TFB reader Stephan reached out to me recently about the best way to set up his new Beretta M9A4 RDO (Red Dot Optic-Ready) with a red dot. People’s first foray into the red dot optic market can be a daunting thing between deciding which red dot to go with, which footprint said red dot has, and obtaining the right plate if none is supplied with the pistol. In Stephan’s case of the Beretta RDO series, Beretta’s fine print stated that upon registering a new purchase with the company, they will send the owner one free optics mounting plate, while any additionally desired plates cost $29.

Having said all that, it was up to Stephan (and any other owner of a new Beretta 92 RDO series) to first decide which optic they want to mount onto their pistol. Admittedly, I’m rather new to pistol-mounted red dots myself, so I could only offer my experiences on a couple different models. Stephan opted to go with the Vortex Viper, then registered his M9A4 RDO with Beretta, and they shipped him the corresponding red dot mounting plate with the Docter/Noblex footprint.

The final result is what you see here and Stephan is quite happy with his setup. He was willing to share his experience and photos in the hope that others wanting to dip their toe into pistol-mounted red dots could learn and gain confidence. Thanks to Stephan for sharing his Beretta M9A4 RDO.

If you have a great photo or three you’d like to share with TFB readers in a Photo of the Day article, send us an email. What was your first pistol and red dot combination?