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Posted: 5/30/2014 5:32:52 PM EDT
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Hello,
I just bought my first ar15, a smith and wesson mp15 sport. Got a great deal on it and I really like shooting it. I am looking to get a red dot sight or reflex sight for my rifle. I am only looking to go plinking, I do not need top of the line optics. Anybody have any suggestions in the 150 dollar range? Thank you! |
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Quoted:
Hello, I just bought my first ar15, a smith and wesson mp15 sport. Got a great deal on it and I really like shooting it. I am looking to get a red dot sight or reflex sight for my rifle. I am only looking to go plinking, I do not need top of the line optics. Anybody have any suggestions in the 150 dollar range? Thank you! Congrats on the purchase, good choice. The M&P15 Sport was my fist AR as well and it's been nothing but awesome. In the $150 range I would look at the Primary Arms optics. Their new advanced series red dot seems like a hell of an optic for the money. https://www.primaryarms.com/Primary-Arms-CR123A-Battery-Red-Dot-with-8-hr-auto-p/pacrs.htm |
Congrats and welcome to the club 
I have a M&P Sport, regardless of other people bagging on it, mine has been 100% reliable abusing it, run-n-gun, and using almost only all steel ammo, so far i want to say nearing 5000 rounds. My recommendation is the Lucid HD7, I got one for $189 shipped from opticsplanet.com. The damn thing is extremely rugged, I have beaten the crap out of mine and it still works perfect. I took it off my rifle and beat it on a rock, put it back on, holds zero and works perfect. Search around the forum, I know there are other reviews. Primary arms, vortex, and bushnell also makes great budget red dots, but my vote goes to lucid hands down. |
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I agree regarding the Lucid HD7. Mine is bulletproof. But, I prefer the much smaller Lucid M7 microdot. All the advanced features of the HD7 except to kerp it small and light (4.7 oz and Aimpoint micro sized) Lucid went with a single reticle rather than the four choices of the HD7. But it is the best of the bunch, the EOTech style circle dot. I now h ave two M7s, one of which gets abused on a tactical shotgun and holds zero just fine. The M7 is the same price as the HD7, but you will need to pony up about $20-30 more for a short riser to get it up to AR cowitness height. One inch for lower 1/3 cowitness, .600" will give you an absolute cowitness. These are incredibly well designed and sorted out optics at very reasonable prices.
Here is my HD7 in the optional ADM QD mount upgrade, and the M7 in an ADM .600" QD for absolute cowitness. Cell cam is crap, but you get the idea. 
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Quoted:
Hello, I just bought my first ar15, a smith and wesson mp15 sport. Got a great deal on it and I really like shooting it. I am looking to get a red dot sight or reflex sight for my rifle. I am only looking to go plinking, I do not need top of the line optics. Anybody have any suggestions in the 150 dollar range? Thank you! Congrats on an excellent purchase. Don't listen to the detractors, though they're growing scarce as more and more knowledgeable gun people acknowledge the Sport as an excellent firearm. Not a "budget gun", or "entry-level". Nope, just another variant of the AR platform. Some would call them improvement. Forward Assist, IMO is one of the most ridiculous things ever invented and I've yet to meet the combat vet that ever used it, outside of training drills. Dust cover? Take it, or leave it, again... IMO. Anyways, I digress. Optics! I love both the Primary Arms offerings and Vortex. I scored this Vortex red/green dot for $100 (its still out there places). When I got it, looked thru it, it was obvious the dots would wash out in our California deserts. So I contacted Vortex and they said, send us the optic, $10 for shipping and we'll send you the red dot only (which sells for like $139). So for $120 total, I scored this... love it. S&W M&P 15 Sport w/ Vortex red dot only with extra-high mount for lower 1/3 co-witness http://i237.photobucket.com/albums/ff208/twidget59/mp15_upgraded04_zps7b807535.jpg~original http://i237.photobucket.com/albums/ff208/twidget59/mp15_upgraded05_zpsbac2f255.jpg~original |
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Is that the Vortex SPARC? I found a really good deal on that and was wondering if anyone had any experience with it. No, his is a Vortex Strikefire. The SPARC is a micro red dot, meaning it's just very small and light. Vortex makes good optics for the price. |
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Is that the Vortex SPARC? I found a really good deal on that and was wondering if anyone had any experience with it. Yeah, as noted... mine is the Strikefire. First generation. The SPARCs are awesome little red dots. Had they been the price they are now, that's what would be sitting on this. They were still $200 when I was shopping and just out of the price range at the time. The SPARC II just came out, so you can get the first gen for around $140 - $150 now, I think? |
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Inexpensive reflex sights typically do not hold up very well, tend to be hard to adjust and to hold zero and eat batteries. They usually are not very well protected unless you purchase separate "wings" to protect them.
In about 30 days Redfield will release its Accelerator reflex. It appears to be a less expensive version of the parent company, Leupold's excellent, but pricy Delta Point 2. Redfield Accelerator Reflex Sight Looks like they will have a street price of about $200, about half of the price of the Delta Point. |
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The only reflex I have experience with, is the SightMark. I have one, I won't even put on my .22, I opt for the huge TruGlo, there. Trash, imo... though some say they work.
I know a lot of people like the little Burris FastFire. It does require the wings, for extra protection, though a lot of people, don't seem to mind. I've read great things. Never used one. Primary Arms is testing one right now, you'll see it in some of the videos. I believe vortex is getting ready to release also. If in the market for a reflex, I might wait a month or two, see what comes out and see if there really good deals. |
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The only reflex I have experience with, is the SightMark. I have one, I won't even put on my .22, I opt for the huge TruGlo, there. Trash, imo... though some say they work. I know a lot of people like the little Burris FastFire. It does require the wings, for extra protection, though a lot of people, don't seem to mind. I've read great things. Never used one. Primary Arms is testing one right now, you'll see it in some of the videos. I believe vortex is getting ready to release also. If in the market for a reflex, I might wait a month or two, see what comes out and see if there really good deals. I bought one of those Sightmark reflex sights specifically for a 22LR to be shot by a grandchild learning to shoot. It was very difficult to sight in. Even when locked, it would not stay zeroed on the .22LR, and all four reticle choices shot to DIFFERENT POINTS!. Battery life was terrible. When you get down to that level of pricing, it's airsoft junk. I agree that there are some promising reflex sights to soon hit the market and it would be wise to wait if that is the way OP wants to go. The Lucid M7 is not a reflex, but as a microdot, as I mentioned above, it is an amazing little 4.7 ounce package of technology and ruggedness. I really like what that company is doing right now. |
| My first red dot was a used Aimpoint M2. They are well made and will take a lot of abuse. No need for the latest version. Look for a used earlier version such as the Aimpoint ML3. I'm using the M3 but don't have any need of the night vision setting so I should have gotten the ML3. Vortex and Burris both make quality optics so anything from them should work. Good luck. |
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