KIT & GEAR RED DOT HANDGUN SIGHTS
JOINING THE DOTS MORE AND MORE OF US ARE ROUTINELY CARRYING PISTOLS FITTED WITH RED DOT SIGHTS THESE DAYS, AND ALTHOUGH SOME MAY KNOW THE SCIENCE BEHIND THEM, BILL THOUGHT IT WOULD BE A SOLID TOPIC TO DIVE INTO SO THAT WE ALL CAN GET A TRUE UNDERSTANDING OF HOW THEY WORK, AND HOW THEY MAY JUST GIVE YOU THAT ALL-IMPORTANT EDGE IN-GAME!
IMAGE COURTESY SHIELD SIGHTS
I
f there’s one handgun that I’ve been waiting for during 2021 it’s undoubtedly the latest model in the RAVEN Hi Capa GBB family, and that’s the short-barrelled, uber-compact 3.8 version! You may ask why this is, and as I will tell all and sundry (at least those who care to listen!) I honestly believe that RAVEN have created to me what is the ultimate airsoft “fighting pistol” in their RAVEN Hi Capa, and although I already have the excellent 5.1 and 4.3 models I do love a compact sidearm, and the new 3.8 REALLY fits the bill if you’ll forgive the intentional pun! There’s just something about the RAVEN Hi Capa that I love! Sure, during my long-term torture-testing both existing models have stood up well to massive abuse and continue to shoot reliably and accurately, but it’s the overall simplicity of the RAVEN that totally sings to me; there’s no extraneous parts, no intricate styling to catch on clothing or a holster, and it just screams “get the job done” to me. There’s a rail for a taclite sure enough, and you can easily add a suppressor with a simple adapter, but that’s all she wrote, and the pistol is better, and eminently more functional, because of this.
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JANUARY 2022
I’ve dabbled a little with red-dot sights on my pistols, but that far my RAVENs have remained unadorned with such modern technology and iron sights alone have proved that I can get on target using the hi-vis fibre-optics easily enough; but have I been missing a BIG trick? I was recently involved in a conversation in the “real steel world” about the increasing adoption of red-dot sights, or RDS, on everyday carry pistols, and given the size of the new RAVEN it fits perfectly into that category (and into my Kydex Customs holster!). I’ve been using my “Green Ravens” as a part of my PAMG setup, so I sought some insight on the truth behind the RDSphenomenon. Luckily, as I have a foot on both the airsoft and real steel worlds, I have knowledgeable friends to turn to when I have a question about the true “mechanics” of shooting, and in this case it was my colleague Jim WenzeI; Jim is a prior-service U.S. Marine veteran and a retired Law Enforcement Officer, and these days an NRA/USCCA Instructor and NRA Chief Range Safety Officer, so you could say he knows a thing or two about the mechanics of shooting!
