Graham Smith Posted June 1, 2010 Share Posted June 1, 2010 I'm looking for a low cost (under $250 with mount) Red Dot for an AR15. This is just for some local "fun" matches where scopes are not permitted and shots are limited to under 100yds. One that I did find on a search is the Vortex Strikefire. Any opinions on this or any good alternatives. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott_at_Vortex Posted June 1, 2010 Share Posted June 1, 2010 I'm looking for a low cost (under $250 with mount) Red Dot for an AR15. This is just for some local "fun" matches where scopes are not permitted and shots are limited to under 100yds. One that I did find on a search is the Vortex Strikefire. Any opinions on this or any good alternatives. I would say try one and see if you like it. If for some reason you are not satisfied with your purchase Vortex will do whatever is necessary to make your experience with us a good one. Scott Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aessu Posted June 1, 2010 Share Posted June 1, 2010 Primary arms M3-style red dot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vlad Posted June 1, 2010 Share Posted June 1, 2010 I'd say Vortex, or Primary arms M3 or T1 clones. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jadeslade Posted June 1, 2010 Share Posted June 1, 2010 I would jump on that Vortex-checked them out at FN match.Great stuff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JACKAL Posted June 1, 2010 Share Posted June 1, 2010 I'm going with a Vortex for my son's. Can't beat a good deal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graham Smith Posted June 1, 2010 Author Share Posted June 1, 2010 I would say try one and see if you like it. If for some reason you are not satisfied with your purchase Vortex will do whatever is necessary to make your experience with us a good one. It's hard to argue with that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin G. Posted June 1, 2010 Share Posted June 1, 2010 I would say try one and see if you like it. If for some reason you are not satisfied with your purchase Vortex will do whatever is necessary to make your experience with us a good one. Scott It's hard to argue with that. Graham, I can back Scott up with experience. I don't know him or work for him either. Just a very satisfied customer of Vortex after a 1 1/2 week turnaround on an RMA. They even sent me parts that I forgot to send in with the RMA. It's a good dot too! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smokshwn Posted June 1, 2010 Share Posted June 1, 2010 I have a Vortex Strikefire and it is by far one of the best low budget RDS'.....by low budget I mean inexpensive, definitely not cheap. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cheers623 Posted June 2, 2010 Share Posted June 2, 2010 +1 on the Vortex being a nice RDS for the money AND it comes with a mount! I own two and they both have held up well and held zero. However, I have a question for those who have one that replied: have you noticed that the dot is not as bright as AIMPOINTS? I checked out a buddies AIMPOINT and it seemed ALOT brighter than either of my Vortex sights at full brightness. Not a complaint, just asking... cheers623 DVC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graham Smith Posted June 2, 2010 Author Share Posted June 2, 2010 (edited) Ordered a Vortex last night. I'll have a chance to put it through it's paces soon and will report back. Addendum: I got my hands on a truly low priced Red Dot, a Truglo which sells for only $50. I doubt that it will stack up to the Vortex, but even if it doesn't it'll be fun for some short-range indoor .22 carbine shooting I've got plans for. I've now got different sights for all occasions, now I just need a new budget to make up for them. <sigh> Edited June 2, 2010 by Graham Smith Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott_at_Vortex Posted June 2, 2010 Share Posted June 2, 2010 +1 on the Vortex being a nice RDS for the money AND it comes with a mount! I own two and they both have held up well and held zero. However, I have a question for those who have one that replied: have you noticed that the dot is not as bright as AIMPOINTS? I checked out a buddies AIMPOINT and it seemed ALOT brighter than either of my Vortex sights at full brightness. Not a complaint, just asking... cheers623 DVC You definitely are not imagining things. The red/green StikeFire's red dot is not super bright,but generally gets the job done. What we ended up doing ,for people that wanted a brighter dot and /or shoot in super bright environments (ie: desert conditions), was making a red dot only version Strikefire which allowed us to make the dot a lot brighter. The brightness on it is comparable to pretty much anything out there and it has a little longer battery life than the red/green version. Scott Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graham Smith Posted June 2, 2010 Author Share Posted June 2, 2010 You definitely are not imagining things. The red/green StikeFire's red dot is not super bright,but generally gets the job done. What we ended up doing ,for people that wanted a brighter dot and /or shoot in super bright environments (ie: desert conditions), was making a red dot only version Strikefire which allowed us to make the dot a lot brighter. The brightness on it is comparable to pretty much anything out there and it has a little longer battery life than the red/green version. Dang, I wish I knew that before I ordered one of the dual versions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vlad Posted June 2, 2010 Share Posted June 2, 2010 On that topic, how bright is the Sparc? