Anyone satisfied with a cheap red dot?

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Another fan of the Vortex here. Still on original battery and it hasn't been exactly handled nicely. Definitely bright enough during the day on green or red, and I like the "night vision" setting when I'm looking for pigs, I can see it fine and the picture behind the dot no problem. BTW, thanks Lloyd. I was wondering that and now my SOCOM build will have a red dot. FWIW, I use the Magpul BU/S since they are light and co-exist perfectly.
 
I picked up a Tasco propoint cheap and mounted it on a .22 So far, no complaints. Holds zero well. The dot is not quite a circle but it works just fine.
 
I have and really like a mid-price Vortex Strikefire ($149) and a TruGlo red/green dot ($50). The TruGlo is doing very well on my Saiga .223. I have the vortex on a saiga 7.62.
 
I have a Millett SP1 that has held up well. Tried a TruGlo 3X, but the parallax was so bad as to be distracting. Sold it promptly.
 
I picked up a Aimpoint M3 knockoff from e-bay a few years back for $25. It is the same model that is sold by PA and a few other companies. Made in china, but good quality and rugged. I just checked e-bay, and the price on them has gone way up in the last few years, ordering it from PA looks to be the best deal.

I can attest to the sights durability, it sat on my 12ga mossy 500 for over a year, and survived approx. 1k rounds bird, buck, and slug. Many three-gun matches where it was abused as well. Now it sits on an AR. I've used the real aimpoint extensively, and would have no problems relying on the knockoff for defensive uses.

The biggest differences between the knockoff and the real thing are the fineness of the adjustment and dot and the level of waterproofing. Also no setting for NVGs.
 
I have a BSA red dot that hasn't failed me yet, although I failed it and left it on all night one night - new battery time. It rode an AR for awhile and held up superbly. Accurate enough even though it's a 5moa dot. I just turn the illumination down to the point that I can see the target through the dot and I'll hit tennis balls at 100 yds with the AR or a S&W 22A-1 at 60 yds same red dot.
 
PA red dots are pretty good. If they do fail it only has a 1yr waranty though. The Vortex Strikefire is lifetime. They are both pretty good.
 
Primary Arms Micro ($80 without mount, $109 with mount/riser needed for lower 1/3 cowitness), and Vortex Strikefire ($150) are fairly highly regarded. Other stuff, not so much.

For just plinking, you could try a $30 or $40 red dot from Walmart, but be prepared for reflections and parallax, since with optics you do get what you pay for. I have a Tasco ProPoint that works OK, but the nonreflective paint flaked off inside the tube and rattles around inside, scratching the front lens under recoil. I haven't been too impressed with an NCStar reflex sight I bought a while back, either.
 
I have a Tru-Glo on my AR-15 and it does a very good job. It was only $69 for a 30mm single power scope.
 
The Centerpoint I picked up to fool with on a M/44 Nagant has held up to relatively heavy recoil and zero has not shifted.
 
I have a cheapo EOtech 512 that so far has turned out to be a good deal :p

just kidding.

I do not own, but have tried C-more dots and I like them. They're really sturdy and hold a solid zero.
 
Another vote for the Vortex Strikefire. Lifetime warranty and uses 30mm scope rings, just like the Aimpoint. Being 15 minutes away doesn't hurt if I have any issues. I get to buy local...too bad it's not made here. It's on my TEOTWAWKI Noveske backed up by MBUS.

I have a Hakko Tac-Point that's been fine for years. It eats batteries but the glass is good and the dot is bright. It sits on the M&P 15-22.

The Tru-Glo for $30 has poor glass and doesn't get used much. I can't see through it well.

I'll get a T1 someday. But then again, someone will make a knockoff of the T1 and I'll get that:rolleyes:
 
I have three BSA's from WalMart, all approx. $40. Two are on High Point 9mm/.40S&W carbines, one is on an M1 carbine. All seem to work just dandy. My grandson and I are just plinkers, we're not cops, ninjas, military or wannabe "combat operatives", so these cheapos are just the ticket for us.

I certainly understand quality, and I understand there are certain people in certain jobs that need the big-dollar reliability, but for plinking and target shooting I personally can't see the point in spending big bucks on something like this when a $40 item does the same thing.
 
I bought a used M4 that came with a Hakko "Panorama" that I love. Problem is I can not find them anymore to buy one in the States. They are a Japanese made and not destributed to US anymore. These things were going for about $175-199 on Optics Planet about a year or two ago.
 
No, the one that came with my Sig was trash I threw it out. Can't beleive they charge $150 for them, not even fit for an airsoft rifle.

But an Aimpoint Comp M4 or Eotech. I have used a lot of red dots, havn't found one I liked for under $500.
 
Depends on the gun. Red dots I will only mount on my semi's and one bolt action single shot that I like to use when teaching new shooters. I bought a cheap daisy air/22 red dot. It's currently on the single shot 22. The sight kept sliding and took a silver sharpie and proved that the screw was moving. Super glue and a center punch to stake the screw into place keeps the sight right on target. This only works if the sight is the type that the dot moves on a screw and doesn't push against a spring (think truglo style).

On the bad side had a BSA reflex style and It broke trying to adjust it. Others never adjust correctly. I haven't bought an EOTECH, ACOG or AIMPOINT because of cost, availability and lack of experience with the devices. So I make due with what I have or save the money for more ammo and practice.
 
Check out the Burris Fastfire II mini red dot. I have two, and love them so far. The reviews they've received on Midway and Opticsplanet are all positive. The sight was actually designed to be mounted on the slide of autoloading pistols for competition shooters. I figure if it can handle riding a slide for thousands of rounds, it must be one tough sight!

Another interesting note about this sight is that it looks EXACTLY like the Trijicon Doctor, which costs 2.5X as much.
 
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