First AR, need some guidance

jkarschner

jkarschner

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Hi I purchased my first AR 15 a couple months back. Got the M&P 15 Sport (LOVE this rifle), I've made some changes and customized it to my liking except for a few things. Im looking for a nice but affordable sight for it. I like the iron sights but a red dot is more what im looking for. I've done some research and I know some of the main brands like eotech etc that are pretty pricey. Just looking for a ACOG type scope without magnification that will hold a good zero. Bought a sightmark reflex sight and it SUCKED. Any recommendations?
Thanks!
 
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Check out Primary Arms, they have many inexpensive optics. Or another favorite is the Bushnell TRS 25. Bushnell also makes a red dot that the body of the optic is ACOG looking.
 
sithlord said:
This has been discussed many times; please consider searching. Favorite inexpensive red dots include:

Bushnell TRS-25

Primary Arms Micro Dot

Vortex Strikefire
Click to expand...

I would add the Red field Counterstrike to this list.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk
 
liljohn said:
I would add the Red field Counterstrike to this list.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

This is why I don't mind when a new guy asks a question that has been hashed before. I gave my answer based on products that I was aware of, but maybe there is something else out there that I haven't seen and would be interested in. :D
 
And if I where to past this in a year old discussion some one would chew my *** for bumping a year old thread. I feel ask what you want.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk
 
I have the Vortex Strikefire for $138 on Amazon and I couldn't be happier. Co-witnesses with the fixed sight and has both red and green dots. (I like the green).
 
creao1 said:
I have the Vortex Strikefire for $138 on Amazon and I couldn't be happier. Co-witnesses with the fixed sight and has both red and green dots. (I like the green).
Click to expand...

The Gen 1 Strikefire is on sale now because the Gen 2s are coming out.

PSA has them for $120, a $60 savings. The Gen 1 Vortex SPARC is also on sale (same reason), $50 off

Vortex SPARC Red Dot Optic SPRC - Red Dot/Holographic Scopes - Sights & Optics

Vortex StrikeFire Red/Green Dot Optic - Red Dot/Holographic Scopes - Sights & Optics


IMHO, a red/green dot combo is EXCELLENT because it allows one to effectively target red-ish objects such as clay pigeons or some paper targets (that have red centers, for instance).

I also like having multiple reticles, but those seem to rare for some reason (except on holographic sights). Point of Impact (POI) can change with different reticles.
 
jkarschner said:
Im willing to spend close to $200
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What was mentioned earlier... Primary Arms, Bushnell and Vortex are all around $100-$150. I really don't think you get much more red dot for your money until you reach the $400-$600+ optics.
 
Last edited:
Primary Arms 30mm red dot with a straight mount for either absolute or lower 1/3 co-witness, $79.99. This can also be had with a kill flash for an additional $19.99. Battery life is listed as 800 - 1000+ hours on a single battery. Not bad.

Good Luck and good shooting. :D
 
creao1 said:
I have the Vortex Strikefire for $138 on Amazon and I couldn't be happier. Co-witnesses with the fixed sight and has both red and green dots. (I like the green).
Click to expand...

I've heard some issues on this sight with it turning on when closing the lens claps, do you know if this is correct? Or have you had this issue? Something about turning it off and on with buttons makes me a tad weary :)
 
jkarschner said:
I've heard some issues on this sight with it turning on when closing the lens claps, do you know if this is correct? Or have you had this issue? Something about turning it off and on with buttons makes me a tad weary :)
Click to expand...

As I just received mine, I can't answer *definitively*. However, I can say that a slight bump will turn it on, and its placement is in an area where a slight nudge would be *likely*. Thus, some people have constant issues with it, others do not.

Having said that, mitigations are:
1) Take the battery out
2) Reduce the brightness to its lowest level prior to packing up
3) Check and Recheck before and after every range session (ie, before it goes into the bag, and before it goes into the safe).

The battery purports to live for 1000+ hours; that's about a month. So, if you do option #3, then you'll likely be ok for a long while.

The other option is to wait for the Gen 2, which is supposed to address this issue.
 
the Bushnell Trophy is a good option. it looks like an ACOG, but only costs around 175-200 depending. it was my first optic on my first AR. good luck, and tap into the knowledge here... there's lots of it!
 
Love my gen 1 Vortex strykefire. Never a problem with it turning on or off when it wasn't supposed to. Granted I haven't had it very lo g but before I got a case I'd lock the gun in the tool box in my truck. I know not the best way to keep it from getting scratched damaged but no problems. Also found the green dot too be more useful than the red. And whatever you buy find a local store that has a couple red dots to look thru and see if you see a dot or a snow flake/ star burst before spending hard earned money.
 
JAT3 said:
look thru and see if you see a dot or a snow flake/ star burst before spending hard earned money.
Click to expand...

This can often be caused by your own eyesight and not the scope itself. The other night, I picked up a Bushnell 28mm, 4 reticle red dot from Cabela's bargain cave cheap. It is the older version, without the green. Anyway, when I looked through it, the dot looked like one dot with a smaller dot on each side. Almost looked like a sideways comma. But it was cheap and so am I, so I bought it to use on a .22lr.

Well, I mounted it on my .22lr AR, which currently has the non-folding, LMT style sight from my son's M&P 15-22. When I look through the small peep sight, and then see the dot in the optic, is is a sharp, single dot. Best $35 optic I have ever purchased! :)
 
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