Hee, hee.....I don't know how it knows.

Here's an idea. Mount one or more flood lights beside/around the target, with the lights shinning toward you. Now point the pistol at the target. I'll bet the 'Mr. know it all 'dot'' will dim in response to the bright lights.

 

I'm thinking it works just the opposite. In bright light the dot brightens and dims in low light. I put a piece of tape over the dot area and it did get dimmer...just not as dim as I wanted it to get. It's ok but I learned long ago with and adjustable one to lower the brightness to level 2 or 3 and you could really see the target much better....this is for bench rest type shooting. Where you put the dot right on a 1/4" point. 4 moa is small on this sight but I want the dot a bit dimmer. For quick shooting or bright daylight you need it bright. 1917

 

I'm getting old. You're right..........what was I thinking? So, try shooting at midnight with NO moon.

 

Ft Smith liked my contraption....gonna have the gunsmiths look it over. I'm thinking even a polymer mount would hold these little sights. One made to fit right over the anti-glare rails with matching shape to fit the rail grooves would stick down tight with monkey glue. The aluminum bases are easily heated for five seconds and then can be removed. Polymer probably would not allow this. Does anyone think Walther would sell any neatly made little mounts for this sight, the same one they offer on the PPS. I think they would. They could probably even mold them out of zinc. 1917

 

Hey Crete, been wondering how you are doing with Italy having such problems not far away. Greece seems to be not being as hard hit. We are staying home, planting flowers, gardening and I'm shooting and doing photography. We wash everything that comes into the house....mail, food items....neighbors and family not allowed. 1917

 

The red dots are still working fine. I wasn't sure if the glue would hold up but it is still tight and I can't pull the sights off. I had about 50 belts where the glue had let go on these old, 15 year old, belts had let go. I applied Gorilla Glue to where the joint had failed and that repaired the belts as well. Good stuff for certain applications. I had planned on throwing 50 almost new belts away. If I can keep the dot on the target...that is where the round will hit. Sure beats having to line up rear sight, front blade and see the target all at the same time. 1917

 

The red dot on the 5" pistol flew off this morning. The glue let go of the aluminum base. The original test with JB Weld only, let the aluminum separate also. Seems the problem is these adhesives sticking to the aluminum bases. I cleaned the base of all oil I think. If it happens again I'm going to sand it, drill some holes so the glue can penetrate up into the aluminum base. Or find some better glue. The 3.4" QD is undergoing quite a bit of study regarding sear/hammer hook angles and trigger pull. I dropped the trigger pull to 2 lb 11oz but I'm not happy with my understanding or lack thereof of the geometry and function. Everything on the net regarding sear engagement is on 1911's. On a 1911 the hook is 90*, the sear can follow several angles, even a rounded edge called "True Radius". Did I mention there are a dozen jibs for accurate work. How many exist for a P22? None. I can photo and blow the engagement up. Dykem blue the faces and look at engagement wear. But what I really want is 100% understanding of what would be the best concept. Actually the P22 is laid out somewhat similar to a 1911 regarding trigger bar engagement with the sear. 1917

 

Always piddlin'..... I don't know anything about hammer hook angles and poop like that. But I do know that when a car is painted it is sanded first. Also, when doing body work we use a 16 grit disc to grind the metal before applying the body putty. See where I'm headed?

That rough surface gives the paint or body something to stick to.

I believer the same applies to your aluminum plate. lay some 80 grit sand paper down on the work bench and slide that plate back and forth a few times.

I bought me some of that super duper Gorilla glue the other day to glue magnets to some kydex. That stuff DOES set up quick. It's working so far.

 

Kept missing everything I shot at. Squirrels just stick out their tongue and keep on chewing. Did I re-zero the last time I put the dot on??? I wondered. Black dot on some paper....good grief, 6" low and 2" left. Screwed the adjustments back to zero....laugh tomorrow tubby....you will be sorry. And don't even think about chewing my wiring harness again.

And,, remember those holes I drilled in order to get the thread adapter off...well, you gotta make sure the suppressor is all the way tight or they let about 99.9% of the noise out.. 1917

 

Ahhhhhh, soon to be squirrel on the barbee.

 

That advertised 3 to 4 year battery lasted five months. Not a big issue but to change it the sight needs to be removed and re-zeroed. Bah. 1917

 

I've got more than one of these Shields. I've found that the battery on the ones I leave in the safe or a drawer or covered up, will last a long time....still waiting for one to run down. However I've got two pistols that are never put away so they're exposed to light as long as the sun is shining. Those two batteries lasted a few months.

I think the key is keeping the shield sight 'covered' or shielded from light when not in use. Otherwise, the light sensor in the sight will adjust the brightness of the red dot based on the light hitting the sensor....bright light, means a brighter red dot.....which drains the battery quicker.

