Sightmark Minishot

[StPatrick]

I've always been a tinkerer, so my Ruger Mark III has been played with quite a bit lately. I added the Volquartsen trigger / hammer / sear (awesome!!!!11!!eleventy), and was very pleased. Since the pistol I bought used here on TGO had the Weaver rail included, I decided to mount a red-dot sight on it, just for grins. Not wanting to drop $200+, I decided to take a flyer on the Sightmark Minishot, at $79.99 from Opticsplanet.com.

Pros:

1/3 the cost of a C-More or Burris fastfire (after bases are purchased, see below)

Intergrated Weaver base (the pricier sights require bases to be purchased separately)

Holds zero

Two brightness settings (I generally use the high power, as I tend to shoot outdoors)

Much better reviews than the sub-$50 sights, e.g. BSA, Barska, other alleged "bargains"

Cons:

Integrated mount means no other mounting options are possible (the Burris and C-More, among others, offer mounts that fit in the rear sight dovetail, which does give a much cleaner look)

No "click" adjustments...most of the time. Sometimes you feel a click, sometimes you don't. It's very much a guess and check zeroing process. For myself, this isn't a big deal, because I use Federal or Winchester bulk ammo, so $0.03 a squeeze doesn't bother me.

Overall, I'm very happy with it, for what I paid - it's a winner in regards to price v. value. From a rest, sub 2" groups at 25 yards are possible, if you do your part. I use cheap bulk ammo, so there may be room to improve there. If you don't have $300 to go first-class, this is a sight to check out.

Edited October 18, 2010 by StPatrick
Note: group size was for a pistol; YMMV...it can be safely assumed longer barrels will perform better.

[Kenstaroni]

I've had a couple of the Sightmark reflex sights and they have all worked great. A little difficult to get sighted in due to the inconsistency of the adjustment knob. Once I got them zeroed in they always held zero. Had one on a 12ga shotgun and it held zero just fine, other was on a .22.