TSiWRX

Get out there and try some. If the 226 Sigs really are the only handguns you have much experience with, that's a part of the problem, right there - it's not only about depth of knowledge, but also breadth. Widen your worldview. Since your co-worker is a CZ-devotee, perhaps he/she can be your guide and let you have a good, long peek into that world? Maybe take you through not only the various "duty/defensive" configurations, but also the gaming configurations as well. I have a local, Quack - who also used to be active on this Forum - whose 1911/2011 collection is really and truly impressive, and who has the knowledge as well as skills (both in terms of smithing/tuning the platform as well as in terms of shooting) to really serve as an amazing mentor/guide to newcomers to that genre. He literally laid out for me a spread of some of the most delicious high-end and custom 1911s and 2011s, and just told me to bring some ammo, pay for the range time, and have at it. I'm sure your co-worker would be more than happy to do the same for you. If you don't know him/her well, let them know that you'd be more than happy to pay for ammo (using ammo of his/her choice - it is their guns, after all) and range-time, and to pick up lunch/dinner afterwards. There's very few hobbyist/enthusiast shooters who'd refuse. "Like" is often very subjective, and I find that this is very true, for me, with CZ's handguns and rifles.

The mount and/or optics manufacturer should have torque values. Make sure that the mount interfaces well with your rail - that this is solid and is not loosening due to recoil. At the 100, you most likely won't see an issue with this, but properly leveling the scope is critical as you start to stretch out. With something that reaches out further, I'd actually lap the scope rings, too, to insure best mounting and less likelihood of damage to the scope. Play with the scope's position between the rings and/or the position of the mount on the receiver until you get consistency in cheeking the gun and a clear view through the scope without shadow. Up-drills (dry) as well as repeatedly getting into and out of various shooting positions. Once you are there, you can then finally think about tightening down rings to the scope itself. What "looks right" on the gun may not actually be correct based on how you personally interact with the gun. Once you've torqued down all screws, use a paint-pen to mark each one (including the mount's screws to clamp onto the receiver). And I seem to remember that you said you shot off a bench, seated. If this is the case - and I do see a bit of vertical stringing in the shots you registered on your zero target - remember to make absolutely sure you are sitting in a consistent manner during your zero. You may need to "re-seat" after each shot.

^ That show is fun.... This is local to me.

^ Dang USPSUPSFedExDHL bastards!!!! I feel your pain. My EDCL2-T was supposed to have shown up on Monday this past week, and I came home early just to sit for it. The postman leaves, so I go on the computer, and yup, delivery magically got pushed to Tuesday. <sigh> I remember waiting the magical "6 to 8 weeks" for stuff I ordered from the back of comic books or magazines to arrive in the mailbox. Now, I'm mad because items don't get to me second day. Amazon Prime really has spoiled all of us.

I'll go one deeper and say that even striker-fires should not be messed-with by novices. If a trigger-swap on an AR is akin to an oil or tire-change on the car, I'd generalize most handgun trigger work to anywhere from a clutch job to putting in a new turbo. It's far from un-doable, but it does require that the user be a bit mechanically inclined, and that they are willing to work at getting it actually right. A not of not-good can come from folks bubba'ing a handgun trigger, even "drop-ins." There's a reason the Forums are full of help-requested threads of that nature. The AR? It's LEGO. Heck, maybe DUPLO.

I'm still trying to get a feel for the Larue. So far, I'm still liking the SSA-E the best out of the bunch, but I've only had about 1/4 as much time on the MBT. More time is needed! It's a great excuse for getting some Dillo Dust, though!

Wait-out before you buy any more. Your price was good, but not extraordinarily so. The upcoming President's Day deals should give you a further break - and you may be able to step up to an SSA-E (I'd just skip over the SSA, given that you already have the G2S) for not much more. Also, I'd recommend that you wait until you've at least tried other good two-stage triggers before you keep down the Geissele path. The Larue MBT, for example, is a very competitive trigger versus the Geissele, especially at the price. I'm not disparaging Geissele by the above - I say this as someone who has virtually all Geissele two-stages. He makes some seriously good triggers, but they're not the only game out there. Also, if you haven't had it happen already (or induced it, purposely), the next time you're out on the range, try shooting the gun with less rigid recoil abutment with your shoulder - and perhaps even brace the front on some kind of rigid barricade. See if you can't get the trigger to bounce and give you a quick little burst. For guys who are used to shooting heavier single-stage triggers - particularly before they're acclimated to the characteristics of a lighter 2-stage such as the Geissele, this can potentially lead to an unintentional discharge.