 

I hear you. However they advertise 2-3 years and 4 years with dark storage. Of course I have no idea how old the battery was that came with the thing. The only other problem, perhaps because of the suppressor is blowback dust on the lens. The lens is plastic so it has to be carefully cleaned. 1917

 

I'm going to go back to the screwed down base through the slide and into the steel breech block.
the glue eventually lets go. Yesterday the sight flew off agin and hit me between the eyes....ouch. So I will glue it down and use that to hold it securely while I drill and tap the breech block for a couple of screws as shown earlier in this thread. A new battery renewed the red dot. 1917

 

And, that is finished with a bit of blue threadlocker on the screws. To remove the breech block for cleaning I will need to loosen the screws. The base is glued down as well...now to re-zero and see how it holds up. 1917

 

Same 1/16" aluminum base but with two 3mm screws fitted into the drilled and tapped steel breech block. The front, right hole is for access to the extractor pin. The two rear holes are for mounting the sight.

And, it looks the same as before from the outside (sight screws not tightened in this photo). I also moved the sight as far rearward as possible while retaining the stock rear sight to cut down on blowback debris collecting on the lens. It would be better if you were making this a permanent addition to remove the rear sight and loop and move the entire assembly as far away from the ejection port as possible. Having a suppressor on the pistol doesn't help with blow back gasses. Every 300 rounds or so the lens needs a very careful cleaning. In any event this should stop the part from flying off the slide. 1917

 

Nice job....................

 

Seems to be working fine again. Now if the sight will just stay on the pistol. Resting on a bag at 21' put 10 rounds in less than a 3/8" group. Hold the dot on the bullseye and that is where the round hits. Federal target grade HV. Cycles the pistol fine although I was holding it lightly against my thumb and allowing the pistol to jump. Much worse than limp wristing...but it cycled 100%. Oh yeah, I cleaned it yesterday of all the filings and relubed. The drilling and tapping had made the firing pin stick....especially the metal peeled down from the top of the slide. As most of you know the firing pin runs immediately below the slide. And I mean almost rubbing on it. Which is one of the concerns I had early on regarding screwing into the breech block and pulling it up hard against the slide. But, no problems encountered except for a dirty pistol and metal shavings.

BTW, there is plenty of .22 ammo available but I was not able to find really good stuff today. Eley, RWS, etc. Sharp shooters must have beaten me to it. 1917

 

I should add that Crete posted a link regarding groups through high end Olympic grade .22 pistols and the Federal target grade ammo hung in there right with the best of the best. So perhaps that ammo is good stuff. I will see how some CCI Quiets hit regarding point of aim tomorrow. I placed some tape on top of the sight to knock off most of the light. That makes the red dot very, very tiny which is what you need for tight groups. 1917

 

I'm not engineer enough to know if these two 1/8" holes through the top of the slide will weaken it. Probably 3,000 - 4,000 rounds through the slide with the dot on it but only a hundred since the holes were drilled and the sight base screwed down. Will see how it works and report any issues. I can sure shoot straight with it. 1917

 

I would be interest in what any of you machinists know about threads. The machine screws I used are 3mm x 50. I'm not sure what that means. All have an oval head which I had so polish off so they would countersink properly in the 1/16" base. I can also get 4mm x 50. Next, the most popular screws seem to have 32 threads per inch and I can get those in a flathead. I haven't tried ordering any. My question is....which is stronger? 4mmx50 or 4mmx32. 1917

 

Ten round group using blue dot as aim point. Then zeroed on other dots and then put two through the original blue dot. Good enough for minute of squirrel. From a bag at 21'. I might be able to do this with open sights.....but I doubt it. 1917

 

Nice shootin'. Looks like some powder burns around that first group. 😁

 

You must have forgotten that #2 pencils don't leave powder burns....but they sure make nice groups. Well, I had the pistol in a couple of bags, resting on a stool, tape over the top of the sight so the dot was tiny and only filled up 1/10 of the blue circle. Just hold it there while releasing the hammer with a 2 lb trigger and the ammo/barrel does the rest. When I was shooting from the mechanical holder at 25M the biggest problem was flyers. The target ammo did noticeably better with regard to few flyers. Walther could easily add a system like this to the P22 . Just make a small change to the slide to offer sight options. Old peeps can certainly use all the help they can get. 1917

 

Yep, love those red dots. Walther should incorporate your 'red dot mounting' idea into their next P22 upgrade. Excellent R&D................and good shootin', for an old fart.

 

Old fart is right...soon be 72, where is the time going? But I don't consider this good shooting. From a bag, 21'. Off hand is where the good shooting comes in...rifle or pistol. When the battery died I was at the farm and had been shooting a steel plate at about 80' to 100'. With the dot I hit it every time. One hand offhand. Just put the dot on it, pull the trigger. Then the dot died. I tried aiming through the no dot sight...hit the plate about 50% of the time. Then I quit aiming all together and just pointed the pistol. Still hit it about 50% of the time. For defensive shooting with a larger center fire folks need to practice a good bit just pointing in my opinion. You might not have time for all that aiming business. OF, you know anything about 300 blackout uppers or rifles, AR style. I need one or the other for hogs and a suppressor. If a barrel and tube and other stuff costs 75% or a complete rifle I'll just get the rifle. On the other hand I have an AR I really rarely shoot and .223 doesn't suppress well. The nearest neighbor is about a mile away at the farm, still I don't think they want to hear fireworks all night long. And at night seems to be the best hog shooting time. Night scope of course....know anything about them. I like the white hot and the clear black ones too. 1917