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Old 02-11-2017, 03:01 PM
trooper trooper is offline
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Default Best Red Dot sight for the money

I purchased a Ruger MkIII 22/45 a few weeks ago, and I'm thinking about mounting a red dot site on her, what do you guys recommend? I see that there are lots of brands out there and some great and others not so good. I'd like some input from other experienced pistol shooters.
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Old 02-11-2017, 03:45 PM
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I am am NOT a Vortex fan except for the Red Dot. I have 2 of them, Lifetime warranty, which no other one offers except Bushnell. Even the multi thousand dollar high end ones are only covered for 1-3 years. Good adjustable light, long battery life, auto off after 8 hours and all for under $300. Also came with a 2x magnifier but you get a real small field of vision with it on.

Use one on my 22/20 gauge and the other on a 45-70 side by side. Not enough magnification for over 100 yards so switched to a scope but it worked okay to 100 yards.
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Old 02-11-2017, 04:08 PM
trackrig trackrig is offline
 
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Buy one with various sizes of red dots and make sure one of them is small. There's nothing more annoying than aiming for a grouse's head and having the red dot cover more than the head, or, having it cover more than the center of the target.

Bill
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Old 02-11-2017, 04:34 PM
trooper trooper is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by trackrig View Post
Buy one with various sizes of red dots and make sure one of them is small. There's nothing more annoying than aiming for a grouse's head and having the red dot cover more than the head, or, having it cover more than the center of the target.

Bill
Sounds good Bill, but there's one catch. I'm mounting this on a pistol. I'm guessing that the local constabulary might take a dim view of a fella out hunting with his pistol, I'm sure said pistol would become property of the crown after the fact.
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Old 02-11-2017, 07:42 PM
trackrig trackrig is offline
 
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Sorry, my error, different locations, different laws.

But here, it's legal and I like by Grouse guns. Here's a picture of my Browning with a Millett red dot. Besides being able to change the red dot size, you can also change the intensity for shooting in bright daylight to darker indoor range shooting.



If they're further away, I can always use my new .22 Magnum Research rifle with a carbon fiber barrel and a Leopold 3x9. I've only had a chance to site it in, but it will go hunting with me this year.



Bill
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Old 02-11-2017, 07:52 PM
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Burris Fastfire.

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  #7  
Old 02-11-2017, 08:20 PM
Phil Phil is offline
 
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Default Red Dots

I have several Red Dot sights on various handguns, mostly AimPoints and Tasco Pro Points. When I was looking for an optic style sight for my Ruger 22/45 I bought a Walther multi- reticle (MRS) sight. Its cheap and I like it. Small and light compared to many of the red dot sights and it works well on the Ruger.
Tasco also makes a cheap Red Dot sight which would work fine.

Here's a link to the Walther from the dealer I purchased it from.
https://www.dlairgun.com/Dot-Sights/..._230-0569.html

Phil

Last edited by Phil; 02-11-2017 at 08:21 PM. Reason: correct error
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Old 02-11-2017, 10:17 PM
M70 M70 is offline
 
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C-More
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Old 02-11-2017, 10:44 PM
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Eotech.
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Old 02-12-2017, 08:24 AM
M70 M70 is offline
 
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People may have had their confidence rattled by this......

http://www.eotechlawsuit.com/
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  #11  
Old 06-13-2018, 05:06 AM
Fiereo Fiereo is offline
 
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What type of shooting will you be doing?
Does weight matter to you?
Does size matter to you?
What is your budget?

There are many good red dots, but which one is right for you depends on the answers to the questions above.

From those answers, you can begin to determine tube vs. reflex and dot size, both of which will narrow your choices. For example, speed shooting is better with larger red dots (e.g., 4 MOA or more) while target shooting is better with more precise red dots (preferably 2 MOA but also 3 MOA). Speed shooting is also better with reflex style sights where situational awareness and field of view are more important but a tube style is generally more rugged. Also, reflex sights are smaller/lighter than tubes but there are some micro tubes that provide tube benefits at a weight/size that is more acceptable to some than the larger tubes.

Functional red dots can be had for less than $100 but I would argue that the quality ones begin around $200 and there are many excellent choices between $180-$250. You can spend more than that, but unless you're life depends upon it or you just have silly money to spend, I don't see why it's necessary.

For me, I mostly do target shooting so my sights tend to have 2 MOA dots. I use tube styles on all my rifles (UltraDot MatchDots) and have micro tubes (Holosun 403GL, UltraDot HD Micro) or reflex (Vortex Venom) on my pistols as I don't like to add too much unnecessary weight or size to my handguns. Because I target shoot, situational awareness doesn't matter much to me so I prefer tube style due to the ruggedness and since it is about impossible to get a 2 MOA reflex sight https://thetacticalscopes.com/best-c...pistol-sights/

For brands, UltraDot, Vector, Burris, Primary Arms and Holosun are all good choices as, with the possible exception of Holosun (since I don't think they have been around as long), all are generally highly regarded.
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Old 06-13-2018, 08:11 AM
lastlatvian lastlatvian is offline
 
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I really like the Bushnell Trophy red dot TRS25. I got some good mounts for it, it doesn't seem to move even with the all the actioning the airgun and bouncing around in backpacks, ect.
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Old 06-13-2018, 09:48 AM
doublehaul doublehaul is offline
 
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I’m also interested in these.
Is there one that would work well on the .22 rim fire for both gophers and grouse?
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  #14  
Old 06-13-2018, 06:42 PM
obsessed1 obsessed1 is offline
 
