What scope or red dot are you using?

Dadman said:
Figuring out what I want is part of the decision I guess. I'm leaning toward the red dot sight, but I worry about a battery dying on me, then I have to rely on bkup sights. A scope is accurate, and I like the Nikon P22. But they're also slower to target and this is after all a 22 carbine that is just not intended to be a tight grouping rifle (I know, I know, some of you guys have had great results. That's not my point.)
So, that's where I'm at right now.
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If you'd prefer not to have to rely on a battery, want some magnification and still fast target acquisition, you might consider a variable power 1-4x. Primary Arms and Bushnell as well as others make them for an AR and priced in line with your budget.
 
Dadman said:
Figuring out what I want is part of the decision I guess. I'm leaning toward the red dot sight, but I worry about a battery dying on me, then I have to rely on bkup sights. A scope is accurate, and I like the Nikon P22. But they're also slower to target and this is after all a 22 carbine that is just not intended to be a tight grouping rifle (I know, I know, some of you guys have had great results. That's not my point.)
So, that's where I'm at right now.
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I removed my backup sights, as I found I never used them. Battery life is not a big issue for me, as this is not my home defense gun. That being said, I keep spare batteries for my optics in the grip for all my ARs & 15-22s. I use the Magpul + grip on all, so if my optic goes down, a battery change is no big deal. Also, if battery life is an issue, then look at the Aimpoint Pro. I have several of them & the battery lasts for years with the optic kept on. Sure, it is a lot of optic for a 15-22 but I love great optics. One of my 15-22s uses an Eotech & the other uses the Aimpoint Pro.

I prefer a red dot over a magnified scope. Like you said, acquisition is quicker with one. Besides that, I seldom shoot beyond 100 yards, with most shooting done within 50. I find the best compromise is a red dot with a 3x flip to side magnifier. At the distances I shoot, 3x is more than enough when I really want to get a tight grouping, such as when zeroing a new optic. This way, I can add or remove the magnifier without worrying about my zero, and when on and not needed, it can be flipped to the side... out of the way. Primary Arms makes a real nice magnifier & mount.
 
Nikon P22 scope and a cheap Field Sport Red and Green Reflex Sight with 4 Reticles I picked up off Amazon that works rather well. I like to swap them out depending on my shooting.
 
Has anyone tried Vortex Crossfire II?
[ame="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00794LKMW/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=2NBP8PETYIOIP&coliid=I1BW9FXB7YBFC5"]Amazon.com : Vortex Crossfire II 2-7x32 Rifle Scope, V-Plex Rimfire Reticle CF2-31001R : Sports & Outdoors@@AMEPARAM@@http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/31GgPBvzx-L.@@AMEPARAM@@31GgPBvzx-L[/ame]
 
dullh said:
Nikon P223 3x32 scope - short body, 3x magnification...it's great!

20150113_231924_zpsfd57f6f0.jpg
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I agree, this is a great scope. I have mine on my Sig Sauer M400. When I added the scope to my Sig, I moved my Sig Sauer red dot to the M&P 15-22, and it's awesome there. 25, 50, 100 yards, it gets the job done.
 
I Use a Aimpoint patrol rifle optic on my Ruger SR. 762 for shorter ranges and and a Nikon Prostaff 4x12 if I want to reach out a ways. Perhaps a bit of overkill for a 22 but I just love good scopes.
 
This is a 15-22 correct? Not a M&P 15 5.56 rifle?

I ask because I see people telling you to get a Eotech EXPS 3.2 with a g-33 magnifier??? As in $1200 worth of optics for a 22 AR? You could buy 2 - 15-22 and some mags for the cost of that optic setup for a 22 rifle with a 16inch low end barrel. Or at T1/T2??? Honestly those are total over kill. Seriously any decent red dot or scope designed for a 22 would work. I would NOT spend a lot of money on it.

On my 15-22 I have a TRS-25, its 3 years old and I am on the second 2032 battery? It has been perfect, no issues. I have the mid height UTG riser on it right now.

My 15-22 is a trainer gun for myself and my sons. We do not baby the gun or the optic at all. It gets dropped, bumped, not cleaned a lot. I have spray painted it with Krylon, touched it up. I would not call the setup disposable but if I break it training with it I am ok with that. We run drills with it until the we get the drill down, the mechanics of it. Then we run the same drill with our 5.56 rifles.

My M&P 15's and BCM's that is a different story. I was an Eotech guy for while, but after having issues on both units, even dimming issues with my XPS 2.0 from gas leaking, I am all Aimpoint now. I personally prefer the COMP M4s on a Laure mount over the T1, bigger tube I guess plus the AA battery for 8 years. I take much better care of those rifles, clean them after I use them etc.
 
