What is a good sight for an AR-15? I heard TruGlo

[gunnergirl]

but then there are a bunch of mixed reviews about what a good brand and type is. I am looking for a red-dot sight but don't want to buy a junk one or have buyers remorse. I think TruGlo had a lifetime warranty but again if there is a better one or more reliable and accurate one, I don't want some junk China one that moves all over the place, but I don't want to spend a fortune on one either.

[scrubber3]

If you want one that will last and hold zero while allowing you to see it on a bright day, you'll find that aimpoint and eotech are the only ones to get.

Bushnell offers a mini red dot for ~$130 that is quite nice for the money. Just get a small riser so you can co-witness with the iron sights.

If you want magnification, look at the Burris AR332. It's around $350, but it's much less than a Trijicon ACOG. It's a very nice optic and the reviews and reports talk very well of it. I've seen them and they are the best of the lesser valued optics.

Don't cheap out and get a trueglo or some other junk that you'll throw in the corner later. Put those on a BB gun cause that's where they belong.

I have aimpoint, eotech, Trijicon, etc on all my stuff because its what I was using when I was wearing my
BDUs and ACUs and I put them through hell without killing them. They work when you need them to and they work the best.

You get what you pay for. Buy once, cry once. You wouldn't put go-cart tires on a sportscar would you?

Btw, what AR is it?

[MarcSpaz]

I ran an AimPoint with a 3x magnifier and I currently have an EOTech XPS with a 5x magnifier. It is a tad expensive, but well worth it. If I take my sights off for a full detail cleaning, the return to zero is less than 2 MOA at 100 yards... every time.

[gunderwood]

It depends on the stated use of your AR. If it's SD/HD, I prefer an Aimpoint T1 on a Larue QD mount with Troy diopter rear tritium and front tritium insert. EOTechs are also nice, but I prefer the lighter weight of the T1. ACOGs make a lot of sense if you need extended ranges and are my preference over magnifiers on T1/EOTechs. YMMV.

Personally, I don't see a practical use for putting big optics on ARs given that they are all chambered in intermediate cartridges. Sure, they'll punch paper at longer distances, but they really start to run out of steam beyond 200-300 yards (obviously depends on barrel length). Now an AR10 is a different story. I want to put one of those 1-8x Leopolds/S&B/Etc. on it, but boy they are not cheap!

Recommendations would change if this was a 3-gun competition AR or just a plinker, etc. What do you plan to use it for?

[Jbecker]

The Aimpoint PRO is a great deal.


Tapatalk ate my grammar

[RWBlue01]

If my life depends on it...Aimpoint or EoTech.

If I am on a budget,
https://www.primaryarms.com/Primary_Arm ... /md-08.htm

[gunnergirl]

Yeah I really just want something affordable that doesn't jump around alot, Im not a sniper, so I dont have a use for a bi-pod it feels like cheating to me ;=) I will checck out the recommendations from everyone and I appreciate the responses

[Jakeiscrazy]

So I guess I have to ask what are you going to use it for? Rang wise 100 or less? 200 or more?

[OakRidgeStars]

Moved topic to more appropriate forum.

[M1A4ME]

If you get a 1X optic (like many red dots) the front sight post will "stick up in your way". A magnefied optic,like a scope "hides" the front sight post. Its still there but you can't "see" it through the scope.

I only have one rifle with a 1X red dot optic on it and I'm not sure how much I like it so far (the optic - I like the rifle).

I have anywhere from a 2.5X shotgun scope to a 3X9 on my AR15's. For paper punching of plinking a low fixed power scope is fine. If you plan on doing some varmint hunting, or shooting small targets you might want more power in the scope. I know from groundhog hunting many years ago that the 3X9 is all I need for making head shots out to a little past 200 yds. I've never coyote hunted but they are bigger than groundhogs or crows so the 3X9 would still be good to go.

My favorite optic on an AR15 so far (just my favorite, everyone had their own preferences) is fixed 4X optic called a SUIT. These were used by Britain on their version of the FAL and by Israel on FALs and M16s.

Oh, I recently bought Nikon P223 3X carbine scope but my son "adopted" it for his AR15 and he likes it but I can't really say one way or the other how good it may be. I do have a Nikon 3X9 with the bullet drop compensator reticle in it and it is a nice scope but I haven't got to shoot it at extended ranges to see how well the BDC set up works on it.

