Budget AR/Need a Budget Optic

[Connal]

Thanks for all of the help so far. Seems the Cabelas special is done, back to normal price.

Excuse my ignorance, but the difference between 3 and 4moa is the size of the dot? Why would one be better, smaller is more accurate?

Exactly. A 3 moa dot will be smaller than a 4 moa dot. So like the saying in the movie "The Patriot". Aim small, miss small.

The Vortex and the Primary Arms do the same thing? Why is one better than the other? Would I need a magnification to help? I'm middle aged, but like to see the target well. Also, am I on the right track with the optic? I don't want a scope since I am not using it long distance. Why not a reflex out of curiousity? I have minimal knowledge, sorry.

I'm not familiar with the primary arms. As for being better than the other. It depends. Some have different materials, or are more rugged. It depends. Personally, I think you are on the right track with a red dot. No need for a high power scope to plink at 100 yards. You could use a reflex if you want. No reason really not too. Someone might chime in about something that makes it inferior, but I am currently unaware of anything like that.

Also, I assume Magpul BUIS for the back or is there something less expensive? I use magpul BUIS to co-witness. There may be a cheaper option, but you may get less quality.

I have a vortex strikefire on mine. I believe it came to around $165. You can find them on sale from time to time. It comes with a screw in 2x magnifier. And as far as I am concerned, it would work well for you.

A friend of mine picked one up, and my brother and I got ours soon after. We shoot at 250 yards, and the strikefire is good enough to keep the rounds on an 8 inch plate at that distance. It will depend on the rifle, and the shooter as well. But for 25-250 yards we use ours all the time. And they work quite well. They won't break the bank. And I believe they offer a 4x flip up magnifier? Last time I saw one, it was right around the cost of the sight, so I didn't pick one up.

Are there cheaper options? Yes, of course. But I don't have any experience with them, so I won't suggest them. All I can say, is if you are shooting at 100 yards, you would not be disappointed with the strikefire.

[gummy jones]

primary arms is cheap but dependable and their company has great customer service

[fttfbass]

I was unsure if I wanted to go with a red dot or a variable powered scope on mine. So, before dropping a large chunk of money on a quality optic, I picked up a Bushnell TRS-25 red dot as a partial trade towards some items that I was selling. They get good reviews (mostly), are around $100, and are pretty comparable for the most part to the Primary Arms micro red dot.

I figure once I get some range time in and feel that a red dot meets my needs/wants, I'll upgrade to an Aimpoint PRO sometime in the near future. If I don't feel that a red dot meets my needs/wants, then I'll be shopping around for a quality variable powered scope.

Primary Arms also has some nice budget friendly options on scopes if you get a chance to check out their web page.

[Gunowner99]

Okay, so I looking at three:

Primary Arms 3MOA-$99 or so

Vortex Strikefire-4 MOA-2x magnifier, $120-Comes with all kinds of mounts.

Vortex Sparc-3 MOA-2x magnifier, $150-Comes with all kinds of mounts.

Decisions, decisions. It is a $50 difference from Primary to Sparc. And $20 in the middle. Is it worth the upcharge?

[gummy jones]

Okay, so I looking at three:

Primary Arms 3MOA-$99 or so

Vortex Strikefire-4 MOA-2x magnifier, $120-Comes with all kinds of mounts.

Vortex Sparc-3 MOA-2x magnifier, $150-Comes with all kinds of mounts.

Decisions, decisions. It is a $50 difference from Primary to Sparc. And $20 in the middle. Is it worth the upcharge?

i thought one of the primary models came with a decent mount and was around 89 bones

[FLICK]

i thought one of the primary models came with a decent mount and was around 89 bones

You may be thinking of the 30mm red dot with the PA riser….

https://www.primaryarms.com/Primary-...mm-red-dot.htm

[spacemanvic]

The Bushnell Trophy TRS-25 is a good buy!

http://www.midwayusa.com/product/593...FREaOgodIHoAIQ

[FLICK]

I have/ have had a few inexpensive red dots…..



I had the 30mm Vortex Strikefire optic. Nice, but heavy. Very bright for bright sunlight days and great battery life. I sold it to buy the Aimpoint PRO in the above pic.

The Vortex SPARC is great and can be configured several ways with all the included mounts. The magnifier is crap, though, because it *significantly* reduces field of view. I bent the crap out of the bezel where the screw in magnifier goes in and couldn't care less. I never put it in….

The PA removable base red dots x2 in the above are about 3 yrs apart. the newer one (on the 10/22 TD) is much tighter and has a stop between the 0 and 11 brightness settings, but the emitter looks larger. I've had that the older red dot on one of my "primary AR weapons" (meaning, my go to gun) in the past and never questioned it and was never let down. The SPARC replaced it and it ran well, too. Honestly, the PRO trumps all of them and resides on my main AR, as it should at roughly 3x's the price.

Let me know if you want any other pics or have specific questions…...

[theunrulychef]

Another +1 for Primary Arms. I have a micro-dot & it's great. Tough, simple, cheap & excellent/prompt service. I returned a magnifier to upgrade to a different model & they were very easy to deal with.

[Noah_Zark]

I have three Bushnell Trophy MPs:

http://www.midwayusa.com/product/859...ck-to-top-link

I have experience zero problems with the units, all mounted on AR platforms, and the oldest is at over four years old.

Some owners have reported "blooming" of the red reticle, but in my experience they have the brightness set too high for conditions. One should set the reticle brightness for only what is needed in a given ambient light situation, and not more; in other words, if a "4" works, don't set it on "10".

Battery life -- the 2036 coin type battery lasts for MONTHS in the unit, with it shut off the whole time. A fresh battery in the unit with it set on "5" will last 36 to 48 hrs. A fresh battery in the unit with it set on "2" will last over 48 hrs.

I'm satisfied.

Noah