Red Dot help needed.

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Acera

Acera

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I have decided to take advantage of EOTechs offer to refund my money, and will be sending in my holographic sight.

Now the search for a replacement has started.

Looked at two today and wanted to get some members experience with these optics.

First was the Mepro M21 the second was the Aimpoint Pro.

Links to webpages for the two I am interested in. (Not necessarily buying from them.)

https://www.tacticalwholesalers.com..._145184.html?gclid=CNi3mOPAktACFQYQaQodTD4B7g

http://ads.midwayusa.com/product/51...int-_-514855&gclid=CNnjn97BktACFRCqaQod71UIrw

If anyone has other suggestions, please post them up.




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Don't know what an eotech looks like to compare, but..
I put an Ultradot pan vision on a 10-22 and am really pleased with it.
Really clear with a sharp view, even during heavy overcast poor light conditions.

JT
 
The Aimpoint PRO is an excellent sight for the money -- super tough with crazy long battery life. I've owned one in the past and would not hesitate to get another. I've not owned an M21 but have heard that they are susceptible to reticle washout when shooting from a dark location into a brighter one. My current red dot sights are an Aimpoint Micro H1, Meprolight M5, and Trijicon MRO.
 
Aimpoint PRO is an excellent optic. Worth more than you pay IMO, which is rare these days. I've seen them get treated pretty harshly with cheaper optics failing around them and they keep on. Awesome battery life too.
 
Purchased an Aimpoint PRO about 2 months ago.

I cannot attest to battery life yet. They say it's supposed to exceed 3 years when left on setting 7. We will see.

However, I can say that it was easy to sight in, has held zero over several hundred rounds, and comes with a serviceable mount. It's water resistant to 150' so you know it'll work in the rain, and also comes with front and rear caps.

It's a great combo of function, quality, and price. My experience with the PRO is positive to this point.
 
Thanks, while I like the battery free idea of the Mepro, I am beginning to lean toward the Aimppoint.

JT, I have looked at versions of that sight you suggested. For some reason they don't appeal to me. Don't know why because I once had a C-More that was pretty nice and worked great.


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Acera said:
If anyone has other suggestions, please post them up.
Click to expand...

How's your vision? If you happen to be crossing through middle age, this is a good time to consider a prismatic red dot that has a focus adjust ocular lens. It would be a shame to buy a new red dot that has a dot that looks misshapen or blurry due to middle age eyes.

Possibilities -

http://www.vortexoptics.com/product/vortex-spitfire-ar-1x-prism-scope

http://www.vortexoptics.com/product/vortex-spitfire-3x-prism-scope-with-ebr-556b-moa-reticle
 
chicharrones said:
How's your vision? If you happen to be crossing through middle age, this is a good time to consider a prismatic red dot that has a focus adjust ocular lens. It would be a shame to buy a new red dot that has a dot that looks misshapen or blurry due to middle age eyes.
Click to expand...
Good point—I've got astigmatism and most red dot sights do look a little misshapen to me, not a nice round red circle. I find it manageable but it is worthwhile to try one before buying

Acera said:
Thanks, while I like the battery free idea of the Mepro, I am beginning to lean toward the Aimppoint.
Click to expand...
The battery life on the Aimpoints is so good they are tne next best thing to battery-less. Buy an extra battery when you get the sight, and you'll be good for probably 10 years or more.
 
You have not told us what this rifle will be used for. If the rifle will be used for "duty" purposes, then the Aimpoint PRO is a good choice. The PRO is not cheap, but you get Aimpoint quality.

I have not had the opportunity to use the Mepro M21, and I would definitely like to try one. Meprolight definitely has a good reputation for quality. However, I have used other sights with tritium and fiber optic illumination, and the dot brightness has been either too dim or too bright under certain lighting conditions.

I have not found any sights under $400 which can match the reliability of the Aimpoints. I have not personally tested the Meprolight sights, but they do have a military proven reputation. I would be happy if someone shows me less expensive sights that are truly rugged and reliable, but so far, that has not happened.