^ Which of their 2-stage? Give it a few range sessions before deciding one way or the other. If you get to shoot dynamically, do so, also, before you make up your mind as to whether or not to keep it in the gun. A lot of military guys I know really prefer a single-stage, and are quite effective with it out to the 500-600.

Weird, I can quote some of your posts, not others. Could not quote this one.... I do. They are fun, and since I was never in the military nor am I LE, I learn a lot. What's more, because of the unique situation of NE-Ohio, I get to take advantage of being very close to some of the industry's leading SMEs, and I thus get to siphon off of their leading-edge experiences and thoughts. A good friend of mine just retired from the Marines, and he also saw combat in his years across the way. His outlook is very similar to yours - that he has a very solid foundation, but he uses training to keep up with modern developments in TTP and hardware. Sadly for me and my buddy, this good friend of ours recently moved to TX, so we are now without a direct mentor. For the PracTac shoot-house class, for instance, he and his good friend (who is a regular range-rat at APD, and has just tremendous experience in the house [and otherwise]) served as our private tutors when they were not actively AI'ing. I'm very much onboard with force-on-force. I think that for those who are serious about self-defense, pressure-cooking their skills - including physical combatives (empty hands or weapons) - is a must. It's been several years since I have had any integrated combatives work, though. I need to find a good local school for this, since my previous instructor (a Marine as well, actually!) moved to Chicago. As for force-on-force in the shooting sense, APD does offer UTM-enhanced courses for civilians several times a year. I actually had plans to make last years' PracTac hosted course, but an injury just weeks prior took me out of the loop. In years prior, the integrated combatives instructor I spoke of above ran force-on-force scenarios using the civilian-available RAP-4 system (now known as MCS). These were painful. IIRC, Simunitions have impact energy of around 6 Joules at 3 meters. The RAP4s were hitting at 13 Joules, with the rubber training projectiles. I think Sims offer more than enough pain incentive, but it's hard to get for civilian training - UTMs are, I think, < 2 Joules. This particular instructor saw pain as a huge motivating factor. The Shock-Knife usually made at least one appearance per session in his integrated combatives classes.

^ Quality over Quantity really is where it's at. That said, there is a lot of value to be had when quality is held to account, yet quantity is also expected. Some folks in the community poo-poo high-round-count classes, suggesting that it's just ballistic masturbation. No doubt that some classes truly are just that. But find a quality school/instructor who actually holds the student to a defined standard or expectation, and that high round count class really embeds into the student the absolute need for recoil control plus will make the student subconsciously aware of the state of the gun in a manner that not even the best low-round-count class can. Always quality over quantity. But where quality is expected with quantity - that works just as well.

I'm going to quote this here for the future. Like a junkie, our habits keep pushing up our tolerance. You'll be shooting more in no-time. OK, no, seriously. Shooting is just one big muscle that you build up. There's a physical component, and there's also a mental component. The physical component isn't, like, completely fitness related - instead, it's related to the specific physical demands of shooting. It's why complete novice shooters will complain of "muscles aching where they never realize existed." It's also why even more seasoned shooters will tire of certain physical aspects (like holding that carbine or shotgun up on-target), if they don't practice it enough. The mental aspect is mostly one of focus. Novice shooters materialize their deficits here by simply completely falling apart after a short session: that they feel physically drained, despite the fact that all they did was just stand in the same spot for 10 minutes and simply moving but one finger. That exhaustion is mental. Again, even more seasoned shooters can be forced to manifest this type of deficiency by asking them to dry-fire with 100% focus for a number of rounds that's above their skill level: hooked up to something that gives a measurable metric or simply by using the old coin/spent-case test, we can see this manifest no matter how skilled the shooter, once their level of focus is exceeded. Most modern "tactical/defensive" handgun classes - square-range classes - call for between 400 to 600 rounds per training day (7.62 is usually on the same scale, and for shotgun, even beginner classes usually call for about 300 rounds of birdshot and 100 of ought-buck). "Diagnostic" classes usually have significantly less round counts, but these are by-nature MUCH MORE physically and mentally intense, as each round fired, be it dry or live, demands that absolute 100% focus. The shoot-house class that I took was a very good example of this dichotomy. On TD1 (out of 3 days, plus 1 night), we went through close to 450 rounds of handgun in the morning session (9 AM to 1 PM), and the same count of 5.56/.223 in the PM session (2PM to 4PM, right before we started the house intro). It wasn't just all blasty fun, either. We were held to strict accuracy standards between contact to 35 yards for the handgun, and contact to 50 for the carbine. Why? Because the instructors wanted us to see that even at a demanding pace, each of us could maintain a level of marksmanship that actually exceeded what we needed to do inside the house. Contrast this with being in the house for days 2 (including night runs) and 3. Combined trough a dozen runs, we barely went through 50 rounds of carbine. And most of us never even transitioned to the handgun. Why? Because it wasn't really about shooting anymore: instead, it was a problem-solving. Yet what happened to most of us? With overwhelming problems to solve, our shooting devolved. And the more of a novice we were - like myself - the more our shooting matched the crumbling mental/emotional endurance that the stress of being inside the house put us under.

