Primary Arms Gen3 Red Dot

[jcj]

Anyone running one? The Gen3 model hasn't been out for too long.  I hear good things about the PA dots as far as cheap "alternative" red dot optics go (ie, not EOTech or AimPoint). 

 

I like the fact the new model runs on AAs.  PA only warranties them for a year which is a major downside compared to say, a Vortex Strikefire. I'm still thinking about picking one up and beating up on it a bit to see if they're worth the price.  I figure for $99 including a mount it might be good for some range plinking. If not, it can be relegated to "Tactical 10/22" duty.Based on everything I can find I think they're comparable to the likes of a Strikefire but slightly cheaper and with a much shorter warranty.

 

 

http://www.primaryarms.com/Primary-Arms-AA-Battery-Red-Dot-GEN-3-p/pa-aasdg3.htm

 

What say ye, TGO?

 

 

 

[jcj]

Not much attention to this thread, so I figured I'd pick one up and evaluate it. Here you go..

 

Shipping
Primary Arms ships fast. I literally had it overnight. Absolutely no complaints there.

Packaging
The outer box was adequate and the package had sufficient protection to keep from damaging the sight. Noteworthy enough, the package was freezing cold from riding in the back of the FedEx truck today, however it was clear of fog when I unboxed it here in the house.

Here are some shots of the retail box:





The feature list is shown in the second pic.

Construction

This optic is made from aircraft-grade aluminum and has a nice black anodizing. There were no noticeable defects in the finish. It was smooth and consistent everywhere.



The battery compartment is double o-ring sealed to keep water out. The turret caps are also o-ring sealed. The flip-up style lens caps secure with a nice 'click' and seem to fit just right. Also, +1 for including a name brand (Energizer) lithium AA battery.



The integrated riser and mount seem to be well constructed. They aren't LaRue mount quality, but more than adequate for securing the sight to the rifle. The included configuration co-witnesses (lower 1/3) with AR sights just fine.



Performance

This is still "to be determined". I'll have to zero this one at the range tomorrow and go from there. However, I'm pleased with the precision of the dot. It isn't as precise as an AimPoint dot, but it is certainly good enough and quite usable. It is advertised as a 3MOA dot.

The camera made this a little fuzzy, but you get the idea. It does distort a bit at the high(est) illumination settings, but I doubt you'd see that outdoors where those levels are needed.



Speaking of illumination settings, the settings are adjusted via a twist-style control that faces the shooter. The settings go from 0 (off) to 11 (max). I would like to see some in-between 'half clicks' to allow turning the optic off and quickly returning back to the previous setting without cycling through all of them.



This is a budget optic and falls in the < $100 price category. In its class, I'm very pleased with the overall construction. If it works well, I'd say this one is worth checking out.

[monkeylizard]

My PA Classic has 7 brightness levels . This improved model goes all the way to 11!

[BryanP]

Nice.  I don't need a red dot at the moment but I'll keep this in mind.

[peejman]

Can't say I've ever heard anything bad about stuff from PA. If I ever get my AR built, I plan to use one of their red dots.

[Erik88]

I just ordered the micro dot. All their products have great reviews.

[KKing]

While I don't have that particular model, I do have 4 different PA optics, they're good to go. Only issue I've had is with their house brand AR riser for the micro dot. The bolt that goes through the rail slot that gets tightened is about 1/8th thick, and apparently of cheap steel. I've broken 2 trying to snug them up, so they just sent me an upgraded QD mount on their dime. Good folks

[Ted S.]

Seems legit so far....

[jcj]

Update: Spots, myself, and a few other people went to the range today to see how it felt to be stupid and shoot in extreme cold weather (Answer: It's cold.).

 

Spots was apparently volunteered to be "Mr. rifle sight-in person" today (unintentionally). We both got some trigger time with the PA red dot.  He can probably speak to the ease of zeroing, but I was pleased with this thing. Once set, we had no issues with consistency. At (very) close range I was able to shoot a dime-sized group of 4 shots.

 

Spots said I was putting rounds "on the target" at 150 yards, but I can't imagine they were in any sort of group since I could barely see the target at that range.  :pleased:

 

We'll see how it holds up over time but, based on my initial impression, this Primary Arms red dot is a keeper.

[Spots]

I will say that it was freezing out there today. And in all I think I sighted in 3 AR's, 3 bolt guns, and a 742 carbine. The PA red dot was easy to dial in with postive clicks that made adjustment a snap. The 3 MOA dot was easy to see when turned up to around 9, out of 11, even in the bright sun with snow on the ground. It held a good zero at 50 yds, was clearly labeled for adjustment and worked well even when stepped out to 150 yds. It seemed very overbuilt for the price, and had zero issues all day. I look forward to Jeffs long term review, but I think its a winner, especially for the money. Tapatalk ate my spelling.