Just got the same Aimpoint for my LE6920 - zeroed it last weekend and so far I love it! That being said - it's the first optic I've used so my opinion matters very little in the grand scheme of things but throwing in my two cents regardless :D

grover99 said:
I Use a Aimpoint patrol rifle optic on my Ruger SR. 762 for shorter ranges and and a Nikon Prostaff 4x12 if I want to reach out a ways. Perhaps a bit of overkill for a 22 but I just love good scopes.
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SGT_Lindy said:
This is a 15-22 correct? Not a M&P 15 5.56 rifle?
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I don't understand your point. Is there some rule about how expensive an optic you can put on a gun? The optic can't cost more than the gun? Is that the rule?

Guess I'm glad I'm a nonconformist. I don't care for arbitrary rules set by others. If I followed this rule, guess I wouldn't be shooting suppressed, as that Sparrow & stamp ran me $600... double what I paid for my last 15-22. Heck, the handguard I'm putting on my SBR 15-22 costs almost as much as the gun & lets not even talk about the $200 stamp for the SBR. Sure don't want to talk about the money I put into all my accessories.

I have found it best not to judge what others do with their firearms, as long as they are safe.
 
RedNeck Jim said:
I don't understand your point. Is there some rule about how expensive an optic you can put on a gun? The optic can't cost more than the gun? Is that the rule?

Guess I'm glad I'm a nonconformist. I don't care for arbitrary rules set by others. If I followed this rule, guess I wouldn't be shooting suppressed, as that Sparrow & stamp ran me $600... double what I paid for my last 15-22. Heck, the handguard I'm putting on my SBR 15-22 costs almost as much as the gun & lets not even talk about the $200 stamp for the SBR. Sure don't want to talk about the money I put into all my accessories.

I have found it best not to judge what others do with their firearms, as long as they are safe.
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I think what he is saying is that putting $600 worth of optics on a rifle that has a hard time doing 2 MOA is overkill. If your rifle could do .5 MOA then the better the scope likely the better you could get with it. Most serious rifle shoots usually buy an optic that comes close to the cost of the rifle because they need that for that kind of purpose. My LR .308 has a $1000 Bushnell Elite Tactical scope on it which is about the least expensive scope you can buy with the performance capable of reaching 1000 yards. Most of my .22 rifles including my 15-22s have C-Mores, Truglos, or BSA Sweet .22 scopes on them. they are as good as the rifles are so anything more expensive is pretty much overkill. If I set my 15-22 up as a trainer I put a $150 1-4x28 tactical scope on it. Not the same as the $400 ones on my 3-gun rifle but it does the job of practice. When shooting speed steel I put a good reflex red dot on usually a C-More which is the one the pros use, around $200. And more that that is not going to make you any better unless you need exactly the optic that is on a duty weapon.
 
RedNeck Jim said:
I don't understand your point. Is there some rule about how expensive an optic you can put on a gun? The optic can't cost more than the gun? Is that the rule?

Guess I'm glad I'm a nonconformist. I don't care for arbitrary rules set by others. If I followed this rule, guess I wouldn't be shooting suppressed, as that Sparrow & stamp ran me $600... double what I paid for my last 15-22. Heck, the handguard I'm putting on my SBR 15-22 costs almost as much as the gun & lets not even talk about the $200 stamp for the SBR. Sure don't want to talk about the money I put into all my accessories.

I have found it best not to judge what others do with their firearms, as long as they are safe.
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Not judging or setting any rules, just giving my 2 cents. Trying to be practical. It is a free country and do what with your money. The OP was asking for advice. My advice will be on the practical side of things aimed at your intended use of the weapon.

I love my 15-22 because when I got it ammo was cheap, like $14.99 for 500 rounds. It also has the same controls at a full size AR. I bought mine for $450 if I remember correctly. All that said its a 22 with just an OK 16 inch barrel.

I buy Aimpoints for my 5.56 rifles because the capability of the optic can match the capability of the weapon. That and they are my go to weapons and I want an optic that will work. I would not use my 15-22 as a go to weapons unless that was all I had. I PERSONALLY think its a waste of money to drop $1200 on optics for a 22 rifle with just an OK barrel and just an Ok trigger. Basically the optic will be 10x more capable than the weapon. For a 22 match rifle, with a barrel and trigger that cost more than a 15-22 each, match it with a nice optic with great glass.

I get if you are into the looks of the weapon vs the use of it. There lots of really decked out 15-22's on this forum that have all kinds of high end parts on them that were originally designed for a 5.56 AR. It makes the weapons look nice for sure, but its not my cup of tea.
 
I'm not gonna dispute what you are saying. However the OP asked "what do you use ".

I simply posted what's on my set up. Eotech 3-4 and G33

As for quality of sight versus rifle. I agree. And will add that I am in the process of buying a 9mm and 5.56. Which will then cross deck the sight between all three. So IMHO an investment well made.

I also have an ACOG that I swap out again not saying he should get one, just that that is what I have and use.

Forward planning and all that.

Rob
 
photoracer said:
I think what he is saying is that putting $600 worth of optics on a rifle that has a hard time doing 2 MOA is overkill.
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I understand that line of reasoning but I still say, so what? So what if my Eotech or Aimpoint Pro is overkill in someone's opinion? The OP asked what we are using. This is not the normal thread on what is the best starter optic for someone.

