New to optics; Green dot question

no decent optic would have that
up your budget a bit and get a quality optic, like your life depended on it

Vortex, Primary Arms and Holosun all make optics that work well and are affordable. Good luck.

If you are wanting a green reticle, then I am going to suggest the Swampfox Liberator since you are on a budget.

The Liberator has a circle dot reticle in both green and red for $129 https://www.swampfoxoptics.com/liberator

Or if you want shake to wake feature the I suggest the Swampfox Liberator II for $169 https://www.swampfoxoptics.com/liberator-II

If you buy directly from Swampfox and qualify for their MIL/LEO discount that gives you a 30% discount. Plus they have excellent customer service if ever needed.

The Holosun 403B-GR (green reticle) can be had for $185 ($166.50 with MIL/LEO discount) at Primary Arms. https://www.primaryarms.com/holosun-403-elite-micro-green-dot-he403b-gr

The Vortex Strikefire II with green reticle is $200 ($180 with discount) at Primary Arms. https://www.primaryarms.com/vortex-strikefire-ii-red-green-dot-sight-sf-rg-501

Sig Romeo MSR (red reticle only) for $150 ($120 with discount) https://www.primaryarms.com/sig-sauer-romeo-msr-red-dot-sight-2-moa

If you are okay with a red reticle then you can get the Primary Arms or Bushnell red dots for under $100.

I own at least one of the following: Bushnell TRS-25, Primary Arms Classic, Swampfox Liberator and Liberator II, and Sig Romeo MSR. All are quality optics at a reasonable price for those on a tight budget. All of these are clear without major obstructions.

Personally I would avoid any and all of the cheap red dots from eBay or Amazon. Save up to get a better quality sight.

12Bravo20 said:

If you are wanting a green reticle, then I am going to suggest the Swampfox Liberator since you are on a budget.

Click to expand...

The image in the opening post is from the Swampfox Liberator page at swampfoxoptics.com.

The "obstruction" is the emitter.



I have one of these on a 10/22 and don't notice the bulge when shooting. I've never used a magnifier with one.

I have several of the Swampfox Liberators and have never noticed the emitter obstructing the view.

Here is a photo of my Liberator.



And my Liberator II. The camera makes the dot look bigger than it actually is.



The photos on the Swampfox website are very misleading as you can tell from actual photos of the Liberator and Liberator II

Back to the OP's other question:

Don't worry about the magnifier because they aren't worth it unless the glass is really good. So, take the budget you had for both, spend it on a better RDS (GDS?). In a year or two when you saved more, get an Aimpont or EOtech magnifier.

Is there a /good/ reason you want a green dot? I know not nothing about human factors (they let me write books sometimes) and a bit about optics and have never seen a convincing argument. But if you must, EOTech makes green versions of some of their sights. The Trijicon MRO also comes in a green version but is just a dot (again, not sure why you must have the ring, and not much use magnified, but they do not have it if critical).


Yeah. That's a lot more. Save? Get a used one? I have bought mostly used optics and alway am happy.

There is an old saying that I find true ! Buy once, cry once ! I do not like crying constantly, AFTER the purchase .

I've shot with both red and green dots and prefer green. I feel like I pickup the dot/reticle quicker, YMMV.

lernerk392 said:

Thanks all for chiming in. Yeah, the OP is a Swampfox Liberator. I was looking for a green circle dot and they seem to be the only company making one, other than the cheaper options on amazon. Might spend a little more and get the Holosun gold circle dot offering they have.

@12Bravo20 I appreciate the photos. The picture they provide is definitely exaggerated. And thanks for the suggestions and bringing the discount code to my attention

Click to expand...

You're welcome. And for the price, it' hard to beat the Swampfox Liberator. All of the brands I listed above are pretty much equal in quality and glass clarity. You won't go wrong with any of them on a tight budget. But yes only Swampfox and Holosun makes a small dot sight with a green reticle. The Vortex is a bit bigger than the rest. One of the reasons I prefer the Swampfox optics is they use buttons instead of a dial to change brightness levels.

And if you aren't in competitions the you really beat up your rifle and optic, then those I listed will serve you well. I have a Bushnell TRS-25 that I bought years ago for $50 (on sale) that is still going strong. And I have abused it a bit.

No simple answer. I have friends. Some buy stuff they hate. I am on a half dozen mil/shooting forums, and get (or sell!) stuff there plenty. But even then, watch for scammers, etc. I even do well with eBay but I always do.

Anyone read those articles about how Amazon is terrible, you get knockoffs and crap products? I never do. Just got to be careful, watch for warning signs, etc.

For optics (and night vision stuff), do a bit of research. If there's an airsoft clone of it, be SUPER careful or just do not even bother. I often skip things like this. But if you are looking for something like old school Bushnell PDPs (good sights, can even find older made in Japan copies, sometimes new in box!), or things "weird" to the US like the Meprolight sights are not cloned and are mil-issue rugged so are totally safe to get off eBay, or equipment exchanges like ARF.com.

ALSO: didn't know till I looked it up but the Meprolight red dots also come as green. I have 5 of the red dot ones, and like them a lot, totally reliable. They make a bunch of versions, I have a vague recollection they make some with reticles, not just dots, so maybe that can be affordable enough and a buy-once sight?