Cheap decent quality red dot recommendations?

S&W1006

Member
Joined
May 19, 2009
Messages
598
Reaction score
249
Location
Mooresville NC
Hello guys. I have had my M&P 15-22 over a month now and I am loving this gun. I have the MagPul BUS but I want to add a red dot. I have a cheap ($25) Tasco that was on my 10/22 but I added a bull barrel for better accuracy and I switched the 10/22 back to a scope. I bought the riser and mounted my Tasco which has worked flawlessly but man does it look cheap. No offense if you have one they work great on a 22 but they look cheap IMO. I am looking for a low price decent red dot for my 15-22. I shoot a rimfire challenge with it so a red dot helps a lot. I have looked at several under $75 some look good but I have no idea if they are any good. I have read the reviews of some of the cheaper ones on Midway and Amazon and most are mixed. I trust the opinion of the people on this forum and I wonder what some of you have used for a low priced red dot that doesn't look cheap. I am okay with holographic sights also. I know I'm cheap but I will not spend a lot of money for a red dot on a 22. On a regular AR15 I will spend more. Some of the guys I shoot with have eotech's on their 15-22's. I just can't spend that much for optics on a 22. Thanks for the help.
 
Register to hide this ad
Bought a Centerpoint for mine last week, $50 at walmart. if u want to use back up sights u will need a riser. Has both red and green dots and 4 different reticles. Model #72602. Been a little too cool up here to get it dialed in, but got pretty close after 10 rounds
 
Last edited:
the bushnell TRS-25 is nice and has great reviews.i have one and love it and they cost around $100 anywhere they are sold.if you want to co witness with the stock sights then get a UTG .83" riser and it lines up perfectly.
 
UTG DS3840 4-Inch ITA Red/Green Dot Sight with 2 QD Mounts and Flip-open Lens Caps

NCStar Zombie Stryke 4x32 Compact Rifle Scope w/ Free S&H

Both these have been very good so far. UTG was 47.00shipped
NC Star was 74.00 shipped
 
I have the utg me mentioned in the previous post and for $45 you can't beat it. Nice quality and holds zero like a champ.
 
The 2 most reliable and affordable are

Bushnell TRS-25
&
Primary Arms Red Dot
 
Spend an extra 20 and get a primary arms most can be had for $100 or less
This

I have the 30MM Primary Arms red dot and its a nice sight. $69 plus shipping.

15-22-OD.jpg
 
SightMark, great sights, good prices. I posted some pics of mine, I prefer green dots though, so I got one. Sportsman's Guide has mine for 99.

Blasted from my Samsung Galaxy SIII (CM10.1 Masta Mix).
 
I was in the same boat as you. Couldn't see spending $100-150+ on a red dot for a .22 that's used primarily for plinking.

I wanted a reflex (open) style vs scope style for more peripheral vision, which ruled out a lot of options (I'm still not sure if that was the correct route).

Anyway., I chose the Mueller Quick Shot and got it for $95 shipped with a free tshirt and decal from joeboboutfitters.com
Mueller Quick Shot? 1×22×33 (Black) - Mueller Optics

I couldn't find any negative (or positive for that matter) reviews on the various forums and such, but I went for it anyway.
Apparently, Mueller is more known in the Turkey hunting world. I figured if it could handle a turkey gun it could handle my .22 .

All that said, I can't compare it to other red dots because it's my first. But other than reflection in certain light situations it's spot on and I love it. I'm hoping reflection/glare is an open sight problem regardless of brand, but I may be wrong. Hopefully someone with more experience can chime in.
 

Attachments

  • opplanet-mueller-optics-1x22x33-quickshot-reddot-scope-black.jpg
    opplanet-mueller-optics-1x22x33-quickshot-reddot-scope-black.jpg
    10.9 KB · Views: 212
  • IMAG0979-1-1.jpg
    IMAG0979-1-1.jpg
    46.9 KB · Views: 271
  • IMAG0984-1.jpg
    IMAG0984-1.jpg
    52.7 KB · Views: 315
  • IMAG1015.jpg
    IMAG1015.jpg
    39.8 KB · Views: 234
Last edited:
Get a Bushnell TRS-25 on a .83 riser for absolute co-witness with your sights. . Got my TRS from Botach for 79 bucks and free shipping.
 
I just picked up the Primary Arms PA30CR for $82 shipped including a cantilever mount. I've only used it once but the sight seems well made and works great. The shipping was really fast. I ordered it on Friday and got it Monday priority mail. PA has a great reputation for customer service. I would definitely recommend this sight.
https://www.primaryarms.com/Primary_Arms_3MOA_CR2032_Red_Dot_p/pa30cr.htm
 
the bushnell TRS-25 is nice and has great reviews.i have one and love it and they cost around $100 anywhere they are sold.if you want to co witness with the stock sights then get a UTG .83" riser and it lines up perfectly.
That's my setup ASWELL, Cant go wrong with the quality, and it looks sweet. I scored the first one for 50 bucks and just got another for70.To run on my Colt 6900 LE AR15. Look around u can find deals...
 
