Does The Size Of Your Optic Window Matter?

I have been shooting red dots for a little over twelve years, and I have seen much innovation in the space. Durability and reliability have been the biggest advancements so far. At first, dots that were mounted on the slides would last around one thousand to two thousand rounds; certainly not enough to bet your life on them. Today, dots come from the factory claiming they will last approximately twenty thousand rounds.  I have used a C&H Comp that lasted thirty-five thousand rounds before finally giving out. 

With all of that being said, what's the next thing to improve on the dot? Well, today, more and more manufacturers are making bigger window optics. This must be a better design, right? From what I have found, the answer is yes. The bigger window gives you a better advantage. In our shooting classes, I talk about two main things that you should be processing while you are shooting: The way you're pulling the trigger, and what you see through the sight. Having a bigger window allows me to see further around the target without the housing getting in the way around the edges. I also find it allows me to track the dot while in recoil even better. With certain optics and gun setups, I sometimes lose the dot in recoil because it travels out of the window frame. When that happens, the fix is either to grip the gun harder or try a bigger window. 

I have been shooting a C&H Comp or Trijicon SRO for a couple of years now, and love that size. I knew the SRO size was better than a standard size window, but I thought, “How much better could a bigger SRO window make my performance?” I have been shooting a C&H COMP MAX for a little while now and have noticed a change in what I’m processing on the sights. The COMP MAX falls in line with a Vortex Defender XL and Holosun 507COMP size sights. These are the largest window optics on the market at the time of this post. I’ll continue to shoot this optic for the next couple of months and report back on any other findings I have.