Looking back, I should have gotten a flat top upper but seeing as how I didn't, I need to mount a telescopic scope on the carry handle.  Does anybody know who makes a good carry handle mount?  While I'm at it, I'd also like some scope/ring reccomendations as well if you'd all be so kind.  I'd like to keep the price around $200 for the scope.  If I could reuse it later on a varmint rig that'd be great but that's not top priority.  Anyway, thanks for the help.  MJD

Anyway you go, the optic is VERY high when mounted on top of the carry handle.  Tried it and I had to really contort my sight picture to get a decent view, and then your cheek weld is shot, unless you get one of those rear stock cheek extenders that create a taller rear stock...

Not ideal.  Why not save up and get another flat top upper?

A lot of people criticize the carry handle mounted scope solution, but if using a lower fixed power like 3X or 4X it's not bad at all.  
It's only a short slide of your cheek from the iron sights (using a see through mount)  to the scope. There are many excellent Nikon or Leupold (as well as others) scopes available for around $200 which will give excellent performance mounted on the carry handle of an AR15 with a mount costing $50 or less.
A guy at the range the other day with a DPMS 16" with 4X Simmons scope mounted to the carry handle, was consistently hitting 3/4 inch groups at 100 yards, making my 1/2" Varminter/Leupold  groups look a little tame.

I am a big fan of the carry handle ARs, which might be showing my age a little, but I do have a 16" flat top with a TA31F.

Here is a photo of my ideal solution on my 14.5" Bushmaster A2, the TA31 ACOG.
And the only way I'll remove it from my M4 A2 upper would be to put it on a 20" A2 like it was designed for.

I have a new in the box w/warranty HAKKO MP AR-15/M-16 4X21 5.56mm BDC #15 reticule that you might be interested in.

Thanks everybody so far for your suggestions.  I have an RRA NM A2 20" barrel, it's an absolutely phenominal piece but I know it's capable of more than I am.  With the irons I can get a 3/4" 10 shot group at 50 yards (on a good day) and about a 2" group at 100.  That's all me though, my eyes aren't good enough to see the 3" orange dot out that far.  I think for less than $300 the scoped carry handle would be a good solution.  Flat top upper + mounts + rings+ scope= way more than $300.  Keep the suggestions coming, I'll let you all know what I decide on.  MJD

Brownell's has various carry handle mounts for $8-20.  I would try one of those before spending $60 on an ARMS.

I agree with the last post.  Before I sold it (after trading my A2 upper), I had a DPMS mount that I paid maybe $10 for, and it worked great with a 3-9x32.

If you buy a cheap mount, it will not normally ever be as good as something like the ARMS #2 from my experience.
Jack

Quoted: If you buy a cheap mount, it will not normally ever be as good as something like the ARMS #2 from my experience. Jack

I'll ditto Jacks Comments.  For that kind of mounting spend the $$ and get the ARMS.

+1 for the ARMS #2. This one is 13 years old and has been through hell:

Hey CJan_NH, what's the scope and ring combo on top the ARMS #2?  It's obviously a leupold but what's the magnification and objective size?  Looks like a really nice setup.  Thanks, MJD.

Highwayman, the scope is a Leupold 3-9x40 Vari-X II-but I can't remember with certainty who made the rings (they are as old as the mount). Millett comes to mind for the brand, but I'm not positive.

Leupold replaced the aging Vari-X II line with the VX-II as far as I know. My scope has been dropped onto pavement, been bounced around in the trunk of a police cruiser, been transferred from rifle to rifle, been soaked underwater, yet it has always functioned flawlessly

Prior to going with this setup I had tried a couple of "budget" scopes and mounts with little success. The mounts either didn't hold zero when removed, or were made of substandard materials-like fasteners that stripped after repeated use. The optics were another nightmare entirely. At the time (1991) spending $400+ for a scope, mount, and rings seemed like all the money in the world, but looking back I'm damned glad I stepped up to quality components. This particular setup is equally at home on the 20" rifle above or a 16" carbine with detachable carry handle. My only gripe is that the height over bore necessitates a cheekpiece. Compare the height over bore in the above photo with this:



Depending on the optic a cheekpiece can sometimes be avoided, but in my case it was an absolute necessity to see through the glass.

For the sake of variety, here is the ARMS#2/Leupold setup on a detachable carry handle



Hope this helps!

I wouldn't waste your money on anything but an A.R.M.S.  Regardless of what you buy first you will end up with an A.R.M.S.

Good Luck

I have the ARMS #2 carry handle mount and ARMS #21 30mm scope rings.  I am trying to decide betwwen mounting an IOR Valdada M2 scope or a 10X Super Sniper scope on the rifle.