Looking to set up some matched 'trunk gun' 16" AR carbines in 5.56.  Flat tops with low-profile gas blocks under railed free-float handguards.  Perceived use is 5-200 yards.



Sighting budget goal is $300 per, with a little wiggle room.  My line of thought is if batteries are required, so are irons.



Options:

1.  BUIS (fixed vs flip-up) & red-dot (FF3, Lucid, ?)

2.  ~2.5x prismatic (PA, Vortex, ?)

3. ?

Why not just go with irons then?
ETA: in a gun that will mainly be in your trunk. I would say save the money spent on optics and buy ammo and a quality weapon light. (My state is dark from the time I leave for work and about an hour after I usually leave work. Weapon light is a must up here.) I would stick with a carry handle style sight.

I found it interesting choice that Pat Macnamara chose a Leupy 1X prismatic scope for his trunk gun.  
$450 is a lot for a red-dot with eye-relief, but I'm sure he has his reasons (he tends to run the RMR 3.5MOA LED/adj on his training-fun gun).  
--
As much as I love irons, and they are what's on my gun at the moment, I DO think a red dot is faster in every way for 98% of people.  For a trunk-gun, I almost wonder if a 2.5X might be good, since if you need more than a handgun, you will likely be shooting 50Y or further.

That's what I would do

Yep. I'd rather have fixed irons w/ light than a cheap, lesser quality red dot, esp with a trunk gun. Chances are that if you need it, you'll want the best you can get instead of the cheapest thing on the block. How much is your life and your family' lives worth?

Get irons first then save for an Aimpoint PRO.

PA MD-ADS, it will take a beating, can get it, the mount and BUIS for ~$300

Unless you are absolutely dead set on free floating, I'm gonna parrot and also say irons. If you need to pull out the trunk gun, shit is pretty serious imo, and in a defense scenario if the threat is 200 yards away I'd rather be running than engaging. Fixed A2 FSB and a fixed rear like a DD 1.5 and a good light, 1 less battery to worry about, imo no need to free float. The other option I'd say not spending money on free floating is MBUS with an Aimpoint Pro, super durable with awesome battery life.

Meprolight M21T and a fixed FSB with a DD rear. Simple, durable, always ready.

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Used Aimpoint.  Maybe a used Pro, M3, M2 etc..

That.  ^

Don't forget to consider possible issues with battery storage for the light.

Aimpoints are not particularly expensive, especially if you can snag a deal on one used on the EE.

Here's the solution.  Honestly, you don't need anything else.

I think the reason OP was looking to not go the Aim point route was it seems like OP is trying to set up multiple carbines this way.

Its a truck gun you're already gunna be in the trunk you can throw in an ammo can with a few spare mags and a small box of CR123s. Also magpul str.

The site sponsor Mako Group is having their black Friday sale early, 30% off their optics too! you can get a Meprolight RDS for $279! discount code is BKFR30

I have 2 of these optics, they are great!

ETA: these are very much a duty rated optic.

I'd go with irons alone, or very durable duty grade red dot,  Aimpoint of your choice or a duty grade mini reflex like Trijicon RMR or Leupold Deltapoint Pro.

At $300, I would have to say a good set of irons and a light so they're semi-useable at night. Save up a while longer and buy some lower powered ACOGs if you don't want some thing with batteries. The heat of being in a vehicle for extended periods of time is more abusive on batteries and electronics than people realize, and I wouldn't want to rely on lower quality electronics in that environment.

I'd go with irons alone, or very durable duty grade red dot,  Aimpoint of your choice or a duty grade mini reflex like Trijicon RMR or Leupold Deltapoint Pro.

A trunk gun is, by definition a duty gun that cannot fail.  When you resort to it, it must be 100% reliable.

I have both Lucid red dots and a Burris FF3.  All are great and none have gone down on me.  But they are not duty grade.  Of those three, the big tank-like Lucid HD7 is rubber armored and the most likely to withstand getting banged around, especially if you put folding lens covers on.  But, I would run irons alone until I could get a true duty grade red dot.

If its really just a range toy that might be needed in extremis, put a $200 red dot in QD mount and carry it separately in a range bag in the trunk and rely on irons only as the defsult state ofvthe rifle and install the budget dot for the range.

For some reason, most don't seem to understand this. They choose the cheapest option, in both price and quality, when it comes to defending themselves and others.

Aimpoint m2 under 300 on eBay all the time great optic for the money.

***********

Quoted:

Why not just go with irons then?

Quoted:

I'd go with irons alone, or very durable duty grade red dot...

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One
of the probable users has eyesight issues that can be overcome by either
a dot or magnification.  I understand that this leaves a potential for
failure, but we're trying to provide a solution.



