Rastoff
US Veteran
I know this is not an M&P 15. Neither is it mounted on an M&P 15, but it could be and my gun is very similar. So, I figured I'd share my thoughts with y'all.
I was looking for either a Red Dot or Holographic sight for my M-4. Being cheap, I settled on the Vortex SPARC. While it is not the cheapest red dot on the market, it is not the most expensive either. I paid $199 for this one. Here are some pics:
The unit is light and compact. Definitely doesn't detract from the overall gun and wouldn't be in the way when maneuvering.
It came with some different mounting options. There is a high mount (pictured), a low mount and then a small spacer to adjust a tiny bit up. The mount is solid and easy enough to install. It requires an Allen wrench (included) to mount it. I would prefer a knurled nut, but I see no reason the Allen would be a problem as long as it co-witnesses; it does. For my gun, with my sights, the co-witness is not exactly in the center, but close enough.
I found the clarity to be fine. Certainly not the best, but at this price point it's not worth quibbling about. There is a little distortion at the very edge of the optic. It is not enough to cause a problem and that area won't be used anyway.
The controls are easy to use and not obtrusive. It turns on with a quick press of the power button on the side and it has to be held for 5 seconds to turn off. The up and down illumination buttons are easily used even with gloves, have a positive click to them and are silent. There is a third button for Night Vision mode. Press this once and it dims the LED to low levels compatible with night vision gear. I find this an interesting addition to an optic at this price point. If I had money for useful night vision gear, I'd probably buy a better optic, but that's just me.
The dot is easily seen in bright daylight. The lowest setting is too bright for night use, but press the NV button and it's fine. I'd rather have it just adjust down with the up and down buttons.
The beauty of a red dot is that your eye doesn't need to be in the exact center of the optic for the dot to be on target. This is where this particular red dot has an issue. If you are looking through the top 1/3rd of the SPARC, there are parallax issues.
Parallax is when you move your head and the target moves in relation to the reticle. Better scopes have an adjustment to correct for this. With the SPARC, I noticed no parallax issues when my eye was in the lower 2/3rds of the optic. However, if I didn't get down on the stock, the dot moved a little relative to the POA. If your technique is consistent then this won't be a problem. But, allow your cheek weld to be a little off and it could be an issue. I'll have to test this some more, but at 50 yards it was noticeable.
The windage and elevations adjustments are under water proof covers and attached by cords. The cords made the covers a little tough to remove, but that's not an issue because you shouldn't need to adjust it much. It required a tool (penny for me) to make adjustments. It was easy to adjust to zero at 50 yards. The adjustments are in 1/2 MOA clicks. I found the clicks to be not very easy to discern. Even so, I didn't have any trouble sighting in. I used the bore-sight method at first to be sure I was on paper. Then I used three shot groups to bring it in to zero. I'm not a very good shot with this gun, but I was able to shoot 1" groups using a rest and was able to get them within an inch of the center. This works for me considering what this gun is intended for.
I only shot it at 50 yards for this range session. I will ramp that up to 100 yards next time and maybe even 200.
All in all I'm pleased with this little unit. Considering the price, I think it performed well enough. I will call Vortex about the parallax issue I noticed and see what they say.
Oh yeah, I almost forgot. The SPARC comes with a 2x lens. It screws on the back. If the fact this comes with a doubler is a deciding factor for you, pass. I haven't shot with the doubler yet, but it's not impressing me yet. The SPARC is small and the doubler just makes the field of view half as big. Unfortunately, it doesn't really give you all that much magnification. So, mine will probably stay in the bag.
I went with a red dot over a holographic sight based on battery life; the red dot should last longer. Only time will tell if this is true. The SPARC has a feature where it will turn off after 6 hours of being on. This would suck if you were on patrol and it just shut off as you were getting a bead on the bad guy. Fortunately for me I don't do that stuff so, it won't be a problem. And, the auto shut off is a good thing if you forget to turn it off when sticking it in the safe.
I like it so far. I'll have to explore the parallax issue further, but I don't think it will be a problem for me based on how this will be used. For an inexpensive unit this one is OK. Maybe I'll save up for a COMP M3 or ACOG later, but for now this one is fine.
EDIT:
I just looked at the specs. Apparently the SPARC is spec'd to be parallax free beyond 50 yards. So, a little parallax error should be expected at 50 yards and closer.
