TacticalTeacher
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Georgian Bay, ON
After selling several of these SPARC II units while working last summer at Cabela's in Barrie, ON, I thought I would give this unit a try on my own rifles. I still have this baby mounted on my competition rifle currently, but I'm ready to switch it over to my client/backup/wife's shooter. 
For the record, she just loves it for CQB fun!
I was most impressed with this SPARC II scope because it arrived with all the spacers and correct screws. Holy screws! Do they ever come with screws and spares to boot. Anyways, the spacers allow one to mount this red dot sight to ANY platform: Bow, shotgun, rifle, AR Type, and pistol; as long as you have a Weaver or Picatinny cross slot base to screw it on to. Oh yeah, the allen keys are included, and so is the battery.
I do have to share that battery concern. You see, being of infantry persuasion, I get annoyed by batteries because they are either on their way to running out OR have crapped out on you ALREADY. Hence my love for the ACOG TA31F, but now we have a situation that does use a battery, in this case, the SPARC II comes WITH the CR 2032 coin shaped battery. I was most relieved and happy to discover this fact because the 2032 battery seems to be very easy to find at your local drug store, even the Dollar Tree or Dollarama if you really had fewer options at hand. In the past, I've found the coin shaped batteries (2025, 2016, 2032, etc.) easy to store in your bug out bag, just slide them into a tiny ziploc, "dime bag" or gun parts bags (befriend your LGS gunsmith) and stack them into older, unused prescription pill bottle(s). Now you are ready for zombies!
Here's a picture of me at the deer stand in November , rifle season with the SPARC II mounted on my .260 Rem M700. It's so easy to mount this unit on the Picatinny one piece base made by Weaver. I bought that for under $50 from Epps in Orillia. That Remmy M700 was just purchased at Ellwood Epps also. I had the barrel cut down and crowned by my personal (yes, I have my very own guardian angel gunsmith) 'smith !!
The rifle was sooooo light pushing bush, I thought life does not get any better. I sighted in the rifle for 25m at my home range since it's purty close at 300 m and change. My deer hunting is in the thick cedars so long shots are likely not gonna happen anyways...
I was really impressed with the included aluminum spacers system. I say spacers because the Vortex people include a pile of them at varying heights so you can mix and match them to your hunting/competing/plinking platform. Oh yeah, it's a 1X system.
The ON/Off switch is on my left side / rear of the scope so for us right handed shooters that works really well. I did pretend to work the platform as a lefty and it's a matter of canting/tilting that M700 over to my right. Easily done... just like racking an M14 or a mini-14 with your left hand when the op rod is on the right.
This Vortex SPARC II has a motion sensor technology built into the scope so it shuts off after inactivity. I'm too dumb to remember how much time has to pass with a dormant rifle platform so I rested it on a tree for some photo ops....
While I was playing with this scope at home, I noticed that in the darker parts of my unfinished basement, the red dot tends to wash out a but (get fuzzy) so I played with the intensity settings. All good fun. I even played with it while in the thick cedars as I sat on my folding chair....
This scope comes with the factory flip up caps. Okay, they are NO Butler Creek caps, but they work for what I'm doing and that's the annual moose and then deer rifle seasons.
One immediate annoyance or maybe it's a good thing (can you say, problem versus opportunity?) is the cross bolt for the mounting system. It uses a common sized SAE allen key, I just cannot remember which one. It does not use a large (and easily undone) coin operated capture nut. Sometimes that works really well since it cannot come undone under stressful situations. So I just keep that Allen key that's provided by Vortex and a spare 2032 battery inside my range or "Oh Shzt kit".
Here's the other side (left) with the controls:
What I like about the controls is that turning off this scope as you case your rifle is easy peasy.... Just hold down the ON button for a count to 6 or 7. That's it, then have yourself a confirming glance to ensure things are off. You did unload your platform didn't you? heh heh
Enter the CQB context.....
So here is what the SPARC II will be doing this summer... okay something most similar anyways:
Here I am in the modified prone position with my Armalite M15 mounted with an ACOG TA31F Chevron reticle. Time for me to branch out and learn new things; now with a SPARC II.
I mounted the SPARC II on my Colt LE6920 with a middy gas system NEA barrel of 14.5" length. I like the NEA replacement barrels because I can fearlessly shoot the KRAP out of them without any (big word warning here...) compunctions. I like the pound lots of booolits through my teaching and competing platforms. I felt guilty doing that through a LE 6920 16" barrel; so I just pull them off and sell them.
Yes that's an Armalite picatinny screw on gas block I bought from Wolverine Supplies (love their online shopping basket) and it all came together on the NEA barrel slicker than snot on a doorknob. Oh yeah, that's a northern Alberta saying, or at least that's where I picked it up. I like the standard A2 flash hiders. They work for my needs and my budget, and my game, and my cool factor. Buy what works for YOU! And only you! Oh, don't forget your wife/GF/partner, too!
