Red Dot for AR suggestions please.

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Lovesbeer99

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I built an AR carbine this past year with a flat top and carry handle with sights. I wanted to mount an ACOG but wow are they expensive. Now I’m thinking red dot like Aimpoint but I don’t have any experience with these devices. The carbine is a standard other than a RRA trigger. I mostly use it for plinking and fun and I’d like to keep the costs of the dot down while still getting a reliable and durable unit. Thanks in advance.
 
Well, what is your budget?

Under $100? Look at Primary Arms. They make what are essentially clones of Aimpoint M2's and Micros. Solid little red dots.
Under $200? Look at Vortex. The SPARC is a fantastic micro dot, and the Strikefire is a great 30mm tube dot.

Anything over $300, you might as well get an Aimpoint. The PRO, C3, used M2's, used M3's, etc.

Personally, I really like Vortex for lower-cost red dots. 2 MOA or 4 MOA dots, 4 hour shut-off, dots are bright, and they get reasonable battery life.
 
Vortex strike, fire red dot only. New for $150 all over the net. It even comes with a 2x doubler to make it a magnified red dot. Are the great , no . Are they pretty good, yes. Great for a plinker. Jp
 
I like the bushnell tr-25 for under 100. And the lucid hd7 looks yummy for under 200.

Actually I like a low power scope a lot more than a red dot.
 
Interested in this as well... I have flip up iron sights and I'm just not feeling that the accuracy I want is there... Is a red dot similar to irons as far as accuracy past 50 yards is concerned? Or does one need a scope to create that clear defined POA? Sorry if I'm hijacking...
 
Interested in this as well... I have flip up iron sights and I'm just not feeling that the accuracy I want is there... Is a red dot similar to irons as far as accuracy past 50 yards is concerned? Or does one need a scope to create that clear defined POA? Sorry if I'm hijacking...
Click to expand...

Obviously it'll depend on your intended range and target, as far as scope vs. red dot goes, but as far as irons vs. red dot, they're just as accurate as one another, and the dot is faster. No lining up a front and rear, just "point and click". At longer ranges, the dot will cover a certain portion of the target, but once you get out to the point where they're too big to give an effective POA, you're most likely going to be using holdovers (depends on your cartridge, of course). And with a red dot, hold-overs are much much easier, and again, faster.
 
Vortex SPARC will be revised for 2014. The current 3MOA dot will become 2MOA similar to Aimpoint.
 
Bushnell TRS-25 is the best for under 100. Ridiculous battery life for the price (3k hours), tough, reliable, holds zero even mounted on my saiga 12 gas tube shooting slugs. I currently use it on my suppressed Ruger MK3. I accidentally left it turned on for several weeks in a row and it was still fine. You would have to leave it on for a few months before needing to replace batteries. I've still yet to go through the first battery and I've been using mine for years now. I turn it on when I go to use the gun, turn it off before it goes back in the safe. It's a great alternative to the 500-600 dollar aimpoint micros. Honestly, the battery life on this beats the crap out of most of the 400+ dollar optics out there.

Aimpoint PRO is the best for under 500. 3 year (always on) battery life, rugged, great glass, even NVG compatibility. I use this on my home defense gun because you know it's always going to be there when you need it. And it's cheap for what it does. Having this sight is what keeps me from buying the 800+ dollar optics. This thing offers almost every feature you could ever want except magnification and fancy reticles, at a price that beats the entire high-end market.

My feeling on C-More, Eotech, Vortex, Tasco, etc is that they all have crap battery life compared to the TRS-25 and you should definitely consider the bushnell first. It wouldn't be as big a deal if they could work without illumination (like the leupolds, acogs and vortex PSTs), but sub 1000 hour battery life on a 400 dollar optic is outrageous. If you can spend the 400 bucks, just get the Aimpoint PRO.
 
One minor caveat with a non-magnified optic if you have a fixed front sight is that the front sight will be distracting (ie, you'll see double front sights when you focus on the dot). Keep in mind that it doesn't actual detract from the usefulness at all.
 
I haD forgot about the bushnell trs-32 i bought. I bought one used for $75. Mounted it on my daughters ar. It was really nice. Jim p
 
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Bushnell TSR-25 gets my vote. I was in same situation and bought it from amazon as a store return. I couldn't afford better at the timeand wanted to play around with one first to discover what I like about red dot before dropping 400 plus. Have immensely enjoyed it.

Just searched amazon and you can buy a store return in very good shape for 72.51...full warranty etc...

http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B00200E0HM/ref=dp_olp_used?ie=UTF8&condition=used

Kevin
 
red dot

I am an older guy and have had to go to an optic
I have Eotech 512 and 3X magnifiers on a couple of
rifles that work great.
The 512 and 552 Eotechs use 2 AA batteries and they
work super. I highly recommend this set up.
Cost for both will be somewhere around $7 to 800
 
I just bought a Smith and Wesson AR MP Sport, and i'm more used to iron sights and deer rifles and i'm looking for a nice scope that doesn't have a lot of zoom and can be used for short and medium range shooting and isn't too pricey, any suggestions?
 
Several years ago I bought an Aim point, installed it, didn't like it.
Invested in an Eotech had I haven't looked back at anything else since.
The best part is if you remove it and reinstall it, it is darn close to where it was the first time. Co-witnesses every time.
 
Battery life battery life battery life.

If you're getting a red dot, this is the most important characteristic.

Nothing else matters if shoulder the gun and you've suddenly got no reticle.
 
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