[pax]

Take the money you would spend on optics.

Put it into a two-day weekend class at a professional firearms training school, with a reputable instructor.

After that class, save up for optics.

You'll come out far ahead in the long run -- saving both money and time -- if you start out with good instruction and build on that. And you can start that process with basic, functional gear.

It's not that the red dot sights can't be valuable. They can! It's just that, when you build a house, a solid foundation always comes before fancy curtains.

pax