No, not yet. Our home is quite modest, and while I understand that as long as I don't cast lead, lead-levels really shouldn't be a problem, but as my daughter is still young, I'd just rather not (the same reason why we shoot outdoors). I would like, to, though. Practically speaking, the volume that I shoot of .223/5.56 and even 9mm would translate to real-world savings. Not-so-practically, I think this side of the hobby would hold great enjoyment for me. I'm a benchtop scientist, so you can probably guess why I would love working up loads and reloading. :lol: The next house will have HVAC considerations made for reloading.

Ammoseek is another one that works pretty well. That said, if I'm not outright searching for "the best deal," my personal preference is to just go through SGAmmo. Their prices are almost always very competitive, and their shipping is no-nonsense flat-rate, and always meet their lead-time goals.

Oh, now in that case, you're definitely right to skip those classes - or maybe just put them off until a later time, when more time/resources become available. Ah, you like your guns to look pretty. ------ Don't worry about it. Take it slow. Like anything else, there's a learning curve. And you're right, there's a ton of opinions out there - and in most Forum communities, the signal-to-noise ration really ain't all that great. What are you interested in, now? Let me/us know, and we'll get you to some good places that may have a better noise ratio.

^ The roll-mark is PWS (Primary Weapons Systems), and I think that's a PRC, but I'm really not sure. https://primaryweapons.com/store/product/precision-rifle-compensator/ I'm not very well-versed on the .308/7.62 ARs. Don't buy another AR - not even a "cheap beater." Instead, take that money and funnel it into a good AR-platform armorer's course. You don't have to go for one that's week-long and megabucks and is intended to make you into a certified armorer for, for example, your municipal agency. Instead, a shooter/civilian-hobbyist course taught by a known-quality gunsmith will be just fine. Semper Paratus Arms is a traveling show that's very highly thought of and is very comprehensive: http://www.semperparatusarms.com/ar15-armorer-course-information/ ...but even a single-day local course such as the one that I attended a couple of years ago ( http://weyertactical.com/event/ar15-armorers-course-2/ ), taught by Dave Laubert ( http://www.recoilweb.com/dave-laubert-defensive-creations-80917.html ) will give you significantly more knowledge than what even a diligent reader can garner from studying and scrubbing old posts on M4Carbine.net for weeks or even months on end. A good course like this will have you completely tearing-down and building back up the gun that you bring, and will show you where and what to measure, and how to remedy any potential problems (such as reaming the chamber or staking the gas-key). It will also demonstrate to you why "parts are -NOT- just parts," and in the case of the Weyer Tactical class, for example, the why and how of the most common stoppages and malfunctions of the platform (Laubert and Weyer are both disciples and students of the late Pat Rogers, and as such, were given the legacy of EAG's tremendous learning library - Dave showed us a 30-minute PowerPoint at the end of class which was slide after slide of stoppages seen in the many classes that Pat taught over the years), and how to properly remedy them. You've got a good gun, there. There's no real need to immediately divest into a "beater" just for the sake of having a beater. Instead, take that money and make it count. Knowledge is what you should be beefing up at this point, and there's no better place to start (given that your military service already has made you better than the average-Joe novice at the shooting/manipulations part of the equation) than with some true learning about the platform.

