Has anyone used a American Defense Group red dot? I got an email about Beta testing and said what the hell! For $40 bucks. Can't seem to paste the link to Amazon who its sold through. I can't find anything on them searching the web.Its a knock off of a T1.

I cant find the $40 dollar one. I did find the $98 dollar one on Amazon. Even at $98 the way it comes equipped with a quality QD 1/3 CW mount( this mount sells for $80+ alone on Midway http://www.midwayusa.com/product/951404/american-defense-ad-t1-11-quick-release-aimpoint-micro-sight-mount-picatinny-style-ar-15-flat-top-matte?cm_vc=ProductFinding) and a low pro mount,  Killflash,  4 nvg settings... plus 1 year battery life and an unconditional 1 year guarantee... thats not a bad deal. Considering its ADG selling it , it should be a quality piece . Seems like like it would be a Japanese made optic since ADG states that it is made by the same company that manufactures the Bushnell tactical scopes

It looks interesting. We will see how it holds up. If you are looking for a good micro red dot though, there is always primary arms.

Also, this is not really a quality mount. It is a mount, but you can't assume that it is on the same level as an American Defense MFG mount.

ADG Micro Red Dot

That's the one. I received an email with the registration for beta testing. Once I registered they gave me a coupon code that brought the price down to $40 bucks. Should have it by Wed. Will report back after comparing to my T1.

Last year I got a PA Micro with QD mount on a killer sale for $60.  Anyway, that mount looks almost exactly like the one that came with the PA, pretty chintzy, but functional (so far).

Have you had your hands on the mount? ADG states they inspect very component for quality. Anyway it looks almost identical to the ADG mount

Yeah, I'm not expecting AimPoint or Amer Def quality, but for 40 bucks I don't think I can go wrong. I have pissed away a lot more.

Forgive my skepticism. Let us know if it holds zero, if the mount screw doesn't strip out, and if the battery life is not terrible.

There are quite a few budget red dots that run between $100 and $200 which are much better, especially if you combine them with a quality separate mount from a reputable company.

I dont expect  Aimpoint quality in the optic or ADM quality on the mount but it does offer 1 year continous on  and if the mounts are halfway decent it would be worth 98 bucks.... still alot of 'if's"to pan out before any calls can be made. The Primary Arms  version of this  set up runs $120.

They look so similar, I wouldn't be surprised if they are from the same factory (in China).  Nothing wrong with that, plenty of stuff is manufactured then re-branded, like almost all our uppers and lowers.  The PA micros have proven themselves at this price point, I imagine these will be just as good in the ~$100 retail range of RDS.

On paper they look to have better battery life by far than the comparable Primary Arms model and a better warranty plus NVG settings... they do look identical to the P.A offering though. Time will tell if they are built to a better spec.

Caveat Emptor: I just noticed this on the advertisement on one part claiming 1 year constant on which comes out to almost 9000 hours run time



In this next part of the advertisment the claimed run time is just over a months wrth. Already a dud in my book.
Micro Dot Features:
- Ultra Sharp 2 MOA Dot (parallax free)
- 11 Brightness Settings (Visible in bright sunlight)
- Front Lens Is Coated And Angled to Prevent Glare
- Extended Lens Shield to protect lens (threaded for killflash)
- LED emitter on the side (4:30) for better cowitness.
- Uses 1 CR2032 battery (included).
- 1,000+ hour battery life at medium setting.
- Waterproof, Fogproof & Shock Proof
- Mil-Spec Type III Hard Anodized (Matte Black)
- Only weighs 4.5 Ounces
- Overall Length of 2.5 Inches
- Included riser allows for a lower 1/3 cowitness on flat top AR-15/M-16.
- One year manufacturer warranty

It also comes with a kill flash as well.

It says 1 year run time. So about 8760 hours on one battery?
I'm waiting for black friday to get the PA 50,000 Hour Micro Dot. But this is pretty tempting.

Stick with the P.A . These guys are claiming 1k hours and 1 yr run time in the same ad.

Well, have to wait and see. As I said before, the $40 bucks it cost me I cant expect much. It will be going on my range gun anyway. I run Aimpoints and Leupold on my SHTF and defense guns.

I'd have snapped it up for $40 as well, always a .22 or something to put it on. Let us know how it is and how long the battery lasts!

If you were lucky enough to get it for $40 and it is the equivalent of the P.A dot ( looks identical) then it is still something I would jump at. At $98 I would go with the same set up from P.A just for their C.S if anything went wrong with it.

I have looked through the specs a couple different times and can't find anywhere it says a months worth or 1000 hr on medium.Am I missing it or are you looking at something else?

Maybe the 1 year run time was the LED itself? Did they mean it was capable of being on a year before burning out?

http://www.amazon.com/American-Micro-Picatinny-Detach-Weaver/dp/B00OLBQWB0 Right on their advertisement on Amazon, I copied and pasted the  relative parts of te text directly from that posting.

That's the same add, but I still don't see the specs in question.

EDIT: Checked it on my laptop and seen what your talking about. When looking on my phone, that didnt show.

