Red dot sight for AR-15

[NIA]

Have a Rock River 20inch AR-15 and want to get a red dot sight for it. what does the military use for their red dots. Is the price range have a big impact on quality. Does any one have any reccomendations on a good red dot sight. What zoom capabililtes does it have?

[Jermtheory]

the Army uses the Aimpoint(maybe others?),im not aware of any other red dots being used by the military.

Is the price range have a big impact on quality.

yes.

although im sure some will beg to differ with their $50 super sight.

Aimpoint is my first choice based on durability and battery life.

budget-C3 (pretty much all you need unless you plan on diving with it or using night vision).

top of the line-M4

i split the difference and went with the ML3(similar to M3 but without night vision settings).

im currently switching to their micro though(T1/H1),much smaller and lighter.

none of which have any zoom(although some red dots are available with a fixed magnification,Aimpoint makes a few i think).they're typically thought of as close quarter optics,although they can be effective up to a few hundred yards.you can also add different magnifiers(im not a fan),the official Aimpoint version will almost certainly double your overall cost.ive heard alot of good things about the "Po-Boy" that Larue sells.


you can get various variable scopes with illuminated rets though.i recommend the Trijicon TR21 1.25 X 4 for that purpose.

i like the Larue and ADM mounts for all of the above...prefer Larue.neither are cheap,but they're as good as it gets.some of the BOBRO mounts look really nice,but i have no experience with them(other than the VFG).Larue has package deals that would be worth looking at.

[Jimro]

Aimpoint CompM2. 1x magnification, optional 3x screw on magnifier.

A lot of guys prefer the Eotechs because they seem faster. Once again 1x magnification with 3x magnifier optional.

But just because the Army uses it doesn't mean it's the bestest most tacticoolest 1337 piece of zombie slaying gear of all time. Go to a brick and mortar store and handle as many red dots as you can.

Jimro

[ckd]

Consider Milspec, MOA, battery, and the cost and mounting variables (costs and heights) for your AR when searching for an red dot.

Aimpoints, ACOG and EOTech are quite popular; as others have said go to a well stock store and play a little. If you haven't looked, milspec items aren't cheap, but there are other possibilities as listed below.

I have an A3 (removable handle with rail) and found the EOTech 552 perfect for my needs. As with most holos, no magnification but with a 65/1 MOA (65 nice for CQB and 1 MOA nice for non-magnified distance work) and sparringly uses AA batteries; holds zero like a rock. One can always add a maganifier, but since our other AR has a dedicated illuminated reticle scope, I can't see us spending the $.

If money were not a concern, I'd have purchased an ACOG with chevron reticle.

Some find purchasing an inexpensive 30 or 38mm tube with a 3+MOA dot suitable for their needs; Tasco and TruGlo have offerings under $45.

Good luck with your quest NIA, and let us know what you decided on if you wouldn't mind.

A great book written by a SF soilder, "green eyes, black rifles" is a great companion for someone looking to understand the AR, accessories, and it's practical use = not a hunter's book.

[darkgael]

All good recommendations.
I have an ACOG; possibly the brightest scope I have ever looked through. Not a red dot, though. I also have an EoTech....great piece. Recommend that.
A third option that I like a lot is Trijicon's reflex sight (RX01) with a dot reticle (chevron available). No batteries to worry about, ever. Durable, simple.
I have an Aimpoint - though I've never had it on my AR. Another quality piece.
Pete

[Norrick]

I don't have an AR but if i did I would get this one:
http://www.burrisoptics.com/xtrtactical1.html

[USMCGrunt]

Depends on what use this rifle is going to get. If it's nothing more than a range toy or plinker, any red dot scope (even the ones from Wally World) should be fine. If however you are looking at going into harms way, stick with the proven performers, Aimpoint, EOTech or Trijicon.

[Icopy1]

I purchased an Eotech for my 6920, mostly because it has a built-in mount. One less item to purchase.

[RockyMtnTactical]

Aimpoint or Eotech. Both are excellent. I prefer the Aimpoint, but either will do.

[Sixer]

I looked at alot of different options for my AR... If youre like me and dont feel like dropping $500 - $900+ on a sight there is still hope! I found a NIB Bushnell Holosight for $200 shipped. Bushnell doesnt make them anymore, so you will have to find one on eBay, AR15.com, Gunbroker etc. If I'm not mistaken, I believe that Bushnell actually makes the Eotechs. The quality of the Holosight has really impressed me so far and I used the money I saved to buy 1000rds of ammo

[BigDaddy]

+1 on the Eotech. I love mine. I swap it between my Bushmaster 5.56 and my DPMS 308. Works great on both of them. I have dropped it a couple of times and it is just fine. It takes a lot of punishment.

The Bushnell and the Eotechs are basically the same except the Eotech has a protective metal shroud around it and is a beefier unit overall.

--Dave

[TheManHimself]

Another thing to think about is battery life. The latest Aimpoint model, the CompM4S, has some fancy circuitry that gives it a battery life of roughly 8 years on one AA. While it's several hundred dollars more expensive upfront than the EoTech, if you plan on keeping the optic for a lifetime, after a few years the cost of batteries for the EoTech (which runs for about 1000 hours on 2 AAs) will end up costing more than the savings over the Aimpoint.

[RockyMtnTactical]

It's not just cost of batteries to consider.

When something goes bump in the night and you reach for you AR15, it would suck to try turning on your red dot and the batteries are dead...