I consider myself a very logical person and yes, my 15-22s started with TRS-25s. I have 3 of them... one of which resides on my 5.56. It is a great optic and in most applications, all a red dot user could ever need on an AR platform. I just happen to really like fine (better) optics, regardless if they are overkill for some redneck shooting targets in the country. I'm not saying everyone should do as I do. We all have our addictions. Thank goodness mine involves guns & not drugs, alcohol, smoking or gambling.
 
At the moment my 15-22's are sporting a 1x and 3x Vortex Spitfire. My PC version is wearing a Nikon 3-9x EFR. Very happy with each one and their intended uses.

I was a big "red dot" fan until my eyes went south, got to have ocular focus and a etched reticle now. :(
 
The great thing about Aimpoint H1/T1/T2's is they can be mounted on any gun including most pistols even revolvers and they will last just about forever. There should be plenty of used H1/T1's available since the launch of the T2. A decent scope is going to cost more than a good .223/.308
 
Nikon P-22 Rimfire 2-7 x32 with BDC ratical. use their SPOT ON balistics program to dial it in with any ammo you are useing. the program is down loadable to iPhone. not sure about android.
 
Rob1 said:
I'm not gonna dispute what you are saying. However the OP asked "what do you use ".

I simply posted what's on my set up. Eotech 3-4 and G33

As for quality of sight versus rifle. I agree. And will add that I am in the process of buying a 9mm and 5.56. Which will then cross deck the sight between all three. So IMHO an investment well made.

I also have an ACOG that I swap out again not saying he should get one, just that that is what I have and use.

Forward planning and all that.

Rob
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He also asked for our recommendations and input. That is all I gave. Again its a free country (assuming he is in the US) and if you want to buy a 15-22 for $500 and slap $2000 worth of AR parts on it there is nothing wrong with that as long as you realize that the potential of those $2000 worth of parts will never be realized on that weapon.

For you the Eotech setup will be good on your future 5.56. Those 400m, 500m and 600m dots on the 3-4 can be utilized once you get a 5.56. Right now they are indicaters of where the 22 round will enter the dirt :D
 
ATF said:
The great thing about Aimpoint H1/T1/T2's is they can be mounted on any gun including most pistols even revolvers and they will last just about forever. There should be plenty of used H1/T1's available since the launch of the T2. A decent scope is going to cost more than a good .223/.308
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It can cost more. I Nikon P-22 goes for $179 on amazon. Throw in some Nikon mounts and call it $225 at the most. That is more than enough scope for a 15-22.

On an AR 5.56 you could go from the Nikon P-223 3-9x40 which is also on Amazon for less ($159) with mount $221 and be good to go for most 5.56 ranges, especially considering many people dont have a lot of options for shooting much past 100-300 yards.

On the 5.56 and 308 you can easily get good- great optics that quickly push past the price of the rifle, and up to 3-4 times the cost of the rifle if not more. I would love to try out a Leupold MK 8 on one or my AR's...

Leupold Optics Mark 8 1.1-8x24mm CQBSS M5B1 Front Focal - | Leupold Optics

Once I have a spare $4700 to spend on a scope :eek:
 
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The great thing about optics is that they don't have to be permantly attached. Mounting a $800 red dot on a $300 gun doesn't hurt the optic or it's value one bit. Heck, it might even give you a good excuse to buy that expensive rifle you have been eyeballing, just to put that expensive optic on.
 
I'd like to mount a Red Dot on the side of my quad rail but, have had no luck finding one that I can see through if mounted on the side of rail?
Steve
 
ATF, Australian sniper rifle used to come with these but, I never saw the advantage over American made scopes like Leopold? Just price is higher. I plan on a scope(probably a Leopold, American made) but, really want a RedDot for closer distances on the side of quad rail.I really like the thought of keeping Americans working and industry growing!
Steve
 
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S.B. said:
ATF, Australian sniper rifle used to come with these but, I never saw the advantage over American made scopes like Leopold? Just price is higher. I plan on a scope(probably a Leopold, American made) but, really want a RedDot for closer distances on the side of quad rail.I really like the thought of keeping Americans working and industry growing!
Steve
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Quality MTC viper connect scope on top, cheapo China RMR on the side 45 degrees...works well enough to perforate tin cans at 25 yards., little tip though I'd mount it from the top rail its easier to get eye relief and sight picture without tilting the rifle too much. Go for the Vortex red dot the same one the great Jerry uses...if i had the cash i would, in a second.

RMR.jpg
 
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S.B. said:
ATF, Australian sniper rifle used to come with these but, I never saw the advantage over American made scopes like Leopold? Just price is higher. I plan on a scope(probably a Leopold, American made) but, really want a RedDot for closer distances on the side of quad rail.I really like the thought of keeping Americans working and industry growing!
Steve
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It's hard to beat a Trijicon Accupoint for all round use. Good eye relief too, so you could even use it with a shotgun if you wanted. Putting a red-dot together with a 1x4 scope is overkill. You can get Trijicons on Ebay or Amazon for around $800 :)
 
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