Hey guys,
im new to this sight and this is my first post. i have a stag model 2 with a fixed front sight and flip up rear one. i bought a sightmark ultrashot a while back and it broke within 3 weeks.  i want to buy a better quality one but being in college, i cant afford an eotech or aimpoint.  i dont want a scope just a red dot/holographic/reflex(i dont know the difference). i also want to be ble to raise it up to a lower 13 cowitness, thats personally what i like.  so do you guys know any sights like i described under $250 that will hold its zero well and not break?

thanks, im hoping this sight will be helpful to me

Bushnell TRS-25's normally hold up well.  They are my preference for a budget red dot.        
 

Anything made by primary arms.

+1 they are good to go

Anything made by Vortex. Anything made by Primary Arms. Lucid HD7 or Lucid Micro.

I been seeing Holosun red dots getting popular also.  Under $200 with 50,000hr battery life and lifetime warranty.  I see some of the newer Primary Arms stuff also carry a lifetime warranty with 50,000hr battery life

Strikefire/Sparc, Lucid HD7, PA Micro/AA/Advanced, TRS-25.

Really, there's a LOT Of good options out there anymore.

I have a Strikefire and a PA M3 clone that work damn good. I also have two PA micros and like them, but neither have any rounds on them yet. I expect they'll be just fine, by their reputation.

I'm itching to screw around with one of the Lucids. They are reputed to be very nice.

The Primary Arms micros are actually really damn good, especially for the price.

Lucid HD7 or Lucid M7 microdot.  Incredibly rugged and best combination of advanced features.  I have both.  And yes, I tried a Sightmark, but only on a .22LR plinker, and it failed miserably for even that.  I have one HD7.  Had it about two years now.  Bulletproof, but a bit heavy and bulky.  But that build makes it so rugged.  I have added the optional killflash and ADM QD mount upgrade.  I have two M7 microdots, one mounted, low, no riser, directly on the rail of a tactical 12 gauge shotgun.  The other in an ADM QD mount on an AR carbine. It has only one reticle choice, but it is the best of the four on the HD7.  It is an EOTech like circle dot.  Both run on a single AAA battery, have auto shutoff after two hours, and what may be unique in this price point:  auto intensity for the reticle.  It automatically dims or brightens instantly with ambient light.  Very bright in full sun, quite dim in darkness.  You can still manually set it if you want.

Optics are arguably a more important investment than your rifle, so choose and spend wisely.  Yes, there's a plethora of lower cost alternatives out there that satisfies the needs of the vast majority of end users, but at the end of the day a cheap optic is a cheap optic.  If I were you I'd shoot irons and save up a little bit each month for something that you really want.  You've already blown some money on a cheap optic, so this is a lesson you should not repeat.  There's a reason we say "buy once, cry once".  If $250 is your budget you're already 2/3 of the way of having an Aimpoint PRO.

i got one of those micro dots from primary arms about 2-3 years ago.. many thousands of rounds later.. still works good.

I'd have to say I agree. Be PATIENT and save up for a little while and you'll be glad you did. I don't know how you see your rifle but I see mine as tools that can save my life so I don't short myself. I want the best and you often get what you pay for. Save just $150 and get an aimpoint PRO. Just my advice though.

Impeccable logic.  With that thinking,  Aimpoint Pro owners should save up and get a VCOG, it's only what . $2300 or so.   Why not let OP select something within his price range rather than forcing something beyond?  I love high end optics and don't mind spending money on things like my Kahles 2-7x35mm, but I'm not at all convinced that the larger and heavier PRO is any better than a Lucid M7 microdot or the larger HD7.  

Unless you've tried and spent some time with the new generation of red dots in the price range just below the PRO, you really have no frame of reference, only subjective personal opinion.  Question for you, sir.  Does the PRO run on AAA batteries?   Does it automatically adjust dot intensity for ambient light changes?   Does it have a ranging or rapid access reticle like an EOTech style circle dot?  Just wondering if those are features on any of the Aimpoints.

I'm sorry, is this supposed to be English? ^  Maybe I'll entertain answering your questions when I'm convinced you're at least over the age of 12.  And you absolutely have no idea of what I have or don't have experience with, so don't presume.

Look on EE or Ebay you may snag Aimpoint Comp M2 for about $250.

thanks but whats EE?

The Vortex Spitfire has turned out to be a solid optic and has an etched reticle and clear glass plus an "Eotech" like reticle.  Its priced a bit higher @ $299 but it  is not rendered useless by the failure of electronics or lack of power.

Equipment Exchange, you can find used and new equipment for sale there. You can find the small orange tab  towards the top of the page just right of center next to the  "build your rifle" orange tab

I understood him just fine and his point IS valid.

