New AR and Optic Conundrum

[Bartholomew Roberts]

If you need to see better for the type of shooting you are doing (more precision on target, target ID of a specific animal for hunting, some type of astigmatism or eyesight problem that makes a dot sight less useful), then the scope. Otherwise the red dot is more versatile.

 

[wanderinwalker]

Thanks for the input! I'm decided a red dot is what will be going on the carbine in the future, at this point I think it's mostly a matter of which one.

as for centering a circle within a circle well the OP is at present doing that with his BUIS and is wanting for more accuracy.

Unfortunately part of the problem is I am NOT doing it well and consistently with the BUIS. The front sight may just be too close to my eye and I can't resolve sight and fuzzy blurry thing downrange reliably. I do in fact know to focus on the front sight for accurate shooting, but I have to be able to make out the fuzzy blurry thing well enough to consistently place the front sight on it to make repeatable hits. Which is why I'm thinking a red dot will work well at the ranges I have in mind, because I can see the targets well enough until I drop behind the rear sight and try to focus on the front sight.

For fun I dragged the Colt and my Armalite National Match rifle out of the cabinet for a snapshot. The sight radius on the carbine is 14.5". The sight radius of the 20" rifle is 20". That 5.5" is HUGE! Keep in mind, my 18.5" Marlin 30-30 has a longer sight radius than a 20" rifle-length AR-15. (The Armalite also has 1/4-minute clicks on the sights, a finer front sight, a 4.5-lb 2-stage trigger, a steel free-float tube under the handguards, a WOA turned, .223-Wylde chambered heavy SS barrel and weighs 12-13 pounds. And will shoot cleans all the way to 600 if you can drive it well enough.)

The "mission" of the carbine is almost the antithesis of the match rifle. Instead of ponderous and tricked-out, I'm keeping the carbine light, simple. Something that sometimes goes out to the range without a specific practice plan, that doesn't intimidate new shooters with its heft and bulk and that can be grabbed to ride along if a rifle may be called for.

 

[chicharrones]

Unfortunately part of the problem is I am NOT doing it well and consistently with the BUIS. The front sight may just be too close to my eye and I can't resolve sight and fuzzy blurry thing downrange reliably.

Once my eyes got old enough to need trifocals, bifocals, progressives (pick one), front sights have to be far away from my eye to be in some sort of focus. Like on the muzzle of a 24"+ barrel. Anything closer than that requires me to get small aperture rear sights. Regular sized rear apertures or ghost rings don't do a thing for my eyes if the front sight is closer than that 24"+.

Red dots on the other hand, are just about perfect for my eyes.

 

[Old Dog]

I have 2 6920s and have resigned myself to the fact that 55-grain fodder (through the 1-7 twist barrels) just isn't nearly as accurate as heavier-weight bullets. 62-grain M855 is what my rifles shoot best and if I'm really striving for accuracy, I'll use heavier match ammo. I can shoot patterns at 100 yards with the EOTECH 512 but easily 2MOA with the inexpensive Nikon 223 scope.

 

[earplug]

3 gun shooters and such

I mess around with some competitive tactical carbine games. Most are 16 inch barrels shooting out to 400 yards.
Many do well with the Vortec line of scopes. Some offer a lighted dot and cross hair. Burris is also well represented.
Do some research on this type of competitive shooting and what is used.

 

[ngnrd]

I really like my Burris Fullfield Tac30 scope. It's got an etched reticle that's visible without power, along with red illumination when I want it. I have it mounted on a Burris QD P.E.P.R. scope mount that seems to be pretty darn consistent when removing and re-installing. Plus, I've got a set of folding irons, with the front sight mounted way out on the end of a 15-inch MI keymod handguard that provides a 20-inch sight picture. Of course... although it's still a fairly lightweight set-up with a 16-inch barrel, it isn't exactly your run-of-the-mill "simple" carbine. So, I'm not sure it would really be what you're looking for. It does work well for me though.

BTW: I put a couple of hundred rounds of bulk Remington 223 fodder through it today, using both the Burris and the irons. 12 rounds through the Burris at 75 yards punched out just over an inch of paper, while the irons opened a 12-round group up to just about 2-inches. 'Bout what I would expect...