Looking for a cheap red dot to use just for fun. Found this one on Amazon, anyone have it? If I do get a red dot how do I know if I need risers in order for it to line up with my iron sights? Is it best to leave the iron sights on and have the red do line up with it? I'm new to scopes so any help is greatly appreciated and sorry for all the stupid beginner questions. Thanks.

Define cheap. Some people think that $300 is cheap. There are a ton of red dots on amazon that are $40 on up. If you are willing to pay a little more ($80) Primary Arms makes an excellent little red dot. Primary Arms Micro Dot Fixed Base GII Amazon carries it too, but Primary Arms is out of stock on it (expected lated Jan 16). Combined with the UTG riser Amazon.com: UTG Medium Profile Riser Mount with 3 slots: Sports & Outdoors This is a nice little setup. With the medium riser it co-witnesses nicely with the stock sights.

Here the PA red dot on my step daughter's 15-22:



Personally I like the red dot to co-witness with my sights. A riser of some type is typically needed to line up the sights with the red dot. As far as leaving the sights on that's up to you. You're not going to war with it so once you have your red dot zeroed there's no reason you need to leave the sights on.

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No question is stupid here. Not sure what weapon you are putting it on or what you want. I use a 1X Millet on my 586,6 inch and claimed 3 deer. I read about all the red dot and reflex on weapons for defense all is good.

Hope you get some good advise and read the correct information for your use

In cases like this i understand what you mean by cheap red dot sight, you want a red dot that is cheap, because you don't have loads of money to spend on an Eotech or Aimpoint or Trijicon.

You are going to get alot of people telling you that if you buy cheap you will end up buying loads of them and should have just spent $400 dollars on a top quality product anyway.

Phooey, there are enough of us and i'm sure that someone can point you in the right direction for a cheap sight that can do the job.

In such cases youtube is your best bet for a review of the specific product you mention.

You are also going to need to decide how you want to use your red dot....absolute or lower 1/3 rd which is explained well enough here.

As has been stated there are no stupid questions, but some of the answers you will receive will not actually help you...it is best to let the thread run a little, be patient grasshopper, someone on the forum will have the set up you require and will be able to inform you exactly what RDS to suggest and whether or not you will need a riser, for absolute or 1/3.

I hope that answer comes sooner rather than later, but this forum is a great place for info from friendly peeps and it will eventually get answered.

Bushnell TRS 25 is an all around decent red dot. If you shop around, you should be able to find this with a riser for about $50.00
I found mine at Walmart when they were closing them out for $39.95 including the riser. I had it on an M&P 15-22 and co witnessed with the iron sights. Worked very well.
I still have the sight, but the rifle is gone.

Thanks for the replies already. It will be going on my 15-22. And by cheap I mean like $50 or less. No need for fancy on a plinking gun. Thanks again

Palmetto State Armory has the Bushnell TRS 25 for 59.99 for an online only weekend deal. Lots of forum members have used this one with good results. Better hurry though as weekend is almost up.

Please please get the TRS-25!
I was looking at the cheapo tasco rds and the trs-25 is far better in every way.
Buy once cry once!!!!!!
I bet $100 bucks if you buy cheap, youll have to buy again!!!

Hi Mikey,

I built an M4 type CQB AR recently, and put a BSA panoramic reflex type sight on it, in addition to a laser and backup iron sights. The BSA sight ran about $30 on eBay. With the reflex sight on, the projected image is not in line with the iron sights. When the reflex sight is off,the iron sights can be used thru the reflex sight without any problems.

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Try CDNN. The online guru of all items that reek of gunpowder. I find it has an impressive inventory.

Well, no one has talked about dot size so I will throw it out there. Just keep in mind that the more precise you want to be, the smaller the dot you will want. If you want to hit person size targets and transition rapidly between targets, feel free to get 8 MOA or larger. If you want to be a bit more precise and don't need quite as much rapidity, go with about 4 MOA. If you want to shoot as precisely as possible and are willing to take more time with each shot, use a 2 MOA dot. Dot size will impact which dots are available to you in your price point.

Definitely get a TRS-25. The Hi-Rise model can be had for $75-90 at Amazon. Great sight for a M&P15-22 (or M&P15). The hi-rise model has the required riser for lower 1/3 co-witness. It's worth it over the <$50 ****.

Is this website too good to be true? The hi rise model of the trs-25 will 1/3 co witness right out of the box? The website says its $89 and free shipping to arrive tomorrow. It says it has a built in weaver rail mount. Does anyone know if that will fit the rail of the 15-22? I just noticed it system clamshell, what does that mean?

Bushnell 1x25 AR Optics TRS-25 HiRise Red Dot Sight AR731306C

That's a nice setup. My wife would love the pink. How did you get it painted? Did you fill the m and p logo in with crayon?

IMO, $50 or less might get you junk, so be careful. If you bump that to $100 or less, then you can find a quality, yet affordable optic. I have several of the TRS-25s and they have never given me an issue. I have never heard anything bad about Primary Arms & know they back all they sell.

You are correct, there is no need for fancy on a plinking gun. However, many here have moved from need to want. My plinker 15-22 doesn't need a suppressor, SBR stamp, Aimpoint Pro optic, CMC trigger, metal AR handguard, upgraded grip, stock, etc., etc., etc. However, I sure like the upgrades.