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Outsydlooknin75 Posted June 2, 2010 Share Posted June 2, 2010 You definitely are not imagining things. The red/green StikeFire's red dot is not super bright,but generally gets the job done. What we ended up doing ,for people that wanted a brighter dot and /or shoot in super bright environments (ie: desert conditions), was making a red dot only version Strikefire which allowed us to make the dot a lot brighter. The brightness on it is comparable to pretty much anything out there and it has a little longer battery life than the red/green version. Dang, I wish I knew that before I ordered one of the dual versions. Who did you order from? Is it possible to give them a call and see if they can make the swap for you? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graham Smith Posted June 2, 2010 Author Share Posted June 2, 2010 Is it possible to give them a call and see if they can make the swap for you? I had to cancel the order and reorder to change. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff686 Posted June 2, 2010 Share Posted June 2, 2010 How's the brightness on the SPARC? Is it really daylight friendly? Do you think it will stand up to an open pistol? I just can't afford an Aimpoint Micro, and every other micro size dot I've seen is too dim. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blind bat Posted June 3, 2010 Share Posted June 3, 2010 <Possibly stupid, should have used the search button question> I don't know thing one about riffle shooting but I was thinking about buying a .22lr or 9mm AR for local pistol caliber carbine matches. How does a tubular sight like the Vortex compare with the open EOTech type sights for IDPA and Steel Challenge type matches? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graham Smith Posted June 3, 2010 Author Share Posted June 3, 2010 (edited) I had to cancel the order and reorder to change. Well, it looks like this testing was destined to not happen. It appears that every place I've checked that carries the Strikefire is out of stock and I'm running out of time and options. Since I'm going to be spending 3 days shooting, I want at least one other red dot to test, so I think I'm going to try the Vortex SPARC. Anyone know anything about the pros and cons of the optional ARD (KillFlash)? Edited June 3, 2010 by Graham Smith Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cheers623 Posted June 3, 2010 Share Posted June 3, 2010 +1 on the Vortex being a nice RDS for the money AND it comes with a mount! I own two and they both have held up well and held zero. However, I have a question for those who have one that replied: have you noticed that the dot is not as bright as AIMPOINTS? I checked out a buddies AIMPOINT and it seemed ALOT brighter than either of my Vortex sights at full brightness. Not a complaint, just asking... cheers623 DVC You definitely are not imagining things. The red/green StikeFire's red dot is not super bright,but generally gets the job done. What we ended up doing ,for people that wanted a brighter dot and /or shoot in super bright environments (ie: desert conditions), was making a red dot only version Strikefire which allowed us to make the dot a lot brighter. The brightness on it is comparable to pretty much anything out there and it has a little longer battery life than the red/green version. Scott Scott, thanks very much for taking the time to reply to my post. When I bought mine they had just hit the market and there was no red-dot-only model option. Mine have been reliable but I'm glad to hear there is the red-only version out now. I never use the green dot because of how much the zero shifts between the two color dots. This red-only version should fill the bill for most users. Again, I think anybody looking for a good sight WITH the mount for the money should look at these hard. Cheers623 DVC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DWFAN Posted June 3, 2010 Share Posted June 3, 2010 (edited) I had to cancel the order and reorder to change. Well, it looks like this testing was destined to not happen. It appears that every place I've checked that carries the Strikefire is out of stock and I'm running out of time and options. Since I'm going to be spending 3 days shooting, I want at least one other red dot to test, so I think I'm going to try the Vortex SPARC. Anyone know anything about the pros and cons of the optional ARD (KillFlash)? Very interested in the SPARC reviews. Looking for Tube type dots to put on a minor PF open gun, and the SPARC may fit the bill at a good price. What does the 1 inch error mean ? Allows for rapid shooting with both eyes open, without concern for parallax shooting error. Parallax free beyond 50 yards; one-inch error closer than 50 yards. Edited June 3, 2010 by DWFAN Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graham Smith Posted June 15, 2010 Author Share Posted June 15, 2010 I got the SPARC the day before I left so there was little chance to do other than put it on the rifle. When I got to the range the day of training, I quickly discovered that the rifle I had pieced together was not going to work for me - it should be a good 3-Gun rifle or a "designated