Now you will notice I am about three pic rail slots away from the very end. Since that's where it WAS mounted on my Armalite M15 a week prior; I did not have time to take pics of that opportunity.
So I transferred this scope from the Armalite M15 upper that was already sighted in for 25m. Then I just willy-nilly bolted it on top of the Colt LE6920 (may I remind you that I'm a Colt FAN boy also ) and decided to sight it in during the coldest day of January 2015. And just to prove I'm stupider than all of you, I deliberately left my snowshoes in the back of my Tacoma (told you I was stupid) and walked into the shooting clubhouse/range from the highway. Very dumb idea in the knee deep snow.
Here's what impressed me the most about this SPARC II:
At 25m, look where my POI was... (point of impact)
Right smack where it was with my Armalite M15. Holy Poop! Was I ever thrilled. Damn this is good! Life does not get any better. So it's time to switch it over to my Aero Precision client/teaching/backup CQB / Wife's shooter with easy!
Most happy... now here is the left side of the LE6920 and the SPARC II mounted with THREE slots remaining. I am liking this long eye relief of this scope!
And that's part of the reason I'm gonna become a Vortex Fan-boy, I like this little baby....
Okay, I have to admit, I did find ONE annoyance with this scope. The scope caps that protect the SINGLE MOA per click barrels are hard to remove and turn because of MY fat fingers. So in the cold weather, I had to carefully use my fingertips and slowly turn them caps off, most gingerly but annoying when I was in a hurry. I have been spoiled by my ACOG TA31F Chevron reticle baby. I guess it's the price I have to pay for sight a compact little worker!
So what's the final verdict? Don't buy one !
Buy TWO of them... Cabela's has them for $279 and so do most of the vendors on this CGN site!
I'm really impressed by the flexible mounting spacer system that allows you to mount this baby to your hunting rig. One of these days I'm gonna mount it to my buddy's Marlin 45-70; it's got a Weaver one piece rail on top and we are gonna cycle some Hornady factory HSM loads to deliberately beat the crap out of the optics.
Hey, the warranty center is in Guelph, ON and that a plus for us Ontario dudes, but still, Vortex offers a lifetime warranty on their optics so that can work for me.
Okay, I'm too ugly to deploy and that's not an issue for the majority of CGNutters. AND if you were deploying you would be issued a whole different set of hardware and optics platform. End of issues!
Next report: The Vortex SPARC II in the hands of my CQB clinic rookie clients!
Cheers and keep on helping them nooobies out there!
Barney
For the record, she just loves it for CQB fun!I was most impressed with this SPARC II scope because it arrived with all the spacers and correct screws. Holy screws!
Do they ever come with screws and spares to boot. Anyways, the spacers allow one to mount this red dot sight to ANY platform: Bow, shotgun, rifle, AR Type, and pistol; as long as you have a Weaver or Picatinny cross slot base to screw it on to. Oh yeah, the allen keys are included, and so is the battery.I do have to share that battery concern. You see, being of infantry persuasion, I get annoyed by batteries because they are either on their way to running out OR have crapped out on you ALREADY. Hence my love for the ACOG TA31F, but now we have a situation that does use a battery, in this case, the SPARC II comes WITH the CR 2032 coin shaped battery. I was most relieved and happy to discover this fact because the 2032 battery seems to be very easy to find at your local drug store, even the Dollar Tree or Dollarama if you really had fewer options at hand. In the past, I've found the coin shaped batteries (2025, 2016, 2032, etc.) easy to store in your bug out bag, just slide them into a tiny ziploc, "dime bag" or gun parts bags (befriend your LGS gunsmith) and stack them into older, unused prescription pill bottle(s). Now you are ready for zombies!
Here's a picture of me at the deer stand in November , rifle season with the SPARC II mounted on my .260 Rem M700. It's so easy to mount this unit on the Picatinny one piece base made by Weaver. I bought that for under $50 from Epps in Orillia.
That Remmy M700 was just purchased at Ellwood Epps also. I had the barrel cut down and crowned by my personal (yes, I have my very own guardian angel gunsmith) 'smith !!
The rifle was sooooo light pushing bush, I thought life does not get any better. I sighted in the rifle for 25m at my home range since it's purty close at 300 m and change. My deer hunting is in the thick cedars so long shots are likely not gonna happen anyways...
I was really impressed with the included aluminum spacers system. I say spacers because the Vortex people include a pile of them at varying heights so you can mix and match them to your hunting/competing/plinking platform. Oh yeah, it's a 1X system.
The ON/Off switch is on my left side / rear of the scope so for us right handed shooters that works really well. I did pretend to work the platform as a lefty and it's a matter of canting/tilting that M700 over to my right. Easily done... just like racking an M14 or a mini-14 with your left hand when the op rod is on the right.