All the OP asked for was a sight that wouldn't break and would hold zero. There's a LOT under the PRO's ~$400 price point that will do that and do it well.

He's not asking for a combat/duty optic.

This.

or

PA micros work. I had one, it will serve your purposes and costs under 100. If you get up to the $250 price range, then I'd shop the EE or elsewhere for a used Aimpoint.

Maybe it doesn't have all this fancy shit that you don't need..... Like that it runs on AAA batteries, the DL 1/3n battery will last for a very long time (10,000-50,000hrs depending on the model) and they are so small and retain their charge for so long you can just carry an extra with you when it does run out or just be smart and replace it every year to couple of years. It doesn't need to adjust for ambient light changes whatever brightness it is outside set it for and it will work inside... No issues there. You don't need a ranging reticle for anything inside of 300yds and I highly doubt most people here will ACTUALLY be using it for shooting that far especially in a high stress situation. The "rapid access reticle" is completely subjective in opinion and a dot again will work fine for pretty much everyone here. However even though the Aimpoint doesn't have all this crap that you think you need (but really don't) it does do one thing extremely well. WORK, In the end whether it be to not ruin a fun range day, wreck your times in a competition, or get you killed in an engagement it NEEDS to work. Aimpoints have a great (arguably the best) track record for doing this and doing it extremely well. There is no argument in that. And the price difference between $250 and $350 is relatively small. Can we please keep the asinine, taking things to the extreme stuff ( I.E. a comparison of $100 difference to a $2150 difference) out of the tech forums...

Yes it is English.  Reasonably good English, sir.  Perhaps you could answer my three simple questions? They are, indeed, clearly worded, straight forward, and short.  Then we can debate my spelling, sentence structure and syntax.  Game on.  Answers, please.  Direct ones.  Not ones that are evasive or change the subject.  I'm waiting.  Tick, tock, tick, tock. . ..

I'm willing to bet the highest grade you managed to achieve in English is a C or C+ at best, professor.  

You actually asked four questions.  And since none of them really don't have anything to do with the OP's original question about finding something within his budget, but rather technical questions about optic selections the OP may or may not be considering, I really don't feel the need to respond to any questions which answers can easily be found using Google.  Oh my!  Was I being evasive?   Keep waiting.  

So now we debate academic credentials rather than answer technical questions? The tactic is to evade and attack the person of the individual posing the question.  

Since we have established that you can count, perhaps answer the three (or four, if you break out the compound question) questions.  While direct answers are appreciated, I think we all know that in each instance, the answer for the Aimpoint is "no." We don't have to resort to Google, nor do you. Many, if not all, of those "no" answers reflect that Aimpoint is resting on its former laurels and no longer keeping up with technology advances that are being rolled out by other companies. Many of those advances show up as desirable features, sometimes at a lower price point.

For instance, the circle dot or donut dot reticle field proven by EOTech is highly regarded for rapid target acquisition.  A fine 2 MOA center dot in such a reticle enhances utility for more precision, when needed.  Knowing the subtention of the circle in either mils or MOA can aid in range estimation, and provide a hold over point of reference. Being able to transition immedistely to and from much different ambient lighting conditions without messing with a rotary dial under a perhaps high stress situation might be considered beneficial.  And the shelf life of AA and AAA lithium batteries is now up to 15 years, compared to 8 or less for most others and they are far more common and plentiful.  These are valid considerations and they are facts worthy of discussion without asserting a superiority attitude against those who advocate them.

At the price point presented by OP there are now a number of reasonable alternatives.

Primary arms and lucid make very good budget red dots.

I will recommend the Vortex Strikefire.  We have four of them and they fantastic red dots for the money.  Vortex recently changed the design, integrating the features into fewer buttons.  That's not a big deal but they also stopped including the magnifier that came with the first Strikefire so now, if you want it, you have to buy it separately.  Unfortunately from everything I've seen the new version of the Strikefire without the magnifier didn't get any cheaper which is a bit messed up since the magnifier is a pricy accessory.  If you can find the first generation, with the included magnifier, it should be a much better deal.  I haven't checked the prices recently but the first generation Strikefire is a great deal.

I've recently done quite a bit of research on "affordable" optics and I will echo what others said about the Primary Arms optics, they have excellent reviews and I wouldn't hesitate to go that route myself.  I might actually go Primary Arms on my next AR.  As far as Lucid goes, other than a few folks on here most of the reviews were very bad.  Since I don't have any personal experience with Lucid I can't say one way or the other and you can easily find the reviews and make your own call there.  Good luck on your search!

While I understand where you're coming from, I'm going to have to side with the guy you're arguing with.