[darkgael]

The Aimpoint is a great sight. Battery life is in the realm of science fiction, except that it's real. Here's the but.....but don't sell another sight short because it gets "1000 hours on 2 AAs".
One thousand hours is along time. Are you going to leave it on all the time? Are you going into combat (if so, then maybe you need eight years of battery life)? If not, the actual time that 1000 hours of battery will last is years. If you go to the range three times a week for four hours at a time (do you shoot that much?), that's 80 weeks of shooting. If you go once a week, that is close to five years before you need to change the battery. The batteries will probably be past their useful shelf life by that time in any case. Fifty dollars worth of batteries will last you till you are too old to use the gun.
Pete

[Jermtheory]

Are you going to leave it on all the time?

if its an Aimpoint i am.

change the battery every leap year just to be extra safe(they're cheap enough).

[AK103K]

if its an Aimpoint i am.

Me too. I change mine out in the spring with the smoke detector batteries.

I leave all of mine on and have yet to find one dead. I have the M2/ML2's, which are rated at 10,000 hours. That works out to a little over a year.

I've had a number of the "cheaper" (and I dont think $100+ is really "cheap") red dots, and to a one, they had short battery life and did not hold up to long to moderate handling and shooting. For what I had in them, I could have bought at least one more Aimpoint, and I'd do it in a heartbeat.

I've had mine since the M2's were "new" and the state of the art, and have used them on everything from hunting rifles to machine guns, and have never been disappointed.

[darkgael]

That's what makes threads interesting. The idea of leaving a "dot" scope on all the time is just foreign to me. Old fashioned in a sense, I guess. As I wrote previously, I have an Aimpoint and like it very much. Can't see why I would leave it on when I'm not using it and it's in the gun cabinet.
For the "be ready" situation, that's what the Trijicon RX01 is for - no batteries to worry about day or night, same thing for the ACOG.
Pete

[shaman]

i bought a bushnell red dot. hunnert bucks.

mounted it, sighted it, 1400+ rounds tween me and the wife.
poo poo it if ya want. works just fine for me except i would like to get mounts that sit higher.

ah, disreguard the real rifle in the front please.

[teeroux]

The Bushnell and the Eotechs are basically the same except the Eotech has a protective metal shroud around it and is a beefier unit overall.

Some earlier model Eotechs like mine don't have a shroud.

[HorseSoldier]

AimPoint is the army standard, but a lot of units issue EOTechs instead, as well as people who purchase their own.

[shaman]

if i was using the rifle for anything other than just casual plinking i would go with the high dollar eotech.



the main reason for this rifle is that the collapsable stock pulled in two notches fits my tiny wife's shoulder.

[Tuckahoe]

Always always always have a backup system. While electronic sights are great (I have one on my AR, ATN ultra sight) you need a backup iron sight.

[AK103K]

For the "be ready" situation, that's what the Trijicon RX01 is for - no batteries to worry about day or night, same thing for the ACOG.

I've been eyeing up a Trijicon Accupoint scope for my one AR. Looks like a very usable, versatile scope that would double as a red dot.

My biggest question is, what do you do when the tritium has reached its useful life of about 12 years? Do you have to send the scope in for refitting?

The other nagging issue in the back of my mind is, have they got the tritium brighter than they were in my old Armson OEG? I know the fiber optic technology has come a long way, but how about the issue of transitioning from light to dark? The older sights really sucked. The fiber optic worked OK in bright light, it was when you went into the dark or at dawn/dusk, when light was low, and you needed the tritium. You didnt get a good pick up on the tritium unless your eyes were accustomed to the dark, and even then, it was often a chore. Do the scopes glow as bright as my Mepro's on my pistols?

Always always always have a backup system. While electronic sights are great (I have one on my AR, ATN ultra sight) you need a backup iron sight.

This generally isnt an issue with the Aimpoints using a proper ring or mount and most AR's/AK's. All of mine cowitness with the iron sights, and on the guns where the irons are always "up", like my AK's, you have instant confirmation your dot is still zeroed.

[darkgael]

"You didnt get a good pick up on the tritium unless your eyes were accustomed to the dark, and even then, it was often a chore. Do the scopes glow as bright as my Mepro's on my pistols?"

I'm not familiar with the Mepro so I can't answer to a comparison. The two Trijicon sights that I own are an ACOG and the RX01 reflex.
I have used the RX01 as a sight, slide mounted on my .45 Bullseye gun, for indoor shooting. It was fine, not as bright as a red dot can be but I was able to pick it up easily enough during the timed and rapid stages. The only reason that I took it off was weight. I found a lighter sight and went with that. The newer reflex RX series have an integral base and are lighter.
As for the useful life of the tritium, it can be refurbished; it's not something that I even consider, twelve years is a nice long interval.
Pete

[AK103K]

Twelve years sounds like a good long time, but it tends to go pretty quick. I've already replaced a couple of sets of night sights on my handguns and I dont feel 12 years older.

My Aimpoints are starting to get close, and its not a worry there.

The big problem with the old OEG's was the transition from light to dark or light adjusted eyes to dark and the tritium. It was very hard to pick up the tritium dot. The big advantage I see here with the red dots is, you can fix the intensity your comfortable with in the dark, close the front cover, and go from dark to light and back, with no washout of the dot or need to change the intensity. You just have t use it like the old OEG's though, with both eyes open. Its actually very simple once your used to it, and works very well.