Best optic choice for a entry level AR?

sailor723 said:
Other than the 2 MOA dot vs 4 and the slightly higher price ($40ish?) is they much to choose between the Strikefire and the SPARC?

I'm seeing the Strikefire at $279 and the SPARK at 319 from Wolverine. Is that a reasonably good deal? Any other sponsors offering free or low flat rate shipping?

One has a cantilever mount, the other just says "multilevel mount" but doesn't appear to show it in the photo. Would one have any advantage over the other?
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Answered my own question.... Bullseye London has them for the same price but free shipping. So farI haven't found anywhere cheaper yet.

Would still like some advice over why to choose one of these over the other....
 
sailor723 said:
Answered my own question.... Bullseye London has them for the same price but free shipping. So farI haven't found anywhere cheaper yet.

Would still like some advice over why to choose one of these over the other....
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The SPARC II can be mounted at rail, 1/3 co-witness or full-co witness height. The Strikefire is 1/3 co-witness only so your front sight stays in the lower part of the view. Not necessarily a bad thing since most AR's are meant to run optics at this height. If you plan on going with a 3x flip to side magnifier the smaller 2 mil dot is the best way to go (2 mil dot dot covers 6 inches at 100 yds vs 12 inches at 100 yds for 4 mil). If you have a slight astigmatism, as I do, the SPARC II is easier to keep on target. Both are reliable entry level optics. Hope this helps.....Decisions decisions! :confused::confused:
 
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Firehoser said:
The SPARC II can be mounted at rail, 1/3 co-witness or full-co witness height. The Strikefire is 1/3 co-witness only so your front sight stays in the lower part of the view. Not necessarily a bad thing since most AR's are meant to run optics at this height. If you plan on going with a 3x flip to side magnifier the smaller 2 mil dot is the best way to go (2 mil dot dot covers 6 inches at 100 yds vs 12 inches at 100 yds for 4 mil). If you have a slight astigmatism, as I do, the SPARC II is easier to keep on target. Both are reliable entry level optics. Hope this helps.....Decisions decisions! :confused::confused:
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Now you've got me confused. I thought the SPARC was a 2 MOA dot. Wouldn't that cover 2" at 100 yards?
 
This was in reference to adding magnification later with a flip to side.You have to factor the 3x magnifier. 3x2 moa= 6. No magnifier 2 moa 2 inches at 100 yds would be correct.
 
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westwest said:
The bushnell TRS25 red dot disappears a 1/4" from the top and the glass is tinted blue and makes it hard to see through unless maybe ur in a desert with the sun blazing bright!
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Works fine in mine. Nice bright crisp red dot right to the very edge, all the way around. They are actually pretty well thought of for the dollar value. I know some people have bought two or three more for other applications. But if you are a Bushnell hater, well then I guess they are no good.
 
redryder said:
Works fine in mine. Nice bright crisp red dot right to the very edge, all the way around. They are actually pretty well thought of for the dollar value. I know some people have bought two or three more for other applications. But if you are a Bushnell hater, well then I guess they are no good.
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I'm not a bushnell hater but whatever.... The newer production TRS25 all have a problem with the red dot disappearing 1/4 way up top from the optic. I took mine in for a refund and bought a Spar2. Twice the money but 4 times the red dot!
 
Just start low balling all the Eotechs, your bound to get a good deal.

I'd offer em all 200-300 and see if there's a bite.
 
Thanks to everyone for all the advice.

I ended up buying a Vortex SPARC II from Bulls Eye London. I also got a set of flip up BUIS from HICal. (about the only place I found that had a front sight that said it was specifically for a low profile gas block mounting). I decided if magnification turned out to be an issue I could always add the Vortex 3x flip up magnifier later.

I guess only time will tell if I went the right way for my needs but at some point you have to take the plunge.:d The AR was shipped yesterday so I should be able to give everything a trial run by the end of next week.
 
Aimpoint Pro is an excellent buy. Probably the lowest priced real deal red dot I'm aware of. I have two and they are excellent. Low rate of failure/issues. The quick detach mount it comes with is actually pretty good.

That said, everyone likes more budget friendly stuff too, me included. I can't afford to put real deal stuff on everything.:p
I bought a TRS25 last summer to try out. Put it on a AR in 7.62x39 and 2500rds later it is still running great. I'm happy with it. It's been good for gongs out to 200yds. This may be the lowest price red dot with decent reliability? Three of us bought them last summer to try on our AR's, and so far all three have been good. We're all happy with it.

I'd like to try the Holosun with the Eotech reticle. Alittle more pricier in the $250-300 range though.

Also, Vortex is supposed to be releasing the new SPARC AR Red Dot this summer:
http://www.vortexoptics.com/product/vortex-sparc-ar-red-dot
 
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redryder said:
Works fine in mine. Nice bright crisp red dot right to the very edge, all the way around. They are actually pretty well thought of for the dollar value. I know some people have bought two or three more for other applications. But if you are a Bushnell hater, well then I guess they are no good.
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same here. have one on an ar-15 and one on my mossberg 935 in camo and both work great and the red dot goes right to the edges and crisp on both units. I use the Mossberg with camo trs-25 for turkeys in the spring and usually set up early am with the sun right in my face to catch birds coming from the neighbours property and never have a problem picking up the red dot, and it's kept zero after being rocked by the recoil on that puppy.
not saying that there's not better out there but I really like the two I own.
 
Firehoser said:
The SPARC II can be mounted at rail, 1/3 co-witness or full-co witness height. The Strikefire is 1/3 co-witness only so your front sight stays in the lower part of the view. Not necessarily a bad thing since most AR's are meant to run optics at this height. If you plan on going with a 3x flip to side magnifier the smaller 2 mil dot is the best way to go (2 mil dot dot covers 6 inches at 100 yds vs 12 inches at 100 yds for 4 mil). If you have a slight astigmatism, as I do, the SPARC II is easier to keep on target. Both are reliable entry level optics. Hope this helps.....Decisions decisions! :confused::confused:
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That's not quite right. Although the Strikefire does only come with 1 height option per box, they are available new with any of the 4 Vortex mount heights (low, medium, co-witness and 1/3 co-witness). You can also buy the mounts individually if you decide you want to make a change. I have a low mount and absolute co-witness mount for my Strikefire.
 
IMO - The Aimpoint PRO is the absolute best compromise of price, quality, value, effectiveness, battery life, durability and reliability, but $500 makes it unreasonable for every gun.

Second choice is The Sparc 2, but even that is over $300 now. Good optic, durable, mounting height options, flip caps, cap retainers, and red/green.

The TRS-25 is an okay compromise if cost is a major consideration. Mine is older and the dot does not disappear near the top though. Battery life is nothing special, especially in cold weather, but it is ultra light weight, works great indoors, and fairly inexpensive.
 
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