^ Nope, there's a lot of different ones. I linked the PMR30 - which is the one that BDII was talking about - product page and the review by hickok45.

^ No, it's a proprietary magazine with this little gun, which is a bit of an odd duck. https://www.keltecweapons.com/pistols/pmr-30 Chambered for the .22WMR, it's a fun little thing - 30 rd. magazine capacity...and that magazine is only 1.6 ounces empty, full-up, 6 ounces. Virtually no recoil to speak of. It's a fun little thing, and I would encourage anyone who has a chance to try one to go ahead and give it a spin as a rental or as a loaner from a friend. I bought one for my daughter as a step-up from her .22LR pistols, but the muzzle blast and flash had me thinking twice about putting this in her hands. It shares magazines with the CMR30, which is the carbine variant. $360 was what I paid for it a couple of years ago. The vendor, Point Blank, had then been working with their distributor for special sales of this and other popular Kel-Tec items like the KSG, and they had close to three dozen of these suckers in-stock, various cosmetic finishes, at the time. The special they were running was $385, with a 50-count box of .22WMR, but their ammo distributor fell through. The availability of these little things really seems to be very spotty and regionally-dependent. I'm sorry to hear that you've had to wait so long...and continue to have to wait.

August! I mean, "My bid is $1, Bob."

^ Gun + ammo interactions are weird: it's really much more unique than folks generalize. The barrel that's now on my class/training beater - a 1:7 - does shockingly well with 55 gr. This versus a similar 1:7 on my HD gun, which performs noticeably better with longer bullets.

^ So now when you shoot just dot, you should be right-on, just as if you were shooting the dot either bracketed by both of the irons, or dot + front iron. The trick with the dot is that with target-focus, you'll naturally blow-through and center: your brain takes care of if for you. Close enough, and you get really, really precise shots simply because the supercomputer that's sitting on top of your neck takes care of the work. Cheek-weld be damned. This is where you really pick up speed in trade for good-enough precision - that credit-card ocular cavity at CQB distances, each and every time, with blazing speed. This is also where the dot gives you more flexibility for awkward/improvised/compromised positions, versus struggling to find that sight package with the irons. When you get farther out, that's when you have to slow down a bit: work to really center that dot inside the clear objective, making sure that your eyeball is properly in-line with the bore axis, getting your proper cheek. Again, blow-through the dot and focus on the threat downrange. The principles here are virtually the same as that of using the irons (with the exception of your eye focus) - that everything should be in-line, as much as possible. This is also really where proper management of the dot intensity will help: distance typically translates into time/opportunity - refine that sight package by turning down that dot so that you can actually see it as the finest aiming point possible. For those of us with astigmatism, this is even more important. Unmagnified RDSs, according to SMEs like John "Chappy" Chapman ( http://soldiersystems.net/2017/05/06/gunfighter-moment-john-chappy-chapman/ - think the likes of Steiner, B.E.Meyers, Sphur, TNVC), should allow for effective engagements up to 300 yards/meters, even for those of us with astigmatism. I think if you played with the dot a bit more - really got down to work with it without the irons - you'll start to trust it more, and you'll start to see with it more what you're used to seeing with the dot + irons combo. Once you trust it enough, you'll start being able to let go of that need for cloverleafs at closer targets, and you'll really start picking up speed, which is where the trade-off lies with the unmagnified RDS.

^ Agreed. Having a dedicated facility is a big deal, for-sure. The traveling roadshows do do a good job of getting a student immersed in the whys and hows of a particular instructor or cadre, but without facilities, there's really only so much that they can do.

I'm jealous! I'm sure you'll have lots of fun and learn lots. That's a great resource you guys have, up there in that corner of the country.

