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Posted: 7/16/2014 12:46:47 PM EDT
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Im trying to decide what to put on my ar as a close range option.
Ive been looking at primary arms red dots because they are the cheapest best quality from what i have found. I then started to wonder why anyone would buy the bigger sized red dot instead of a micro. I feel like the micro would weight way less and also be less in the way. The only advantages i can see to some full size optics is the use of more common batteries, cr123 AA ect. Any way Im kinda in between the Full size PA dot with CR2032 I love the mount and the waterproof factors and the Full size PA with AA because of the AA not a fan of the mount though, and i guess also the new PA Micro because i like the small size and the nitrogen purging. So basically if you could pick one which would it be and why. And also is there any advantage to the larger size type other than the use of AA/cr123 Thanks |
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Perhaps the full size ones might, theoretically, be more ruggedly constructed? Also, some of them have optional accessories, like killflash, QD mounting upgrades or such that might not be on the microdot. Some of them have multiple reticle choices, many of which may or may not be useful to you, while most (not all, see below) have only a single dot of intermediate size.
But, I, like you, prefer the microdot for most purposes. I would recommend the Lucid M7 microdot, however, because it does, among other things use a very common, long lasting battery, a single AAA. It also has a very useful EOTech type circle dot or donut dot reticle: 25 MOA circle around a tiny 2 MOA center dot. This gives you very rapid target acquisition, and a tiny dot for precision shooting. It also has a photocell activated dot intensity. The reticle automatically dims in low light and gets very bright in full sunlight. Yes, it is usable in full sunlight. You can manually set the dot brightness, if you prefer. It also shuts off automatically after two hours. I have two of them, one riding on a tactical shotgun with no recoil problems, the other in a QD mount on an AR carbine. They sell for about $189 shipped, less any special sale pricing or discount coupons. Available through a lot of vendors. You will need to put a cheap riser under it, 1" for lower 1/3 co-witness. Miy Lucid M7's were bought from Optics Planet, one of our site sponsors. This is a lot of value for the price. |
No real answer to one being better than the other. Some brains prefer the larger circle around the dot, sight picture you get on the larger 30+mm optics, but since the idea is to have both eyes open, it shouldn't really matter. I suppose the larger sights could block some light from your sight picture, since the housing ghosts? I use both types and like 'em both. To know what works best for you takes trigger time behind each. IMO the only advantage on any of the sights you listed would be battery life, or dot size . Your mileage will vary .
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One problem with common batteries is that most folks will clean out the AA batteries when some kinda of disaster is unfolding I noticed the camera batteries were still in stock....  I can see the logic there...who goes oh its the end of the world, better buy lots of camera batteries haha |
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Quoted:
Perhaps the full size ones might, theoretically, be more ruggedly constructed? Also, some of them have optional accessories, like killflash, QD mounting upgrades or such that might not be on the microdot. Some of them have multiple reticle choices, many of which may or may not be useful to you, while most (not all, see below) have only a single dot of intermediate size. But, I, like you, prefer the microdot for most purposes. I would recommend the Lucid M7 microdot, however, because it does, among other things use a very common, long lasting battery, a single AAA. It also has a very useful EOTech type circle dot or donut dot reticle: 25 MOA circle around a tiny 2 MOA center dot. This gives you very rapid target acquisition, and a tiny dot for precision shooting. It also has a photocell activated dot intensity. The reticle automatically dims in low light and gets very bright in full sunlight. Yes, it is usable in full sunlight. You can manually set the dot brightness, if you prefer. It also shuts off automatically after two hours. I have two of them, one riding on a tactical shotgun with no recoil problems, the other in a QD mount on an AR carbine. They sell for about $189 shipped, less any special sale pricing or discount coupons. Available through a lot of vendors. You will need to put a cheap riser under it, 1" for lower 1/3 co-witness. Miy Lucid M7's were bought from Optics Planet, one of our site sponsors. This is a lot of value for the price. Ill give it a look, but im kinda like the PA price point. Im probably gonna get a scope and i dont want to spend so much money on a short term option but thanks and ill definitely look into it sounds good from what your saying. |
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The new PA micro would be my choice, but then I already have two of the previous gen models.
