As far as I can tell there are no great pistol optics. If you simply want to shoot, there are some very nice ones like the SRO, 507Comp, and the C&H Comp. They feature large windows, but either unknown durability or known weakness. They are all open emitters which is fine for some uses but not ideal for others.
All of the known durable optics have too small windows, whether open emitters or closed. For duty use, a closed emitter is a better way to go, though I can live with an open emitter for my concealed carry use.
A window that is too small holds you back and there are things you can’t do as well with it, especially one-handed stuff. A window that is too big is too hard to conceal in most cases. Most high-level shooters carry one gun and shoot another, often guns that are not similar at all. That assumes they carry a gun at all, as many don’t. I have always tried to carry and shoot the same gun. Not literally, though I did do that for a long time. Instead, I usually favor carrying and shooting my carry gun until it hits 5-10,000 rounds. Then it is only shot for qualification. My training is done with a copy of that gun, set up the same way. This makes things easier and better, but only really matters if you shoot a fair bit.
An SRO is probably as large as I can go and still carry (mostly). If it was drop-proof and handled moisture better, it would work well. My C&H comp has worked well but is still unknown regarding durability. I have not had any moisture issues with it, but I haven’t had it out enough in bad conditions to know. The 507Comp is just too big for carry, but I suspect it is durable enough, though I have no proof of that.
I am tempted to adopt a more mainstream approach and simply shoot whatever I want, while still carrying my one main carry gun. I’m not there yet, but I may play around with the idea a bit. If someone would make a red dot that was small enough to carry, but large enough to not handicap the shooting, durable enough for duty use but with current features that make red dot use more convenient, I think they would own the market for some time.
I am not that knowledgeable on the many red dot options available, I have a two handguns and two rifles with C-More Railways and one 1911 with a Leupold Delta Point Pro. I have the most experience with the C-More’s, they are tough but they are to large for a concealed carry, the Delta Point Pro is small enough, but I haven’t given that firearm that much use to know how reliable they are for everyday use
They are certainly not essential on pistols, though I enjoy them very much.
“…with current features that make red dot use more convenient…”
Like auto-brightness?
I’m not a fan of auto brightness, but I understand they are getting better. I was thinking more along the lines of clamp mounts (though I like screws just fine), easy battery changes, consistent foot prints, lower deck height for lower irons, etc.
507c, though open emitter, is a nice option. Decent window size, rounded so that helps with concealment, 3 reticle options, durability in line with rmr, and side load battery. I have one on a p2000sk done by weight armory and its a nice around the house/hot new mexico weather gun.
I have one, but do not have as much time on it as others. I’ll have to make a point to use it more, thanks!