Hello guys. I have had my M&P 15-22 over a month now and I am loving this gun. I have the MagPul BUS but I want to add a red dot. I have a cheap ($25) Tasco that was on my 10/22 but I added a bull barrel for better accuracy and I switched the 10/22 back to a scope. I bought the riser and mounted my Tasco which has worked flawlessly but man does it look cheap. No offense if you have one they work great on a 22 but they look cheap IMO. I am looking for a low price decent red dot for my 15-22. I shoot a rimfire challenge with it so a red dot helps a lot. I have looked at several under $75 some look good but I have no idea if they are any good. I have read the reviews of some of the cheaper ones on Midway and Amazon and most are mixed. I trust the opinion of the people on this forum and I wonder what some of you have used for a low priced red dot that doesn't look cheap. I am okay with holographic sights also. I know I'm cheap but I will not spend a lot of money for a red dot on a 22. On a regular AR15 I will spend more. Some of the guys I shoot with have eotech's on their 15-22's. I just can't spend that much for optics on a 22. Thanks for the help.
Try the TruGlo Dual Color reflex sight. I have used one in both the 2011 and 2012 Ruger Rimfire World Championships to finish in the top 25 using either a 15-22 or a 22 AR conversion. About $65 at Dicks or cheaper on line. Another I have been using lately that may be on my rifle for the 2013 event is the Pentax HS20 ($55). You can mount them flat on the rail without a riser and get much reduced bore axis offset over a mil-spec red dot on a co-witness riser mount. The top guys in RR usually mount a red dot right on top of the rail with no riser.
 
Last edited:
I just put a TRS-25 on my Mark III and really like it. I put the Bushnell Tatical Elite 1 x 32 on my 15-22. The TRS-25 can be found for $80 and the Tatical for about $140
 
i got a truglo 2x red dot looks good and i wanted something with a little magnification dot is super bright adjust from 1 to 10 brightness cost 100.00 at cabelas.
 
Get a Bushnell TRS-25 on a .83 riser for absolute co-witness with your sights. . Got my TRS from Botach for 79 bucks and free shipping.

This, you can't beat it for the money. Batteries last forever, which is something you will find lacking in the cheapies. A guy on here has a post going, he's had his on for about 5 months and dot still going strong.
 
Took a Tasco ProPoint off my Desert Eagle, put it on my wife's 15-22. Works great. Grabbed another ProPoint at a gun show last evening for $25. They work well.
Picked up a Mepro 21 for her Colt AR-15 and it's beautiful but you probably don't want to head to that price range.
 
Try the TruGlo Dual Color reflex sight. I have used one in both the 2011 and 2012 Ruger Rimfire World Championships to finish in the top 25 using either a 15-22 or a 22 AR conversion. About $65 at Dicks or cheaper on line. Another I have been using lately that may be on my rifle for the 2013 event is the Pentax HS20 ($55). You can mount them flat on the rail without a riser and get much reduced bore axis offset over a mil-spec red dot on a co-witness riser mount. The top guys in RR usually mount a red dot right on top of the rail with no riser.

I was talking to a coworker about he had a Truglo dual color he took off his AR. He said he didn't need it and sold it to me for $20. No complaints it mounted with no riser needed and it looks good. I will head to the range soon and give it a test. So far I am hapyy with it.
 
I got a trs 25 for my 15-22. Used it the first time today and I don't like it that much. I got it because it's so light.

My son has a gsg5 and I put a ncstar with laser on his and I like it much better. It was also about 20 bucks cheaper than the bushnell.
 
I just ordered a primary arms and got a mount for 69.99. Have seen a lot of good reviews for it on here. Once I get it and take it to the range I'll let everyone know what I think.

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk
 
I have decided to get the Primary Arms MD-07 or MD-08. Any preferences between the two?

Also which riser will I need for lower 1/3 co-witness? I have the Magpul MOE sights.
 
UTG DS3840 4-Inch ITA Red/Green Dot Sight with 2 QD Mounts and Flip-open Lens Caps

..snip...

Both these have been very good so far. UTG was 47.00shipped
NC Star was 74.00 shipped

The winner right here. UTG.
 
Being both frugal (I really mean CHEAP!!!) and curious about what technology had brought since I last used an AR-type rifle (M16A1, 1968-1971 S.E.Asian War Games); I got myself a 15-22 instead of a centerfire version. The iron sights included where just about what I remembered from back in the day (though my eyes weren't) so I started buying some inexpensive optics. The whole point was to avoid tying a bunch of money up in glass for what was really just a fancy plinker (I think you can relate) so I looked for decent stuff that didn't cost the earth. First, I got a Pentax Gameseeker reflex from Sportsman's Guide that was a little hard to zero but did a heck of a job when it was dialed in. Then I picked up a pair of BSA 'scopes; one a 1-power, 3MOA red/blue/green-dot that was far easier to adjust and keeps it's zero quite well. The second was also a BSA, this a 3-12X40 that also fits on a riser for operating rod clearance. All of these have been more than accurate for my needs and have cost less than $100 combined (riser included). Would I take them hunting Hajiis in Afghanistan? No, but that ain't my job and a 15-22 wasn't made for that either. This stuff does an adequate job of satisfying my curiosity and putting bullets where I want them. If that's good enough for you, then look on the lower end of the price dial.
 
Being both frugal (I really mean CHEAP!!!) and curious about what technology had brought since I last used an AR-type rifle (M16A1, 1968-1971 S.E.Asian War Games); I got myself a 15-22 instead of a centerfire version.

Frugal as it may be, if you really want to see how AR tech has changed, check out the newer centerfires. Piston driven, etc... They run MUCH cleaner than the M16A1's and A2's.
 
Finally got my red dot. Primary arms pa30cr. So far so good

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk
 

Attachments

  • uploadfromtaptalk1362805062612.jpg
    uploadfromtaptalk1362805062612.jpg
    159 KB · Views: 159
  • uploadfromtaptalk1362805087353.jpg
    uploadfromtaptalk1362805087353.jpg
    32.3 KB · Views: 116
Back
Top