Hello all, I have a Ruger MKII 22LR target pistol, and just like many of you, my eyesight has deteriorated enough that I'm required to wear glasses. So depending on how I angle head, my sight picture really sucks. So it's time for a red dot. Since I have the older MKII, I'm going to have to knock out the rear sight and insert a anchoring plate into the dovetail.

This is where you guys come into play, I've narrowed it down to the Burris fastfire III which uses it's own mounting plate, or my other option would be a MaddMacs base which also mounts into the dovetail, then paired with a Vortex Venom.

80% of my shooting is steel plates, so do I go with a 3,6, or 8 MOA dot. The Burris is either 3 or 8, while the Vortex offers a 6, (Kind of a happy medium) What would be my best dot option?

This will be my first dot ever on a pistol, so I'm totally new at this and in the dark. Thank you in advance for your help.

I have a Venom I use on a MK2 for Precision Pistol (bullseye).  Most anything works from what I've seen.  You may want to try a few and change it up until you find what works best for you.

I have MKII and MKIII target pistols and both have Burris dots. The MKII has the FFIII with 3 MOA Dot and the mount that fits into the rear sight dovetail. Love it. I wear glasses and can't see without them. Even have a small astigmatism but it doesn't make the dot look like a comma or a starburst unless the dot it magnified. I chose the smaller dot for precision and have no trouble seeing it. Just keep focused on the target at presentation and there it is. I was keeping my shots within 1-2 MOA at 25 yds the other day shooting from a pistol rest with crappy Winchester ammo. I'd love to try steel plates with it. Both pistols are accurate but I prefer the MKII because it has the better trigger.

Thank you for your reply Thrack, you helped me a great deal.

Does the Burris come with the small dovetail insert needed to mount the fastfire 3

If you can find a mount that works with rmr footprint i would look into the Holosun 407/507c.  These are much more durable than the burris and vortex and similar in price.

You can find the 407c for under $200  sale (3moa dot) and the 507 c for $229 (circle dot, or just dot).  I have an astigmatism and the 507c works great for me

Sage Dynamics has tested all of these and has over 10k rounds on the 507c.  I know this is going on a 22, but why not get better if you can. Much more likely to survive a drop etc.. They also have backup solar and 50k battery life

Thanks for the info guys, but what about the dovetail insert? Do these inserts come with base plates when ordered, as this would be the only way possible to mount a red dot as my Ruger isn’t tapped for accessories

I think the dovetail plate availability is going to determine your choice of a sight.  That is, you're going to be stuck with whatever pattern the dovetail mount offers.   I have both the FFIII and the Venom and they are both decent dots for the money.

They usually come with a picatinny rail mount as well, that can be removed for direct mounting to the appropriate plate or cut.

No. I had to buy a separate mount with the insert. I think I got it on optics planet. Do a Google search for something like "Ruger MKII fastfire mount" and that should get you started.

I have many dots mounted on pistols including a 22/45.

For shooting steel plates, it's hard to beat the Holosun 507 series.

They feature a 32 moa ring around a 2 moa dot, or any combination you like of the 2.

Perfect for ringing steel.  This will require a separate dovetail mounting plate by another vendor such as EGW.

You guys rock, I’ve located a sweet setup through Farrow Tech, that fits my needs perfectly after a little detailed searching.

You can also go with a weigatinny rail from Jackweigand.com. Then you can put anything that can mount to a picatinny rail.  I have a 3moa dot Nikon PSpur on my Mark III.  Probably going to switch to a holosun 2moa eventually.  I have some astigmatism and the smaller dots work better for me.