***********

Quoted:

Unless you are absolutely dead set on free floating, I'm gonna parrot and also say irons....  The other
option I'd say not spending money on free floating...

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The free-float uppers are already purchased, and were priced well enough that there's no significant cost savings going back to the standard carbine handguards.  Is a fixed front sight a
big enough deal to consider selling these anyway and picking up something else?





***********

Quoted:

Yep. I'd rather have fixed irons w/ light...


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Good thought on the light - hadn't even crossed my mind.  That's why I read/post here.





I have no experience with the larger rifle-mounted
lights, but have been running a TLR-1 on a pistol.  Is there any reason
not to mount one of these on a rifle?





***********

Quoted:

I think the reason OP was looking to not go the Aim point route was
it seems like OP is trying to set up multiple carbines this way.

----------------

That's the story.  Any money over budget is multiplied, and needs to be worthwhile.





***********

Quoted:

... If you need
to pull out the trunk gun, shit is pretty serious imo, and in a defense
scenario if the threat is 200 yards away I'd rather be running than
engaging...

Quoted:

A trunk gun is, by definition a duty gun that cannot fail.  When you resort to it, it must be 100% reliable.

----------------


I
subscribe to a bit broader definition - a gun that is always nearby,
and is capable of any foreseen, and reasonably unforeseen, tasks
required.  Might be clearing the house because you come home to an open
door.  Might be a shot at a coyote spotted when out for a drive (the reason for considering a prismatic with a little magnification).  Least
likely, but in line with your comment, something that will give me the
best chance possible of making it back home to the better equipment.



***********

Quoted:

If its really just a range toy that might be needed in
extremis, put a $200 red dot in QD mount and carry it separately in a
range bag in the trunk and rely on irons only as the defsult state
ofvthe rifle and install the budget dot for the range.

----------------

The "range
toy" moniker is oversimplified, but is a thought worth
considering - most likely leave the sight mounted full-time, and remove
it if it's dead when pulling it out.
All things considered, I'm starting to lean toward going with a light and flip-ups.  





The dot (co-witnessed or QD) vs. prismatic (flip-ups needed?) is still up in the air.




 
 

As far as the TRL-1 goes, it will work fine.  I would suggest the higher output models for a rifle though.

It's a trunk gun, meaning it'll be in hot and cold and humidity. Let's play a what if:

You really need your gun right now but the battery is dead or weak cause it's been sitting in your trunk all winter at 0 degrees. You manage to get a fresh battery in there under a time crunch but now the optic is collecting condensation cause you brought it from a cold trunk to a warm building. Now you can't get the damn optic quick release open cause it's frozen/rusted shut from sitting in your trunk and you're fumbling around with some popup offset irons you haven't spent much time with...

Just use an A front sight and a DD fixed rear sight whose adjustments can't be bumped out of zero and be done with it.

Ok - I did some horse-trading over the weekend, and ended up with some fixed-sight midlength flat-top uppers to use for the project instead, as frequently suggested above.  I already had 1 carry handle in the spare parts bin, and will need to pick up some fixed rear sights for the rest.





I've been looking closer at the TLR-1 series lights, and think we'll be going with one of the higher-output versions (as suggested above), not sure if HL or HPL yet.  As for mounting, I'd like to put the lights on (right side) or in front of (above the barrel) the sight tower, rather than adding one of the sloped pic rails that mount through the 'standard' plastic handguards.  Any thoughts there?



ETA: I just came across the TLR-1 Game Spotter (green) lights - would this be a good application, or is the 'blinding' of the white light part of its benefit?

I use a Trijicon Reflex on my trunk gun. It is an older A2 upper w/o rail so I was limited on options. The Reflex was bought used on the EE for $275. It sits low, forward of the carry handle and co-witnesses with the A2 sights. It's very fast and much more accurate than irons and has low light capabilities. Needs no batteries etc. so the super hot trunk conditions will have no effect.

If the upper had a rail, I would have gone with an older Aimpoint M2 or Vortex but would worry about batteries in the hot Florida trunk.

As for the first question, there are little rails that can clamp to the FSB and use for a light. 2nd question i would say yes blinding a target is a benefit of a white light but if the potential target is armed you'll probably shoot anyways so target ID is probably most important.

ETA: In extreme darkness a bright white light also can make you loose your eyes being adjusted to the darkness.

There are plenty of gooseneck mounts for aimpoints and A1/2 guns.

Buy used Aimpoints, or stretch your budget $65 and get Aimpoint PROs on sale.  I'm sure some of the Black Friday/Cyber Monday deals will make an appearance again around Christmas, if they're not still running.  A sight with 3-year constant on battery life makes batteries much less of a worry for a trunk gun.  Change them out every year if you are really worried about it.