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My Next Carbine Red Dot Sight

mingaa

Raconteur
With a few delays I'm about to go into finish mode on my 300 Blackout build. I swapped lowers to an Anderson on sale at PSA and it is NOW in the mail.

I have a few question for Primary Arms but I hope to place an order Monday for a new red dot sight.

Looking at current availability and pricing the following list is my current (rough) order of preference but I'm looking for input from those with hands-on experience. It is not so complicated - I have a budget for second tier pricing and AM a bargain hunter - bang for the buck but no junk. I have a Vortex SPARC and am totally satisfied with it AND CS and warranty.

That said I know a lot of shooters that swear by Primary Arms and I like the company as well. Is their 3MOA that much different than the Vortex 2MOA??

I'm looking for an absolute co-witness setup with Magpul sights.

The list:

Vortex Sparc Red Dot Sight SPRC 2MOA - $150 PSA, 4 mount options included A+

Primary Arms Red Dot Gen II 3MOA - $70, mount not included - straight 30mm ring is affordable answer for absolute co-witness ($80)

Primary Arms Classic Red Dot 3MOA- $70, 30mm straight ring for absolute co-witness ($80)

Primary Arms Micro Dot With Removable Base 3MOA - $80, 1/3 co-witness OR $15 for UTG absolute co-witness rail riser ($95)

Vortex StrikeFire Red/Green Dot Optic 4MOA - $120 PSA, Included extra-high 30mm = lower 1/3 co-witness - lower ring for absolute for minimal cost ($135)

Also ran:
Lucid HD7
Bushnell TRS-25 Hi-Rise

Thoughts?!?
 
If he doesn't pop in on this thread, hit up oli.

I believe he's got a PA red dot on his AR...
 
PA red dots are good quality and a great value. If we have to settle for overseas produced budget optics, PA is the way to go. I've been thinking about ordering one of their AA run red dots... But have so many other things I wanna spend my money on ;)
 
I sent Oli a PM - aksavanaman we speak the same language, if the PA sight is in the Vortex same league, maybe save a few bucks (since I have NO champagne budget yet!) and do more with my meager budget.

That 2MOA SPARC has never let me down and the lifetime warranty is a winner. On the other hand CS at PA is top notch with good folks running the place...
 
I would rather go with great BUIS than a cheap red dot but that is just my personal opinion.
 
the Vortex red/green is said to be too dim, they make the bright red, red only version that is super bright and plenty bright for use in snow on a sunny day. I personally don't like anything that has multiple reticles or colors because in my experience they don't hold the same point of impact when switching from one to another.

Vortex is about to come out with a new SPARK that is supposed to be awesome

PA is awesome but some of the older sights aren't bright enough for bright days, their CS is better than any place I have ever dealt with, they have some newer sights that go to 11 that folks say are bright enough for sunny days but I haven't seen them in person yet.

I have one of their green dot reflex sights that has been tough and holds zero on a 12 gauge, it needs an on/off switch though imo because its always on , just dims way down when covered by the hood
 
I hear you Dan. Cash flow has not what it should be but I still find challenges within that constriction. Late last year I put together a mutt 5.56/.223 build with a goal - to match low end AR market price AND to have added features at the same price point. For $671.59 (no optics or AFG in that part of the budget - like hanging on a dealer wall) I put together a fairly straight forward carbine BUT it has a 1:7 barrel on it (by Mossberg) and a 12" full float handguard and a few other extras.

I moved my Vortex SPARC onto it with new Magpul BUIS and it's a shooter. In that configuration I could walk into a club level 3 Gun match and do well in Limited Ops. Here's a 50' target I shot on the second outing. For hits-on-target it is good to 100' +. The limit for most club matches in the region.

12143761466_8e18d31d43_z.jpg


The 300 BLK will probably see competition in club 3 Gun as well as it can just make major PF allowing me 1 hit on target vs 2 with minor PF. I have a bit more $$ in the gun with a 1:8 14.5" barrel (pinned and welded) and a Timney 3lb trigger (bought lightly used from a friend). I'm anxious to get it 'live' and the Vortex SPARC at $150 is as low as I have ever seen it. MSRP FWIW is closer to $300.

