Micro conversion kits, better known as MCKs, are basically carbine-style chassis that enable you to convert your handgun so that it can be fired from the shoulder.
Compatible with a wide range of different popular handguns, MCKs are among the most impactful upgrades you can make.
They substantially boost accuracy and most users find that they can shoot more accurately with them, even at intermediate ranges in excess of 100 yards.
On top of that, MCKs will significantly expand the number of attachment points your handgun offers.
Combine these two attributes and you have a platform that not only shoots more accurately, but begs for an optic.
You don’t necessarily want a scope. One of the best things you could do is mount a red dot sight (or an RDS) over your slide on top of the MCK.
Here’s why an RDS is the optic pretty much every MCK should have.
No Lining Up Sights
One of the most difficult aspects of shooting a handgun accurately (though far from the only one) is the issue of sight radius.
The shorter the sight radius, the more unforgiving the platform will be. A shorter sight radius means that issues lining up the sights will create a disparity between what your point of aim is and what your point of impact turns out to be.
The sight radius with an MCK is longer, but still not good, and still nowhere near as forgiving as a full-sized rifle or even a carbine. That being the case, mounting a red dot sight will solve this issue.
No Parallax Distortion
Leave alone the fact that a red dot sight, which most of the time will not magnify the sight picture, is better at intermediate ranges than a scope; if you look through a scope at an angle, you will incur a parallax distortion, which will shift the point of aim.
In other words, the reticle will align with a portion of the sight picture that is not truly aligned with the point of the rifle’s aim.
In other, other words, if you look through a scope at an angle, the reticle will indicate a false point of aim. If you shoot, you will likely miss wide.
Red dot sights are not subject to such issues, making them better than scopes if odd mounts will be taken.
Good in All Conditions
Iron sights and scopes are both not good in low light conditions. Red dot sights can be, especially when run in conjunction with a WML, or weapon-mounted light.
If you can see the target, you can see where the rod dot indicates the point of aim, which gives red dot sights the edge in low light conditions and in some cases, even in darkness.
Reflexive Shooting from Odd Positions
As indicated, red dot sights are not subject to the issues of parallax distortion that plague scopes. This means that you can shoot accurately with an RDS even when you have a bad mount, or when you don’t mount at all.
If you can see the target picture and the red dot, you can shoot from any position, even theoretically from the hip.
This gives a red dot sight a great deal of flexibility that neither iron sights nor scopes can offer, and considerably expands the functionality of the MCK.
A Note for Outdoor Shooters
One thing to keep in mind is that though it’s called a red dot sight, there are actually green and blue dot sights as well. Some red dot sights even have settings that let you change the color of the dot.
The reason green and blue dot sights can be better than red dot sights is that blue and green light are better in bright conditions. So if you run your MCK for home defense, red might be better, but if you do a lot of shooting during the day or outside, a blue or green dot sight will offer better visibility and contrast.
Don’t Forget the Offset, Backup Iron Sights
Lastly, remember that while every MCK should have a red dot sight (or at least most of them), two is one and one is none, which means this: you should also install offset, flip-up backup iron sights.
Offset, flip-up backup iron sights will give you a redundant failsafe if the battery on your RDS dies or if the glass gets obstructed by fog or dust. Plus, the backup won’t need batteries and will prove reliable in all conditions.
Upgrade Your Favorite Handgun with an MCK Today
In the market for a new MCK for your favorite handgun, or for a red dot sight for your current setup? We can help with both. Shop our full collection and get in touch with us if you have any questions about anything we sell or if you need a recommendation.