Into the world of AR fun I go.... Need to find affordable cr123(16340?) Red dot.

Hello budget my old friend…

Sorry I haven’t been around much.

But…. as I once did for flashlights (searching, researching, pulling hair out) I am now doing for tactical stuff. I am wanting a reflex style red dot that’s bright even in daylight under 100$ that takes cr123 in the hopes that I can use 16340 secondaries with it. That would work right?

Also looking to mount one of my blf a6 somehow I’m up to any suggestions (different light - wait for rail etc.) but I haven’t got a front rail yet so I thought of something for the bayonet lug but I’m open to suggestions. I know something with a tap switch would be fun but I don’t know if it’s necessary?

They make good budget optics, most will run on coin cells though

i dabble in ARs myself, being a vet and not wanting to drop the coin on an eotech or acog that'll only get used a few times a year and also not wanting junk that wont hold zero or craps out mid mag i found sightmark. some of the reviews arent so great but i figure a lot of them are from high dollar optics fan boys. ive had 2 sight mark ultras mounted on AR platforms and havent had any trouble with either of them.

the success with them led me to adding a sightmark mini shot pro to my glock 34 mos, takes a rough ride on a pistol slide and has held up great. good warranties.

not really budget/clone territory but they're priced right around $100 depending on the model you get and they do come with a good warranty should you run into any problems. the next step up from them for me would be primary arms or vortex...

Or, eliminate the batteries totally

SEE ALL OPEN SIGHT

Or the tritium version

HERE

I have the standard version and like it a lot better than comparably priced red dots. The tritium version looks good, but just buy some glo tape and put it next to the light block on the standard one… Works for me…

interesting... first time ive seen this, will have to read up on it a little more yet. seems like it would block a lot of your field of view?

edit - the delta version anyhow, the crosshairs not so much...

good concept but the sight picture isnt for me, lose too much of the target...

https://www.google.com/search?q=See+All+%C2%AE+Open+Sight&safe=off&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjQva7iu6XOAhUF7D4KHddrBnQQ_AUICigD&biw=1280&bih=659#imgrc=Uf9JZ5r4iWsKCM%3A

I sort of chuckle when people say a sight like this covers too much of the target, our eyes adapt well to what we are looking for and can exclude a lot we don’t want in our field of vision… Look at how much of a target is obscured when using iron sights on a pistol, or a rifle. Back end of a slide will obscure the lower half of a target for sure… Front sight post on an AR is not see through either.

Peep sights are less obstructive, but all sights obscure a target to some degree, even the much loved red dots… Scopes do not obscure the target, just everything outside the field of view, which is another issue unto itself…

The See All works with both eyes, you have a little adjustment to make when you start using it, as there is no”hood” like a tube sight has to frame the target, nut once you get used to it, way bigger field of view, like iron sights….

If you find one in a retail store or take a gamble on Amazon, give it a bit to get used to it and it may grow on you… Or it may not, lol, we all have our favorites.

Thanks for the info! I finally stumbled on sightmark after posting this. Looks like the ultra shot plus takes a cr123 even though manual says cr2. I’m not too worried about the bad reviews because it looks like they are in the US and have good customer service.

When I look at primary arms it seems like they’ve stepped aside and are just selling other people’s optics burris, eotech etc. Or from what I can tell they may only be making tube style?

i can see your point to a degree, especially when taking handgun iron sights into account, but when I upgrade to a red dot, part of the reason (for me anyhow) to moving to a dot is to eliminate this, gain quick acquisition, target clarity and field of view for locating the target and subsequent follow ups.

