small red dot for 10/22: $100ish, good battery life

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z7

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I am going to upgrade my 10/22 to make it easier to teach a kid how to shoot. disclaimer: it will be controlled environment, kids in laps, eye and ear pro, and safe.

I am going to upgrade the trigger, drop the gun into a stock with an M4 Style adjustable stock and put a red dot on the gun. dots are just easier to work with.

I would like to spend $100 or less on a small red dot but I hate having dead batteries all the time. I have considered the burris fastfire, but they are a little more than i want to spend on my 10/22 red dot. is there a good option for a small and cheap red dot that will survive range trips without the battery dying and the dot moving all the time.

thanks
 
Primary Arms. They have one under $100 but for 169 they have a 50k hour battery life one. Great customer service as well
 
I have both, TRS-25 and Primary Arms micro red dot (several of each). I'm very happy with using either one. They are both hard to beat for the price.
 
this one has a tasco propint. this is my granddaughter at sasp state. she took 1st in her division at state 19th at nationals.

Edit to add. I also have a sw mp1522, with a trs25. like the sw for the simple magizines, and qr type controlls.
 

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Hard to beat a TRS-25, great little red dot.
That'll be about it in that price range. Never had one but I have seen over time it has a rather large following. Many of us, likely like me, out of curiosity, have one version or another of the Field Sport (or other names) 20.00 red dot or reflex-style optic. Had one on my 10/22 for close to a year now and it just won't go away. On the other hand I have a Vortex Venom (about 200.00) and a Vortex riser (about 100.00) on my M&P 15-22). I'd do the TRS-25 and if it doesn't work for you, sell it and cut your small investment.
 
TRS-25 for $60 is the way to go. But in my humble opinion, I would start kids out on open leaf sites just so they know how to use them.
 
TRS-25 again. Have one on my 10/22 by my front door (farm) for varmints and such. Has NEVER lost it's zero after 3 years of in and out of trucks, jeep, or 4 wheeler.
 
Install a Bushnell TRS-25 and go shooting. It is nearly perfect for a 10-22 at a very reasonable price if you shop around. No need to look further for under $100.
 
I have a couple of TRS-25's that I'm happy with, but I'm curious what battery life people get with them. Mine are several years old, and the battery life is maybe a couple hundred hours. That's great life if you remember to turn it off, but if (when :) ) I forget they are dead a week later for the next trip to the range. This contrasts with Aimpoints, where you can leave it on for years.

But I see the current TRS-25 battery life being quoted as 3000 hours. Have they gotten better, or is that optimistic? FWIW, I see reviews from the last couple years questioning the 3000 hours, and others that agree with it. Maybe there is a lot of unit to unit variation?

In the same vein, does anyone have any first hand experience with how accurate the Primary Arms battery life numbers are?
 
Another vote for trs-25. ^ 3000 hours definitely seems optimistic to me. I forget to turn mine off and 2 weeks later (336 hours) it was dead. With only about 10 hours on it previous to that with a name brand battery. Energizer? So 3000 seems out there. Maybe it matters what power your on, I was on about 8.
 
under a 100 bucks trs25s are about the only team in the game. Now if you can spend 200 or little less id buy a vortex strikefire or sparc
 
Thanks everyone, this is exactly the sort of info I was looking for. now all I need to figure out is what trigger to buy. . . .:rofl:
 
Thanks everyone, this is exactly the sort of info I was looking for. now all I need to figure out is what trigger to buy. . . .:rofl:
The only aftermarket trigger I'd ever trust and use is the ................................... :neener:
 
I have a base model Primary Arms red dot that was $100 shipped. I have used the sight quite a bit and I am quite satisfied with it. I hear good things about the TRS-25, but I have not used one.

I do certainly understand and respect your decision to want an optic on a training rifle, but I generally prefer to have people start with a peep sight. You might want to take a look at the guidelines for a training rifle provided by the Appleseed Project. I believe thet recommend peep sights from TechSight. These peep sights cost about $75, and they are very nice. They give a sight picture very much like a Garand, and they are a world of improvement compared to the tiny iron sights that come on a 10/22.

