Suggestions for scope...
Suggestions for scope...
Okay, next idea I'm tossing around is finally putting a scope on my AR. Its a 16-inch flat-top upper carbine with a 1-in-9 twist barrel and a fixed A2 type stock. I'm thinking about something like a 1-4x scope, for close up work as I just don't see myself "engaging" things at a long distance with a carbine in 5.56mm...I always get good feedback here and even if I can't rush out and buy whatever, I file the ideas away for the (hopefully) semi-near future. Looking forward to the replies, and maybe learning something. My knowledge of optics is pretty limited, I admit. (Oh, and the chances of me buying a scope that costs as much as this rifle are pretty slim, just so you know.) Thanks.
Re: Suggestions for scope...
i like everything from primary arms . i have 3 red dots , all perform great , great price , im not going to war so i dont need aimpoints/eotechs but they work and i havent broke one yet . the guys there are great too , local in pearland texas too ! no store front but they let me drop by and pick my items up personally and showed me some other goodies they got .
anyway , im rambling but i believe they have a 1-4 scope with a light up reticle i was looking at.....or the have red dots and 3x and 5x magnifiers
they also sell other great brands
its worth a look plus theyre texans
https://www.primaryarms.com/Primary_Arms_s/353.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
anyway , im rambling but i believe they have a 1-4 scope with a light up reticle i was looking at.....or the have red dots and 3x and 5x magnifiers
they also sell other great brands
its worth a look plus theyre texans

https://www.primaryarms.com/Primary_Arms_s/353.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Re: Suggestions for scope...
For all around adjustable use age I'm digging the CQT.
Not sure what you're rifle is worth but it's pricey glass.
Not sure what you're rifle is worth but it's pricey glass.
Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work. - Thomas Edison
Re: Suggestions for scope...
Look at the Millet 1-4 DMS. The scope does not need to be turned on to work. If your battery dies you can still shoot. I have one and I'm happy.
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George Mason
Texas and Louisiana CHL Instructor, NRA Pistol, Rifle, Shotgun, Personal Protection and Refuse To Be A Victim Instructor
- Middle Age Russ
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Re: Suggestions for scope...

Millet DMS in an American Defense cantilever QD mount to move the scope forward a bit.
Russ
Stay aware and engaged. Awareness buys time; time buys options. Survival may require moving quickly past the Observe, Orient and Decide steps to ACT.
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Stay aware and engaged. Awareness buys time; time buys options. Survival may require moving quickly past the Observe, Orient and Decide steps to ACT.
NRA Life Member, CRSO, Basic Pistol, PPITH & PPOTH Instructor, Texas 4-H Certified Pistol & Rifle Coach, Texas LTC Instructor
Re: Suggestions for scope...
That Millet looks pretty good, seems like it fits the bill. And the price looks good, too. My rifle is probably worth $800, maybe, BTW. I'm wondering why I didn't see this brand before when I was doing searches? The Internets are some strange place, indeed.
Re: Suggestions for scope...
I was in the same boat as you about a month ago. I just bought a trijicon tr24g 1-4x scope and i absolutely love it. Its great at 1x for CQB and short yardage shooting. I personally only see myself using this scope for stuff from 1-250yrds. Yes, it cost more than my rifle but this is my first AR and i plan on buying a better one down the road so i will be moving the scope to it when that time comes. ARs are an expensive hobby
Another scope i was really considering was the SS 1-4x from SWFA. Dont forget to plan for the cost of the mounts. Good mounts like larue and american defense cost a pretty penny but are worth it if you are mounting a quality scope.
I also like primary arms and their customer service. Their prices are competitive as well. If you dont want to buy an expensive scope and just plan on using it for plinking, then i dont see anything wrong with their scope. I had their red dot setup before the scope and it was a good value. There are so many 1-4x scopes out there, it can be overwhelming. My advice would be to search on the ar15 forums because this question has been asked before on other forums. How much are you willing to spend if you dont mind sharing?

Another scope i was really considering was the SS 1-4x from SWFA. Dont forget to plan for the cost of the mounts. Good mounts like larue and american defense cost a pretty penny but are worth it if you are mounting a quality scope.
