Another Optic thread

[trout25red]

So the thread about the affordable optic for a Sport got me wanting to ask a question, but I don't want to hijack that one. My Sport is going to be a range toy, but I would like to be able to depend on it for defense if necessary. That being said, would you trust your life to an affordable optic vs. a $500 Eotech/Aimpoint? I am the type of person who is not afraid to stray from top brands when I see value. For example, I drive a KIA Optima instead of an Accord or Camry. I just would hate to live ( or die) with regret because I didn't shell out a few more bucks on a better optic in the crazy chance that I ever have to defend myself with my rifle. So, opinions welcome.

 

[cyphertext]

You are going to get answers ranging from "these work just fine" to "what is your life worth?"...If you ask this same question on a couple of AR-15 / M-4 dedicated type boards, you may even be told that you don't value your life since you didn't buy a Colt, Noveske, BCM, DD, etc.

From my experience, I have not seen any reason to believe the optics that I am currently using on our rifles would be prone to fail. They have bounced around in the back of the truck, or in the rack on a jeep, left on for who knows how long, used in dusty and wet environments and still continue to work and hold zero. The dot is not as bright in the daylight, nor is it as clean as the higher end models, but for my use they work fine. The hogs have no idea that I just shot them with a Sport and a budget optic....they are just as dead when I shoot them as they are when my buddy shoots them with his DD with Eotech.

With that said though, my rifles are for hunting and range use. Any optic can fail, but the higher end optics have a higher mean time between failure rates than the budget models. The owner of Primary Arms states that his optics are for range and training use and does not recommend them for LEO duty or combat use. So take that for what it is worth....

 

[TheMaineEvent]

For self-defense I'm more of the belief that your life is more in the hands of the quality of the magazine and ammo than the optic. In reality, how many real world situations would an optic really make a difference? Not many.
Now, I'm not saying you go the way of a $20 red dot, but there are plenty of intermediary options (Primary Arms and Bushnell are two) where you'd be perfectly fine.

 

[trout25red]

Thanks guys. I guess making these decisions is part of the fun.

 

[BillyJack2012]

A lot of this decision will be based on your level of comfort not only with the optic but your backup plan as well. For range use, a GOOD budget optic will do you fine. For home defense, it just depends. I'm comfortable with my Primary Arms optics as they have done great over the last couple of years. I also know that if I do ever run into an issue, my BUIS are sighted in at the same range and all I have to do is flip them up. I'm at the point where is close quarters, I would only need to flip the front (you don't need to do this with a fixed sight on the Sport) an sight through the cylinder of the optic. It will get me to center mass with no problem. Regardless of what you spend and what you get, ALL electronics can fail. Get yourself a good light and some BUIS and you'll be in good shape.

 

[ASTMedic]

I agree with the above. I trust my Primary Arms dot for at home work. If I was slamming around for days at a time in a hostile environment I would go for the high end optic. They have a longer battery life and are more durable no question. If I get to the point that my optic is taking a massive beating then something went was south and I'm most likely using my AR as a club.

I also trust my irons to back up my optic if it should fail. An optic can fail even if you paid $10k for it. So more money doesn't mean you can just slap it on and never have a back up plan. I'd be more worried about buying a cheap light that would be prone to dying under recoil. If I loose my light I can't even point shoot if I can't see the person.