I have a LMT 10.5 with m4-2000 suppressor.  Stays nedt to the bed in a in wall security cabinet.  I used to have an eotech for it

I want a small rwd dot.  Not quick detach.  I dont care if it is absolute or lower 1/3 cowitness.

Primary Arms, Sig Romeo 5, Holosun, something elae.

I dont care if its just a dot or a circle dot.  Just something reliable with good enough battery life i can leave it on.  I dont care about auto on/off  featurs.

Used Aimpoint from the EE.

For just a little bit more you can get an Aimpoint PRO.  Pretty hard to beat that.

Check EE for a used aimpoint pro
or Primary Arms

Aimpoint Pro for 300??? Brand new? If it were true ARFCOM would have bought them up and sold them for 397 on the Ee while telling you the 3 off was such a bargain

ETA:  Aimpoint pro is literally 2x the price of a SPARC, and has not been offered with 10 free pmags

www.ar15.com/forums/Equipment-Exchange/Aimpoint-Comp-M2-with-QRP/163-1737182/
Idk this seller but he has 70+ positive feedbacks. This is what I'd go with

DI Optical RV1.

Point me to all the used Aimpoints for sub-$250.

#VORTEXALLTHETHINGS + 10 PMAGS from PSA

ETA: Or add $50 on top of your budget and get a USED Aimpoint M2/M3 from the EE.

I did both in typical ARFCOM fashion

The psa vortex deal is hard to beat

I have to agree with the others, look on the EE for a Aimpount Pro.

I was all about "cheaper" red dots.  then i got a smoking deal on a PRO locally ($150 and damn near new).  ever since, i just look on the EE for used AimPoints.

This as well.  you get your red dot AND 10 pmags.

For what it's worth, I just bought a SIG Romeo 5 for $139 shipped from Brownells, now I see they are $129. I use it on a dedicated upper. I have no regrets and like it.

SIG Romeo 5

ETA: That was a dedicated .22 upper.

The OP said "Small" and I am guessing he means the micros and not the M2/Pro/M4 etc size.  The M2 doesn't have the greatest battery life either I don't think, that's without looking it up.  I just know that is the main reason I never was too interested in buying one when I seen a deal on them.

To answer your question OP the best option for you is the new Primary Arms red dot they just came out with.  Sadly it is temporarily not being sold because they are fixing the night vision issue with them but they should be back up soon.  The first ones they sold were just a tad too bright on the first 2 night vision settings to be used with night vision so they decided to stop selling them as they went through and fixed them.  These red dots which I have some of are definitely better quality then the Holosuns I have and will make awesome red dots for uses such as yours.

The Primary Arms dot is $150 shipped with a lifetime warranty and 50k hour battery life.  Rotary knobs with no shake to wake or anything, just a solid unit.

My 2nd choice would be the Holosun that Primary Arms sells as their MD-ADS.  They sell them on the site for $170 shipped and use push buttons up at the top instead of a rotary knob.  These push buttons have held up well for pretty much everyone and these are also great optics.  I trust these optics as well and they are great units but the newer rotary style they have for $150 feels more solid.  This one also has a 50k hour battery life and no shake to wake.

Another great option is the Primary Arms Holosun ACSS, instead of being a regular red dot it has a chevron with 3 bullet drop dots below it that on 1 power makes it look like a tiny line with a chevron up top but is about the same size overall as a standard red dot reticle.  What I like best about it for up close work is it has a horseshoe you can turn on or off that goes around the chevron that makes it easy to wrap around your target for fast aim.  I have a 6x magnifier I put behind mine at times for longer range work that turns the BDC reticle into a scope optic that looks super clear and crisp.

One thing I will point out though is the standard mounts that come with the Holosuns/Primary Arms units are crap.  The newer ones that came with the rotary knob version not made by Holosun seem to be a bit better but time will tell how well they hold up for guys.  I always put on a cheaper ADM quick detach mount that can be found easily for $50-60 here on the EE fairly regularly.  If you want a fixed one then find a good alternative like the Daniel Defense.  I like my QD mounts and back up irons since all optics can fail on you.

There is nothing wrong with the Sparc a few people are recommending either as far as the optic itself but the battery life is very crappy compared to the Holosun or Primary Arms dots and the price is basically the same so I don't see any reason to buy it at all.  I think the battery life is 7k hours instead of 50k but I could be wrong about that, either way it isn't that many hours in comparison.

The Romeo 5 has become my new "go-to" cheap optic. If and/or when all my previous favorite budget red dots die (Bushnell TRS-25) they will get replaced with Romeo's.

I got a 403B holosun for like 120 bucks. 50k hr battery life and crisp dot and night vision settings.