The system is doing that weird quote-deny thing again! Quoting you "manually." It'll work, but it assumes that you've got all the fundamentals absolutely perfect: with that assumption, there's the chance that something that's awry that isn't grossly-so will slip by. It mostly works well enough - i.e. if you didn't have time to properly zero/confirm zero on the optic and the rest of the class is already all-done - particularly if you're not shooting bullseye and are only going from the 100 and in, but its imperfect. One good thing about PA is that they really stand behind their products. That said, a warranty does little good when the item breaks in the middle of a 3-day away class. It's worth the additional investment to buy something that's extra durable, but at the same time, there's also never any real guarantees....my T1 broke, unexpectedly, on day 1 of a 2-day class. Aimpoint actually had to replace it, outright. The reason I asked is precisely what you'd noted....that the LWRC proprietary unit has a sloped cheek area, kinda like the LMT/SOPMOD. I'm wondering if that - as a part of the gun being so new to you at this point - may be what's throwing you off: that your cheek-weld isn't what you're used to? The further reason I ask this is because this is exactly what tripped me up a while ago, when I took my ARs out to verify zero at the beginning of the season. I got perfectly dialed-in on my daughter's 15-22 (this was before her full-caliber AR, and here, her 15-22 uses the MOE stock that you had on your Colt - the LE6920 is my good buddy's class gun, https://imgur.com/1V9UJ3K , which he recently updated with an MI MLok rail), then on my current class/training gun (which uses a BCM Mod0), and then on my hobby gun - an Aero OE-Middy (w/MOE SL). I was having a great day: all of my shots were through the same hole on the 10-yard offset target, and were again right-on when I pushed it out to 50, where, even simply standing and monopoding the magazine awkwardly at about waist level, I was easily holding a 1/2-inch group. Then I went to my HD gun - a DDM4V5LW that I'd retired to that role after using it in a few classes - figuring that it was going to be the least likely to give me any trouble as at the time I had the most experience on this gun....but that's were things fell apart. Just as I wrote above and previously, I ended up chasing the zero between the BUIS (a set of fixed DDs on that gun) and the dot (T1 on Larue LT660, both proven with prior classes, so I knew it was solid) for a solid half-hour before just giving up out of frustration. Then I moved on to my backup for classes, a LMT MRP CQB16....and that's when it finally hit me. I noticed on this gun as I zeroed the irons that, for some strange reason, my rear sight setting was all the way skewed to the left, and that this wasn't the case on any of the other guns that I'd zero'ed that morning. I was puzzled, so I got behind the gun again, paying more attention to my cheekweld, and that's when it all came together as I realized that the LMT sloped stock was causing me to not cheek properly (because I have fatty porky cheeks, as you can see in that picture above :lol:). And just as you would guess, my DD also has a sloping cheekweld stock, a B5 Bravo. I'm wondering if the combination of a wider stock - one with more girth - combined with the fact that you're always driving a sight picture that's through all those planes is causing you some issues. Agreed. The time limitation would be a real killer for me. I can get it done pretty easily in just a few minutes, particularly in the class context, but at a public range, I think there would just be too many distractions/worries. Fun range sessions are always fun, but, yup, gotta have an actual plan, if you want to work something out! My daughter and I actually only go when its raining, snowing, and/or freezing out. We're pretty certain we'll be the only ones at the range, then. I learned to shoot the AR from Marines. Actually, I made damn sure that I learned to shoot long-guns from Marines. You guys know how to shoot. I zero my irons, first. If it's a fresh session on an optic that I've for whatever reason removed during the off season (like this past year, for example, when I was experimenting with my daughter - then 11 - about what kind of weight and forend/rail length she'd be OK with), I'll remove the optic to do so, just to be sure that I have the least distractions possible (obviously if the optic was a magnified scope, it would have to come off). Then I either fold down (one or both of) the irons to zero the RDS or, with the RDS switched on, I consciously make myself "blow through" the irons so as to properly zero the dot. With your flip-down setup (which is what I have on my class gun, as well as is what's on my daughter's 15-22 [her AR is without BUIS, to shave weight]) and on my hobby gun), what I would do is to remove the RDS, first, and zero the irons. Then I'd flip down the BUIS - both of them - and zero the dot. I'd then flip up the BUIS and take a peek through, cowitnessed, as a final check. If I did my job correctly, as soon as I peek through that rear aperture, that dot should sit right where I want it to on the front sight post. If I messed something up, this double-check, provided that the irons were indeed zeroed correctly, should show the dot being displaced. If this happens, I then repeat the entire procedure above, starting with verification that my irons are properly zeroed. Does that make sense? I've never shot benchrest from seated, so I honestly don't know. I make-do at the public range I go to and do a standing, bent-over-at-the-waist monopod because it's so muddy directly in front of the benches. This is my daughter from this past summer, and you can get a feel for what we've got to work with. Here's she's hot-dogging it on our TacStrike quarters - the little shit is doing head-shots (this is her 15-22, with the PA AMD on a PA lower-1/3 mount). She'll get tired of holding that after about a half-dozen rounds, and then she monopods off the table. http://www.xdtalk.com/attachments/annaaa082017-jpg.400881/ I never really do all that great when I'm getting my pre-season zero confirmations - the above instance that I highlighted is really an anomaly. Laying down, I prefer to use a bipod up front as it helps with my breathing. I don't shoot distance (yet), so I don't have a rear bag (yet). Prone, I feel, offers me the most stability...but this is default, here, as I've never shot benchrest from a seated position. https://imgur.com/uxLEQ7j - That's my fat ass, ready for the contact rear. I actually really like a gravel/cinder surface because it allows the tips of my bipod to sink in and bite, so I can load them properly by then pushing forward on my toes. https://imgur.com/61Cn4jH - I'm the gun in the red shirt with gray running the length of my back directly in front of the spotting scope on the fourth concrete lane from the right. Conceptually, I've adopted the saying that the zero is everything - in a class atmosphere where I am under pressure to confirm and finish, I like to see - at the worst - a 1 and 1/2 inch 5-shot group at the 50 for my zero. In-reality, I try for a cloverleaf, and usually end up somewhere around an inch. This way, I then know for-certain when I toss a round that it's me that's the problem. My buddy - the one with the LE6920 - who would have taken top-shot honor at the shoot-house class pictured had he not decided to sit-out the 2AM low-light run (he just got a new puppy the week prior, and hadn't slept the entire week ), rushed his zero in a carbine class later in the year at the same facility. This class, unfortunately, went to the 300. So you can guess what happened, right?

