What Red Dots do you own that work and are cheap?

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Just ordered a Vortex SPARC and should have it in a day or so for my M1 carbine (Auto Ordnance), after I did a lot of internet/forum research. Seems to have a very sollid reputation and a lot fo nice features, and a 2 MOA dot. I'll let everyone know what I think after I mount and shoot it...
 
I have two red dots.

1. Aimpoint CompM4 and
2. BSA cheapo

Frankly, other than battery life and the size of the dot, I see little difference between the two. I've had the BSA for 5 or 6 years longer than the Aimpoint which I bought about 4 years ago. The BSA takes a beating because my kids use it a lot. Nevertheless, it keeps ticking and doesn't seem to ever loose its zero.

Aimpoints are like expensive watches or expensive pens. They look good, they perform well, and they have a high wow factor. For the money, however, they are a rip off.

I'll never buy another Aimpoint but will most certainly buy a few more BSAs.
 
I got a busnell that i spent $100 bucks on its got red/green and 4 reticles i put it on a 10/22 for coon hunting and that thing has taken more than its fare share of slips and landings in ice and gravel and never lost zero id buy that one if i was you.
 
Just ordered a Vortex SPARC and should have it in a day or so for my M1 carbine (Auto Ordnance), after I did a lot of internet/forum research. Seems to have a very sollid reputation and a lot fo nice features, and a 2 MOA dot. I'll let everyone know what I think after I mount and shoot it...
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This is what I bought. Far better than the $30 dots and much closer to the $400+ units in quality.

http://swfa.com/Vortex-SPARC-Red-Dot-Sights-C2988.aspx
 
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I learned a hard $50.00 lesson when it comes to "Cheap" Red Dots. I went this this NCStar and true to their reputation it was absolute garbage. I'm still looking for a replacement. So far I'm leaning towards a Bushnell Trophy Series Dot.
 
I have several red dots on various rifles that function fine.

1) BSA 42mm Red Dot Sight 5 MOA on a .22 for my grandson $19.99 @ Natchez

2) A Tasco propoint (this is about 12 years old) on an SKS I paid $49.99 for it.

3) A Barska on a Kel-Tec SU16 A from Optics Planet $39.99 on sale
 
With so many people saying they are happy with BSA, I'll have to take a serious look at them next time. Meanwhile, here's another vote for the Vortex StrikeFire. I have it mounted on an AR-15 and have taken it to the range only a couple of times. Holding zero prety well, but I have to agree with two other posters here, the dot on my scope is slightly out of round and although the intensity is adjustable with a choice of red or green, the relatively large size of the dot leaves room for improvement. I think it is worth the $150.00 I paid for it, but those BSAs at such a cheap price I'm thinking I could buy several and not have to swap them from gun to gun. Only negative I'm thinking is if the big blurry dot on the Vortex bothers me, how precise is the dot on the BSAs?
 
OT: Has anyone disassembled there 5 MOA dot scope and tried to modify the size of the dot (smaller) with a small piece of thin aluminum precision drilled with an aperture smaller than the original?
 
Strikefire 4 MOA dot size is a tad bit to large for my preferences plus coupled with astigmatism it will make the dot look like a daisy. However if the intensity is turned down even with my shot eyes and no glasses the dot become clear and non-blurred. Have used the Stikefire for over a year now and it works. I did get the red dot only version in that some of the reviews I had seen said the red/green version was not as bright as the red dot only.

Still have not really got to test my Sparc for I am waiting on a different upper to mount it on. Originally it was going on a GSG-5 but would not co-witness on that rifle. Then I thought ok I will mount it on a YHM 7.62x39 upper but it has not arrived yet. I to will look at some of the offerings by BSA, Leatherwood and Bushnell like the TSR-25. Problem is again if a red dot is going on a .22 and most of your shots will be taken on small targets (in my way of thinking) I do not want the dot bigger than the target at 75 yards. SO.....2 MOA (or less) to put on 3 .22s is what I want for fun without spending enough to purchase a truck mounted 37mm direct from the slightly used market of the mid-east..!!
 
