Optic for ar?

Joined
Oct 23, 2020
Messages
406
Likes
1,365
Location
MA
Feedback: 17 / 0 / 0
Looking to add an optic to my ar. Not opposed to a scope or red dot. I’ve been looking at the vortex sparc II and vortex strikefire II. I’m new to this though and don’t really know much about them. I can’t seem myself trying to shoot it past 100 yards and I’d like to keep the cost under $250. Any help is appreciated.
 
If you're not expecting to shoot beyond 100 yards and this isn't going to be a rifle that needs to shoot beyond that, a red dot is fine. A magnified optic, like a scope or a red dot + magnifier, becomes more of a need when shooting beyond 100 or when trying to shoot at small things that may not be obvious. But a steel plate or a piece of paper is pretty obvious on a range within 100.
 
Holosun HS503G would be my pick with that budget
This I have a holosun, an sparc2, a PSA dot, and a strike eagle. All in that budget.

The holosun is on my go-to arm. The strike eagle 1-6x is on my range toy / prairie dog hunting rig with the odd 1-7twist barrel.
 
I have the Vortex Sparc II on one of my guns. Great value, particularly when it occasionally goes on sale for $179.99. I think I got mine for even less, but that was a very rare price. That being said, Vortex now has a "Sparc AR" red dot that is the same price, has a smaller footprint, AR-specific riser sets, and has a much longer battery life. Might be something to consider.

I'd point out though that I have a slight astigmatism that makes me see a starburst with the Sparc II. Oddly enough, it is less of an issue with a $50. Bushnell red dot.
 
Do you have astigmatsim? If so, a red dot will drive you nuts. The Vortex Spitfire is the way to go, as it is prismatic, and an etched reticle that allows focusing.
I believe I do and I also wear glasses if that makes a difference.
 
Holosun makes their own, the Primary Arms and the Sig Romeo 5. Buy whichever has the feature set and cost point you want. They are all essentially the same. I prefer the Romeo 5 but it’s personal preference at that point. They are all made in the same place with the same quality, just different names on the side and slightly different features
 
Thanks for the help
No o problem,
On a bit more serious not are you looking for optics to help or offset your Rx.
My daughter has a pretty strong Rx
Cant see down range with out it. With her daily Rx seeing the front sight is next to impossible so she needs to run aperture target sights or a scope. She does not like the scope.
My favorite scope I have put ontop of a AR is a simple 6X leupold Early VX serried.
Simple , holds zero clean clear glass
 
Thanks for the help
It really depends upon intended use case. Vortex prism, a 3x spitfire is great for short to mid distance.
For longer distances a 1-6x optic is great. For a submoa hunting rifle a 3-15x optics will be great. For a short range sbr a red dot will be great.
 
Holosun makes their own, the Primary Arms and the Sig Romeo 5. Buy whichever has the feature set and cost point you want. They are all essentially the same. I prefer the Romeo 5 but it’s personal preference at that point. They are all made in the same place with the same quality, just different names on the side and slightly different features

I will add however, that if your eyes are f***ed up (I think I have an astigmatism or something) the 503G Holosun is much easier to see. The "circle dot" for whatever reason, breaks the
problem caused by the astigmatism. Like I have an Aimpoint Pro and a Holosun 403B. Those are great optics.... BUT.... in my eyes, the dot ends up turning into this smear thing, almost more of a line that ends up taking more than 2 moa of "space" in the viewing area of the scope. will I still hit stuff? Sure... but it wont be as precise.

For some bizarre reason the circle dots never trigger the same optical effect.
 
Holosun = Chinese communism
Eotech and Trijicon = American patriotism

If any of them would make a product equivalent to my 503Gs then I would buy one. They don't.

My preference would have been to buy more Aimpoint PROs, if they came with a circle dot reticle in them or something. (I have a pro and it is built like a brick shithouse. )

I can't do eotech because I can't deal with the fuzzy bullshit on a $600 optic, no thanks. Plus the battery life on those things is pure dog shit.
 
If any of them would make a product equivalent to my 503Gs then I would buy one. They don't.

My preference would have been to buy more Aimpoint PROs, if they came with a circle dot reticle in them or something. (I have a pro and it is built like a brick shithouse. )

I can't do eotech because I can't deal with the fuzzy bullshit on a $600 optic, no thanks. Plus the battery life on those things is pure dog shit.
Would you prefer 503g acss to a 3x spitfire? I am thinking of the latter to go on tavor and moving 1-6x scope to the 18” larue.
 
Would you prefer 503g acss to a 3x spitfire? I am thinking of the latter to go on tavor and moving 1-6x scope to the 18” larue.