[Jbecker]

If you are using a red dot sight correctly, you will not notice the front sight post, or even the body of the optic itself. In fact, you can run a lens cover over the front lens on the optic, and still use the red dot to make hits on target. This is because you are shooting with both eyes open, and focusing on your target. All you should see is the dot ghosting over the target itself with an unobstructed field of view.

I regularly use a 2 moa Aimpoint to make hits on target at 300 yards, and have pushed it to 500 yards.

If the front sight post bothers you that much, run a different height mount.

[RWBlue01]

If you are using a red dot sight correctly, you will not notice the front sight post, or even the body of the optic itself. In fact, you can run a lens cover over the front lens on the optic, and still use the red dot to make hits on target. This is because you are shooting with both eyes open, and focusing on your target. All you should see is the dot ghosting over the target itself with an unobstructed field of view.

That works with some people brains, but not everyone's brain.

[Jbecker]

If you are using a red dot sight correctly, you will not notice the front sight post, or even the body of the optic itself. In fact, you can run a lens cover over the front lens on the optic, and still use the red dot to make hits on target. This is because you are shooting with both eyes open, and focusing on your target. All you should see is the dot ghosting over the target itself with an unobstructed field of view.

That works with some people brains, but not everyone's brain.

I don't see how that won't work, unless you are blind in one eye. The key is focusing on the target and not your sights. You are using the red dot sight as a "heads up display" basically.

[jasonallen127]

If you're even considering TruGlo, you are on a tight budget. Consider the Primary Arms optics. They make inexpensive (not cheap) red dots and magnifiers that kick serious ass for about 1/4th to 1/5th the cost of an Aimpoint or EoTech, while doing 90% of what they're capable of at the range... though I wouldn't run over a Primary Arms red dot with a Humvee and expect it to hold zero.

[M1A4ME]

I see these "high" mounted optics and it bothers me. I have not used my new aimpoint enough to confirm one way or the other if a good, consistent cheek weld is important. I've read that its not as important as with iron sights or a scope but I read a lot of things on the internet that do not match my personal experiences.

I still shoot with left eye closed. I tried the both eyes open many years ago (my father in law used his 4X scopes on his deer rifles with both eyes open and tried to teach me) but I never made it work well.

With iron sights, or a scope, your eye needs to be in the same spot behind the sight every time the gun goes bang. If your eye moves around behind the sight/scope the bullets move around on the target. As I said, I haven't used the aimpoint enough to see if this happens with it as well.

The higher the sight is the harder it is to get a good consistent cheek weld (and insure the eye is in the same spot every time) behind the rear sight/scope.

The lifetime warranties may make you feel better but it won't do much good if the sight/scope dies on you when you really need it.

[Jbecker]

You can get a perfectly fine cheek weld with a tall Aimpoint mount. Also, regarding the warranty thing, Aimpoints are proven to work, in the worst of situations.

Check this video out if you haven't already:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AUgzlF_4XUs

[M1A4ME]

I'm not doubting the aimpoint durability, I should have said many cheaper alternatives have life time warranties but that doesn't make them a good deal if they break.

Anything taller than an AR15 is going to give you a pretty high "cheek weld". Maybe even a "chin weld", which is pretty tough to make consistent.

You don't really learn to appreciate a good cheek weld, and understanding natural point of aim, until you get into multiple targets at varying ranges and lateral dispersions under a short time frame. That's when you start to see the point of aim and the point of impact increase in distance from each other - resulting in misses at longer ranges, even 300 and 400 yds.

[Jbecker]

If the tall Aimpoint mounts didn't work, you wouldn't see everyone using them, including US and foreign military. The factory Aimpoint mount on the PRO is taller than the front sight post as well.


Tapatalk ate my grammar

[gunnergirl]

yeah NRA HQ only place been so far, shot with a primary arms one but it ws a little jumpy, my husband used the iron sights and i shot better than him with the primary arms, but it seems to be no middle ground

$50-$100 or $400+

or anythign else seems to be iffy as far as reviews and people complaining about stuff, ill definitely research a lot of these you all have suggested

[jdonovan]

but it seems to be no middle ground
$50-$100 or $400+

Once you are at $200 for a sight on a $1000 rifle, the incremental cost to spend $200 more for a VERY high quality sight, vs. a mid-price optic, its really an easy choice for most shooters.

There is a saying on another forum... buy once cry once. Get good quality now, and don't worry that you did it wrong.

That said, I have quite a few 5-6 primary arms micro dot's on rifles, and like them just fine. They are NOT aimpoint quality, but at 20% the cost, they are fine for range toys.

My work rifles all wear aimpoints, or high quality scopes.