Bought first AR-15, have a couple of optics in mind

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I've recently bought a Smith and Wesson m&p sport II, as I'm waiting for it to come in the mail I've been researching optics. I cant decide on either a red dot-such as the vortex strikefire II ($230) or the 1-6x Vortex strike eagle ($499)

with the red dot I could also get a magnifier in the future to get it up to x3 zoom.

I plan on shooting anywhere from 100-300 yards with the AR, nothing longer than that most likely

Just cant decide if I want to go the red dot route or the dedicated AR scope.

I have a 4-24x scope on my m305 but dont have a decent red dot for any of my other weapons.

Im open to suggestions or other ideas for optics
 
Depends on what you want to do with it.... I find RDS are best for CQB 7 they are most flexible with eye placement. Glass like a Strike Eagle is best for bench shooting, though lots of 3 gunners will use them too.

Lots of great used options on the EE!
 
100-300 yds, Strike Eagle!

I have a Vortex red dot on the shelf in my shop right now. Awesome up to 50-100 yds, old eyes suck and 1-6 magnification rules.

Just my opinion.
 
I agree with Corney but it does depend on your type of shooting. Action shooting at say 18" square targets, you'll be OK with a red dot out to 200+ yards (assuming you use a 2 MOA dot). A magnifier might help but they are really clunky when you try them in anything off the bench and they don't help when the dot is obscuring The target.

The big benefit of red dots is speed of target acquisition. If you need to shoot tighter than say 4 MOA past 50 yards, it's really hard to do with a red dot with dot flare and the lack of holdover points. An illuminated 1-6x/8x scope is almost as fast as a red dot but a decent reticle and more magnification will help you get reliable hits and groups on smaller targets. You'll pay for this with more weight.

If you're used to higher magnification scopes and are not doing run-and-gun, I think you'll be really frustrated with a red dot. Even the 1-6X may seem a bit underpowered.
 
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I have the strikefire II with magnifier like Comey said that RDS is a 3 moa and is good for shooting up to 50-100 yards, had it out on the weekend and have a 6 inch gong at 100 I couldn't even see it had to guess where it was and hope to hit it. While I did hit it I preferred using a different rifle.
 
Good advice so far. Using a red dot with magnifier, you have to keep in mind that the dot will be magnified too, so precision is difficult but as others have said, a red dot is best suited for fast acquisition at shorter ranges and beneficial in a run-and-gun situation. Also, dot flare is a common issue that can make the red dot, with or without magnifier, a bit of a disappointment.
 
Congrats on your first AR, your gonna love it. You stated that you plan on shooting from 100-300 yards so the 1-6x is the way to go. For me it's easier to hit targets up close with a 1x scope than it is to hit a target at 300 with a red dot.
 
I have the 1 X 6 Strike Eagle. It's a nice scope, wouldn't slow me down too much for CQB over my Fastfire red dot. It is very nice out on the range though. I wouldn't hesitate to get the 8X, just wasn't around when I bought. I'd get a scope first.
 
I have the 1-6 Strike Eagle, upgraded from a strikefire red dot. Why spend hundreds on a flip up magnifier when you can get the same benefits with and extra 3x and BDC for the same amount or less?
 
Agreed!

Strike fire would be a good 9mm or pistol caliber optic.

100 yds it is a guess.
 
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Cavs42 said:
I have the 1-6 Strike Eagle, upgraded from a strikefire red dot. Why spend hundreds on a flip up magnifier when you can get the same benefits with and extra 3x and BDC for the same amount or less?
Click to expand...

well there are reasons, just the not ones that appeal to you.
 
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