I was looking for either a Red Dot or Holographic sight for my M-4. Being cheap, I settled on the Vortex SPARC. While it is not the cheapest red dot on the market, it is not the most expensive either. I paid $199 for this one. Here are some pics:
The unit is light and compact. Definitely doesn't detract from the overall gun and wouldn't be in the way when maneuvering.
It came with some different mounting options. There is a high mount (pictured), a low mount and then a small spacer to adjust a tiny bit up. The mount is solid and easy enough to install. It requires an Allen wrench (included) to mount it. I would prefer a knurled nut, but I see no reason the Allen would be a problem as long as it co-witnesses; it does. For my gun, with my sights, the co-witness is not exactly in the center, but close enough.
I found the clarity to be fine. Certainly not the best, but at this price point it's not worth quibbling about. There is a little distortion at the very edge of the optic. It is not enough to cause a problem and that area won't be used anyway.
The controls are easy to use and not obtrusive. It turns on with a quick press of the power button on the side and it has to be held for 5 seconds to turn off. The up and down illumination buttons are easily used even with gloves, have a positive click to them and are silent. There is a third button for Night Vision mode. Press this once and it dims the LED to low levels compatible with night vision gear. I find this an interesting addition to an optic at this price point. If I had money for useful night vision gear, I'd probably buy a better optic, but that's just me.
The dot is easily seen in bright daylight. The lowest setting is too bright for night use, but press the NV button and it's fine. I'd rather have it just adjust down with the up and down buttons.
The beauty of a red dot is that your eye doesn't need to be in the exact center of the optic for the dot to be on target. This is where this particular red dot has an issue. If you are looking through the top 1/3rd of the SPARC, there are parallax issues.
Parallax is when you move your head and the target moves in relation to the reticle. Better scopes have an adjustment to correct for this. With the SPARC, I noticed no parallax issues when my eye was in the lower 2/3rds of the optic. However, if I didn't get down on the stock, the dot moved a little relative to the POA. If your technique is consistent then this won't be a problem. But, allow your cheek weld to be a little off and it could be an issue. I'll have to test this some more, but at 50 yards it was noticeable.
The windage and elevations adjustments are under water proof covers and attached by cords. The cords made the covers a little tough to remove, but that's not an issue because you shouldn't need to adjust it much. It required a tool (penny for me) to make adjustments. It was easy to adjust to zero at 50 yards. The adjustments are in 1/2 MOA clicks. I found the clicks to be not very easy to discern. Even so, I didn't have any trouble sighting in. I used the bore-sight method at first to be sure I was on paper. Then I used three shot groups to bring it in to zero. I'm not a very good shot with this gun, but I was able to shoot 1" groups using a rest and was able to get them within an inch of the center. This works for me considering what this gun is intended for.
I only shot it at 50 yards for this range session. I will ramp that up to 100 yards next time and maybe even 200.
All in all I'm pleased with this little unit. Considering the price, I think it performed well enough. I will call Vortex about the parallax issue I noticed and see what they say.
Oh yeah, I almost forgot. The SPARC comes with a 2x lens. It screws on the back. If the fact this comes with a doubler is a deciding factor for you, pass. I haven't shot with the doubler yet, but it's not impressing me yet. The SPARC is small and the doubler just makes the field of view half as big. Unfortunately, it doesn't really give you all that much magnification. So, mine will probably stay in the bag.
I went with a red dot over a holographic sight based on battery life; the red dot should last longer. Only time will tell if this is true. The SPARC has a feature where it will turn off after 6 hours of being on. This would suck if you were on patrol and it just shut off as you were getting a bead on the bad guy. Fortunately for me I don't do that stuff so, it won't be a problem. And, the auto shut off is a good thing if you forget to turn it off when sticking it in the safe.
I like it so far. I'll have to explore the parallax issue further, but I don't think it will be a problem for me based on how this will be used. For an inexpensive unit this one is OK. Maybe I'll save up for a COMP M3 or ACOG later, but for now this one is fine.
EDIT:
I just looked at the specs. Apparently the SPARC is spec'd to be parallax free beyond 50 yards. So, a little parallax error should be expected at 50 yards and closer.
Last edited:
What sold me was the youtube video by Military Arms Channel where they tortured it when they threw the Sparc on the ground and they had no problems with it holding zero or with the red dot.