The vortex has weak battery and some other things that would make me prefer the holosun OEM versions. Can pick up pmags elsewhere, that psa deal isn't even that special imo be cause you can get about the same thing with a holosun if you shop around.  Maybe 20 bucks more.

Agreed, the PSA deal on the Vortex & Pmags wouldn't be bad if the Holosun and Primary Arms optics didn't exist -- but they do.  10 Gen 2 Pmags are $75 from Schuyler Arms and many other places have sales on them for about that so essentially you are paying $125 plus shipping for the Vortex Sparc from them and that's the best deal I know of on one.  The PA red dot when it comes back is $150 shipped to your door so about $10-15 more.  And it really is a better optic then the Holosuns from everything I can tell.  I should say, a more sturdy optic but both are great.

I don't know much about the Romeo red dots but have heard mixed reports on them so far so am a bit leery.  They are likely decent as well but I will see how they hold up for others over time before I go buying one.

I went to a Vortex Strikefire II on mine.

I got a Trijicon MRO from Botach on Ebay. Can always wait another paycheck and get either an MRO or Aimpoint Pro.

Only cost me $315 for the optic, $30 for the mount.

The M2 has a battery life of 10,000 hrs, or 416 days.

Not horrible I suppose but nothing spectacular either when PA or Holosuns have 50k for $150ish price and half the weight/size and brand new instead of well used.  Nothing against the M2, it's just not for me unless I was doing a clone build that needed one in particular.  One other bad thing about them is I am pretty sure they are only 4 MOA?  That might have been my deal breaker since I like the smaller 2 MOA dot.  Either way I always suggest backup iron sights and a QD mount just in case your optic ever fails, that is why I wouldn't have a problem using a TRS25 for self defense if it was all I had it would still beat irons only.

PA micro or use Aimpoint PRO for $100 more

If it sits next to your bed as an HD rifle, Aimpoint is pretty much the only option.  Anyone who suggests anything else is FOS.

Haha, Tig.. well you would know best what the current market value is on the EE. Last time I browsed optics there PROs were still hovering around $300-350.

If OP can stretch the budget a bit I agree with the PRO. Then trade up later + cash for a T1.

When I set up red dot sights for HD, I turn off my room lights and point my rifle with flashlight at the wall and trigger the the light. I would choose a setting that would be bright enough to not have to search for the dots. Doing this with the Comp M2 (when I owned one) the best setting was like 10/12 which IIRC was 2 settings above the 10,000 hour setting. So for my setup I assumed the battery would last 8 months max and had an alarm in my phone set to change it every 6 months.

When objectively comparing battery life, reliability, and price of Aimpoint versus its competitors, it is fairly clear that Aimpoint is no longer the only game in town for a quality reflex optic. While I wouldn't want to rely on a TRS-25 on a defensive rifle, I'd have no qualms about a Holosun, PA, or MRO.

Mostly agreed.. except I wouldn't have a problem with a TRS25 either as long as I had backup iron sights.  I know a red dot is nicer then iron sights but if you DO have backup irons and your red dot fails on you then it isn't the end of the world so it wouldn't be a big deal to go with any red dot you had even that TRS25 which has a stellar record for reliability - probably even better then Holosun if I am honest with myself.  I just don't care for the battery life and the Holosuns are much clearer/crisp.

Think about it, if you have irons they aren't going to fail.  Any red dot after that is just icing on the cake, if it fails it fails - sucks but you can live without it.  Most of the defensive shooting inside of a house will be so close that a red dot really might not be much of an advantage anyways when looking over the front sight and aiming a little low is very quick and effective.  I still prefer red dots but just food for thought.  It just never makes sense to me why people act like you are going to die unless you have an Aimpoint.. I get the point if you can afford it and like it go ahead but irons aren't going to die on you if your red dot does and most people consider them reliable.

PA dot for the win, Holosun for the runner up.  PRO if you wanna splurge and don't care about the extra weight/size, and MRO if you wanna really splurge a little more.  All great optics.

I saw someone had a Vortex Strikefire, and really found a solid review on them, https://outdooropticshq.com/best-ar-15-scope-reviews/ however after reading about Aimpoint pro, wondering how those compare maybe it's worth the extra money. thanks.

Thanks for your help gentlemen.

I went with the Brownells Romeo 5 deal for $129.99.  I have front and rear Troy Folding BUIS (purchased before we started hating Troy).

I don't have as much gun money as I used to because I moved into an old house on lots of land that needs about a million updates.  I have sunk 25k into it in the last year and am about to have the roof replaced.

I could have sprung for an Aimpoint Pro, but I also ordered 4k 9mm bullets, a PSA upper, etc.  Gotta spread my dollar when I get it since I don't usually get much lately.

