Tim the student
Member
What are your favorites? What did you get? Would you do it again, if you had the chance?
What is your preferred inexpensive red dot, and why?
- Thread starter Tim the student
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1911 guy
Member
Inexpensive? TruGlo. I put one on a slug gun several years ago and it's held up to about 50 or 60 rounds of 12 guage slug recoil so far with no shift in zero. Not bad for a cheap scope of any type. Not even close to some of the higher end red dot sights for quality and construction, not even mentioning size of the dot and compactness of the scope in general, but for a dedicated slug gun it's a winner. I think I'd feel very differently if I'd tried to shoot a rifle past 50 yards with it.
Quentin
Member
I have to say the Bushnell TRS-25 is impressive for the common $80 sale prices I see. I got one, had no problems so got another. Both have served me well for almost two years. It's small and light and has 11 brightness settings.
MaterDei
Member
Trs-25
vortex sparc reddot...why
1. 2 moa dot
2. 2x magnifier
3. comes with 3 mounts for hight adjustments
4. 11 brightness settings
5. night vision capable
6. purchased early 2011 and still runing strong and using same battery
7. used shooting,7.62x54r/.308/.223/7.62x39..no problem
thats why i bought this over the trs, and would buy another no problem
1. 2 moa dot
2. 2x magnifier
3. comes with 3 mounts for hight adjustments
4. 11 brightness settings
5. night vision capable
6. purchased early 2011 and still runing strong and using same battery
7. used shooting,7.62x54r/.308/.223/7.62x39..no problem
thats why i bought this over the trs, and would buy another no problem
plateshooter
Member
I have several Tasco red dots that I bought years ago. They have been on everything from a 44 mag revolver to slug guns. I have had no problems with them and would buy them again.
almherdfan
Member
I've had a Truglo 2X for a couple of years. It's been on my 10/22, 20 gauge, Mosin, and SKS. I will buy another.
Hunterdad
Member
Truglo are pretty good for the money. I've had one on a S&W 22a for a few years now and it's performed flawlessly. Also had one in a slug gun that held up really well. Got a good deal on a fixed 2.5x scope so I swapped them out.
urbaneruralite
Member
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- Oct 28, 2007
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Sightmark Ultrashot for a .22, Vortex SPARC for a 5.56. If you're going to use one in low light without a flashlight, make sure it has a night-vision mode or dials down very dim.
They work fine, but the designs of reflective sights have limitations. I might look hard at a traditional scope in the 1x to 2x range. The red dots are neat and fun, but I've not found them to be any quicker into action than the more traditional 1.5x with a German #4 reticle. And you don't have to turn the scope on before you use it. Can't beat the size and weight of the red dots though!
They work fine, but the designs of reflective sights have limitations. I might look hard at a traditional scope in the 1x to 2x range. The red dots are neat and fun, but I've not found them to be any quicker into action than the more traditional 1.5x with a German #4 reticle. And you don't have to turn the scope on before you use it. Can't beat the size and weight of the red dots though!
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Captains1911
Member
The TRS-25 has worked well for me, although I haven't used it anything other than a .22
oldpapps
Member
preferred inexpensive red dot, and why?
Several years ago I was swapping out scopes on my 'pet' .223 (Rem 600 punched from .222 Rem). I had a Weaver K6 power on it and wasn't happy. As I was looking at "E. Arthur Brown", I saw a cheap 4 minuet Red Dot with mounts. I think it was around $38 at the time, they have gone up, at $42 now. I ordered one.
Before the Red Dot arrived I had re-scoped the bolt .223, so the Red Dot didn't get mounted.
What to do with the cheap Red Dot?
I also have a Remington 600 in .308 Win. A duplicate of the one in .223 Rem except it is a little lighter.
I toyed with the idea of putting the cheap Red Dot on that horribly hard kicking 600. It has a calculated free recoil of 17.1 foot-pounds of energy compared to the 3.1 foot-pound from the same weapon in .223 Rem!