If you do decide to start with a red dot, then just keep the peep sights in mind. In my opinion, every shooter should eventually learn a working familiarity with iron sights, but that certainly does not have to come at the beginning.

Regarding the trigger, the Ruger BX trigger is a pretty good deal. It is moderately priced and extremely easy to install. If you are near a store that sells them, you should handle them on the shelf. The packaging is designed so that you can dry fire the triggers, and there is some factory variation between individual units.

I believe Appleseed also has a recommendation for just replacing the sear in a 10/22 trigger group. I think they use a sear from Volquartsen. If you just replace the sear, rather than a full kit of parts, then this becomes by far the cheapest option for the trigger. It does require doing a full disassembly of the trigger group, and the result may not be as good as a full kit of parts that includes the hammer, but the result can be decent for about $30.
 
Give the Field sport a gander. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00D4AYBR6/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o09_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Since this is for your 10/22 it will be just fine.

I have the red only on my 10/22 and I have their red/green reflex. Going several months now and quite a few engagements at night (mostly armadillos) and all I can say is, so far, so good. The little reflex has multiple reticles. It's currently a whopping 24 bucks on Amazon and probably cheaper with a 5 minute google. There's another on there for 17.99. Many more. https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_...ting&field-keywords=field+sport+red+dot+sight
 
I got here late but have talked more people into the Bushnell TRS-25 than I can count. They are simply the best bang for your Red Dot Buck out there..

I have 6 right now and Midway just put them on sale for $60! You can't beat that.

When I bought my 10/22 a year ago I took it to the range to sight it in, but first wanted to check the irons to make sure they were on.

They were dead on from the factory. I mounted the TRS-25 at the front of the Pic Rail on my gun and damned if it wasn't dead on too. No adjustment necessary!!!

This was probably a fluke so don't count on it. But do make sure your irons are right before mounting the red dot.

Another hot tip I got from "Nut n Fancy" on youtube is to paint a big white line on the big dial on the sight so you can easily see if it is turned on or not. The only negative with these sights is that if you leave them turned on they will use the battery up. You have to turn them off after every use, which is no big deal until you forget to do it. The Big White Line helps you remember to do this. Also smart to have a few extra batteries with you just in case. I keep them in my range bag which accompanies me to every shooting session.

Randy

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I'll cast a vote for the Bushnell TRS, as well as the First Strike, which is an open type red dot. I picked one up on a promotional demo, it's proven to be a very good sight so far.

BUT!!!!!


Since you mentioned kids in laps - I'm assuming fairly young, and I have a suggestion which I think will be worth your consideration. While it's not the best sight on the market, it's fully serviceable, AND it offers something unique which is a huge advantage for the instructor of a younger child - the Sightmark Dual Shot integrated red dot + laser:

Yukon_Advanced_Optics_SM13002_Sightmark_Dual_Shot_Reflex_501205.jpg

I started using one with my son when he turned 2yrs old, I could give him instruction on when to shoot based on real feedback from the laser. The red dot portion includes multiple reticles: a dot, a + sign, and a circled dot (maybe more, I forget). I used round steel targets and the circled dot, and instructed him to put the circle on the target and then put his finger on the trigger. I could see when the laser was on target, so I had real-time feedback for where he was aiming. I've since used it with my nieces and nephew, and I've considered heavily using a similar sight with some of the adults I've instructed! I've instructed young kids onto rifles for many years through family/friends, 4H, BSA, and my "paid" classes I offer, and I've been using red dots on my "youth rifles" for over a decade - and finding this sight a few years ago was another evolution in my comfort in instructing these young kids.

Cabela's sells them for $80, which seems pretty steep, but it's been well worth it in terms of my comfort level. It helps me coach the kids to find the target much better than I could in the past, which increases their success, which in turn increases the fun they have getting behind the rifle.
 
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