After some frustrating experiences trying to see my iron sights on an indoor range that's less well lit than I'm used to, I decided I was ready to open my mind to the red dot. A friend offered to lend me some gear (more on that in a moment).
The first part of the experiment was setting aside my PX4CC and going back to my Glock 19 (Gen 4). I dry fired it almost daily over the course of a week, using my Mantis X. My trigger pull scores were a little higher than with the DA trigger on the Beretta, so there's that. I also noted that the Ameriglo FBI sights on the Glock are a better height and width for me than the Ameriglo CAPs on the Beretta.
My plan for the first range outing was to establish a baseline with the G19 and iron sights, then replace the slide assembly with my friend's - a PSA Dagger slide assembly with a Holosun 407C. To be sure I could detect whether I was having a good or bad day, I decided to shoot some drills that I've shot enough to have an idea of where I usually stand. Here are the results:
G19, iron sights:
Wizard Drill - FAIL (2M/1OT)
5 Yard Roundup - 93
The Test - 92 (although I grossly rushed it in under 7 seconds)
FAST - 7.98, 2M on the circle so 9.98 (I think - forgot to write it down from the timer. Definitely under 8 seconds raw.
G19, 407C:
Wizard Drill - FAIL (2M/3 OT) - my first experience of the challenge in picking up the dot.
5 Yard Roundup - 94 -10 for an OT shot (couldn't find the dot on the draw)
The Test - 96 (possibly a personal best)
FAST - 9.19 clean (albeit with a 3.37 draw to first shot)
To try out some reticle choices, my friend also brought his Steyr S9 with a 507K. We set it to the circle-only setting and I shot The Test. I scored 92 points with an unfamiliar gun with a slippery grip. The circle seems to have a lot of merit for helping a beginner pick up the reticle.
Back to the Glock, we decided to close with a pure accuracy drill:
Vickers 300 (G19 w/ 407C) - 290 (I believe this is a PR)
Vickers 300 (G19 w/ iron sights) - 269 (at some point I started holding too low, but there was also a distinct accuracy difference)
I need to do a lot more work with the optic until my presentation equals or exceeds my iron sight performance. But I'm sold on the concept.