Just got my first AR.

I'm liking the forum. I did search and read three a few similar posts but did t see what I needed.

When I bought it the UTG 3-9 red/green scope was mounted flat.
I could barely get to the charging hammer. We put an extension on the charging hammer but that did t help much.

So

I also wanted the option if using the iron sites. I asked if there was a way to mount the scope to the carry handle. They inserted a small pc and it looks great.

A friend is a class 3 specialist at another shop and he says it won't bore site nor be accurate with the scope mounted so high.


??



NEXT. I like this UTG but I've used it once and the illumination has stopped working. Tried new batteries. ??

There's a $101.00 laser, flashlight, scope on cheaper than dirt. Is it any good?
It's a BSA Tactical red dot w laser. I don't see any magnification though.

Cheaper the keeper is the crap collector. You buy what you get.

We could give better advice if you post a pic of your rifle.
Is the carry handle integral to the upper receiver

real optics are spendy. beginner low end stuff is the new brand name lower end "tactical" stuff by Leupold and Nikon would be my recommendation. in the $150 range. Good stuff starts around 400-500 and goes up to 1500+ REAL quick.



I have a Nikon P-223 3-9X BDC on my .22 bolt and and its a lot of scope for the money.

you can mount the scope up on top of a carry handle, but it's definitely not ideal... spend the money and get a quality optic.

I agree skip the cheap optics, if you want decent quality and don't want to spend a lot look at Primary Arms.

Nothing UTG, BSA, etc. makes is decent quality.

Irons and a scope...you might be better off co-witnessing a red dot and adding a magnifier on a throw-lever mount....

OP:  Ditch the carry handle and get a properly mounted low power scope.  Leupold, Burris, Weaver, Nikon and Vortex all make decent "entry level" optics that are suitable for a newcomer to AR 15s.

You do not need a tactical scope with tactical turrets and reticle to shoot out to 300, even 400 yards accurately.  A Leupold VX-1 regular hunting scope in 2-7x33mm with duplex reticle can be had for about $230 with free shipping from most vendors.  Sighted in properly, which will be about 2.5" high at 100 yards, you can easily keep all shots within a six inch circle out to about 325 yards.

Other manufacturers make similar scopes in the same price range.  Don't go lower or you get junk.   If you want a "tactical" scope in that price range, the best but would probably be the Nikon P-223 3-9x40mm, which is a great value.

Next up in quality and price for a tactical scope, would be the Leupold Mark AR Mod 1 line.

With any of them, you will need a mounting system that raises the scope up to the same height as your back up sights when deployed and which will also work properly with your AR stock.  This means the centerline of the scope needs to be about 1.5" above the top of your receiver rail, and the scope needs to be moved forward enough so that the rear of the eyepiece is approximately even with the back of your rifle's charge handle.  That, or something very close to it will give you proper eye relief to get maximum field of view from the scope.  This usually means a cantilever mount that both lifts the scope up a bit, and moves its turrets forward.   If you need to access your backup sights, you remove the scope.   It is not likely to return to zero when reinstalled unless you get true QD mounts, but they are expensive because of the precision needed.   A good baseline one would be the Burrris PEPR.  A better one, perhaps the best, is the LaRue SPR 1.5 (LT-104), but it will cost as much as your scope.

You can get decent two piece cantilevered mounts for about $50 (Nikon P mounts), but return to zero will only be so-so.

Thanks for all the awesome info and comments.

The UTG was recommended by the guy who owns the shop  he talked me into it based on these two websites.
Www.BestAR15Scope.org
Ranked #1
And
Www.BestAR15Scopes.org
Ranked #2

Then again. It did after it's first session shooting.
New batteries. Still no illuminated crosshairs. Lol

I will "aim" for a new scope in the future.

For now I'm guessing I just need different rings.

Two attached pics.

One is how the owner attached the scope which blocked the charging hammer.

The other was his solution when I returned and said it was too low and asked if I could use the iron sites as well. Issue now is it cannot be properly sited in.

Right?


http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m38/sandmansc/Mobile%20Uploads/image-1.jpg

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m38/sandmansc/Mobile%20Uploads/image.jpg

That shop owner probably owns those domains. UTG is crap.

This is what you need. It will be an OK mount for a decent scope after that one dies. It is not a quick detach, so I would not expect it to hold zero if you remove it a lot. Good luck.

back in the previous century the only option was to attach the scope to the carry handle and it was a pain in the ass to say the least . flat tops fixed all that. this is my advise . ditch the utg just forget about it . what is your intended purpose for your rifle this might help point you in the right direction.

Purpose for the gun. I guess Zombie Apocolypse. :)

And by that I guess I mean government takeover.

I'll use it for target practice until then

So I found a temporary free fix.

No carry handle. Added flip up iron sights.
Added a little riser get the scope to the proper height.

Does this look better? (Minus the quality of the cheap scope)

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m38/sandmansc/Mobile%20Uploads/image-4.jpg

That's probably close enough.

Upon further reflection, I would ditch the optic all together, put the carry handle back on and use it with the (better) irons it provides. You really will be better off.

I was weened on Irons on the AR's with my first AR purchase in 1984 ( an A1 clone if you will ) . In 1985 I joined the Army and being familiar with them and having good eyes it was a breeze to shoot expert with the real A1's issued. Now just recently I got an ACOG...and by god..I love it. My 10 year old can burn up my range all the way out to 220 yards with almost no bolos....he loves it and I must say not being a scope guy of any count that little 4x32 with the donut of death works for me too under 300 yds.

Thanks all

The easiest thing for you to do with what you have now, is to get a set of P22 scope mounts.  They are two separate pieces, so you can get them to fit that small scope, and they will be the proper height for a good cheek weld.  Once you get some time behind the rifle, and can do more research, and save up more money, you can look into all of the mall ninja options out there.