Until the optic you're speaking of has had as much widespread distribution and usage in harsh conditions like the Aimpoint has, your optic still remains at the "fun gun" level, not at the serious level.

Now, I'm not saying there is anything wrong with cheaper optics.  Quite the contrary, they do work and my GF's rifle currently sports a Primary Arms Micro.  If the OP was working with a budget of around $100, that's what I'd recommend.

In this case, OP has a $250 budget.  Really, really close to the Aimpoint price, especially if he finds a used Aimpoint Pro in the EE.  At that price point, there is no reason to not go with the battle tested and proven optic over an optic that has a rather large question mark above it.

ETA:  Also wanted to add, a lot of the features you are touting are not going to add a whole lot of functionality to the optic.  Sure, your RDS may have more common batteries that have a longer shelf life.  Will your optic be around to effectively use that shelf life?  As to the auto adjust intensity, it isn't needed.  Set it for the brightest conditions you'll be in and forget it.  I get to work at 5 PM and turn on my Aimpoint Comp M4 while it's still light outside.  

I don't change the intensity setting all the way through the night until I turn the weapon in at 5 AM, once again not a problem.  As to the reticle issue, I can't wholeheartedly argue with you on that one.  I feel the Eotech reticle is vastly superior to the Aimpoint in every way.  It is not, however, a reason to skimp out when "battle proven" is not that much more

This is an altogether reasonable and reasoned response.  While we disagree, it is minor and stated respectfully.  My assumption is that OP is truly exploring options below $250.  It is to that price point I address my remarks.  Some members here are very hard pressed to scrape up the money for the Primary Arms Micro or the Bushnell TRS-25.  For them, it may be a real stretch to get to the $189 price point of the two Lucid models, and an Aimpoint Pro may be totally out of the question.  I even feel a bit guilty suggesting that they try to scrape up $189.

But, I cannot deny that there are two valid points of view on this.  My issues with the PRO have been stated.  I'll not repeat them.  I can say that moving from a dimly lighted room into bright sunlight is not all that of a rare tactical situation, and rapidly finding a small dot alone when adjusting your own pupillary accomodation, can be a challenge, at least when your eyes get older.  That's where the circle dot really helps.

I cannot get any if the three Lucid red dots to malfunction or hicup in any way.  I run the one on the shotgun very hard.  I have concluded that as long as I'm not jumping out of planes with my rifle or doing combat operations in the desert, or dropping the optic down the side of a rocky cliff, then I don't need that level of durability.   Any optic can fail.

Thank you for putting forward reasonable alternatives in a very civil manner.

Another vote for the TRS 25. You should be able to get the optic and riser for under $100 and it will do what you need it to do. I have one that has been running continuously on setting 1 for over a year.

For an inexpensive optic, I would not hesitate to buy another TRS-25. It is built solidly and the brightness is nearly as high as a Comp M4(only slightly lower than setting 16, and higher than 15) and significantly brighter than the red/green vortex strikefire.

I purchased my TRS-25 for around $85 and put it on a UTG mid-height mount(around $11), which is also of good quality. The mount utilizes a thumb nut that only backs out so far(won't fall off) and the plate that moves is under spring tension, so there's no issue putting it on or taking off the mount from your rail.

BTW, if you go the route I did for an inexpensive red dot, you would want the UTG High-mount for a lower 1/3 co-witness.

the definition of stupid is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results . 150.00 dam it wont turn on , 150.00 damn it looks like a cluster of grapes in there , 150.00 where in the hell does this part go . or 375.00 and I wish i had done this the first time . Been down that road bought the t-shirt . great customer service is not needing customer service  , do yourself a favor if your not already eating ramen noodles start and save another 125-150 dollars and get something that will last . just get an aimpoint pro you will not find a better value for your dollar when it comes to red dots.

This..^^^.

I was tempted many times to buy a cheaper optic just to get something on the rifle.  In my case I knew I wanted the Eotech XPS2 which I did eventually get.

If you know exactly what you want then saving for a bit of time can be well worth it.

MS556....very rational response to OP.  And...I  believe you are being trolled by Blackfoot.

Your reply to the OP was quite succinct and well written.  It was English...right?

Fifferfefferfef!   I beg your pardon, sir.  Why, I've done nothing of the sort!  And I absolutely object that statement.  Retract it at once!  Good day to you, sir!

[english snobbery]

When I was in your position, I doubled down on the A2. I decided I would use quality optics or none at all. My competition AR was an NRA high power build, and my general purpose was a used Colt A2 that I got for pennies on the dollar. Irons don't use batteries, work well, and are hard to break. They take more practice to become proficient with. They aren't as fast, but they've worked reliably for 500 years. Plus, I think they are fun to use.