Red Dot Sight - Tube Vs Reflex?

pope_face

pope_face

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Hey guys,

I'm in the process of building up a 10/22 (yes, another one of those threads). I won't get into specifics, but suffice it to say that I've just realized I'll need aftermarket sights to work with my stock, so I'm on the hunt for something.

Now, I recently had the opportunity to shoot an SR-22 at a local range, and it was outfitted with a tube-style RDS (Aimpoint, maybe). Personally, that's my first real exposure to the red-dot sights, but I like it... Being able to sight with both eyes open is great, and it's super quick to get on-target. So, I'm sold on the RDS over a scope or iron sights, so that's what I'll be looking for. I may eventually go with AR-style flip up sights in the future, but that won't be for a while.

Since then, I've been reading through the threads and doing searches, and I've figured out some of the recommended sights. However, I originally wanted to go with a reflex sight, although there doesn't appear to be much info on them (save for EOTechs and the like). My price range is far below that... I'd like to get something in the $150-$200 range. But, having said that, I had some questions...

- Is there much of a difference in speed of target acquisition (or whatever the term is) between the relfex and tube-style RDS?
- Is parallax a bigger concern with one vs the other?
- Is the tube-style simply a reflex sight with an longer enclosure and additional optic at the end?
- Any other considerations for one vs the other?

I'll be shooting mostly under 50 yards, and occasionally out to 100, so I'm sure an RDS will do fine. This will mostly be at a range, but I will likely take this out to the field once in a while (so nothing that'll break easily). I know there's a few options out there, depending what I want (Burris FastFire, Busnell First Strike or TRS-25, Sightmark, Vector SPARC, etc), but I'm just not sure which style to go with. I originally thought the compact housing of a reflex sight might interfere less with the view, but if parallax is a concern (or the tube-style seems to be more consistent), then I'll go with the tube style. The other benefit of a tube style would be the addition of a magnifier at some point.

Any thoughts?
 
"...shooting mostly under 50 yards, and occasionally out to 100..." Your biggest concern will be the diameter of the dot. Most of 'em cover 3" at 100 yards. That's the entire black on most targets. Parallax shouldn't be a issue though.
 
I've been doing some more hunting around, and I took a look through a couple optics yesterday, and I'm starting to like the tube-style optics... Perhaps the EOTechs are better (and freaking huge!), but I found that the cheaper reflex sights had a pretty narrow region where you could view the dot. I was just holding them by hand and sighting them, but I found it took very little motion of my head to lose the dot. With the tube-style optics, it's pretty obvious where you need your head, so it's easy to find the dot. I may take my stock to the shop next time and mount a couple different sights to the top rail and see how they feel.

However, I do like the tube-style mounting... I think the majority of them use rings, which seems like a more solid approach than the simple clamp on the bottom of the reflex sight. Most of the tube-style optics seem to have the power/adjustment settings and battery packs on the side though, which very slightly affects the view with both eyes open. I had a chance to look at the Bushnell TRS-32 while I was there too, which seemed pretty nice... It would've been better if I could compare it with a TRS-25, but no such luck. The only other comparable one was a Redfield Counterstrike, which I've found out is Leupold's budget make, but I'd rather stick to the tried-and-true. I don't think they had a Vortex there, but I was reading that the Strikefire has parallax issues under 50 yards... I don't think the Bushnell has this, and since that's where most of my shooting will be I'm leaning towards the latter.

Having said that... I'm now debating whether or not to increase my budget. Unfortunately, it seems that the price point for red-dots is either $100-$200 (for the decent ones) or $400+ (for the better ones). I may have to compare the sub-$200 brands with the nicer ones and see if it's really worth going up in price. The other option would be a 1-4x red dot (or similar), but I'm a little skeptical about getting into something like that on the cheap.

Sunray: Yeah, I know what you mean about the 3 MOA dot, but I'm not terribly concerned about it... I doubt I'd do any better with iron sights anyway, as I won't be going with a magnifier anytime soon (I was looking up prices recently). However, like I mentioned above, some sights do seem to have parallax under 50 yards, which would be a PITA for me.
 
rds should never ever replace iron sights,co-wittness run flip ups,45° offsets whatever just keep some form of iron's.
 
skoal said:
rds should never ever replace iron sights,co-wittness run flip ups,45° offsets whatever just keep some form of iron's.
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My original plan was to use the barrel mounted iron sights, but since I got my stock I've realized that the barrel will sit too low to use. So, instead, I've gotta figure out some other sights... But, I just ordered a pair of Magpul PTS sights. They should be solid enough to run on the .22 for the time being, and they were cheap, so I can put the extra cash aside and pick up a better red dot in the future. Now all I need is to give Dlask a call and get one of their picatinny rail blanks so I can make a proper mount for the sights.
 
That irons is a must thing might be true on a military or survival rifle, but I could care less about not having irons on most of my rifles.... who cares if my red dot dies when I am firing my 9mm at the range... this is not an army survival rifle.
 
I know this is a little out of your price range but, for an RDS, the Aimpoint Pro is hard to beat. Very durable and has a 3 year battery life.

"Buy once, cry once."

They can be found for around $400ish new.
 
bluesclues said:
I know this is a little out of your price range but, for an RDS, the Aimpoint Pro is hard to beat. Very durable and has a 3 year battery life.

"Buy once, cry once."

