How do you guys choose your optics…

[Scotty]

Trying to keep this as concise as possible. 
 

How do you know the difference between the newest LPVO and the newest dot and magnifier.  How are you comfortable dropping $200-300+ on the newest “xyz” “407c, etc. 

 

I can do as much reading as the next and I do my due diligence. I typically don’t shoot at indoor ranges which leaves my exposure to what the general public has mounted limited. I don’t get the opportunity to let someone fire off one of my mags anll setup and vice versa.  I guess the question is how do you know when to spend the money on a decent optic without having it in hand or on a previously shot long gun first?

 

Ive done my due diligence and I feel like I’ve done fine with the scopes and dots that I’ve purchased but I was wondering if anyone had any other tips other than to expand your shooting circle. It just starts to get pretty pricey to gamble on someone else testimonials.

 

Thanks,

 

Scotty

[billmeek]

I don't like relying on dot sights alone for rifles.  But combine a dot sight with backup irons and I think you have a pretty good combination.  I just bought another Holosun HE512C-GD with a gold reticle.

[mike_f]

One of the places I look is ILya's (tongue-in-cheek "Dark Lord of Optics") website "Optic Thoughts":

https://opticsthoughts.com/

His day job is in the optics industry, it seems primarily with defense-related stuff. His website has recommended optics (riflescopes, binoculars, spotting scopes, etc.) in a variety of price ranges that he periodically  updates. 

Current Riflescope Recommendations: https://opticsthoughts.com/?page_id=623

His YouTube channel (Dark Lord of Optics) videos contain a lot of reviews & theory info, but typically aren't very "exciting". 

[DL126]

Steps ...

1. Primary use (i.e. caliber, range expectations, type of shooting for intended weapon, etc)
   A) I usually have a desired round about dollar figure at the outset.
2. Desired features / attributes (glass, turret style, reticle type, tube diameter, etc)
3. Make / Model that fits 1 & 2
4. Price
   A) See 1A .. Oftentimes forces concessions on 2
   B) When it hits $1.2K .. I start feeling sweaty/clammy all over. (Thermal is a different matter)
5. Reviews / Information
6. Sometimes still get burned

 

[Guest]

Well, a combination of what you said (shooting friends and competitors gun/optic combos), reading, looking at well stocked gun shops. At least that's how I started. I believe I have been around the shooting sports and the .mil optical field enough to now have "educated preferences through a history of direct observation and extrapolation" and I also "sometimes still get burned"...

[Scotty]

Thanks so much for all the responses. I try to be as frugal as possible with such an expensive hobby and have been burned as others have stated. I’ve got a sub $100 “chinesium” Amazon dot that works great for me on my brush hunting gun. I mainly shoot .22lr and those optics are cheap enough and get the job done for plinking. I try to find open box/refurbs by vortex or Leupold because of the warranty. It’s just really hard for me to gamble on +$500 scopes without handling them. I was able to handle a Leopoldo delta micro for glocks on a dummy gun at a show from the distributor and thought it was great. Found a killer open box deal and after mounting it I don’t see much of an improvement from irons. 
 

Everyone’s eyesight and preferences are different which is why I struggle with reviews, I just made a purchase that had fiber optic sights with green in the rear and red in the front. Thought it looked great, only to shoot it and wonder why the hell I was missing shots with a .22. The green in the rear is too distracting for me to pickup the red in the front. I guess trial and error and time will be king. 
 

Really appreciate the responses, any future comments welcomed as well. Thanks for the website recommendation and DL’s checklist. 

[ken_mays]

Reviews need to be taken with a grain of salt for sure, but you can get useful info like eye relief, battery life, etc. from them. 

I no longer have the patience to follow all the latest and greatest product announcements and do in-depth research.  And Youtube is a wilderness of shills.  Time-wasting shills, which is worse.

What I do is determine my budget for a given use and then try to find feedback from real users on forums like ar15.com.   Stick to known good brands like Burris, Leupold, Aimpoint, Trijicon.   Holosun is getting a good reputation, and I am OK using even less expensive optics on range toys as long as they are from a reputable dealer who will take care of defective stuff no questions asked (like Primary Arms).

Most of my LVPOs are Nikon (RIP), Burris, Vortex, and a couple Primary Arms.  For fixed scopes I have several Burrs AR-332s and AR-536s.  I really like the prism scopes. 

Rifle red dots:  Vortex Strikefires, a few misc items like Holosun, SIG Romeo, etc for my range toys and Aimpoint and Eotech for my dedicated defense guns.

For pistol RDSs, I have some Trijicon RMRs but honestly prefer the Holosun 507C for many reasons.  

[Scotty]

https://aaoptics.com/Refurbished-_c_93.html

 

Lots of good deals here. Warranty covers any hangups. No shipping or tax. 
 

