Looking for a cheap red dot

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Ithaca37

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Does anybody have a suggestion for a cheap red dot? I am not looking for a $200+ ACOG or anything like that. I just want a basic decent quality red dot. Maybe something around $100-150 max.
 
Search for G&P aimpoint on ebay. My buddy has a few of them. They are made for airsoft, but they should work fine on a .22. They are suprisingly nicely made.
 
Search for G&P aimpoint on ebay. My buddy has a few of them. They are made for airsoft, but they should work fine on a .22. They are suprisingly nicely made.
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Yes, if you are a budget person and not shooting heavy recoil, get an Aimpoint replica.

I held in one hand an Aimpoint replica (the G&P or whatever) and in the other hand I held a real Aimpoint ML-2 off a buddy's AR. I asked my other friend who would not be biased towards one to look through both of the scopes, with both on their brightest setting in daylight, and to tell me which one looks to be the best sight in his opinion.

He sat there looking through each one and comparing them, and he could not tell a difference between the two. He told me that if he had to determine which one was brightest, it was the one on the left. The one on the left was the replica Aimpoint.

My buddy who owned the sight was pretty upset about that. He mentioned that his does have the nightvision setting (an invisible dot in the daytime), which the replica did not. Indeed, it does have the NV setting if you need it. Most people do not.

People tell me, "oh, but the Aimpoint has superior optics..."

The three of us admitted that day that there is no difference in optical quality between them when you are looking through the sights. You may pay for "better optical quality", but our eyes showed us no discernable difference through the unmagnified sights.

I'm not usually one to use lower-quality as a means of comparison or example against the nice stuff. However, these sights have given me a different outlook on how easily I will spend my money on the "nice" stuff. I am a firm believer that Aimpoint could bring us their quality much cheaper than they are, and I feel like if someone is offering me the replica sight for $60, and the Aimpoint for $500, I am getting ripped off by the real deal. Both of them have to carry out very similar manufacturing processes to bring you the parts, and I don't feel there is any way that the real deal costs 8 times as much to manufacture. Holding them in your hands they are identical, with exception of some small parts like zero adjustment parts and seals etc.

Another friend has had a replica mounted on an AR for about 2 weeks now, and shooting targets out to 35 yards or so, it seems to be holding zero very well after removing it with the QR picatinny mount a few times.
 
I just talked to one of the local gun shop guys about the same thing and he recommended Millet. Their stuff looked decent but it is at the high end of your price range.
 
TruGlow! I have three and they have no problem with recoil or holding zero. Broke and returned a few of Cabelas Pine Ridge red dots and holographics before getting the TruGlow.
 
I had a few cheap red dots on my AK. They all broke. I just went and got an Aimpoint. I'm much happier.
 
I'll post again TRUGLO! for $50 they hold together. The other cheap solutions Tasco, Simmons, BSA, Leapers, Barska, FM red dots from my experiance are junk on semi auto centerfire or hard recoiling bolt action rifles.

My AR and AK both have TruGlo's after breaking and returing a number of other brands mentioned above!

Keep in mind the same holographic sold under Cabelas Pine Ridge is sold by Leapers and Barska. The glass came loose after just 50rnds on my AR.
 
I don't recommend anything but I use about 18 BSA Red Dot sights on everything from 22 pistols to AK's to AR's to 12 ga shotguns.
For $30 if I have any problem I just throw them away, but I can't recall throwing one away.

Accurate?
BSA PD-30.
M4BSARedDot.gif

BMM4100ydsBSA.gif

Tough? I haven't been able to break one yet.:)
Ithicapistolgrip.gif
 
Thanks for the input guys. I'll have to poke around and see what the local shops have available to inspect in person.
 
I have 3 of these millet red dots they are 3moa and they work good. They are on sale right now, $61. http://www.midwayusa.com/eproductpage.exe/showproduct?saleitemid=459296&t=11082005

highresimage


Mark
 
I had a Bushnell Trophy Red/Green dot (4 reticles, each selectable in red or green) that I got for just under $100 (the price looks to still be the same for these) on my WASR for close to 4 years (it now resides on my new Bushmaster M4), and had no issues with battery life, fuzzy glass or reticles, change in zero, durability, etc.I even managed to have the gun fall over a few times with the scope on, leaving a couple decent scratches on the tube at least one of them, and still didnt have any problems.Based on my personal experiance with this scope, I would HIGHLY recommend it for the price.Lots of nice features, fairly cheap, and holds up and oes what its supposed to very well.Others, from what I have heard, have had the same experiance, as I have heard a fair bt of good reviews, and never a bad one (doesnt mean there arent any, I just havent seen them).Worth looking into, IMHO.
 
avoid nc star, very cheap chinese crap made with Christian slave labor, no doubt. The Tasco and the bushnell are actually very good...
 
how can you call tasco higher quality than ncstar?
I've have several tasco scopes fail on me. Completely,
one's objective shattered after 3 shots with an m44.
They never held zero, because they are made of plastic on the inside.
 
im interested in getting a red dot for my ak, 1022, and 9 mm 2XTM
is the truglow really that much better?
i can get a Pine Ridge Red Dot scope 30mm for 25$ locally(quazi used)
 
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