They can be found for around $400ish new.
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Yeah, I'm starting to lean towards that... I may eventually build an AR or something, so it'd be nice to spend the money and buy one optic that can stay with me for years, especially if it'll be around $400 or so. A Vortex SPARC is already $230, so if the Aimpoint really is that much better, then it wouldn't be that big of a deal to spend the extra money on it. I'm also considering a 1-4x scope with a red dot or something similar, but again I run into concerns regarding parallax. Plus, I'll have to find something that's a true 1x, rather than a 1.5x or something similar, so I suspect that may be a fair bit more expensive than just the Aimpoint. I suppose I could always try to match the RDS with a decent magnifier... I was reading another thread about matching the magnifier to the sight, so I'm pretty sure Aimpoint would be reasonably easy to do that with.
 
pope_face said:
Yeah, I'm starting to lean towards that... I may eventually build an AR or something, so it'd be nice to spend the money and buy one optic that can stay with me for years, especially if it'll be around $400 or so. A Vortex SPARC is already $230, so if the Aimpoint really is that much better, then it wouldn't be that big of a deal to spend the extra money on it. I'm also considering a 1-4x scope with a red dot or something similar, but again I run into concerns regarding parallax. Plus, I'll have to find something that's a true 1x, rather than a 1.5x or something similar, so I suspect that may be a fair bit more expensive than just the Aimpoint. I suppose I could always try to match the RDS with a decent magnifier... I was reading another thread about matching the magnifier to the sight, so I'm pretty sure Aimpoint would be reasonably easy to do that with.
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X2 on the Bushnell TR-25. I have one of these on my Benelli M4. This is probably one of the most widely owned yet perpetually underrated red dots there is. Mounted forward of the frame, (if possible), this puppy will give you what you're looking for and durability won't be an issue. The TR-25 is inexpensive. Buy the pricy sight when you have the need. When you do get your AR, you'll still need a sight on your 10/22 no ?
 
HKMark23 said:
X2 on the Bushnell TR-25. I have one of these on my Benelli M4. This is probably one of the most widely owned yet perpetually underrated red dots there is. Mounted forward of the frame, (if possible), this puppy will give you what you're looking for and durability won't be an issue. The TR-25 is inexpensive. Buy the pricy sight when you have the need. When you do get your AR, you'll still need a sight on your 10/22 no ?
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Yet again, another good point...

Alright, well I guess I'll have to go and take a look at a few different ones then... I wouldn't mind getting a Vortex, due to their warranty and the fact that a lot of people seem to like them, but their website says they're parallax-free after 50 yards, which is not going to help me much. What I might do is take my stock to the LGS and see if they'll let me mount a couple Bushnells and maybe the Aimpoint on there... They had a TRS-32 last time, which I quite liked, and they may have a TRS-25 and an Aimpoint. Only downside to the TRS-32 is the 5 MOA dot, and the fact that the adjustments are MOA... Not that the latter makes that much of a difference on a .22LR with a dot that big, especially under 50 yards, but still.

I don't really know anymore... Maybe I'll stick to the cheaper stuff for now, and then find myself a decent 1-4x red dot scope (or something similar) once I start shooting at longer ranges (either with the .22LR or with an AR). It'll give me a chance to get familiarized with the options, and save up a bit of cash while I'm at it.
 
I will personally put a bushnell tr-25 on a 9mm carbine, and probably on my ar15. might buy 2.
My life does not depend on my red dot, I am not a soldier in the army... I don't really care. I am more the long range shooter type, and I would rather buy a good 6-24 than a damn expensive red dot... just my point of view, really.
If I had not been to university I would have loved to be a military sniper or military aircraft pilot though ;) Maybe in another life.
 
Well. I went the other route - had a TRS25 and went reflex - IMO, for me, way better. Burris makes a good one for price. I find the FOV/rapid target acquisition better with the reflex. No problem with the dot size for what i am shooting
 
Smaller, lighter, no need to worry about eye relief, wide field of view. The best way for you to find out what suits you is go to a store that sells both and have them put one on a stock and have a looky. You will decide which one suits you in no time!
 
chrismc said:
Smaller, lighter, no need to worry about eye relief, wide field of view. The best way for you to find out what suits you is go to a store that sells both and have them put one on a stock and have a looky. You will decide which one suits you in no time!
Click to expand...

True... I think I'll be doing that as soon as I get my rifle. I'll see if I can take my rifle in and test it though, as that's what it'll be on.

I was considering the reflex as well, but somehow the tube-style seems like it'd be sturdier, and you need to more-or-less aim down the gun anyway to use either. The nice thing about the reflex sights is that the housing is relatively thin, so there's not much to obstruct the field of view. On the other hand, they also seem to be shorter than the tube-style, so it seems like it might block part of the view.

But, like you said, I need to try them out first. Worse comes to worst, I could buy one of each style and then just sell the one I don't like (or put it on my shotgun).
 
I've got a vortex strikefire and a TR25....the Vortex is not a terribly expensive RDS, but it's a lot pricier than a TR25. In balance, the vortex is a better optic, but not by a bunch; certainly not 4-5X better, like the price. The only thing I'm not confident the Bushnell will handle is really heavy recoil. I had it mounted for awhile on my Hatsan MPA TS; nothing shook loose or quit working, but I was concerned enough that I swapped it out for the Vortex. the TR-25 is now on my SR-22...looks good, shoots good...no complaints
 
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