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Again buy once cry once!!!!!
It save you money in the long run!!!
If you want to be el cheapo try and find a used one!!!
Let me put it this way, why do you not see the $20 lasers and rds for sale used? Its because they broke and are thrown out.

Thanks!

The buttstock and pistol grip are Magpul and come in magpul pink. The vertical grip was black (also magpul...they don't make a VFG in pink) so I took the rifle to a gunsmith that does duracoat. Duracoat has a "magpul pink" color that matches the furniture very closely. Also I had them do the magazines in pink as well. They are duracoated right up to the point of where the mag enters the magwell. This to make sure the mags will drop freely.

For the roll marks I used lacquer stik which is a paint type crayon. Lacquer stik doesn't make a pink so I made it out of mixing a little red stik with white. I did a two-tone pink on the roll marks to give it a little accent. The black areas on the pistol grip and VFG is Talon grip that I bought in a sheet and cut to fit into the grip surface.

Here's a pic of the mag out of the gun:

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TRS-25. Upgrade as you feel the need. Which may never happen.

If I did upgrade it would probably be to the new Trijicon RDS.

I have been using the TRS-25 with a UTG .83 riser. Co-Witnessed. Boys and I have been plinking with it for two years and love it. Never had a problem.

I may be wrong about lower 1/3 - it might be absolute with the included riser.

It fits the 15-22 rail perfectly.

The clamshell is just a packaging choice - it's a clear plastic wrapper (the kind that has to be cut open with scissors) instead of a cardboard box.

Primary Arms Micro Dot.

+1 on the trs 25 with a utg riser. Mine is the .83" qd version. Haven't used my Nikon p-22 in a Burris pepr qd mount since installing the red dot. Need to find a new rifle for that scope

If you can wait. this is what is on my kids' gun
Primary Arms Micro Dot Fixed Base GII

I don't have one on my 15-22, but I bought a shameless copy of an Aimpoint from IJK for my regular AR that I think slots in somewhere in between the low end Amazon stuff and the real deal $500 stuff. It is called the Scout Model M4 on the Amega Mounts web page where I actually bought it, but on the actual IJK page it looks like they have changed it a little. Their stuff is all made in Slovakia or nearby, not China. They have expanded their line tremendously since I last looked. Anyway, it has been flawless on my M4 clone, and I recommend it.
RED DOTS

My TRS -25 has a very crisp 3 moa dot, crisper than my slightly pricier Bushnell Trophy dots. they tend to look like grape clusters, probably due partly to my aging eyes, floaters, etc.

This is a great and timely thread. I took my 15-22 to the range yesterday for the first time. What a hoot! 200 rounds in less than an hour, even reloading measly 10-round mags. Then when I got home the USPS was just dropping off my TRS-25 and UTG medium riser. So now I have to go back to the range today and zero that puppy in. Life is rough, but someone has to do this dirty work right?

I like trs-25 but I might go Primary Arms soon, it is brighter looking red dot especially shooting outside while bright sunny day. Also PA build is better.

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Guns ...

Yes, the Bushnell TRS-25 or the Primary Arms equivalent MD-FBGII are both great sights. Wouldn't trust the other brands in that price range or lower.

Went back to the range on Tuesday. The hi-rise TRS-25 was quite accurate right out of the box at 25 yards and zeroing was quite easy. My limitation is my eyesight (20/50 in my right eye after cataract surgery 2.5 years ago, contact in my left eye), and now that I am back into target shooting the new glasses I ordered yesterday can't get here to soon. Hopefully my groupings out to 50 yards will improve if I can actually see the target...

It's a 22, so i waited till the TRS-25 dropped in price on Amazon. Picked it up in the riser configuration for $65. Does the job perfectly. like it was made for the rifle.

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Semi-related question: I'm leaning towards the TRS-25, but am wondering about the need to use a riser. I understand using a .83" riser for co-witnessing with the sights. If I've got MBUS sights and co-witnessing isn't a concern, how important is the riser? Main reason I ask is thinking of the kids shooting. They're 10 & 12. Will the riser make it too high for them?

Thanks!

Do you really need irons? How much do you use them.
The only real question is where does your eye line up in your shooting position?
Low or high cheakwield.

I use them all the time, mainly b/c it's all I've got, currently. After I put on the red dot, I don't plan on ever using them, unless there's a malfunction and I have to change to irons. As for co-witnessing, I was wondering if it was more of a concern, historically, since most irons were fixed and it was a matter of aligning the red dot with a fixed sight.

As far as shooting position, I honestly haven't paid much attention to it since I haven't shot that much with the AR.

Check out the offerings of Millet.
I have had a SP-1 that was already mounted on a Ruger MKII pistol when I bought it 14 years ago.....it's still on the gun and still working.
I bought a new one about 8 years ago for a model 64 S&W revolver. I mounted it and made a slight change in windage, 4 clicks right, and it was perfectly sighted in. No problems, 10 settings, great value for the money...$60.00 is going amazon price. Easy to adjust , it comes with rings and has easy battery replacement, it is a tube sight , but rugged and reliable with a limited lifetime warranty. I like mine and would buy another.
Gary