Ar 15 Optics?

[Guest Crud]

Hello. I am new to the AR 15 optic world. I am thinking about getting a red dot or something similar. My question is, will the standard front sight interfere with the sight picture? Do I raise the red dot sight higher than the front site?

[CM1021]

You can run a red dot and do what's called cowitness means you use your iron sights through the red dot! What helps me a lot is to have my front sight and put my dot right on top of my post and it helps me keep it centered and improves my accuracy!

[mikegideon]

You usually want a lower 1/3 cowitness with a red dot sight. A red dot is for fast target aquisition, so the last thing you want to do is try to use your iron sights with it. A lower 1/3 cowitness gets the front iron sight out of the way when you are using a red dot, but will still allow you to line up your backup irons through the optic if it fails. If you want cheap and good, try a Primary Arms M4. It comes with a mount that's already set up for lower 1/3 cowitness. You want a flip-up front iron sight for backup.

Primary Arms M4 Style Red Dot - Primary Arms - For Optics Accessories & More | Weapons Optics | Firearm Supplies

Currently, I have an Eotech 512 on mine, but used the Primary Arms for awhile.

[Guest BungieCord]

Military Morons has some good poop on AR optics (but their tastes do tend to run high-end). Look nearer the bottom of the page and you'll find a picture of an EOTech 553 set up with a bottom third cowitness.

[mikegideon]

My Eotech had the front sight almost dead nuts in the middle with the standard mount on a flattop. Since my front sight is a standard A2, I had to stick a YHM riser under mine. A flip-up front sight would be better. Now the Eotech is almost too high, but it's better than having the front sight in the middle of the sight picture. Didn't have the problem with the Primary Arms sight. I'm sure it's the same with a real Aimpoint mounted for lower 1/3.

[Dolomite_supafly]

With a red dot as Mike said most want the irons in the lower 1/3. This keeps it simple if you have irons. On the other hand if you have 100% cowitness it is easy to confirm your zero by making sure everything lines up. But as long as you are using a quality sight it should always be zeroed or at least under normal situations.

I have mine cowitnessing the irons but my irons are either removed or out of the way when I use my red dot so for me they aren't a problem.

With any magnified optic the front sight is rarely, if ever, seen in the scope. I have had 1.5x scopes and the front sight didn't show up and only at the extreme angles can a shady area be seen but that never happens under normal conditions. Probably anything over 4x and you will never see the front sight or a dark area and it will not interfere with view in the scope.

Dolomite

[LA_357SIG]

My advice is buy cheap buy twice. The absolute lowest quality I will go is Vortex. They have an Aimpoint Micro type called the SPARC. They also have an M2 type called the Strikefire. They seem to be well constructed and receive excellent reviews. Personally I have gone with Aimpoint and Trijicon for my red dot needs.

As far as height goes, the iron sights in the lower 1/3 of the red dot sight picture is the perferred setup.

[LA_357SIG]

Some ideas...

Trijicon RMR LED model. Will work on high mount pictured below.

Trijicon RMR Dual Illumination.

Aimpoint T-1/ADM-B2 mount with SOCOM riser.

Aimpoint M2 with QRP mount.

Trijicon TA50-4R ACOG with TA-60 mount. Will also work with the ADM-B2 mount under the Aimpoint T-1.

[mikegideon]

Eotech 512 with YHM riser

[dunndw]

I just installed this setup on my Scar 17

Burris Fullfield TAC30 Rifle Scope 30mm Tube 1-4x 24mm Illuminated Ballistic CQ Reticle Dark Earth - MidwayUSA

with this mount

Burris AR-P.E.P.R. 1-Piece Extended Scope Mount Picatinny-Style with Integral 30mm Rings Flattop AR-15 Matte - MidwayUSA

406.99 shipped to my door.

[mikegideon]

+1 on the PEPR if you're mounting a scope. I have one on my other AR

[Curiousgb]

That is an interesting setup. I was looking at Nikons m-223 setup that is similar. Looking forward to a range report.