I haven't tried the ACSS yet, but the Holosun group I am in on faceplant, nearly everyone in there is saying the ACSS is too busy and not really useful unless you're running a magnifier behind it. I honestly don't have much experience with magnified optics other than a 3.5 power Trijicon ACOG I had access to for awhile while I was babysitting my friends guns. I have used decent things like Leupold CQB and a bunch of other random garbage grade scopes but didnt know much from those other than that shitty glass is shitty. Although the Trashco Pro thing I had on my 17HMR ruger 100 years ago actually was pretty good for what it didnt cost. I used to shoot primers out of shotgun shells with that gun at 100 yards, lmao.
 
I haven't tried the ACSS yet, but the Holosun group I am in on faceplant, nearly everyone in there is saying the ACSS is too busy and not really useful unless you're running a magnifier behind it. I honestly don't have much experience with magnified optics other than a 3.5 power Trijicon ACOG I had access to for awhile while I was babysitting my friends guns. I have used decent things like Leupold CQB and a bunch of other random garbage grade scopes but didnt know much from those other than that shitty glass is shitty. Although the Trashco Pro thing I had on my 17HMR ruger 100 years ago actually was pretty good for what it didnt cost. I used to shoot primers out of shotgun shells with that gun at 100 yards, lmao.
I see, makes sense. I think I will stick to a 3x prism. Cannot see much without magnification... but I do not want a separate magnifier.
 
I like 2.5x primary arms with the acss reticle for budget minded carbine stuff. It isn't an ACOG but I find them to be of good quality and the eye relief is such that they are good for 7.62 nato as well. They are small and light enough they also don't f up a good light carbine.

They say red dots are good out to 100 yards, and if you just need to hit a man sized object I agree (or anything down to 6 inches really), but if you ever punch paper it's awful hard to really tell you are are lined up dead center of say an inch circle without magnification (for me anyway) and beyond that only gets worse.

I like red dots for what is intended for 50 yards or less, a little magnification beyond that.
 
I fully concur with picking up a Holosun or Primary Arms red dot for your price range. I have experience with both and stamp my approval on them. They sit right next to a couple Trijicons and a night force sharing the same safe.

However, if you’re okay with stretching the budget a bit, this is also a great option. I don’t have first hand experience but all my research and consistent findings makes me pretty confident:


Also, Vortex and PA have new 3x prism optics for 2021 that may be worth looking into. And PA has a new 1x prism optic for 2021 too. But the PA offerings aren’t up for sale yet. They still have their old products on their page.
 
I will add however, that if your eyes are f***ed up (I think I have an astigmatism or something) the 503G Holosun is much easier to see. The "circle dot" for whatever reason, breaks the
problem caused by the astigmatism. Like I have an Aimpoint Pro and a Holosun 403B. Those are great optics.... BUT.... in my eyes, the dot ends up turning into this smear thing, almost more of a line that ends up taking more than 2 moa of "space" in the viewing area of the scope. will I still hit stuff? Sure... but it wont be as precise.

For some bizarre reason the circle dots never trigger the same optical effect.

I can't do eotech because I can't deal with the fuzzy bullshit on a $600 optic, no thanks. Plus the battery life on those things is pure dog shit.

Are you sure the fuzziness you see on Eotech's is not caused by your eyes, as you mentioned above? My Eotech reticle does look a bit fuzzy I think. I'll have to check my Holosun because I think it's about the same, but maybe not. All my simple dot red dots look like weird blobs. It's my eyes that cause it as when I take a photo or look through a camera at the reticles they are crystal clear. Now you have been wondering if the Eotech is my eyes or the optic itself...gonna go check.

I still like my Eotech 512 I've had for over a decade though. I don't know what the battery life would be if I left it on all the time, probably not good, but just turning it on when in use and then off when put away the battery life has been pretty darn good. Like two battery changes in 11 years.
 
Are you sure the fuzziness you see on Eotech's is not caused by your eyes, as you mentioned above? My Eotech reticle does look a bit fuzzy I think. I'll have to check my Holosun because I think it's about the same, but maybe not. All my simple dot red dots look like weird blobs. It's my eyes that cause it as when I take a photo or look through a camera at the reticles they are crystal clear. Now you have been wondering if the Eotech is my eyes or the optic itself...gonna go check.

I still like my Eotech 512 I've had for over a decade though. I don't know what the battery life would be if I left it on all the time, probably not good, but just turning it on when in use and then off when put away the battery life has been pretty darn good. Like two battery changes in 11 years.

It may be a vision thing. It's not even that an Eotech is unusable to me, the circle and the dot are clear enough, it just looks fuzzy/shitty. I will say this though, every eotech I've ever used in real life, looks worse than it does in the pictures people put up of their reticles, so it may be my eyes.
 
I’m very partial to the ACOG after starting off in the broke college phase of gun ownership to where I am now. The Sparc II is a good enough entry dot, but the new Sig optics are impressive too.
If you can, save money for an ACOG, do it.
DCB01665-4E82-46A0-98EE-8853396144D3.jpeg
C17CA5D4-9653-4C3F-BBB8-37A732CDFDF9.jpeg
 
Back
Top Bottom