I slowly improve my arms and associated cache of gun goodies (rifle, pistol, shotgun, loading, casting...) as I proceed - Powerball and a WHOLE lot of things change! The minions will dust the Trijicon VCOG 1-6. I might even drop my Lee loading equipment :D !! I make the best and enjoy an 'underdog' role for the time being.

Not to brag but I do have a whole lot of useless schwag and trophies from my SCCA days running SOLO II and Club trials — in a (well prepped) Dodge Neon ACR.

Yep - a set of Troy sights would make me smile big time but at 56 the optics are a big help as well! : :shock:
 
oli700 said:
the Vortex red/green is said to be too dim, they make the bright red, red only version that is super bright and plenty bright for use in snow on a sunny day. I personally don't like anything that has multiple reticle or colors because in my experience they don't hold the same point of impact when switching from one to another.

Vortex is about to come out with a new SPARK that is supposed to be awesome

PA is awesome but some of the older sights aren't bright enough for bright days, their CS is better than any place I have ever dealt with, they have some newer sights that go to 11 that folks say are bright enough for sunny days but I haven't seen them in person yet.

I have one of their green dot reflex sights that has been tough and holds zero on a 12 gauge, it needs an on/off switch though imo because its always on , just dims way down when covered by the hood
Thanks Oli! The SPARC I have has 11 brightness settings, red only with 1 reticle (I've seen the jumping zero on guns with multi-reticle sights!) and it has night shooting levels as well - VERY dim, run by a separate switch. Reviews mention the brightness of the current PA sights as down a notch from Vortex but still well able to handle bright days so it sounds like they may have improved. Reviews mention good QC and CS (the latter I know is true!) - tough is good the 300 BLK is a medium caliber but a bit more impact than a .223.

In the previous post to Dan I mentioned that the SPARC was as low $$ as I'd ever seen it - a new model on the horizon would explain that. I may grab one as a closing bargain and look into what is coming!

Thanks for the input! I have tomorrow to think further and I'll call PA on Monday with some questions before I jump.

Pics and targets when I have the gun running. I've chopped a lot of under-length 223/5.56 brass and formed cases and have test rounds ready to go! I've dropped steel 7.62 x 39 from the lineup. The only round I cannot load is 22LR!

I've been trading 2/1 9mm brass for short AR brass ( I could probably do the same with 40 S&W!) - maybe I should post up here as well! Hmmm...
 
A whole line of sights that are not on my radar - thanks Dan. The Mini reflex looks interesting as well!
 
After talking to PA sales staff I bought the micro dot and a basic riser that they match with it to get to absolute co-witness. All told im in for $104. They take money order payments and once an order is made that holds the item(s) for you. Joe Bob Outfitters is the same way. Trust, how rare! I usually save cash for purchases and that fits my system well.

The guy I was talking to uses the sights in competition so he addressed my thoughts with direct experience. The 2,3,4 moa thing concerns me ( a good 4 is probably better than a bad 2!) and I learned that the PA emitter is a 2.2moa and as it is over 2 they thought that rounding up not down was fair.

More once I'm built and shooting. Now to find the right setup for drilling a seriously hardened steel muzzle brake. Last night a new titanium bit in a drill press just did a sit and spin. Not a scratch. I was flabbergasted!! I have to pin and weld with the 14.5" barrel. Time for professional help?! I was convinced I could do it myself. This is the simplest bird cage?!? No need to be so hard - maybe it machines better. Hmmm...
 
I have one of PA's Micro dot with their riser on one of my Ars. I have had it for about 2 years. 1/3 cowitness with a standard front sight and a Magpul flip rear sight. I even did an Ar course with it. Maintained zero even when banged around. I also have one on a shotgun that has taken a beaten for around a year. Hope that helps.
 
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