[Guest Crud]

Thank you for the responses guys. After doing some research I have decided on something like this.

Are there any red dots that don't run on batteries? What would be the best red dot for under $150 with the emphasis on battery life and physical durability?

[Dolomite_supafly]

Thank you for the responses guys. After doing some research I have decided on something like this.

Are there any red dots that don't run on batteries? What would be the best red dot for under $150 with the emphasis on battery life and physical durability?

Avoid any sights that have multiple reticles. Most use a revolving wheel that hold the reticles and from personaly experience they rarely keep sero between the reticles. If you were to use just one reticle and have a way of locking it in place it would probably work. Vortex makes some very nice red dots for the money. They are NV capable and it turns itself off automatically after 6 hours, helping battery life. Avoid ATN scopes, they are hit or miss as far as quality goes. For the money I would rather buy something I know will work. My wife's AR wears a Bushnell and it has been 100% reliable since day one. I had to search the various Bushnell offerings before finding one that didn't wash out in the bright sun. I have tried the cheap $50 red dots and never had one last. Either the electronics gave out or the mechanicals crapped out. I even had one where the glass cracked from normal use.

If you are LE or MIL Burris sells their products at 55% off their price. A Fastfire, which is a decent red dot, is roughly $130 after their discount. One thing I do like about the Fastfire is it has a switch to turn it off. It also automatically adjusts for ambient light. You can also buy a set of wings to protect it. I have had mine mounted on pretty much everything I won at one point or another and really like it. I havn't really checked battery life on mine because I turn it off after every use.

Another optic I really like is the Millett Zoom Dot, now called Bushnell Zoom Dot. It also has an auto adjusting reticle intensity based on ambient light. A unique feature it has is the knob that would normally be used to adjust brightness adjusts the dot size, from 1 MOA to 10 MOA. I have used one overseas and really liked it other than it is not NV capable. Most others who used it also liked it. It takes standard Aimpoint batteries and has no wires inside to work loose, only a wafered circuit board that is easily replaced if something happens. Mine had been used and abused and never failed me. Battery life was roughly 1300 hours or roughly 52 days, that was in a well lit area and with the sight left on all the time.

I have used Aimpoints and Eotechs a lot in the past. It seems like there is a "us vs them" attitude between the two.

Eotech battery life sucks plan and simple. Even when turned off the batteries only last a few months and when used regularly they only last a month or so. I used one in NV mode exclusively for a few months and even with the auto turn off and in NV mode the batteries only lasted one month. I have also had a lot of them fail when I was overseas. They would loose zero, unable to get them zeroed, or just flat out fail for no reason. I would say 2 out of 10 we used overseas had some sort of issue.

Aimpoints are good. They have some of the longest battery life in the industry. They are built like a tank and should last a long time so long as no moisture makes it into the battery compartment. If the battery compartment gets wet it is only a matter of time before the sight will fail. They work well with NV but I think Eotech's work better. The new Aimpoints, with sealed battery compartments, should be pretty much bomb proof.

Hope this helps but I am sure someone will chime in with their own observations.

Dolomite

[Backon4]

I have a vortex and can attest to the quality. While a lot of people prefer the 1/3 cowitness I actually prefer mine standard. With a flip down rear and a standard f front I can easily check that my scope is still zeroed.

[mikegideon]

Even with a lower 1/3 cowitness, the dot should line up with the irons if they're zeroed at the same range.

[Links2k]

I have the EOTECH 512 on the M&P15T and I plan to put the Vortex Sparc on the 15-22.

[mikegideon]

I really like the Eotech, with the exception of the turn-off procedure. I woulld like it better if I had a flip-up front sight.

[Guest Crud]

Do red dots hold up to full auto fire from an AR 15?

[mikegideon]

The military uses lots of Aimpoints and Eotechs.