obsessiveshooter Posted April 11, 2015 Share Posted April 11, 2015 I just got back from the range, and I thought someone out there would enjoy this. I was testing a new bullet and powder combo for function, and I was really happy with the results. I've never shot an AR before I built this ultra-budget one. I didn't think you could do this at 75 yards with a 1x red dot with a 4moa dot. The targets are 6" wide. The only problem I have with the aimpoint clone is that the battery life is short. But it came with the mount, shipped, for $30, so I can afford to buy batteries. The rifle is an experiment in "how cheaply can you build a 3gun rifle?". It runs perfect with recoil about that of my 10/22, with an 18" barrel and a $30 compensator. I have about $600 bucks in it. Next I need to build a shotgun, and I'll be ready to try my first 3gun match. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mnguyenpdx Posted April 13, 2015 Share Posted April 13, 2015 Thats pretty amazing for $30! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
igolfat8 Posted April 13, 2015 Share Posted April 13, 2015 OK, I'll bite. What brand is the sight and where did you buy it? Tell me about your comp too please. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
obsessiveshooter Posted April 13, 2015 Author Share Posted April 13, 2015 I bought it from Aliexpress.com If you search "Aimpoint M2" a bunch of results will come up, all pretty much identical. It takes a while to arrive and several items I ordered from aliexpress gave me non-working tracking numbers, but they still arrive in 2-4 weeks. I also bought my 15" freefloat rail from them for $40 and rubbery picatinny rail covers which were $8 for 4 covers. That's cheap! The compensator was from ebay seller "tacticalgears" and the item was listed as " .223/556 TPI Competition Compact Stainless Muzzle Brake with free crush washer" . About $29 shipped. The stainless brake matched up perfect with my $100 18" mid length gas, spiral fluted stainless barrel I bought from classicfirearms.com. Also, I should say that I am impressed with the trigger from my Anderson Arms LPK which came with a lightened hammer and stainless trigger for $50. It's no 2lb trigger but I'd guess it at under 5lbs, with zero grit and easy to shoot well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dauntedfuture Posted April 13, 2015 Share Posted April 13, 2015 Good luck, it will "work" until it stops abruptly working or the zero wanders. What you get with a real aimpoint is durability and reliability. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pat Miles Posted April 13, 2015 Share Posted April 13, 2015 Good luck, it will "work" until it stops abruptly working or the zero wanders. What you get with a real aimpoint is durability and reliability. What he said.^^^ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve RA Posted April 13, 2015 Share Posted April 13, 2015 Seems like you could have 10 or so for the same price as these: http://www.brianenos.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=185447&page=13 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gdboytyler Posted April 13, 2015 Share Posted April 13, 2015 Good luck, it will "work" until it stops abruptly working or the zero wanders. What you get with a real aimpoint is durability and reliability. I've got a Primary Arms clone of the Aimpoint Micro for around $85. The PA clone has gotten rave reviews around the internet. It worked for about 500 rounds of 5.56 and maybe another 200 rounds of 12 gauge, then the on/off/brightness switch started having intermittent problems. Now the PA clone sits on my airsoft gun. For $35 delivered, the clone might be worth a try on my .22, but for AR's and shotguns, I'm staying away from the clones. In addition to increased durability, the real Aimpoints will have much less parallax than the clones. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
obsessiveshooter Posted April 13, 2015 Author Share Posted April 13, 2015 (edited) It's true that mine might fail eventually. If it does, I think I'll still be ahead because the mount it came with is very solid and well machined. I think a similar mount by itself would cost 2x what I paid for everything. So, I was not risking anything if you look at it that way. Gdboytyler- I can't help but wonder if your shotgun killed it, and that it might still be working if it was left on your AR. An AR with a compensator/brake puts very little stress on optics, in my noob opinion. I was thinking about this on the way home... we often think China-made means really crappy, but so much of what we buy at Walmart or wherever is Chinese made and we don't notice it, and generally we are happy with the quality of what we bought. Iphones are made there and a whole lot of other really nice items. I've certainly bought some crap that was American made. My AR wouldn't cycle when I first built it. The problem was with my US made BCG, not with any of the Chinese parts I put in it. Fortunately DS Arms made it right and let me upgrade to a NiB BCG for $15. Edited April 13, 2015 by obsessiveshooter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve RA Posted April 14, 2015 Share Posted April 14, 2015 I'm sure a lot of the brand name optics come from China. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Therealkoop Posted April 14, 2015 Share Posted April 14, 2015 I had my fair share of cheap optics. Those PA arms ones that everyone likes died out pretty quick. I guess most of the people talking them up dont shoot a whole lot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
obsessiveshooter Posted April 14, 2015 Author Share Posted April 14, 2015 Nobody shoots as much as competitive shooters. I laugh when I read gun classifieds on Facebook, and people talk like a gun with 1k rounds through it ought to be half price, like half it's working life is gone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mnguyenpdx Posted April 14, 2015 Share Posted April 14, 2015 should do a longterm review on that $30 rds after few k rounds Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vlad Posted April 14, 2015 Share Posted April 14, 2015 I'm one of the people happy with the PA micro. And I've shot it a lot on an AR, probably about 10k rounds and it still works fine. Mind you, it is now on a range toy gun, but it has been really solid for me, although it is sitting on a larue mount so maybe that makes a difference to its longevity. The issue with cheap optics is not that their are chinese made, the chinese can make something as good as you want to pay them for, the problem is that they are cheap. There is only so much electronics, optics, etc you can buy for $30. To meet that price something has to give. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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