I also like primary arms and their customer service. Their prices are competitive as well. If you dont want to buy an expensive scope and just plan on using it for plinking, then i dont see anything wrong with their scope. I had their red dot setup before the scope and it was a good value. There are so many 1-4x scopes out there, it can be overwhelming. My advice would be to search on the ar15 forums because this question has been asked before on other forums. How much are you willing to spend if you dont mind sharing?
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Class of 2007
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Class of 2007
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Re: Suggestions for scope...
To be honest, I'd like to put half the price of the rifle or less into an optics solution. This is not a duty rifle, its not for prairie varmint shooting, or anything else that requires high-dollar precision. I'd say MOSTLY plinking/target shooting, but of course, I'd want it to function if I did end up being forced to use it for "social work". I bow to the awesomeness that is Trijicon, Leupold, and others of that tier, but they are a bit out of my reach.cubbyjg wrote:I was in the same boat as you about a month ago. I just bought a trijicon tr24g 1-4x scope and i absolutely love it. Its great at 1x for CQB and short yardage shooting. I personally only see myself using this scope for stuff from 1-250yrds. Yes, it cost more than my rifle but this is my first AR and i plan on buying a better one down the road so i will be moving the scope to it when that time comes. ARs are an expensive hobby![]()
Another scope i was really considering was the SS 1-4x from SWFA. Dont forget to plan for the cost of the mounts. Good mounts like larue and american defense cost a pretty penny but are worth it if you are mounting a quality scope.
I also like primary arms and their customer service. Their prices are competitive as well. If you dont want to buy an expensive scope and just plan on using it for plinking, then i dont see anything wrong with their scope. I had their red dot setup before the scope and it was a good value. There are so many 1-4x scopes out there, it can be overwhelming. My advice would be to search on the ar15 forums because this question has been asked before on other forums. How much are you willing to spend if you dont mind sharing?
Re: Suggestions for scope...
You don't have to rule out a basic Leupold. Their Mark AR 1.5-4x20mm is under $280, and coming up on your maximum budget is their VX-3 1.5-5x20mm.Heartland Patriot wrote:I bow to the awesomeness that is Trijicon, Leupold, and others of that tier, but they are a bit out of my reach.
I echo cubbyjg's comment about mounts. There are a lot of cheap mounts and rings out there, and they can make a decent optic not so decent; everything from too-soft metal to poor lock-up on the rail. If you go with a scope, I'd recommend looking at LaRue Tactical, and consider a quick-detach model that will let you remove the scope and go to iron sights if the need arises. Good mounts will definitely cut into the budget but, ultimately, I don't think you'll be happy with a decent scope in $40 rings.
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Re: Suggestions for scope...
I was indeed thinking of LaRue Tactical for a mount. I know they make quality products, but I count the cost of a decent mount into the optics solution...I admit I didn't know that Leupold had any scopes that cost less than $300. I understand that you get what you pay for, so I know that it won't be as good as it could if I spent more money. I just need something of REASONABLE quality to start using in the semi-near future and then plan a replacement in the further future when the finances are better. Right now I'm a veteran going back to school so I can get back to fixing aircraft like I did for the USAF...once I get to turning wrenches again, I hopefully won't have to scrape pennies anymore.Skiprr wrote:You don't have to rule out a basic Leupold. Their Mark AR 1.5-4x20mm is under $280, and coming up on your maximum budget is their VX-3 1.5-5x20mm.Heartland Patriot wrote:I bow to the awesomeness that is Trijicon, Leupold, and others of that tier, but they are a bit out of my reach.
I echo cubbyjg's comment about mounts. There are a lot of cheap mounts and rings out there, and they can make a decent optic not so decent; everything from too-soft metal to poor lock-up on the rail. If you go with a scope, I'd recommend looking at LaRue Tactical, and consider a quick-detach model that will let you remove the scope and go to iron sights if the need arises. Good mounts will definitely cut into the budget but, ultimately, I don't think you'll be happy with a decent scope in $40 rings.
- The Annoyed Man
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Re: Suggestions for scope...
If that is the case, take a look at the Vortex Strikefire. http://www.vortexoptics.com/product/vor ... e-for-ar15Heartland Patriot wrote:To be honest, I'd like to put half the price of the rifle or less into an optics solution. This is not a duty rifle, its not for prairie varmint shooting, or anything else that requires high-dollar precision. I'd say MOSTLY plinking/target shooting, but of course, I'd want it to function if I did end up being forced to use it for "social work". I bow to the awesomeness that is Trijicon, Leupold, and others of that tier, but they are a bit out of my reach.