[KKing]

[quote name="Spots" post="1089192" timestamp="1388875440"]I will say that it was freezing out there today. And in all I think I sighted in 3 AR's, 3 bolt guns, and a 742 carbine. The PA red dot was easy to dial in with postive clicks that made adjustment a snap. The 3 MOA dot was easy to see when turned up to around 9, out of 11, even in the bright sun with snow on the ground. It held a good zero at 50 yds, was clearly labeled for adjustment and worked well even when stepped out to 150 yds. It seemed very overbuilt for the price, and had zero issues all day. I look forward to Jeffs long term review, but I think its a winner, especially for the money.Tapatalk ate my spelling.[/quote] Awesome, glad everything went well for you guys. I was out shooting today as well (and listening to my dad moan about how cold it was lol). Edited January 4, 2014 by KKing

[Erik88]

My Primary Arms microdot arrived today. I'm really impressed so far. I don't have anything to compare it to but I can tell when I'm holding something that's high quality.

 

I'll report back after I zero it in this weekend. 

[jcj]

My Primary Arms microdot arrived today. I'm really impressed so far. I don't have anything to compare it to but I can tell when I'm holding something that's high quality.

 

I'll report back after I zero it in this weekend. 

 

They don't waste much time getting stuff out the door. I thought the same thing. When you pick up the sight you get the feeling it's a "real" optic and definitely not an airsoft toy (the feeling I get with some other cheap optics).

[jcj]

As an experiment, I'm leaving the AA-model dot I received on (level 6 brightness) to see how long the battery will last.  I'm going to check on it daily until it goes out. This could go on for a while, but I'm interested in knowing what the real-world battery life looks like.

 

Also found this interesting. Here's a video they posted on Facebook of their factory testing process:

 

[MEDIA]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QWS1EKs9wvk&feature=youtu.be[/MEDIA]

Edited January 7, 2014 by jcj

[KKing]

[quote name="Erik88" post="1090570" timestamp="1389055644"]My Primary Arms microdot arrived today. I'm really impressed so far. I don't have anything to compare it to but I can tell when I'm holding something that's high quality. I'll report back after I zero it in this weekend. [/quote] What mount did you get?

[jcj]

Just to follow up on this thread. I wanted to do a battery run down test on the PA dot. It has been "on" set to level 6 brightness since 1/5/14. I'm checking on it periodically to see how long the battery holds up. Sent via Tapatalk. Blame the phone for any spelling issues.

[whitewolf001]

Just to follow up on this thread. I wanted to do a battery run down test on the PA dot. It has been "on" set to level 6 brightness since 1/5/14. I'm checking on it periodically to see how long the battery holds up. Sent via Tapatalk. Blame the phone for any spelling issues.

Any changes in the brightness?

[jcj]

[quote name="whitewolf001" post="1100333" timestamp="1390577618"]Any changes in the brightness?[/quote] Nope. Not that my eyes can pick up anyway.

[Jamie Jackson]

I ran across this thread using the "search" function as I'm looking into some Red Dot options.

 

 

jcj...How is the PA AA Battery running for you? Are you still pleased with it? And what did you find out about battery life?

 

Erik...How is the PA Micro working out for you? Quality? Durability?

 

 

I have a little AK project I'm working on and I'm hoping one of these might fill the bill as they are certainly within the price range I'm considering.

[jcj]

[quote name="prag" post="1161717" timestamp="1403516580"]I ran across this thread using the "search" function as I'm looking into some Red Dot options. jcj...How is the PA AA Battery running for you? Are you still pleased with it? And what did you find out about battery life? Erik...How is the PA Micro working out for you? Quality? Durability? I have a little AK project I'm working on and I'm hoping one of these might fill the bill as they are certainly within the price range I'm considering.[/quote] The AA battery lasted until the first week of May before the dot went dark. Considering the price point, I was impressed.

[Jamie Jackson]

Thank you jc.

 

I agree, not bad for the price point.

 

Much obliged.

[Guest Jasonbsexton]

Anyone have any advice for mounts for this? I have the PA Classic and a 3x magnifier from PA. The red dot is set up on a forward mount and the magnifier is on a QD mount. Anyone have a better idea/option?

[monkeylizard]

Yeah. Put that magnifier on a flip-to-side mount. PA sells them. I got tired of having to take the magnifier off and on. Now it's always there and cen be flipped over when I don't want it. My PA red dot is on their cantilever mount*. That lets the red dot, the magnifier and a Magpul MBUS all fit on the upper's rail without having to put anything on the handguard rails.

 

*You need a tube-style red dot for that. It won't work with one with an integrated base.

Edited August 1, 2014 by monkeylizard

[Erik88]

Just saw your response Prag. I've only shot my AR once since I put the red dot on. I pulled it out of the closet the other day and it powered right up. 

 

For the money I'm really happy. Someday I will have a nicer AR and a better optic,  but for now, this is just fine. 

[Jamie Jackson]

Thank you Erik. No worries good Sir.