I figured the Red Dot would come a part in short order. It didn't
Over the years I have bought several more of these Red Dots, ALL continue to function as I like, I have changed out batteries to be on the safe side. Oh, the one mounted on the hard kicking .308 is still mounted
I have no interest in this company other than to purchase from them. I have found good service. http://www.eabco.com/RedDotSights.htm
Several years ago I was swapping out scopes on my 'pet' .223 (Rem 600 punched from .222 Rem). I had a Weaver K6 power on it and wasn't happy. As I was looking at "E. Arthur Brown", I saw a cheap 4 minuet Red Dot with mounts. I think it was around $38 at the time, they have gone up, at $42 now. I ordered one.
Before the Red Dot arrived I had re-scoped the bolt .223, so the Red Dot didn't get mounted.
What to do with the cheap Red Dot?
I also have a Remington 600 in .308 Win. A duplicate of the one in .223 Rem except it is a little lighter.
I toyed with the idea of putting the cheap Red Dot on that horribly hard kicking 600. It has a calculated free recoil of 17.1 foot-pounds of energy compared to the 3.1 foot-pound from the same weapon in .223 Rem!
I figured the Red Dot would come a part in short order. It didn't
Over the years I have bought several more of these Red Dots, ALL continue to function as I like, I have changed out batteries to be on the safe side. Oh, the one mounted on the hard kicking .308 is still mounted
I have no interest in this company other than to purchase from them. I have found good service. http://www.eabco.com/RedDotSights.htm
carbine85
Member
I have the UTG red dot and magnifier. So far it has worked out very well.
I've had several, mostly Simmons, but a lot of the cheap ones seem to be made by one company in China. I found that many had arrows on the adjustments that were opposite of the way the bullet impact moved on target.
My latest Red Dot is a Bushnell mini and it works great on my Ruger MKII.
My latest Red Dot is a Bushnell mini and it works great on my Ruger MKII.
CraigC
Sixgun Nut
I'll preface this by saying that I deride cheap optics at every opportunity. However, several years ago I wanted to try a red dot to see if I would like it but didn't want to spend the cash on a good one. So I bought an el cheapo 40mm BSA for $30. There's no telling how many different guns it's been mounted to or how many times it's had its zero changed. It has done very well for itself and eventually, I got another as a spare. That said, I also really like the Primary Arms Aimpoint Comp C3 clone ($69!) but the mount it comes with is not very good. What I like even better is the Vortex Strikefire, which comes with a good mount but the magnifier is a joke. Matter of fact, I like it enough that I just ordered another when they went on special with the Primary Arms magnifier and mount for $169. Eventually I'd like to get an Aimpoint but for now, those work just fine.
MachIVshooter
Member
Very good RD sights for the money, IMO.
I bought one 8 years ago, it lived on my AR-10 carbine for a long time. I started using the AR-10 for hunting and put a Nikon scope on it, so the Hakko got moved around until it recently found a home on my to-be-SBR'd AR pistol.
The dot has 7 brightness settings, and holds zero perfectly, even with the greater recoil of the .308 AR.
I have never replaced the batteries (2 x LR44).
Is it the same quality as the Aimpoint it copies? Of course not. Is it a good optic and a darn good value for the ~$100 it cost me? You betcha.
jaysouth
Member
Tru-Glo. The one pictured here has survived two hunting seasons and a lot of range time.
I have a Bushnell TRS 25 on a .30-30 Topper that has proved to be tough and reliable.
Of the two mentioned, the TRS 25 is the one I would mount on a rifle used for still hunting. It is much smaller than the Truglo and easier to woodstalk with.
I have a Bushnell TRS 25 on a .30-30 Topper that has proved to be tough and reliable.
Of the two mentioned, the TRS 25 is the one I would mount on a rifle used for still hunting. It is much smaller than the Truglo and easier to woodstalk with.
meanmrmustard
Member
TRS-25. Nuff said.
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