This is what I put on the carbine I built for my wife. If you order them from Brownell's, they are about $46 cheaper than the $179 MSRP: http://www.brownells.com/.aspx/pid=4153 ... -DOT-SCOPE. Order the version with the high rings that co-witness the optic with your iron sights. It also comes with a 2x magnifier that threads onto the back of the optic. These are also NV compatible. They are not in the same quality range as EOTech/ACOG/AIMPoint/Etc., but they are very much worth the price, and I think that they are much better than the cheap Bushnells and other inexpensive red dot sights.

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Re: Suggestions for scope...
Does it come with the mount or do you need to buy that separate? And how does the 2x magnifier work? I've never used one of those before...sounds like a good deal as far as my wallet goes, though.The Annoyed Man wrote:If that is the case, take a look at the Vortex Strikefire. http://www.vortexoptics.com/product/vor ... e-for-ar15Heartland Patriot wrote:To be honest, I'd like to put half the price of the rifle or less into an optics solution. This is not a duty rifle, its not for prairie varmint shooting, or anything else that requires high-dollar precision. I'd say MOSTLY plinking/target shooting, but of course, I'd want it to function if I did end up being forced to use it for "social work". I bow to the awesomeness that is Trijicon, Leupold, and others of that tier, but they are a bit out of my reach.
This is what I put on the carbine I built for my wife. If you order them from Brownell's, they are about $46 cheaper than the $179 MSRP: http://www.brownells.com/.aspx/pid=4153 ... -DOT-SCOPE. Order the version with the high rings that co-witness the optic with your iron sights. It also comes with a 2x magnifier that threads onto the back of the optic. These are also NV compatible. They are not in the same quality range as EOTech/ACOG/AIMPoint/Etc., but they are very much worth the price, and I think that they are much better than the cheap Bushnells and other inexpensive red dot sights.
- The Annoyed Man
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Re: Suggestions for scope...
It comes with the mount. However, they offer it two ways: one with a low mount, and one with a high mount. You want the one with the high mount so that it will co-witness with the BUIS. The mount in the above picture is not the one that comes with it. I mistakenly ordered the scope with the low mount, which doesn't really work for this purpose. So I had a set of 1" high Burris XTR Tactical rings laying around, and I used one of those to mount the scope.Heartland Patriot wrote:Does it come with the mount or do you need to buy that separate? And how does the 2x magnifier work? I've never used one of those before...sounds like a good deal as far as my wallet goes, though.
The 2x magnifier is ok. Not superlative, but ok. It requires removing the rear flip up lens cover—which is rubber, just like a Butler Creek cover, and pops right off. Then you thread the magnifier into the rear of the scope. But unless you have really bad eyes (like mine), the red dot by itself should be good out to 100 yards. There is a selector which allows you to switch between a green and a red dot, and there are controls to increase/decrease the brightness of the dot. There is another button for "night vision" mode....which essentially dials the brightness so far down that it is almost invisible to the unaided eye, but should be easily visible with the added NV device of your choice. The scope is pretty light in weight, so it keeps a light handy carbine light and handy.
They also have these in stock at the CTD store in Fort Worth, if you want to go look at one before you buy.
“Hard times create strong men. Strong men create good times. Good times create weak men. And, weak men create hard times.”
― G. Michael Hopf, "Those Who Remain"
#TINVOWOOT
― G. Michael Hopf, "Those Who Remain"
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Re: Suggestions for scope...
The primary arms website has their red dot and the vortex red dot both is stock and on sale right now. I think they both qualify for free shipping too. Both are good cost effective options for a red dot. Even the Nikon M223 1-4x gets good reviews and is at a good price point without a mount. Add another $100 or so for a decent mount and you are back at it. Nikon offers some other M223 scopes with more magnification but I have not read any reviews on those.
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Re: Suggestions for scope...
You folks have been excellent in the replies. Guess I hit on a topic people like.
After going through the finances with the wife, looks like I'm going to wait until February, or more likely March, for this purchase. Gotta take care of the Christmas gift bills first. I'm going to check out that website, do some more reading on the Vortex and the Millet, and mull things over a bit. This info has given me some great ideas, though. Once again, thanks.
