If this topic has been covered to death please provide a link or two, accept my apology, and go on about your business. I’ve bookmarked a few threads that will be helpful, but I would appreciate comments specific to my applications.
What type of sight works best with poor vision? My old eyes don’t do well with the iron sights. At 25 yards I can keep it in a 3” circle, but boy I really have to take my time and work at it.
4x32 scope? Variable power scope? Red dot? Holographic? Specific models? More than one of the above at a time (mounting suggestions)?
I loved to shoot as a youngster, but haven’t kept it up. This is my first experience with an AR and I am having a blast.
Applications: I intend to train my wife and 18-year-old daughter. Both are pretty small and neither has ever shot anything. Good or bad, for now the 15-22 will be our primary home defense weapon. I’ll also use it to eliminate groundhogs and other pests occasionally on the farm. Of course since it’s so much fun to shoot, 99-plus percent of the time we’ll just be practicing and playing.
For starters I put an inexpensive Barska laser under the barrel and zeroed it at 7 yards for defense. Opinions on what best to mount up top? Reluctant to spend too much now just in case I make the wrong choice.
Much to learn. Thank you.

Welcome aboard Rowland . There are members here that could better advice you than I could, so I'll leave that up to them.
Personaly the set up I have may not work for you, but with my tired old eyes it works for me . Again, welcome aborad, you will find alot of interesting topics in this forum so stay tuned .

My eyes are almost 6 decades old so I know what you are talking about.

I have three sight systems on my 15-22

I'm running a 3x9 scope on a riser with Leupold see thru rings so I can use the "iron" sights. I also have a TRS-25 red dot on a Blackhawk offset mount.

The pictures show the red dot on the left side, it has since been moved to the right side. I adjusted the scope rings to move the main riser back and then moved the red dot to the front right, ahead of the ejecting cases.

It works way better on the right side. I simply rotate the firearm CCW just a bit.

The scope and the "iron" sights are set for longer distances, while the red dot is adjusted for shorter ranges.

If it's just a matter of seeing the front post and not a distance issue, then I think a red dot optic should do the trick.

I have a Bushnell Trophy series on my 15-22. $152



Because a stock 15-22 doesn't have a fixed front sight, I could mount it without having to use any risers.



Sight picture is real nice. I can select red or green, and select intensity.



Another nice feature is that a 3-dot traditional sight is on the top of the scope for back-up.

If you require a bigger dot to stand out, I suggest a Primary Arms M3 clone. $69





The nice thing about the Primary Arms M3 is that you can add a separate 3X magnifier on a quick disconnect or flip to side mount. You'll have most ranges covered with this set up.



The first red-dot optic I ever used was a super inexpensive BSA 30mm 5 MOA dot. Under $30. Had to mount using a riser.



I don't have any pictures of the sight picture through the dot. The 5MOA dot was incredibly easy to see. Accuracy was good for close to mid range distance.

My suggestion is, before spending money on sights, go to a good eye doctor and get corrective lenses (glasses).

I'm almost 69, have uncorrected vision of 20/180 and 20/220, but with my glasses I am 20/20, so I can use just about any sight equally good.

That said, my preference in your case would be a low-power, variable scope, something along the line of 1.5 to 4 or so.

Personally, a 15-22 (or any other .22 rifle) is a poor choice for a self-defense firearm, especially at short range. The only exception to that statement is if that's the ONLY firearm you own. At that range a 12 (or even 20) gauge shotgun is much better, especially inside. Otherwise a good 9mm pistol and LOTS of practice.

I'm not as good with iron sights as in the past, but as the previous posts show, there are a lot of options with red dots, and other optics. At self-defense ranges I prefer a laser, for several reasons. As a retired LEO, after decades of night shoots, I saw that no one, regardless of age and visual acuity, shoots very well in the dark, since you can't see the sights or the target. Lasers raise night time accuracy to a very effective level and have the added advantage that they may discourage a bad guy who sees a red dot on his chest. The Crimson Trace, Lasermax, and several cheaper brand lasers that I have on handguns and long guns work out to 15 yards in the daylight, so they aren't only a night sighting device. For any home defense gun, remember to have a bright, reliable flashlight next to the gun, because if you can't see and evaluate a potential threat, you may shoot the wrong person. Good luck.