I have a Nikon 1x4 non illuminated rifle scope especially made for the AR. It is a good little scope and has never given me any problems. There are now illuminated scopes in the range of 1-4x30mm that might be better than a straight red dot. The eye relief on them may be a problem if you are hunting and need a quick point and shoot?? Dunno just a thought on something like this:http://www.millettsights.com/scopes/dms/
except they are getting back up there is price $300?? Same for the Burris http://www.google.com/url?q=http://...JvQ&ei=BEpJTqSfBqnsxQWVg4zRDg&ved=0CDMQqxIwCg

Good news is they do have donut rings and 1 or 2 MOA dots. Bad news the mount can cost upwards of $60 for some.
 
I have a Burris AR332 on my AR, and I just adore it. Cost around $300. I also have a Tasco propoint for a backup. Red for day, green for night on both.
 
^
About the AR332, IIRC the issues with skewed reticles were due to mis-aligned mounts, and Trijicon bases made everything square and copacetic, right? Will these things be okay on an A2 carry handle?
 
About the AR332, IIRC the issues with skewed reticles were due to mis-aligned mounts, and Trijicon bases made everything square and copacetic, right? Will these things be okay on an A2 carry handle
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I would seriously consider not mounting anything on the actual carry handle of your AR. Mount it forward of the carry handle ( scout mode) and as with the Strikefire it will co-witness perfectly (others will too). Have popped many a pig with that set up....welll many for me!
 
I have 2 Bushnell Trophy Red Dots and 1 Millet Red Dot. They all work fine.

You do not need a $400 Red Dot just to shoot at the range or go hunting. Unless you plan on jumping out of helicopters or are going to deploy to Afghanistan, save your money.

One of the Bushnells is on my AR-15, co-witnessing with iron sights, and mounted with some quick release scope rings. If there's any problems with it, it comes off in 5 seconds or less. So far, there haven't been any problems. I like it.
 
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I have EO Techs on my guns that could be called upon for serious use
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Hope your batteries are not dead if you should ever need to use it!

I have to remove the batteries in mine or they will be dead in a couple of months, turning it off doesn't see to actually turn it off :(
 
Only negative I'm thinking is if the big blurry dot on the Vortex bothers me, how precise is the dot on the BSAs?
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One thing you want to do is turn down the dot brightness as low as you can and still see it good. For target shooting I like to turn it so low that it looks almost transparent.

The dots in my BSA sights aren't as sharp or as small as my friend's Aimpoint or my old Aimpoints but realistically we shoot just as well with the BSA as the Aimpoint.

I told him one day it's a little embarrassing to have your $400 sight get out-shot by a $30 sight.:D

M4RedDot.gif

BMM4100ydsBSA.gif
 
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Noticed the slight skew(AR332). Ten seconds with a file took care of it. In my case, it was a burr along the edge where it set in the mount. Forgot all about it until it was mentioned.
 
I learned a hard $50.00 lesson when it comes to "Cheap" Red Dots. I went this this NCStar and true to their reputation it was absolute garbage. I'm still looking for a replacement.
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If there is a reflex type dot sight that works for less than $200 I'd love to find it. I had high hopes for the Primary Arms "Green Dot" reflex for about $75 and used the Burris Fastfire mounts, but it wouldn't hold zero for much more than a mag (I was shooting 9mm 147 gr sub-sonic in my Glock 17L, hardly a lot of recoil). I don't mean subtle shifts, I was ringing the plates and then suddenly like 1' off! They let me return it, and I used the credit towards a Burris Fastfire-II. He said about 1 in 25 comes back, less than 1 in 100 for the tube type he sells.


Pays to buy from a place that backs their product -- I returned three cheap red dots to Sportsman's guide for refund (NcStar, Sightmark, Pentax). I've had near 100% good results from cheap tube type red dots.
 
Recently a few shooters that had never shot using a Red Dot sight, shot a couple of my guns.
They had a ball and couldn't get over how easy it was to, right away, hit whatever they were aiming at.:)
 
I use 1" Ultradots on my bullseye guns, a couple have over 10,000 rounds on the slide of a 1911 and they have zero problems.

They also make 30mm dots and four position dots that work well on everything else. They have a decent warranty too.
 
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