AR Red Dot Recommendation!

[Deliemma]

I want to buy an AR red dot. Price range about $150? Any recommendation?

Review/personal experience would be appreciated.

Thanks

[harold63]

My son uses a Wal Mart CenterPoint, 1x34mm on his deer slug gun. It is very good. The only thing with it is the 34mm could stand to be 40, but it is not a big deal, at all. Also, it is just a tick on the heavy side. But for what it does, and the thumping it has taken, I would do an extra curl or two to carry it. $55. We looked at a lot of 1x dot optics, and went with this one. He has never complained about it, and it gets used, a lot. Soda cans at 50yds and Sabots, no problem.

His gun is a Moss. 12ga. w/22" deer barrel.

[Ronin]

Primary Arms makes inexpensive Micro Dots that have been getting pretty goods reviews with the AR 15 crowd.

This video shows their Gen3 Micro Dot getting abused:



I plan on getting a Gen7 for my Ruger MkIII project this spring.

[The_War_Wagon]

This.



http://www.bravocompanyusa.com/Troy-...20-%20rear.htm

Not only is it the finest backup iron sight you can buy, the hours of practice you get with it, while you save for an EOTech or Aimpoint, will make you a better marksman, and more appreciative of a QUALITY optic, once you've saved enough money for it.

Buying cheap crap, means buying TWICE. If you spend $150 now, you'll end up spending $500+ in the long run. Saving up THAT $150 again, plus saving ANOTHER $350+ on top of it, to buy a nice EOTech, or possibly a gently used Aimpoint.

There was someone on THESE classifieds not too long ago, who had a REAL (NOT 'airsoft') Aimpoint Comp M2 for sale, for $275! That's what I gave for one on another board, and it works great - a really good bargain for me that day! While you're saving, surf the on-line classifieds of this and other boards, and see what you can find (ESPECIALLY Sniper's Hide) - you just might find a decent optic you'd REALLY like, for a fraction of the cost NiB.

I'm SPR'ing a rifle right now, and it's gonna run me eight bills MINIMUM, to get the glass I NEED for that project... and I just don't have it - at the moment. I've got about $150 saved towards it, and while I may not have enough by springtime, my tax refund should cover it by then. Having a new barrel custom-made, and installed, will also set me back several more bills, so my savings will certainly go into SOME part of that.

If there's even the REMOTEST possibility that this rifle might be used in defense of life & limb, SAVE for GOOD glass. No one ever regrets a quality optic, but this - and every OTHER gunboard on the internet - is full of horror stories of shame, regret, and remorse, over cheap-azz Russian, Chinese, 'other', etc. optics, that couldn't hold zero out of the box, broke after the first shot's recoil, and the like.

SAVING MONEY (cutting back on eating out, cutting down on soft drinks, beer, movies, etc.) is an exercise that is a reward unto itself as well.

[soberbyker]

I have an inexpensive (less than $40) BSA Red Dot on my AR, my only complaint is I wish it had the cross hairs on it. No markings at all, it takes an extra few seconds to acquire center. I normally use it in concert with my iron sights.
.

[fastfive0]

Vortex strikefire! Comes with removable 2x magnifier, red and green dot has held zero my my colt 6920 no matter what I have done with it. It is my 3 gun rifle so u know it gets some usage lol. And I believe it's in stock for $149 at gander mtn. Check out the optics forum for my review along with others.

[kunsunoke]

On the el-cheapo route, you might try to scrounge around on Gunbroker or eBay to locate a Hakko Tac-Point or one of the original Tasco PDP2s made in Japan.

Alternatively, there's these guys -

http://www.ultradotusa.com/

Best value for the money, IMO.

[wellcraft]

i would recommend you save up for a eotech because eotech is probably the best all around red dot at a reasonable price you're going to get. i'd pass on one of the cheap red dots because you never know how well the cheap ones are going to hold up. i had a BSA red dot that i used once and one of the inner lenses broke so that you couldn't adjust the red dot. i did buy a nice bushnell for my 522 that costs 175 dollars and looks like a acog clone. haven't used it yet but i'm confident the bushnell will hold up since they make decent entry level scopes.

[SharpShooter88]

Get something you can beat the ever living hell out of. I like the red dots for Close quarters and out to about 150-meters, but after that it just gets stupid. The dots on most scopes are too big to shoot accurately at distance. For example, a red dot with a 4MOA dot means at 300 yards, the dot is going to be as big or bigger than your target. Thats why I hate the m68s the army uses. On the same note though, if you are going to use it for short range plinking, EOtechs and M68s are just fine. If you are going to go long range or any type of precision shooting, you have to scope the rifle accordingly. The question is, what are you doing with the rifle?

[JoshIronshaft]

I use a $50 BSA red dot on an AR and and a $50 Barska red dot on an AK, both big diameter (I can't stand the small diameter red dots) and they both have held up to a beating. very satisfied. some day when I have more $$$ I'll buy eotech.