For non magnified sighting, a 1x red dot is so much easier to use than iron sights for tired old eyes like mine. Unlike iron sights, with a 1x red dot all you do is focus down range and the red dot will be there. With my 15-22, most shooting is just bouncing around soda cans and junk under 75 yards. The unlimited field of view with a 1x red dot is ideal.

There's a ton of reasons not to use a 15-22 for home defense, not the least of which is that it's an autoloading rimfire. Nevertheless, a 1x red dot with unlimited eye relief and field of view is better suited than a magnified optic.
On a side note... I use no optics on any home defense gun. Fuzzy sights are just fine for home defense distances.

If making small groups on paper is your thing, then a magnified optic with crosshairs is the way to go. Some folks like high magnification so they can better see the holes in paper at 50 yards and beyond, but the actual shooting performance isn't going to be impacted much with a great amount of magnification. A fixed 4x, variable 2-7x or 3-9x are quite popular and well suited for paper and critters.

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Since about 99.9% of all the shooting I do with my 15-22 is off hand, the light weight of the 15-22 is great. To keep things light, I replaced the heavy factory sights with Magpul "MBUS" and added a Primary Arms MicroDot. The combined weight of MBUS and the Microdot is only an ounce or so heavier than just the factory sights alone.



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I really like my NCStar 4X32 Tactial scope. This scope just looks right ( not too big, not too small ) on the 15-22 IMHO. It gives me just enough magnification to help make the target bigger and therefore place bullets on target. It also has luminated red/green reticle which don't hurt either but don't make too much difference when outdoors.

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44 Garrett Defender Ammo 4 me.

A quick thank-you to all. What a great resource this forum is.
Does anybody know of a video that shows the basics of shooting this type of rifle, or better yet, specifically the M&P 15-22 (along the lines of what's in the manual)?
Yes, I can explain it myself, but it would be great to show the wife and daughter the fundamentals in a video before we head out. Thanks.

A red dot won't really help you see any better, but they're great for shooting at targets larger than a 3-inch paper circle.

I have old eyes too, and I use magnified optics for 50 yards or more. Ask 50 people what scope they recommend, and you'll get 30 different answers. I like Mueller (4-16x40 APT) and Nikon (either the P22 2-7x32 BDC-150, or the Prostaff 3-9x40 BDC-150). All of those scopes are in the $130-160 range. I lean more towards the Nikon because of the BDC reticle.


You're also going to need rings or a mount. For the 15-22, I'd recommend Burris rings. They're about $50 and do a fine job.

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*Aim small, miss small...

Well, it *is* a .22, and there's no discernible recoil associated with it. Your hole depends on your shooting position.

For CQB shooting with a red dot sight, your cheek weld should be such that it results in your nose almost touching the charging handle. Your support hand can be anywhere on the hand guard that's comfortable for you. It is generally considered bad practice to use the front of the magazine as a hold position.

For shooting with magnified optics, your cheek weld will depend on where your scope is mounted on the rail because of the scope's eye relief. As before, you grip the hand guard where it's comfortable (except for the front of the magazine). If you're shooting with magnified optics, and you're prone (or shooting from the bench) on a rest/bipod, you can use your hand to steady the rifle in your shoulder and support your weak side.

When I was in the military, they taught us the chicken wing hold, with your support arm directly under the rifle, and the trigger arm parallel with the ground. In CQB shooting, that makes you a bigger target and thus, more visible. That's why you see cops and soldiers that are clearing a structure typically have their elbows tucked in.

One final note about CQB - with a regular AR-15, the weak hand is typically positioned so that the thumb is on top of the hand guard ads close to the end of the hand guard as is comfortable. This allows the shooter to better control muzzle-flip and return to target sooner. Since we're talking about a .22, this isn't an issue, but in the interest of completeness, I thought I'd mention it.

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*Aim small, miss small...