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is there a decent red dot sight for under $200

5K views 36 replies 28 participants last post by  bevobaseball44 
#1 ·
i was thinking of trying a red dot type sight.
i got a 2nd bassett mount so would like to try one.
looked at a bunch for really cheap to rather high price.
never used one. so what ones have you guys tried ?
let me know the good the bad and the ugly of brands.
i put price at $200 and under it seems like a lot
of them in that price range. thank you all
Lruss
 
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#31 ·
If you have the cash pick up a set of warne low rings. They are great and sit low. Get the permanent attach since you have a basset.
 
#32 ·
thanks dredsen you are very helpful at times.
i have 2 bassett mounts i have picked up over time.
one is high other is low mount. so i might just mount
the red dot onto the high mount and still have irons.
i will think it over after looking at the red dot scope.
i have a leopold on a low bassett already. so is more
for fun than shtf.
thanks everyone.
Lruss
 
#33 ·
got the vortex today. is a very low mounting ring
should be good to go. so i put battery in and turned it
on. the dot looked like a sunset. a kind of dot with
light to the sides not a clean dot. so was kind of bummed.
i looked on vortex's sight about warranty and seen a trouble
shooting link. so looked at list for red dot sights.
so here is what it said.

"If the dot of your riflescope doesn't look perfectly round, the distortion may be caused by the way your eye perceives the dot—making the dot appear misshapen. This is called astigmatism. Most everyone has some degree of natural astigmatism. Here are a few ways to tell if the distortion you are seeing is caused by your eyes or is a problem with the scope:"

"1 Look through the scope with your other eye. If the dot changes shape from one eye to the other, the misshapen dot is likely caused by astigmatism."

tried other eye looked more like a dot. i have lazy eye, so was weak eye seen more of a dot.

"2 Look through the scope and rotate the scope on its optical axis. If the irregular shape maintains its position, it's probably because of how your eyes are seeing the dot. If the irregular shape of the dot rotates with the scope, there may be a problem with the scope."

the irregular shape stayed the same while rotating scope.

3 Try photographing the dot. Close the objective flip cover of the scope, place the lens of a digital camera up against the eyepiece of the scope, and take a photo of the dot. Compare the photo with what you are seeing through the scope. If the shape is the same as what you are seeing through the scope, the scope may be defective.

took a few photo's the white is from camera flash.


View attachment 48607

View attachment 48606


the dot's look fine from photo's. so i did some reading on astigmatism
is rather common. well after doing some reading. i put my glasses on and
i got mostly a dot with a little halo to it. but 90% better than without my glasses. this is something i did not know about red dot sights. glad i went
cheaper to try one. aside from that seems pretty good.
thanks all
Lruss
 
#34 ·
Being an Iron Sight guy and hard on my equipment when I'm in the field. I tend to shy away from optics in general, and when it comes to something that requires batteries to boot.... Bells, Whistles, Alarms, and Sirens start going off in my head.

If I'm sticking an optic on a rifle it is going to be as grunt-proof as I can afford. And as far as batteries, I shun them for the most part. The only battery operated optic I own is an Aimpoint M3 and the only reason I own it is for a reason no one has really mentioned yet... BATTERY LIFE at 50,000 hrs run time it's almost a non-issue. Most of the less expensive Red-dots are battery hogs compared to the Aimpoints. Other than that I lean towards Trijcon Reflex sights.

Full disclaimer I do own Gen 3 current issue NV. I hate the fact it's battery dependent but as a force multiplier it's worth the hassle.
 
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#37 ·
I was not a fan of red dot optics because I wasn't going to pay the extra amount for an Aimpoint or Trijicon. That kind of money, I want want a nice scope or money into a rifle... However, I have a Vortex Strike Fire I purchased for plinking and fun and it impressed me and turned me into Vortex fan. I purchased a Vortex Viper LR 4-16x44 dead hold that mounted on my national match m1a that I love! I love the eye relief and the glass is very nice. The lifetime warranty is a real nice bonus.
 
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