Trying to quote your first post, the system isn't letting it register due to The Glitch. I'll just have to do it manually..... Give this a try: After you have checked zero, I want you to flip down your rear sight and shoot just using the dot: anywhere the dot projects, regardless of your eye position or cheek (given a reasonable accuracy/precision expectation, that is), just shoot when the dot is on-target. Hold yourself to a standard - go for the ubiquitous NRA B8 or B8 Repair-Center ( https://primaryandsecondary.com/forum/index.php?threads/printable-b8-repair-center-target.2255/ ), and try to keep it all in the black at the 25. With what you are doing now, shooting only when the sights are cowitnessed, you're essentially using only the irons and letting that dot be some kind of highlight of the front post - kinda like if you were shooting a pistol, and instead of aligning the bodies of the sights (what you are supposed to be doing), you were aligning the dots or somehow focusing only on the front "dot" marking (instead of the actual front post body). The idea of a non-magnified RDS (here to include all types of such sights, "reflex," holographic, and even etched reticle) is that you gain speed by not having to precisely align the multiple planes necessary with a traditional front/rear ironsight picture: https://www.ar15.com/forums/ar-15/1_3_cowitness_or_absolute_cowitness_/18-542595/ ^ Look at the "What about my cheek weld" sub-section. Re-zero your Colt with your irons. Either turn the dot off or remove it completely. Then flip the rear out of the way, and zero the dot. Be absolutely sure you are obtaining that same consistent cheek weld and properly centering your eye with respect to the reticle (and take the time to insure that the reticle is centered within the objective, too). Once you've achieved zero with the RDS, when you flip up that rear sight, if you did it right, you'll cowitness immediately, with no need for adjustment. If you find that you're chasing adjustments when you flip up that rear - i.e. all of a sudden the dot is now no longer zeroed as you cowitness through the rear aperture to the front post and properly align them - then, more than likely you went awry when zeroing the dot. Turn the dot off, confirm zero of your irons, and then rinse and repeat the zeroing of the dot. Yes, zeroing the irons and then just cranking that dot adjustment so the dot sits on the front post will get the job done - but it will have some margin for error. Once you've achieved mechanical zero, flip down the rear sight and use only the dot. Visually "blow through" the dot, using target-focus (even when shooting precision shots). This gives you the ability to better track moving targets as well as will hasten your ability to acquire the target faster (objectively, you can use a shot-timer and do simple single-shot "up drills"), and you will be no less accurate. Something is not right - either with the battery or with the sight itself. Achieving daylight brightness should not be a problem with the EOTechs. Hopefully, it's just a rare battery issue. Out of curiosity, what kind of furniture - what buttstock - do you have on each gun? OK, now the truth comes out! You were a Marine for a half-dozen years (thank you for your service) - so, yes, you should do better than that! Eye issues could definitely play a role. Part of the problem in dissecting issues like this is that you have to really try to hold constant environmental/ambient lighting. Even your non-prescription protective eyewear can cause issues - particularly the cheaper ones, there's actually a lot of optical distortion in the lens that may not be noticeable until you really have a detailed look at it. Make sure, to begin with, that you have quality protective eyewear that minimizes any distortions you may have to look through, when you're cheeked-up and looking through the sights. I think that in order to really get a grip of what's going on here, we need to do some serious, boring, objective work. Really sitting down and meticulously dialing in a good, rock-solid zero on your guns, and then working to some kind of objective metric in order to see just what is going on. Otherwise, there's a lot of confounding factors, and there's a lot of subjective uncertainties at play - which, when you introduce new gear into the equation, just begs that much more trouble. Good-to-go, then! Understood. Nevertheless, I'd be speaking well outside of my lane, there. I really have never stretched the reach of my ARs, and therefore cannot speak with authority as to the type of glass that a shooter should be looking at. The other stuff I can help you with - this, nope! This exceeds both the rather narrow width as well as the shallow depth of my little pond of know-how.