Cut and pasted: NOT VERY COMPETITIVE AS STATED



The American Defense Group's micro red dot sight allows for lightning fast target acquisition and precise aiming in any condition or environment.
This Micro Red Dot is manufactured to the highest quality standards & each sight is individually quality control checked here in the USA. ADG Red Dots are ruggedly built, completely fogproof, waterproof and shock proof. These sights have been deployed on Competition rifles as well as duty rifles for Military and Law enforcement personnel.

The ADG Micro Red Dot sight is a direct competitor to the Aimpoint T-1 Micro, Primary Arms Red Dot and the Bushnell TR-25 Trophy sights and it is for that reason that American Defense Group went the extra mile to deliver top tier quality and value at a price that won't break the bank of the shooters who support us.


Micro Dot Features:
- Ultra Sharp 2 MOA Dot (parallax free)
- 11 Brightness Settings (Visible in bright sunlight)
- Front Lens Is Coated And Angled to Prevent Glare
- Extended Lens Shield to protect lens (threaded for killflash)
- LED emitter on the side (4:30) for better cowitness.
- Uses 1 CR2032 battery (included).
- 1,000+ hour battery life at medium setting.
- Waterproof, Fogproof & Shock Proof
- Mil-Spec Type III Hard Anodized (Matte Black)
- Only weighs 4.5 Ounces
- Overall Length of 2.5 Inches
- Included riser allows for a lower 1/3 cowitness on flat top AR-15/M-16.
- One year manufacturer warranty

Yep, even so... at $40 if it proves as well made as the P.A version, still a good buy.

Well, site came today and as I expected. First thing wrong was the QD was already mounted to site and one of the screw holes completely stripped on the RD. The mount locked up tight to rail and dot is crisp. With my astigmatism it starts to star on the higher settings above 6. This MRD looks identicle to a buddies PA. Have not shot with it yet, so not sure if it will hold zero.

Well that sucked.... sorry for your troubles man. Thx for the feedback.

Its all good, not the first time I pissed away 40 bucks. It will surely not go on my battle rifle's. Its completly made in China and somewhat packed poorly with several small nicks on the finish. Unless there are some changes, I would not recommend this site for the $98 there asking for it on Amazon.

My observation above comes from past experience with very inexpensive red dots I've tried to use on youth rifles and .22LR plinkers.  They have universally failed.   Note the "mount screw strip out" comment.  This is all too common.  They use very cheap metal that is not hardened, and the quality of the threads is atrocious.

Just move up to the ones in the $150-200 range and there is where the best mix of budget cost and reliable value can be found.  You don't have to go to Aimpoint or EOTech, but when you drop below $100, especially if it has a lot of extras, every one of those extras (like the killflash), mean that less money is going into the mount, the base, the metal quality and the glass.   What good is an emitter, or even long battery life if the thing is built like it's made out of cardboard and Scotch tape?

Sorry for your misery.  I've been there.  Get a Bushnell TRS-25 or a PA for basics at or near the $100 mark,  or get the Lucid M7 for something really nice under $200.

Don't want to go to Bushnell either. They claim they are made in the same factory. The only other budget MRD I own is the Sparc. The others are AimPoints. So yes I probably am being critical. My only reason even considering was the beta test offer. It is worth 40 bucks, but would not depend my life on it.

"They claim"? Who is "they"?

Maybe get some objective data and stop relying on hearsay from "they"?

Go here.

Bangswitch Budget Red Dot Comparison

Read all three parts.

Kind of outdated material to judge a purchase today by.  Simply better options than the Bushnell right now , granted that the Bushnell is probably THE best dot  anywhere near its price range. I would still rather spend about $100 for  a better glass, lower profile emitter, better battery life and a smaller dot.

"They"?Meaning the distributor. Who addresses it on Amazon's question section. That's how I came up with it. Maybe you should read it before getting objective!

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00OLBQWB0

It doesn't come with an AD-T1. That's American Defense Manufacturing. This red dot is American Defense Group.

Distributor?  Yeah, some middle man trying to make a buck.  I doubt the distributor even owns a rifle or has ever done any testing.   I'd rather go with objective side-by-side tests.

I can only compare it to my Sparc and AimPoint RD,s. Probably not a fair comparison. To clarify, its the importer American Defence Group making the claim they are made in the Bushnell factory.

2014 is out of date?  

I agree that I the TRS-25 is great at its price point, but would not have put it at the top of the list.  All four of the top rated tested optics did very well and, as the report concludes.   They all are sufficiently reliable for all but true duty work.  Differences are largely based on subjective preferences for features that may or may not be important to a particular purchaser.  

Just curious:  do you know how low profile the emitter is on the Lucid M7?  I would suggest that it is essentially invisible in the field of view.  You have to purposefully cant the optic away from the field of view and back away it  to even find it.  That and the extra features, including the 2 MOA center dot and 25 MOA circle (EOTech like) and the single AAA battery made sense to me.   Other users will find different features might lead them to one of the other dots. But those four proved to be good combinations of quality and function at a budget price.

There are a lot of good choices between $100 and $200 now, especially between $150 and $200.

Normally a review of products available in the same year would not be  outdated.. but with the the new offerings from Primary Arms, Hi-Lux and Holosun , it has really opened up the choices at this level. M7 is a well made optic and would stand toe to to with these latest offering except for the battery life.

Just to illustrate, find the emitter, if you can.