marksman" rifle, but it was too heavy and awkward for a novice to tote around for 3 days. So one of the instructors loaned me a more appropriate carbine with an Aimpoint T-1 sight so I could learn to use a red dot. Now, I know it's not fair to compare a $200 SPARC to an optic that costs 3x as much, particularly since I only had the SPARC in use for an hour or so, but I'll tell you what I found. Just looking through it, the first thing that I notice is that the profile of the T-1 is much cleaner, particularly on the left side where the SPARC controls are. It may be that this will not be a problem once I get used to it, but it does create a "dead spot" in the field of view. This may be less of an issue for others, but my vision sucks and I'm right handed, left eye dominant (yuck). Also, finding the right mounting position for proper eye relief would appear to be rather more important than with the T-1. This is not based on any extensive tests, but while the Aimpoint seems to work very well when pushed forward, I found that doing the same with the SPARC made the controls on the left more of an issue. One of the instructors, who is an excellent armorer, and I talked about the SPARC and he basically liked what he saw (for the money). The one thing neither of us liked at all was the hex bolt that holds the base to the rail. It's really cheap. The hex pocket is not well defined and it's soft - it's gonna be really easy to strip if I'm not extra careful. This base is also going to be impossible to remove in any kind of a hurry. For $200, I don't expect an ARMS or LaRue QD mount, but some kind of thumb screw is definitely in order. I'm going to have to research and see if I can put this on some kind of easier to remove base (which is going to then make it more expensive). The last comment relates to the 2x magnifier. This is definitely sensitive to eye relief and decreases the field of view quite a bit. But having tried a couple magnified red dots during the class, my eyes were not able to cope with the different magnifications anyway. But if I were to be shooting slow fire at a greater distance, it might be worth putting it on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alaskapopo Posted June 18, 2010 Share Posted June 18, 2010 Just a thought but why not shoot limited (IRONS) and save your money up for a good low power varible scope to get into the tactical class later. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott_at_Vortex Posted June 18, 2010 Share Posted June 18, 2010 I had to cancel the order and reorder to change. Well, it looks like this testing was destined to not happen. It appears that every place I've checked that carries the Strikefire is out of stock and I'm running out of time and options. Since I'm going to be spending 3 days shooting, I want at least one other red dot to test, so I think I'm going to try the Vortex SPARC. Anyone know anything about the pros and cons of the optional ARD (KillFlash)? Very interested in the SPARC reviews. Looking for Tube type dots to put on a minor PF open gun, and the SPARC may fit the bill at a good price. What does the 1 inch error mean ? Allows for rapid shooting with both eyes open, without concern for parallax shooting error. Parallax free beyond 50 yards; one-inch error closer than 50 yards. This is just put there to be honest as it is physically impossible to be 100% parallax free. Will you ever notice it while shooting,No, but we just try to be as honest as possible. Trust me on this as I have put just about every red dot out there on a collimator and they all have a little parallax even if they say they don't, but in defense of those other products and ours it is so little that you will never notice it. Its kind of like the whole "If a tree falls in the woods and no one is their to hear it......." scenario. Scott Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DWFAN Posted June 18, 2010 Share Posted June 18, 2010 (edited) I had to cancel the order and reorder to change. Well, it looks like this testing was destined to not happen. It appears that every place I've checked that carries the Strikefire is out of stock and I'm running out of time and options. Since I'm going to be spending 3 days shooting, I want at least one other red dot to test, so I think I'm going to try the Vortex SPARC. Anyone know anything about the pros and cons of the optional ARD (KillFlash)? Very interested in the SPARC reviews. Looking for Tube type dots to put on a minor PF open gun, and the SPARC may fit the bill at a good price. What does the 1 inch error mean ? Allows for rapid shooting with both eyes open, without concern for parallax shooting error. Parallax free beyond 50 yards; one-inch error closer than 50 yards. This is just put there to be honest as it is physically impossible to be 100% parallax free. Will you ever notice it while shooting,No, but we just try to be as honest as possible. Trust me on this as I have put just about every red dot out there on a collimator and they all have a little parallax even if they say they don't, but in defense of those other products and ours it is so little that you will never notice it. Its kind of like the whole "If a tree falls in the woods and no one is their to hear it......." scenario. Scott Ahh. I see, Thanks for the reply Scott. Edited June 18, 2010 by DWFAN Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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