Best Shops To Compare Red Dot Optics In Person (Aimpoint/Holosun/Etc)?

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Are there any shops local with a good inventory of red dot sights so that you can see some stuff in person, side-by-side?

I'd like to have a first-hand look at an Aimpoint Pro/T-2, the higher-end Holosuns, and maybe some lower cost SIG/Vortex red dots.

By local I'm talking Bass Pro/Foxboro to Shooters Outpost/NH.

Thanks for any input.
 
Last time I was at Cabellas/Bass Pro in Hudson, MA they had several RDS’s in the case on display, including aimpoint T’s and H’s, some Sig Romeo 5’s, 1’s, Zero’s, and some other cheaper brands as well.

If I remember correctly the T-2 was like 800.00+ without a mount. You can do better for price elsewhere but it gives you a look at it which is to your point.
 
OK--that was a productive day.

Hit Cabelas, The Mill, and Old Glory. Wanted to get up to Shooters, but ran out of time.

Cabelas has a very good selection of Red dot sights, but illumination was not working on several of them. They had a couple flavors of Holosun to consider. The Sig Romeo 5 and the Aimpoint Patrol had no battery power. Maybe bring your own batteries, if you want to be sure of a side-by-side comparison. The jury is not yet in, but the Holosun has a very impressive emitter for the money. The most unexpected find was a 3X prism sight I didn't even have on my radar--the Burris RT-3. Once the diopter was properly adjusted the etched reticle was super crisp.

BURRIS RT-3

The Mill was not in full swing--I hit Ma**h*** firearms, and got greeted by one of the biggest freaking dogs I've seen in recent memory. They didn't have a lot in stock, but they had just gotten in some Leuopold Freedom RDS's, and were willing to order whatever I was looking for.

Website...

I walked the halls and found a shop I hadn't heard of before--Ragnor Arms. He showed me the Holosun 510--said he was going to be getting in a shipment within a week. The 510 seemed like a pretty good package for the $300 price point as well.

HS510C

Ragnor Arms...

Finally I got up to Old Glory--and they do indeed have a VERY impressive collection of red dot sights to consider--Aimpoint T-2's, Trijicons, half a dozen Holosun variations, and Vortex. Unfortunately the Aimpoint T-2 had no battery installed (can't say as I blame them), so I wasn't able to compare the emitter to the Holosun. At a 1K price point I'd expect it would be flawless, and the best/most reliable components avaialable. The salesman encouraged me to take the Holosun out into the daylight--and I was pretty impressed, especially by the green circle-dot. It was daylight visible even looking directly into the sunniest part of the sky. The staff at Old Glory were as friendly and helpful as Quiller implied, although they weren't able to speak knowlegeably about warranties. Oh well. Old Glory is definitely worth a trip. They had a pretty good selection of powder as well. 8lbers of H335 and H4350, 1 lbers of H110, Accurate 7, CFE Pistol, and Magnum, among others. Nothing is cheap--but they have it on the shelf. They had some Gold Medal Match 69 Grain SMK on the shelf, so I picked some up to proof a couple rifles.

About Us - Old Glory Guns & Ammo

My takeaway from today is that I want to do some more looking into Holosun's warranty. The dot (and circle dot) is impressively sharp at the price point, and the Green option surprised me with how good it looked. I was also plasantly surprised by the startling sharpness and clarity of the Burris 3X micro prism, as well as the lightweight compactness of the package overall. I might give a 3x microprism some serious consideration for a different rifle.

Anyway--thanks for the input.
 
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That is a good day. I met the @ma**h***s about 1.5 months ago. Good group of guys in there.

As far as the Aimpoint T-2, it’s one of the top shelf red dots out there, just a dot no circle. Aimpoint sure isn’t cheap but it is outstanding quality. Just depends what your needs are vs cost and of course survivability of the unit. Looks like you’re on the right track.
 
Can currently find the T2 no mount for a little over $600. No pressure! I’m tempted to get another myself.
 
Try to check out a USPSA match near you. You will see a plethora (Yes Pepe) of red dot sights and can get the user's impressions, suggestions.
 
I've been heavily leaning towards the Bravo 5 myself. One of the benefits is that it's a prisim site, the reticle is etched in to the glass so even in the event of a battery failure you still have your sights.
 
Earlier today I was doing my homework on the SS romeo zero, the swampfox sentinel, and the crimson trace RAD micro pro. All of which look great but the reviews ands feedback are horrible. Display/light malfunctions, and cheap/plastic frames. I guess it makes sense because they arent too expensive, so youre getting what you pay for.

The only site I found and researched that held its ground was the Holosun 407 and 507k.…

Im curious Which site did you end up going with? And for what gun are you mounting it on?
 
At the price of that T2 you can get a 1.5x acog (TA44). No other glass is as clear or dot as crisp for me.
 
I’m with you, for instance acogs can be found for around $900 online, but good luck finding one in a local shop under $1200.
Business have been known to fail because they charged "what they needed" or "their standard markup" without paying attention to the market.

To sell a $900 ACOG at $1200 takes a buyer with the taste, culture, breeding and social sophistication to appreciate such a fine optic, but not enough understanding of the market to know the dealer markup is a lot more than a "convenience fee".
 
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Sorry to abandon the thread--I don't get around here much.

I finally decided to acquire the Holosun 510 in green, and a Primary Arms SLX Advanced Push Button Micro Red Dot Sight.

https://midwestoptics.net/product/holosun-510c-gr-2/

Note the "email for price" button. Holosun doesn't like dealers advertising prices lower than MSRP.

Primary Arms SLx Advanced Push Button Micro Red Dot Sight - Gen II

Both of these optics are excellent bang for the buck.

The Holosun was chosen because of its astounding battery life and reticle versatility. It is my first green reticle, and I'm interested in seeing how it shakes out shooting fast on CQ targets.

If the performance specs on the EOTECH were anywhere close to the Holosun I would have happily paid twice or three times as much for EOTECH build quality--but they simply aren't. I won't be locking out of a sub with it. I'll f*** around with the Holosun and see if the reticle clicks.

The Primary Arms was just a no-brainer at $125 (on sale). Excellent battery life and a lifetime warranty. I snagged a used/barely-used Geissele mount for $50 (shipped).

Haven't managed to get to the range, yet--it's just been too f***ing hot.

Boilermaker's hunch was uncannily correct--I am indeed a low-balling shitbird, and bought the Holosun online, but I saved $75, not $5. Sorry Old Glory. In my defense, I did buy 200 rounds of Gold Medal Match, 2K Winchester Small Rifle primers, and an Aero gas block from them. I'd say I'm doing my part to keep their lights on. And as an additional plug, I was impressed by some of the prices for AR components--the Aero gas block was very reasonable, when factoring waiting, shipping and tax.

If the Holosun fails/disappoints I will update the thread.

All the best.
 
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