It depends on what you're looking to do with the rifle it would go on
The Aimpoint PRO will almost certainly stand up to any abuse you put it through. And a definite must have for HD. The Strikefires are for range only guns. All things considered buy once cry once applies here.

9 is this setting for me with my micros

ahhh the typical "Aimpoint or nothing" comments

Id rather have 3 holosuns for the price of a single T2........hence why I just sold mine last week

Heres a shocker: The average citizen is not going to be dodging IED's, swimming like navy seals 30ft under water if they need to defend themselves............thousands of flawless rounds through mid tier red dots = thousands of flawless rounds at bad guys.............Optics like Holosuns can take a VERY fair amount of abuse (more than the average person will put it through in defending themselves) with no issues

Boom, that just happened

Exactly, to each their own.........atleast 3/4 of this forum will most likely NEVER be in a real world firefight to begin with, and if they are, mid tier optics can handle the situation just fine

But the point is..........OP made a thread asking about $250 optics aka mid tier, so all the "Aimpoint for life" stuff contributes nothing...........thread after thread that is similar to this, its the same responses. If OP wanted to run out and buy an Aimpoint, thats the thread they would have made.......OP also specified "small red dot".........that takes the PRO out of equation

I was sold on the whole bomb proof concept, Aimpoint is the only way.............then after awhile, it was a $600 optic sitting on a rifle in my closet...........to date, ive never had a single mid tier optic fail, choice was fairly easy to equip 3 more long guns with optics then have 1 T2 sitting there, obviously finances plays a role in this decison for everyone.............if I won $100k today on a scratch off ticket, id have all aimpoints just so im still part of the "this guys serious" club and make my rifle look all expensive as hell in photos i post

A pro is definitely not twice the optic modern $250 red dots are, not by a long shot........more durable? sure, to what extent? who knows........."budget red dots" getting shot with shotguns and ticking on with no issues is pretty dam durable......not to mention, those "budget" dots offer more features..............twice the optic is a super stretch

This...I've got an M4 atop of my Defender 2000 and regularly "clang" steel out to 300 yards.

Disclaimer:  My Club's longest range is only 300 yards.

OP, do yourself a favor and get the Holosun 503GU (red) or 503GU Elite (green) micro

-50k battery life
-auto on that works great
-takes a beating
-65MOA circle dot eotech style reticle or you can switch to 2MOA dot
-IPX7 waterproof / fogproof (not meant to go swimming with, but you dont have to worry about rain or dopping the gun in a puddle)

the Elite costs a little more (can be had for $217 shipped) but has the much better warranty (10yr LED / Ilumination and lifetime structure and glass), just depends if your eyes like the green or not, mine didnt so im back to the red 503GU
the regular red can be had for $185 shipped (lifetime structure warranty / 5yr glass / 3yr LED / Illumination)

I would, however, suggest upgrading the mount vs using the included riser mount.  All the big reviewers will say the optics themselves are fantastic, the mounts for some have broken (snapped cross bolt).  That being said, they take all Aimpoint micro mounts

Ive had PA's, Ive had Sig Romeo 5s..........this is by far my favorite.........::::puts on flame suit:::: even compared to my T2 (although yes, as we all know, the T2 can get hit with a nuke and survive where as the holosun cant)

i like my sparc and it came with 10 mags!

astigmatism doesnt help tho..

I'm loving my Romeo 5 for the price. Had Aimpoint Pro in the past. Will be buying another Romeo 5 soon.

Respectfully suggest otherwise.  Leupold Deltapoint Pro.  Motion-activated, always ready when picked up.  Much larger screen/FOV than Aimpoint micro, duty grade, approved by USSOCOM.  Sits next to my bed on my HD rifle.  Heavily spring steel shielded.  I sleep easy.  Still on the original battery three years out now, left on 24/7 at a pretty intense setting to use with the weapon light.  Probably will replace the battery "just because" although low battery indicator has never come on to suggest a need.  Not criticizing Aimpoint, merely stating it is not the only duty grade game in town.  Not anymore.  RMR and MRO are also duty grade options, but I prefer this for a number of reasons.  These are beyond OP's budget, but are among the duty grade red dots that are more than ready to defend life and limb on a HD rifle where failure is not an option.

If you're going to ATTEMPT to make a sarcastic point, at least know WTF you are talking about............neither optic you linked is the 503GU........but A for effort pal

BUTTTTTTTTT loooooooook.....Aimpoint Pro broke?!?!  nooo way, how could that be? Dude didnt even step on a bomb?.....so where were you TRYING to go?

Aimpoint PRO broke at Range

Im in here trying to help OP, actually contributing to what this thread is about, and your just in here like a clueless brainwashed Aimpoint fanboy

Holosun HS503GU.

This guy gets it!