Help Alkaline1 pick an AR optic!

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Alkaline1

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Hey folks,

Disclaimer: I fully admit to being a red dot newbie. Lets "pretend" I know nothing about them. Budget: <$500

I have been running an old Tasco World Class on my DDM4V7 (i know i know...) and am ready to move along to something more suitable.

I have 22LR and 223 bolt guns set up for some more precision stuff, so i started looking away from magnified optics. This leads me to looking into red dots.
The problem is, there are A LOT of options. I'm at a loss as to where i should start looking.

Thus far, i have read up on the new-ish Sig Romeo 5 red dot as well as the Vortex SPARC II & AR. Both seems to offer compact optics, with 2 MOA dots and mounts to allow co-witness. Some of Vortex's other offerings look neat, but i don't want to stray above the 2 MOA dot. More of an arbitrary cut off i set for myself, thinking i want to be able to pick off clays on my ranges 200 yard berm.

From there I found myself looking at more expensive offerings. Starting with EOTech and Aimpoint. The EOTech offerings caught my attention with their nifty 65 MOA circle with 1 MOA center dot. Pretty much exactly what i wanted...except for the price point.

I am also not opposed to low magnification, but i want to stick to an illuminated reticle. I've been finding it harder and harder to find a black reticles against black targets (i like burst outs). I noticed Vortex offers a cool looking 3x prism type sight, but again the price is creeping up there. Bushnell's AR line offers a 1-4 with an illuminated reticle as well, but i'm hoping to get away from having to pick up a mounting system as well.

SO. What does the CGN collective think? I am open to suggestions, and feel free to school me on anything i am overlooking.
 
For less then 500 I’d say go with a Holosun or Vortex Sparc or strike fire. I’ve had both and preferred the strike fire. Full disclosure, I’ve never used the Holosun aside from trying one mag of someone at the club
 
Bak Dur said:
For less then 500 I’d say go with a Holosun or Vortex Sparc or strike fire. I’ve had both and preferred the strike fire. Full disclosure, I’ve never used the Holosun aside from trying one mag of someone at the club
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I've seen decent reviews of Holosun, but i have never seen one in person. Maybe i should go looking.

I also considered the strike fire, but the 4 MOA dot was a turn off.
 
Spend a bit above your budget and get the EOTech. It checks all your boxes and is a battle proven optic. You can use the hell out of it and still sell it when you are done for decent amount. I made the same mistake with my vortexes and sold them to get the Aimpoint PRO.
 
You get what you pay for, unfortunately. If you have a chance, LOOK at the reticle in person first. Don't buy based on photo's off the Internet. If you have even a minor astigmatism, you may find that the red dots or holo sight "blooms" and that can be a deal breaker for many. I have astigmatism and the cheaper red dots tend to bloom badly for me. I have an Eotech and several Aimpoints (Pro's and T2's) and I prefer the Aimpoint's. The Eotech flickers too much for my liking and coupled with the slight bloom I see, makes it more distracting than usable. Of course I bought it without looking through one first... so I can only suggest you try before you buy.
 
Thats for all the info folks!

I believe ive made up my mind to try Holosun.

I want something more robust looking so im down to the hs406a and the hs502c.

Anyone have experience with either?
 
Have you looked at the Vortex SPITFIRE™ AR? Good if you have any astigmatism and comes with an etched reticle in case the battery goes down.
 
The Holosun HS510c is fantastic for the money. There are numerous reviews where it routinely ranks above the more expensive optics in terms of durability, and bang for buck. @ $399, you can't beat it.I love mine!
 
XX Moosehead XX said:
The Holosun HS510c is fantastic for the money. There are numerous reviews where it routinely ranks above the more expensive optics in terms of durability, and bang for buck. @ $399, you can't beat it.I love mine!
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When you hear a guy like Nuthinfancy say he will never buy another Aimpoint because the Holosun is a better optic at half the price, that's a pretty good recommendation, those guys run their guns hard.
There is a 515cu on the EE for $325 right now, if I were the OP ,I would be jumping on that
 
The vortex sparc ar is a great sight for the value. I have 3 and have had zero issues. I also have a 3x spitfire and it's a excellent sight as well. There are always guys that say buy a battle proven sight and I agree if your going over seas but for a range gun that idea that you need the same sight as Someone that uses it in a military application is silly. Vortex has a life time no bs warranty and the sparc costs $299.
 
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