I am generally a fan of ultradot sights. I have not tried the Ultradot Pan AV sight that was recommended above, but I have had good results with other Ultradot sights on competition guns. So I consider Ultradot sights to be a good value for competition or recreation. But I do not think Ultradot can compete with Aimpoint for reliability under rough conditions.

My experience has been that duty quality optics start at about $450 and go up from there.
 
It will be used on a general purpose SBR AR-15, replacing the EOTech 512 it was wearing until last week. Was once a pig rifle, but probably not anymore as I recently assembled another one for that.

I am leaning farther and farther toward the Aimpoint. Looked at the Meprolight indoors yesterday. Was not as easy to acquire the dot as was the Aimpoint. My budget is $500.


Now I am also considering.........
https://www.thehighroad.org/index.p...ght-m5-red-dot-sight—a-quick-overview.812960/


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Last edited:
Since it's going on an SBR have you thought about an Aimpoint MIcro? For the best combination of ruggedness, battery life and really small size and weight I think they're the best bet. A bit more expensive than the PRO, but the H1 is usually not that much more.

I've got one on my Diablo and it fits it really well.
XEFbp3E.jpg
 
Yes Dragonfly, we have a similar scope on a different AR. Can't get myself to like it. She is slightly better with it, but it is not one of our favorites.
Thanks for the suggestions.


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I have been using Aimpoints professionally since 2002. Both mil and LE. I can't recommend them enough. Super tough and the batteries last forever. My current duty rifle wears an Aimpoint M2 and is never turned off. I just replace the battery every year around Thanksgiving.
 
The new Aimpoint ACO looks like a winner. Smaller and less expensive than the PRO, but not Micro sized.
 
HexHead said:
The new Aimpoint ACO looks like a winner. Smaller and less expensive than the PRO, but not Micro sized.
Click to expand...
The ACO is actually the same size and weight as the PRO. It's got lower battery life (still at 10k hours, though) and, I think, a different mount without a removable spacer. If there was an appreciable price difference it probably would be a good alternative to the PRO.
 
I absolutely love Aimpoints. If money were no object I would have them on every rifle and have three extra for future rifles. For the military I have used both CompM2 and CompM4s on duty rifles. And I have witnessed and been the cause of abuse on those optics that would likely make the designers cringe. And I have never had any zero issues. I cannot say the same thing for Eotech.
 
Aimpoint is great, but I've been hearing really good things about Vortex lately for the money.
 
shafter said:
Aimpoint is great, but I've been hearing really good things about Vortex lately for the money.
Click to expand...

I like my Vortex optics on other guns. However, the red dot sight of theirs I looked at did not have unlimited eye relief. I am looking for that in a red dot.


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Acera said:
I like my Vortex optics on other guns. However, the red dot sight of theirs I looked at did not have unlimited eye relief. I am looking for that in a red dot.


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Click to expand...

Let me try to provide a brief summary about eye relief and red dot sights.

There are different types of red dot sights. Two common types are reflex and prismatic. Most red dot sights are reflex sights. In these sights, the dot is created by a light source which is reflected back towards the shooters eye. Reflex sights are generally characterized by having a single dot as an aiming point, no magnification, and unlimited eye relief.

There are also similar looking sights called prismatic sights. These sights are constructed more like traditional scopes, except that they use prisms instead of lenses. Prismatic sights have a required amount of eye relief. Generally, prismatic sights have an etched reticle which can be illuminated. The reticle may be a complex reticle. Prismatic sights may have magnification.

I forget the specific model names, but Vortex makes both types of red dot sights. If you looked at a sight with fixed eye relief, it was probably a prismatic sight. Vortex also makes reflex sights with unlimited eye relief.

You can find more information if you google for something like "red dot reflex vs prism."
 
I will be trying to find a Trijicon MRO this weekend to look at. May hit a few gunstores this afternoon or tomorrow.

Thanks for that tip.


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