I’m an a druid after all.

I took it to Dave at Defensive Creations.  I’ve known Dave for years and I’ve shot with him as long as I have known him and I wouldn’t take my Beretta to anyone else.  Dave found a rear LPA sight for me and installed it. 

Later that evening I roughly zeroed the rear sight at 20 feet.  I need to get it on a rest and zero it at about 25 feet and see where it hits at other distances, but right now it does the job.

Thanks Dave!!!

While I was there Dave showed me a handgun he was installing a small reflex or dot sight on.  I have only limited experience with these pistol sights.  The dot is great news for old eyes or eyes with serious distance corrections.  The dot is focused on the same focal plane as your target.  So instead of trying to focus on the front sight, you focus on the object.  We do this automatically.  The mind wants to pay attention to what is dangerous to us. 

What I have experienced and read is the dot is faster than iron sights to about 20 feet.  Beyond that it slows down, chiefly because it takes a little time to find the dot.  This reminds me of the problems I and most people have when we started shooting.  The problem can be summarized as “Where the hell is that front sight?” 

These small reflex sights (mini-reflex) sip electrons from batteries and can have a two year life span, so you just leave them on all the time.  This way they are always ready!

With enough practice we overcome this problem.  I suspect the same is true with the reflex sight.

Dave is adding a rear and front sight that’s the right height so the dot is co-axial to them.  Now when your gun pops up you have a rear and front sight as well as barrel to help you get the dot on target. 

With the long battery life and improved electrical connections these small reflex sights are very dependable.  I think you will see more of these in the future.  Shooters spend over two thousand for Wilson Combat, close to a thousand for a Sig, so why not spend a little more to insure you’ll find your dot before someone else finds their front sight?

Give Defensive Creations a go.  You will not be displeased.