This Vortex SPARC II has a motion sensor technology built into the scope so it shuts off after inactivity. I'm too dumb to remember how much time has to pass with a dormant rifle platform so I rested it on a tree for some photo ops....
While I was playing with this scope at home, I noticed that in the darker parts of my unfinished basement, the red dot tends to wash out a but (get fuzzy) so I played with the intensity settings. All good fun. I even played with it while in the thick cedars as I sat on my folding chair....
This scope comes with the factory flip up caps. Okay, they are NO Butler Creek caps, but they work for what I'm doing and that's the annual moose and then deer rifle seasons.
One immediate annoyance or maybe it's a good thing (can you say, problem versus opportunity?) is the cross bolt for the mounting system. It uses a common sized SAE allen key, I just cannot remember which one. It does not use a large (and easily undone) coin operated capture nut. Sometimes that works really well since it cannot come undone under stressful situations. So I just keep that Allen key that's provided by Vortex and a spare 2032 battery inside my range or "Oh Shzt kit".
Here's the other side (left) with the controls:
What I like about the controls is that turning off this scope as you case your rifle is easy peasy.... Just hold down the ON button for a count to 6 or 7. That's it, then have yourself a confirming glance to ensure things are off. You did unload your platform didn't you? heh heh
Enter the CQB context.....
So here is what the SPARC II will be doing this summer... okay something most similar anyways:
Here I am in the modified prone position with my Armalite M15 mounted with an ACOG TA31F Chevron reticle. Time for me to branch out and learn new things; now with a SPARC II.
I mounted the SPARC II on my Colt LE6920 with a middy gas system NEA barrel of 14.5" length. I like the NEA replacement barrels because I can fearlessly shoot the KRAP out of them without any (big word warning here...) compunctions.
I like the pound lots of booolits through my teaching and competing platforms. I felt guilty doing that through a LE 6920 16" barrel; so I just pull them off and sell them. 
Yes that's an Armalite picatinny screw on gas block I bought from Wolverine Supplies (love their online shopping basket) and it all came together on the NEA barrel slicker than snot on a doorknob. Oh yeah, that's a northern Alberta saying, or at least that's where I picked it up. I like the standard A2 flash hiders. They work for my needs and my budget, and my game, and my cool factor. Buy what works for YOU! And only you! Oh, don't forget your wife/GF/partner, too!
Now you will notice I am about three pic rail slots away from the very end. Since that's where it WAS mounted on my Armalite M15 a week prior; I did not have time to take pics of that opportunity.
So I transferred this scope from the Armalite M15 upper that was already sighted in for 25m. Then I just willy-nilly bolted it on top of the Colt LE6920 (may I remind you that I'm a Colt FAN boy also
) and decided to sight it in during the coldest day of January 2015. And just to prove I'm stupider than all of you, I deliberately left my snowshoes in the back of my Tacoma (told you I was stupid) and walked into the shooting clubhouse/range from the highway. Very dumb idea in the knee deep snow. Here's what impressed me the most about this SPARC II:
At 25m, look where my POI was... (point of impact)
Right smack where it was with my Armalite M15.
Holy Poop! Was I ever thrilled. Damn this is good! Life does not get any better. So it's time to switch it over to my Aero Precision client/teaching/backup CQB / Wife's shooter with easy! Most happy... now here is the left side of the LE6920 and the SPARC II mounted with THREE slots remaining. I am liking this long eye relief of this scope!
And that's part of the reason I'm gonna become a Vortex Fan-boy, I like this little baby....
Okay, I have to admit, I did find ONE annoyance with this scope. The scope caps that protect the SINGLE MOA per click barrels are hard to remove and turn because of MY fat fingers. So in the cold weather, I had to carefully use my fingertips and slowly turn them caps off, most gingerly but annoying when I was in a hurry. I have been spoiled by my ACOG TA31F Chevron reticle baby. I guess it's the price I have to pay for sight a compact little worker!
So what's the final verdict? Don't buy one !
Buy TWO of them... Cabela's has them for $279 and so do most of the vendors on this CGN site!
I'm really impressed by the flexible mounting spacer system that allows you to mount this baby to your hunting rig. One of these days I'm gonna mount it to my buddy's Marlin 45-70; it's got a Weaver one piece rail on top and we are gonna cycle some Hornady factory HSM loads to deliberately beat the crap out of the optics.
Hey, the warranty center is in Guelph, ON and that a plus for us Ontario dudes, but still, Vortex offers a lifetime warranty on their optics so that can work for me.
Okay, I'm too ugly to deploy and that's not an issue for the majority of CGNutters. AND if you were deploying you would be issued a whole different set of hardware and optics platform. End of issues!
Next report: The Vortex SPARC II in the hands of my CQB clinic rookie clients!
Cheers and keep on helping them nooobies out there!
Barney
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