Posted: 6/5/2009 7:39:51 PM EDT
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Guys,
I have NO experience with scopes. What would be the best option for an ar-15? Power? What power range is optimal? I'm looking for something low-cost, so any suggestions are appreciated. |
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What range are you looking to shoot at and size of target? Are you looking for combat sights or something to knock down ground hogs? Are you a new or old shooter? How much are you looking to spend? No point me or others telling you about some scope that's out of your price range.
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A big factor is what you intend to use the AR for. If the primary purpose is home protection you really don't need any magnification and a single point device is fine––-even preferred.If you intend to varmint hunt or target shoot then you'll probably want something with magnification.Over the years I've concluded that a good quality 3X9 is hard to beat for many applications.The variables are MUCH better now than 40 + years ago when they first appeared on the market.
There are several scopes in the $200 range that would do quite well on an AR-15 for informal shooting or varmint hunting....Bushnell Elite,Burris Fullfield II,Nikon probably others as well.SWFA is an ARFCOM sponsor and has a wide variety of scopes in all price ranges... best Dana |
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Quoted:
It really depends on what AR-15 configuration you have and what type of shooting you are talking about. There's so many scopes out there because there's so many different applications. Tj +1 I personally would prefer an aimpoint compm4 with a 2moa dot for anything up two a couple hundred yards. after that maybe a 1x to 4x power scope. |
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Close quarters / medium range man sized? EOThingie / Aimpoint / Trijicon.
Medium range / long range / precision? Something around a 4 to 20 power. Maybe 6-18, 4-12 etc. I'm partial to Nikon but theres a ton of choices depending on budget. Its one reason people end up with more then 1 AR. You just cant have a "do all" AR that really does do-all. Regardless I recommend SWFA's sample list as they have great prices on gently used gear. |
If you have the money, an ACOG with BAC is imho your best bet. You'll need to drop about $800 to get one though  They are 4x but the red chevron acts like a red dot for close in, snap shots and the chevron and range estimater allow you to have accurate longer range aimed shots.For an inexpensive red dot solution, I really love the Burris Fast Fire. I put one on my MAK-90 (an AK variant) and was able to shoot 2 moa with it at 100yds for the first time. With irons I never did better than 4 moa. These run about $150. For mid price stuff, then the EOTECH and Aimpoint are excellent options, prepare to spend about $500. I own all the optics mentioned above except the EOTECH, and all are great for their respective purpose/price. |
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Quoted: Quoted: For the AR-15 carbines, I really like Eotech optics with a BUIS. This. Add a 3x magnifier on a flip mount and you've got all kinds of goodness... Yep. Unless you're going for a little longer distance hunting. Then I go to www.vortexoptics.com Best scope for the cash, and lifetime guarantee. |
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Quoted:
Guys, I have NO experience with scopes. What would be the best option for an ar-15? Power? What power range is optimal? I'm looking for something low-cost, so any suggestions are appreciated. Here's where I see a problem. A scope is the last thing you should try to get a cheap as possible, you don't want to get a cheap scope or reflex sight only to find out it's not what you wanted and isn't worth shit, then you have to go drop $500 on an EOTech and you end up spending more than you originally thought. My point being, don't skimp on the scope. |
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Quoted:
It really depends on what AR-15 configuration you have and what type of shooting you are talking about. There's so many scopes out there because there's so many different applications. Tj +1 That being said, I am partial to Trijicon products. An RX30 Reflex will be great for 300 meters and under, and an ACOG rules for 100-600 meters. They are expensive relative to cheaper scopes but Aimpoints and such are catching up. If I had to choose one fighting optic, it would be a TA33-8 with an amber reticle. It's pnly 3x and is a compact model so it's still decent for CQB but has a BDC for 300-600 meters. Retails around $750, sometimes lower. Spending more for a different model just gets you a bigger scope and a BDC that ranges out farther than you really want to shoot a .223 ideally anyway. |
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Quoted:
If you have the money, an ACOG with BAC is imho your best bet. You'll need to drop about $800 to get one though They are 4x but the red chevron acts like a red dot for close in, snap shots and the chevron and range estimater allow you to have accurate longer range aimed shots.
If you get the chance, try an ACOG with an amber reticle. You might find that it's easier to pick up in low light. |
