Vortex Sparc for AR?

[mastiffhound]

I can get a Vortex Sparc for my .22LR AR for $159.99. The problem is I can't seem to find any long term reviews of 1 or 2 years, most are a few months. If you have experience with the Sparc your opinion will be greatly valued. So Yes or No?

 

[Limey46]

I've had one on my Sig 522 for about a year and I like it a lot. No issues of any kind.

 

[HD_Ride]

I just picked one up a few weeks ago and installed it on my M&P15. I only had it out once but I like it Here's a good review on them...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lLXsscsiZ9M

 

[Jackal]

The Sparcs not bad, but the Bushnell TRS-25 is a better value.

 

[jmr40]

Had one for about 2 years. No problem. I'd rate them as the best for the money. I've tried some of the less expensive versions and been left disappointed.

 

[wally]

I've had great luck with the Vortex Strike-Fire, have several. Tried a Sparc, had bad parallax at 50 yards -- moving my eye point moved the dot's location on the target. Sent it back and they said it was fine so I said send me a Strike-Fire in exchange. Never looked back.

Also had great results with the Bushnell TRS-25 and the Primary Arms MD-06.

 

[Lloyd Smale]

I have a couple strikefires and theyve been rock solid for about 3 years now.

 

[YZ]

Mastiffhound

I chose the Sparc over the Bushnell TRS because it gave me a smaller red dot for indoor or low light practice. (It is called "Night Mode" but whatever) Another feature I liked was the unscrewable 2x magnifier on the tube. Third, it came with different height solid mounts, no risers needed. Forth, it has digital button brightness control, not a turn wheel.

Here is what I found. The red dot is fine. The magnifier is almost useless, because it is greenish, dim, and narrow. Shooting with both eyes open takes some serious adjustment from me. The mounts are still a plus. The button switches are convenient, but no big deal. The most important distinction, as to how it held the zero, I did not spend enough rounds to check.

I moved mine onto a 22 rimfire target pistol, and it feels more useful there. For a centerfire AR there are definitely better buys for $200.

 

[HJ857]

I've been using a SPARC for approximately three years now. It's been mounted to an SKS, a Saiga 12, a Stag 3G and now a 9mm AR. It's been rock solid and now has a lot of rounds on it it and most of it in competitions.

I'll agree with everything YZ said and add that it uses an unusual battery. I could not find one locally at all and ended up ordering extras online and shipping costs made that a poor deal. However, I'm still using the original battery.

The SPARC is kind of large for a red dot and I don't like that but it isn't a deal breaker. The Primary Arms micro is a lot smaller but I've experienced serious durability issues with them - warranty exchange is how I ended up with the SPARC.

No experience with Bushnell but I do have experience with Primary Arms optics and I'd rate the SPARC way above anything from PA and near the top of the lower cost red dot choices.

 

[MattShlock]

Had one for about 2 years. No problem. I'd rate them as the best for the money. I've tried some of the less expensive versions and been left disappointed.

When I did my research this was the same conclusion I came to... No probs with it!

 

[gotigers]

on sale here.

http://palmettostatearmory.com/index.php/featured/vortex-sparc-red-dot-optic.html

 

[Jackal]

I currently have a few red dot sights. I wont comment on durability, since none of my gear gets abused. Here's a breakdown:

Vortex Sparc- Fairly heavy, crisp dot, decent brightness, mediocre battery life, annoyingly mushy push button controls, 6 oclock led position less than ideal, extra mounts are a big plus, 2x magnifier almost useless, excellent warranty.

Eotech 512- Big, heavy, decent brightness, poorly designed battery setup, great reticle (maybe the best), weak battery life. Of all these red dots, this is the only one that has needed warranty work. The battery terminals broke loose..., sold the replacement.)

BSA 40mm- Pure trash/garbage. Enough said.

Tasco 40mm- ^^

Aimpoint PRO- Excellent optic. Have nothing bad to say about it, but its not really competing with these other sights so I wont go into further detail.

Bushnell TRS-25- Crisp bright dot, clear optics, lightweight, great battery life, nice solid click adjustments, mounts low enough to cowitness on AK rail, works very well for $100.

Aimpoint H1 2moa- What can I say, its the best. Amazing battery life (50,000 hours), crisp dot, brightness goes up to nuclear (seriously, Ive never used it above setting 9), price is insane unless its on sale (I paid $445 OTD for mine). All that said, I was somewhat disappointed that the clicks on the Aimpoints adjustments were not as positive as the Bushnell micro's. I can compare these 2 side by side and there are few differences. Aimpoint is brighter/clearer and I can bet my life on it. The Bushnell is almost as good in every respect (that matters), but I know its not something I could drop from a helicopter and still function, which the Aimpoint will.

If I had to rate them, it would go like this:

1. Aimpoint
2. Bushnell TRS
3. Vortex Sparc
11. Eotech 512 (Haha, I'm not a fan of any failure prone $380 optic)

 

[newglockguy]

It's a great budget rds and vortex has maybe the best customer service out there, so if something goes wrong you're covered.

 

[Dr.Zubrato]

I have one on my ar and I like it a lot. Im really happy it came with the different risers for lower 1/3 and true cowitness, i thought lower 1/3 would be the best and didnt like it at all. so I didnt end up sinking a bunch of cash into a larue mount that I didnt like.
great value

one thing I dont like, is its very easy to accidentally turn it on by bumping it into something

 

[jim243]

TRS-25 is a much better red dot, IMHO.

Jim