I know this question gets asked a lot. I've looked through a bunch of threads on the subject already. I'm about to buy a sight for my Sport and my budget is around $200. What I've read so far has lead me to think the Vortex Optics StrikeFire 2 is a good choice for that price range. I know it isn't an Aimpoint but I really don't want to spend more on the sight than the rifle (I actually have done that a few times when buying scopes). Mainly $200 is all I have unless I wait a good while. It would probably be Christmas before I could come up with the cash for something like an Aimpoint and then it would be an entry level model. I need a sight sooner than that although I like the irons fine. I like the parallax free StrikeFire 2. At least they advertise it as such. My finances are tied up right now because of where I'm having to live. When I get back home I'll have money again. Maybe then I can upgrade the sights and parts of the rifle too. So does anyone think I should go another way for now?

Sounds like to me you would be settling with the Vortex... I would wait if I really wanted a better optic.

I've also been thinking about a Burris FastFire reflex sight. I feel like I might want to mount this on my 629 if I ever get a better sight for the Sport. It's been my experience that sights in the $200 range pretty much always are good enough to be keepers. Can anyone tell me if it's possible to get this sight set up to co-witness with my irons?

Primary Arms Advanced Micro Dot
Primary Arms Advanced Micro Dot with Push Buttons MD-ADS | Primary Arms

I have one of these on an AR. Hard to beat for the money.

My rambling brain this morning....

Burris FF III - The idea of purchasing a smaller sized optic that can be later transferred to a pistol is always an entertaining idea. I have the Burris on a Ruger MarkIII and don't like it. It's actually 1.07x which creates distortion and a fish bowl effect. Some folks say they don't notice it much but I do. As far as putting it on an AR, the small 15mm objective is an issue worth considering. It's too small to have a meaningful lower 1/3 co-witness, which leaves you with a working absolute co-wtness with a non-folding A2 front sight on your Sport. You may or may not like that. In comparison, the Bushnell TRS-25 has a 25mm objective which is more accommodating to lower 1/3 co-witness. The Bushnell would be suitable to mount to a .22 pistol but not a centerfire. I've got a similar optic, Primary Arms MicroDot, on my Ruger 22/45. I much prefer the sub $100 PA to the $200 Burris. (see pics below for both the Burris and Primary Arms).

Vortex SF2 - My opinion is that you're paying double for a lifetime warranty over that of sub $100 red dots from Bushnell and Primary Arms with a one year warranty.

Aimpoint - Since you're looking at the larger sized Vortex Strikefire 2, a comparable budget Aimpoint would be the ACO. Palmetto State Armory had the ACO on sale around Christmas for $299. I posted a link to it here at that time. That puts the ACO within about a $100 of the Vortex. They'll be more sales...


Bottom line... if ya want an Aimpoint for your AR then get it....

For 200 bucks I threw away the buis, slapped on a 50 dollar used Indestructable carry handle, bought 10 20 round boxes of aussie outback 223 69gr ammo and had enough leftover for coffee and doughnuts.

As Phil pointed out, the Aimpoint ACO is a pretty good option.. It's a little more than the Vortex, but Aimpoint has a very good reputation and stands behind their products.. "Buy once, cry once."

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Isaiah 43:1-3

Save and get yourself an Aimpoint Pro. You can find them on sale for less than $400. I prefer it to the ACO but I would take the ACO over the Vortex.

I have the Vortex Sparc 2 and love it. I purchased it on ebay for $155.00. It is listed for $179.00 or best offer, I offered $155.00 and got it. You may be able to offer less even, and still get it. Vortex SPARC II Red Dot 2 SPC 402 Scope MOA Multi Height Mount System | eBay

If I could find a deal like that one mentioned for the Aimpoint ACO I would be good with that. I've looked around and haven't been able to find anything close to that $299 price. No one commented on the Primary Arms Advanced Micro Dot. Is the extra cost for the "advanced" version worth the money (as opposed to the sub $100 model mentioned)? That Primary Arms model says it has a 50,000 hour battery life. i will be wanting a 1/3 co-witness setup too.

The Primary Arms Micro Dot gives good reviews, but the owner of the company clearly states that his optics are for recreational use only... But he does back his products if you have any issue. If I buy another budget red dot, this is the one I am buying... but it does not have the reputation of an Aimpoint.

Mehh found it for $358, opened box, but new... Should be able to find like a 10% off coupon out there pretty easy.. Could also use the chat to talk them into giving you a deal, often works.
AimPoint Carbine Optic 2MOA Red Dot Sight FREE S&H 200174, 200174-DMO

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Isaiah 43:1-3

I looked hard at the Primary Arms micro dot, but I ended up with the Vortex Sparc II because of both positive reviews, and the lifetime warranty. I co-witnessed it with the Sport supplied BUIS-the combo has been awesome so far.

That's still almost double my current budget. I'm not always this hard up for money. I would be looking to use this for a year or two until I get back home and have more money in my pocket. If I buy something quality now I can recoup some of my costs if I need to or I can stick the one I buy now on another firearm. I have a bunch of them to choose from.

Is the Advanced MicroDot for $200 worth it in comparison? From my point of view, no. I put red dots in two categories, battle worthy and budget recreational. The AMD falls into the later category. If I'm going recreational then the sub $100 Bushnell TRS-25 or Primary Arms MicroDot have earned reputations for excellent service and reliability for recreational use. There's nothing a $200 red dot, Vortex or other, is going to do for me.

The AMD has a longer battery life that allows it to be left on for extended periods while not in use. Don't care about that for a recreational optic. The AMD uses some type of lens coating that has a bit less of a tint than others. Not sure if that's overall good or bad, but the tint on my PA MicroDot (I have two) isnt an issue at the range. And I have no parallax issues with them. I posted a vid on that around here somewhere.

If money is that tight, I'd just wait for a sale. A few months ago Busnell was offering $30 rebates on thier optics. Guys ended up with a TRS-25 for less than $50. But hey, if ya got $200 burning a hole in your pocket... the Vortex Strikefire 2 and AMD have great reviews and should be happy with either.

That doesn't sound like me at all (money burning a hole in my pocket). I'm just trying to do what's best with the money I have available. If it isn't going to give me better results to spend that level of cash then I'd just as soon buy something else cheaper. It doesn't make sense to pay more for the something that isn't better. Maybe I'll look for the Bushnell for now and save for the Aimpoint at a later date. That sounds like a good plan for me right now. I miss the days when I could plonk down $400 a month or more on gear and ammo but that just isn't in the cards right now. Hopefully that will change before too long. But at least I have a decent collection of firearms to tide me over. And I bought up a bunch of ammo after the first shortage in participation of the next shortage (which came much quicker than I expected). Still I have a safe stuffed full of ammo and guns and crates of ammo laying around besides that. I haven't always been in this boat.

We've all been there my friend...

I went sparc II also! You con witnessed it with front sights?

It comes with the mounting hardware to co-witness or 1/3 witness. I chose the 1/3 witness on mine.

If it was just between the Vortex and PA, I'd pick the PA. The Vortex has too much parallax error for me.

Buying cheap optics usually just puts you further from what you really want. Therefore, I highly recommend waiting and saving. You won't be sorry. A decent set of irons will serve well for now.

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