 

[Loid]

Most here probably aren't on Reddit but they have a Gun Accessories For Sale (GAFS) subreddit that is flooded with all types of gear. I've bought and sold a dozen different optics on there. If you don't like it you can usually get most if not all of your money back.

For now I've settled on an Eotech EXPS-2 and a Trijicon LPVO.

[Scotty]

8 minutes ago, Loid said:

Most here probably aren't on Reddit but they have a Gun Accessories For Sale (GAFS) subreddit that is flooded with all types of gear. I've bought and sold a dozen different optics on there. If you don't like it you can usually get most if not all of your money back.

For now I've settled on an Eotech EXPS-2 and a Trijicon LPVO.

I actually stalk gun deals religiously. I’ve always been hesitant for GAFS mainly because I don’t understand it. Is it all just honor system? I assume you pay up front via Venmo or PayPal or something, but what assurance is there that you don’t get scammed and not receive anything? Thanks in advance. 

[Loid]

19 minutes ago, Scotty said:

I actually stalk gun deals religiously. I’ve always been hesitant for GAFS mainly because I don’t understand it. Is it all just honor system? I assume you pay up front via Venmo or PayPal or something, but what assurance is there that you don’t get scammed and not receive anything? Thanks in advance. 

In a way it's the honor system, yes. You get flair, which is basically feedback, that's displayed next to your name. When buyer and seller leave a positive feedback their flair is increased. Anyone selling with 10 or less flair is required to accept PayPal goods and services to protect the buyer. Once you reach 11 flair you can take PayPal friends and family,  Venmo, etc to avoid the fees. If you're cautious most sellers will allow you to use PayPal G&S for your protection so long as you pay the fees.

Sellers are required to provide a timestamped pic with their date and username.

If someone stiffs you they ban them pretty quick from what I understand. I've had good luck so far. Had a package come from there today as a matter of fact.

It sounds like alot but after a couple transactions it's pretty easy, but there's a learning curve for sure.

[billmeek]

I've bought several moderately expensive scopes for my 22LR rifles.  Most of them have been Athlon Midas TAC bought from:

https://cameralandny.com/

If you contact Doug (gr8fuldoug) via private message on the Snipers Hide forums, he'll give you their best price. 

[DL126]

https://www.rkbarmory.com/

I haven't bought from these folks ... 
But they're worth knowing about.

As pointed out by Mr Bill above, I too have become kinda impressed with bang for the buck from Athlon.
My first one was bought from a member here for a 22LR.

[jpx2rk]

It depends on the application/use for me but I shoot varmints (pdogs & sage rats) and RFBR.  I have mostly 22 caliber CF rifles so the recoil is lower but several  hundred rounds per day is not unusual.  I have Athlon Talos 6-24 scopes on most of my varmint rifles, with MOA & Mil recticles.  Still can't tell much difference between those two but I haven't spent any time on that topic either, I usually hit what I aim at, or give the critters a hair cut anyways which is almost as much fun as giving them flight lessons.  These work well for me out to 400 yds which is pretty much the limit of these calibers.

I use Sightron 45x ED's on 2 of my RFBR rifles, and will use a Weaver 36x on a CZ 457 I'm putting together for ARA factory class.  I did not care for the glass in the Sightron SII 36x, I've used 2 and the glass and my eyes just did not work well together.  Other's like them, I prefer the Weaver 36x at this power, but I really like the Sightron 45x with ED glass, world of difference between their 36 and 45's.  I don't have any Sightron scopes on my CF rifles as I have found the Athlon work well for the intended purpose IMO.

[MuchThoughts]

I put a holosun on my first build many years back, and it’s still my favorite red dot. Built another one for closer range applications and wanted to keep the cost down and put on a $40 firefield holographic or something like that. It was a mistake. The thing worked on and off for a year and then died completely. I’ve replaced it with a sightmark which I really like, but it’s bulky and not the most attractive thing on the top of the gun. 

[Croakerhouck]

T. Rex Arms is a solid source of information more geared to civilian training/tactical applications when it comes to optics.

[FrankD]

On 5/25/2023 at 4:29 PM, Loid said:

Most here probably aren't on Reddit but they have a Gun Accessories For Sale (GAFS) subreddit that is flooded with all types of gear. I've bought and sold a dozen different optics on there. If you don't like it you can usually get most if not all of your money back.

For now I've settled on an Eotech EXPS-2 and a Trijicon LPVO.

GAFS is the quick road to bankruptcy!  However it is a great place to find used gear and I feel generally pretty safe dealing with high flair users for transactions.  I would be very hesitant to spend hundreds of dollars on a new user without going through paypal G&S, however had no issue spending money on a high value item going through one of the mods as a proxy.  

If you wait for a decent deal you could pretty easily get your money back if you don't like whatever you end up with.