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I have 2 CHEAP tasco red dots, 1 barska, and 1 Bushnell. The Bushnell was around 220$ the barska 80$ and the tasco less than 70$ ( IIRC I paid less than $40 for one at walmart ). All have performed perfectly. The tasco's have spent time on 12g, sks, 30-30, and various 22s both are about 8 years old and work flawlessly ( I'm quite surprised actually) the barska is a reflex type and has been on the 45-70 and currently sits on my m4 airsoft rifle.( last year I took a round off it and cracked the glass but it still works) the Bushnell trs25 has been on a 45-70,30-30 and is currently on a Lee Enfield 303 Brit. All these red dots are parallax free and have given great batterie life. The tasco is the largest and obviously the basrka is the lowest profile.
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  #15  
Old 06-13-2018, 10:04 PM
matthew.e matthew.e is offline
 
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The Mira red holographic sight is great.
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Old 06-14-2018, 08:03 AM
Stinky Coyote Stinky Coyote is offline
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have tried several of the above including the bushnell line, my fav has been the aimpoint micro h2 i believe is the model
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  #17  
Old 06-14-2018, 05:47 PM
Sundog57 Sundog57 is offline
 
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I hunt bunnies with a 22
I have a Bushnell TRS 25 and a Sightmark UltraShot
Both relatively inexpensive
Both work great for running Buns
Both have some challenges if there is a lot of snow on the trees - the Bushnell is better for this as snow bungs up the Sightmark
Remember to tape a spare battery onto your stock with duct tape... (how did I learn this?)
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Old 06-14-2018, 07:33 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Stinky Coyote View Post
have tried several of the above including the bushnell line, my fav has been the aimpoint micro h2 i believe is the model
I have one (not mounted on a pistol but certainly could be...) and rank it 10/10. They are pricey but well worth the confidence needed ... shooting in temp ranges from -40C to + 40C.
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Old 06-14-2018, 07:48 PM
Dubious Dubious is offline
 
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bushnell Cqts 1x32 may be on rebate would have to call for sure but 200$ off is a pretty good price hard to say no to that.

http://www.bushnell.com/tactical/rif...l/cqts-1x-32mm

http://www.bushnell.com/Bushnell/fil...959e019d20.pdf
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  #20  
Old 06-14-2018, 08:54 PM
FQ2 FQ2 is offline
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Buck Mark Reflex Sight

http://www.browning.com/products/sho...lex-sight.html
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  #21  
Old 06-17-2018, 08:43 AM
trapper1981 trapper1981 is offline
 
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Trs-25
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  #22  
Old 06-17-2018, 08:59 AM
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I am not generally a Vortex fan but his is one place where their lifetime warranty is a big advantage. They are the only reasonably priced red dot with the lifetime warrant. The Sparc and SPARC II unit works well, adjustable intensity, real good battery life, auto shut-off, variety of mounting choices included and comes with a 2x power screw on magnifier. Works well for shotguns and other guns. Limited to about 100 yards, after which accuracy gets pretty iffy.

The reflex sights are very common on guns used for driven Boar in Europe. Their the Doctor Brand reflex sight holds 80% of the market.

Magnifyer



High Mount



Low Mount

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  #23  
Old 06-17-2018, 09:16 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by FQ2 View Post
A big old x2 on this sight. I think I paid $85 for mine and love it.
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  #24  
Old 08-17-2018, 02:58 PM
SWS_01 SWS_01 is offline
 
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I have looked at a bunch and i would say Aimpoint seems to be miles ahead....just big $. I have been told by a few that they are indestructable and worth the money. But dont know much myself. just been looking for my .45-70 and havent decided yet
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  #25  
Old 08-19-2018, 04:30 PM
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Huntsman Huntsman is offline
 
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Default Vortex SPARC II

I just picked up on of these today from Cabelero’s on sale.
It’s mounted on my Norinco T-97. I’ll see how it fairs for coyotes.



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  #26  
Old 03-24-2020, 09:54 AM
WinefredCommander WinefredCommander is offline
 
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How did you guys make out with mounting a red dot on your 45-70s? Any issues with recoil? I'm looking at the Vortex Razor or Viper Red dot.

https://www.vortexcanada.net/en/hunting/red-dots/razor/

Now that being said. I'm ignorant when it comes to MOA. They offer a 3MOA and a 6MOA, what would be the best option for a 45-70? 100yds zero.

Thanks guys
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Old 03-24-2020, 10:07 AM
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The 6 moa will cover 6 inches of your target at 100 yards. That is a large blind spot. I would go for the 3 moa.
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  #28  
Old 03-24-2020, 10:18 AM
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I have a Vortex Sparc II that is 2 MOA. For a hunting red dot on a rifle that is a better setup and works good out to 100-150 yards. It also comes with a screw on magnifier. It is now mounted on a 22/20 gauge and so far no issues with recoil affecting it.
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  #29  
Old 03-24-2020, 11:15 AM
Smokinyotes Smokinyotes is offline
 
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I have a 2 moa holosun on my CZ scorpion. Works well for out to 50yds. At 100 yds 2 moa covers too much of the target. I’m tempted to put a little scope on it to see what kind of groups I can get.
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  #30  
Old 03-24-2020, 11:39 AM
WinefredCommander WinefredCommander is offline
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Smokinyotes View Post
I have a 2 moa holosun on my CZ scorpion. Works well for out to 50yds. At 100 yds 2 moa covers too much of the target. I’m tempted to put a little scope on it to see what kind of groups I can get.
What size of target are we talking about?
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