With what you are describing above with your Colt, are you shooting the dot, or are you shooting the irons? Or are you shooting the dot via cowitnessing the irons? Like ammo, batteries are the lifeblood of any electronic optic. It certainly could be a problem battery, but lithium primaries typically (even more the case for domestics) do not see many issues (this is from the perspective of a flashlight collector/user - up until just last year, I literally bought one to two cases of 100 per year, and burned through them at that rate ). Unfortunately, EOTechs do see a disproportionate amount of electrical issues under hard use, so that is always a concern...I'd switch a battery just because it's easy to do as primary troubleshooting. Astigmatism should not come into pay with irons. I have astigmatism, too (-1.00/-1.25). It's interesting that you did not have an issue before, but you do, now, after corrective surgery. If you're shooting the dot via the irons, the cowitness of the ironsights should eliminate any astigmatism-related problems in terms of the dot, too. You're right, I'm really not sure exactly what's up, and can only think of the dot intensity as a potential - but I'm not sure if that may be a red herring. Typically, the lower the dot intensity, the better (provided that one can still make out the dot, of-course! ), even for folks with perfect eyesight, as it minimizes "blooming." What, exactly, is happening with the EOTech on your new gun that's causing you to miss? And exactly to what degree are we talking about, when we're talking about "misses" versus hitting "exactly" where we're aiming? What's the metric? Group size at distance. What kind of time pressure if-any, are you under, in completing this metric? I was under the impression that EOTechs shipped with Panasonic CR123s? There's nothing special about Panasonic CR123s. A contract shouldn't be equated to a "recommendation." Those are two very different things. And yes, their previous Aimpoint promotion is what led me to ask that question. Actually, both Aimpoint and Trijicon are very highly thought of in the industry - there's nothing to suggest "nothing against" either brand, and no, there is no reason why the MRO may be any better or worse suited for any particular end-user versus its Aimpoint counterparts. You're reading way too much into LWRC's promotion, which is just that, a promotion. Things are really looking good for the MRO - it took off in a way the SRS never did - but make no mistake, it's a considerably newer optic in this category, and even today, it's no more "tried and true" than comparable counterparts from Aimpoint, which has just as much "battle lineage." I don't want you to think that I'm saying anything negative about the MRO because I'm a jealous non-owner - here's mine: https://imgur.com/hb55xWj It's my daughter's gun, but that's my optic (it's actually a backup optic that I take with me to classes, the Scalarworks mount is nicely repeatable, at least at the 100 and in). Be absolutely sure of your eBay seller...there's a lot of fakes and off-contract items going around. Whether you end up with a 89,000+ S/N and have clearer glass with less distortion may not matter that much for a casual shooter (and in all honesty, not everyone notices the issue - I cannot), but a product that's not going to be covered by warranty, that costs that much, well, that's just no good. Ah, alas, now you're stepping out of my lane. With that 1K-yard need, I will have to bow out of that end of the discussion: you're going to want something with a bit more power than a 1-x LPVO. I am sure the other members here will be much better able to guide you in this selection.