A larger optic with an AA or CR123 battery should have longer life, but the previous gen PA micro battery life was measured in months, not hours which is pretty dang good. A larger optic will be heavier, but will have a slightly wider eyebox which can be a slight advantage in oddball positions. Personally I like the low weight and small form factor. |
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The new PA micro would be my choice, but then I already have two of the previous gen models. A larger optic with an AA or CR123 battery should have longer life, but the previous gen PA micro battery life was measured in months, not hours which is pretty dang good. A larger optic will be heavier, but will have a slightly wider eyebox which can be a slight advantage in oddball positions. Personally I like the low weight and small form factor. Ya i think im leaning that way as well |
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One problem with common batteries is that most folks will clean out the AA batteries when some kinda of disaster is unfolding I noticed the camera batteries were still in stock.... The thing is that with something like a CompM4 the battery is good for 80k hours. Keep a spare lithium battery in your grip and you are good for a long, long time. |
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One problem with common batteries is that most folks will clean out the AA batteries when some kinda of disaster is unfolding I noticed the camera batteries were still in stock.... word Good luck finding camera batteries off the beaten path. Every country road store will have AA and AAA after the Walmarts and city stores get mobbed, like we saw after Katrina and Sandy, and that is "just" a natural disaster. And you should know that the shelf life of lithium AA and AAA batteries is now 15 years, compared to 8 for the watch and camera batteries. |
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I went through the same process of picking a reflex sight.
Due to customer reviews, I bought the Bushnell TRS Micro. It's more or less a version of the far more expensive Aimpoint Micro series. The Bushnell is shock proof enough that reviewers were using it on shotguns loaded with buckshot. It's water proof and fog proof to 10 feet under water, and has a 3MOA red dot. It uses the common and readily available 2032 battery. Battery life is 3000 hours. From examination it's a surprisingly high quality sight with a red dot that's a true round dot when it's adjusted for lighting conditions. The only down side is that it uses the same "bikini" stretchy rubber lens covers that the Aimpoint Micro uses. I find these slow and clumsy to use, and since the rear of the sight doesn't have much of a rim, there's no easy way to use different lens covers. I just got it in last night and haven't had time to shoot it, but I think that for the money it's the best in it's class. Primary Arms make an almost exact replica with a 1000 hour battery life. I considered it because you can get it with the on-off dial on the left side, which would be handier, but settled on the Bushnell because of the heavy positive reviews. The Primary Arms doesn't seem to have nearly the customer review as the Bushnell, and what there is seems to be mostly about Primary Arms good customer service.. I bought it from Amazon, and it's actually sold BY Amazon, not a third party. I also ordered it with the optional low mount and it exactly co-witnesses with the iron sights on my Colt M4. http://www.amazon.com/Bushnell-Trophy-TRS-25-Reticle-Riflescope/dp/B00200E0HM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1405629334&sr=8-1&keywords=bushnell+trs-25 Note farther down the page the options to buy a high or low amount, and the high positive feed back. |
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I went through the same process of picking a reflex sight. Due to customer reviews, I bought the Bushnell TRS Micro. It's more or less a version of the far more expensive Aimpoint Micro series. The Bushnell is shock proof enough that reviewers were using it on shotguns loaded with buckshot. It's water proof and fog proof to 10 feet under water, and has a 3MOA red dot. It uses the common and readily available 2032 battery. Battery life is 3000 hours. From examination it's a surprisingly high quality sight with a red dot that's a true round dot when it's adjusted for lighting conditions. The only down side is that it uses the same "bikini" stretchy rubber lens covers that the Aimpoint Micro uses. I find these slow and clumsy to use, and since the rear of the sight doesn't have much of a rim, there's no easy way to use different lens covers. I just got it in last night and haven't had time to shoot it, but I think that for the money it's the best in it's class. Primary Arms make an almost exact replica with a 1000 hour battery life. I considered it because you can get it with the on-off dial on the left side, which would be handier, but settled on the Bushnell because of the heavy positive reviews. The Primary Arms doesn't seem to have nearly the customer review as the Bushnell, and what there is seems to be mostly about Primary Arms good customer service.. I bought it from Amazon, and it's actually sold BY Amazon, not a third party. I also ordered it with the optional low mount and it exactly co-witnesses with the iron sights on my Colt M4. http://www.amazon.com/Bushnell-Trophy-TRS-25-Reticle-Riflescope/dp/B00200E0HM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1405629334&sr=8-1&keywords=bushnell+trs-25 Note farther down the page the options to buy a high or low amount, and the high positive feed back. Let us know how it holds up. Most do. Mine did not. I have a TRS-25 and have relegated it to a .22LR because it does not hold zero under any noticeable recoil. Maybe I damaged it by trying it on the rail of a 12 gauge tactical shotgun. It seemed fine in an AR carbine. After sighting in with slugs, followed by a few full power buckshot rounds downrange on top of the shotgun, I switched back to slugs and not only had the POI shifted, but I could not get it to stay put from shot to shot. Might be just a bad production day or something. The Lucid M7 rides on that shotgun now and is rock solid. The TRS-25 seems to hold ok on a light, .22LR,bolt gun that my 10 year old grand daughter shoots, provided it does not get jarred or bumped much. I would not trust it for anything with any noticeable recoil, or where it is going to be carried around. I realize this is just a sample of one, but for me the failure rate was 100%. I don't think I'm alone. After my experience I checked to see if this was common. I found this. Perhaps it does not like being knocked around a bit. I'm not talking about abuse, but it should not have to be babied. |
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