Handgun iron sights, the primary focus is on the front sight with the target out of focus in the background, but mount optics, put the dot on the target and go, with a clear view of the target and good field of view for follow ups.

as for an AR with a ghost ring, the only thing thats in the way of your sight picture is the front post itself, which is very narrow and still allows for a good vertical reference which seems to to me like it would get lost on the see-all since it completely blocks the target area horizontally below the point of aim. i would personally rather just have a fiber or tritium front post which would allow for quick acquisition of the front sight and more field of view than the see all offers.

seems like any use of 'kentucky windage'/holdover would be impossible too as you'd just be guessing at a completely obscured target?

is an interesting concept but there doesnt seem to be enough a gain for the losses encountered compared to other options in that price range. especially when you consider co-witness and redundant back up sight options...

thats just my uneducated take on it though, i've obviously never shot with one or spent enough time researching it to give a good informative response.

everybody has their own flavor...

i honestly cant remember what batteries mine take off the top of my head, as they still have the original batteries in them. My AR's dont get a whole lot of range time these days and the batteries seem to have a pretty good life to them as long as they arent left on, and run on high constantly... sightmark has several offerings, some are better than others, the flagship M-spec is a bit more than you wanted to spend and puts you close to the vortex/PA pricing but is 'supposedly' built to military spec standards along with incredible battery life... either way, good luck with whatever you decide.

That’s pretty sweet. I watched a video they had on ttag and it was interesting. It kind of works like a red dot - in that it moves intuitively with the gun and where the arrow is the shot hits. Thanks for the input I may have to check out some more reviews!

If you are willing to drop around $200.00 you can get a few more options.

Holosun has a few choices. I do not own any but it is on my short list to get one and put it on a beater truck gun for a year and see how well it takes the abuse.

Vortex Has a couple of good selections as well, I have 3 of the vortex’s and like each one. (They even have a reflex site but it is around $300.00) All 3 have taken a bit of abuse and kept on ticking.

Now I will say abuse from me is just knocking around in the truck, getting knocked over when leaning up against a tree on to the ground. Not 50 ft drop testing, or submerged for 6 weeks at a time.

I’m a competitive handgun shooter (USPSA action pistol - Google it) and have a Trijicon RM06 sight on my handgun and I’m seriously considering putting an All Sight on my comp’ gun to try it. I think having the ability to see my slide in recoil will be much like having iron sights (which I can no longer use) for speed, yet have the advantage of optics (which I must use). The Trijicon works, but I’m an old fart and 40+ years of handgun shooting has told me that I’m accustomed to seeing certain things during and after recovering from recoil. I don’t get that from the Trijicon. Anyway, it’s worth trying for me. I’ve spent more for less potential result.

BrianK let us know what you think. Always nice to have a competitors opinion!

If you guys can’t tell I suck at decisions. I’m now trying to decide if I want to be able to co witness, or have 1x4 scope, or see all sight. Starting to seem like the best all around option would be a red dot with a flip to side magnifier. If the battery fails your open sights are there to save the day. And you can get out past 300 yds with the magnifier if needed. I really like the idea of the See All too. But a guy could get a 1x4 on top and a see all with an offset mount at 45° hmmmmm….
Any more advice is welcome! :wink:

It’ll take me a while if I do it at all. Probably next season if I do it. But it’s intriguing.

The “problem” with a red dot and a magnifier is that the magnifier will also magnify the red dot. As long as you can live with that it might work.

Leupold makes a new sight that works sort of with a red dot. It more allows the use of both a red dot and a magnified optic. You’ll need to see it; it’s hard to describe. Just a subtle shift of the eye allows one to use the red dot or the magnified optic. It’s an interesting idea it’s also quite expensive at their suggested list price (near $2k). I have no idea what actual gun dealer price is.

Leupold D-evo >>>>>>>Click here <<<<<<<<<

DROOL That would be the ultimate option. I would snatch that up in a heart beat. Too bad I’ll probably never even spend that much on a gun and if I did for a scope it’d be for my win mag :slight_smile:

For a “budget” red dot, the Holosun units are hard to beat IMO. I have the 503C which lets you change between single red-dot and circle-dot (EOTech style) reticles. No complaints so far.
I am not dropping it out of helicopters or diving with it SEAL style, but it’s taken a couple bumps/bruises without issue. There are a couple youtube videos out there where reviewers beat the crap out of them and they keep on ticking. They are also compatible with Aimpoint mounts, which is nice.

FYI JoeBob’s has them on sale right now (25% off with promo code: HOLO):

No affiliation, but they are a reputable vendor that I’ve bought from several times. :beer:

I bought an All Sight but I’ll never use it for competition. Why? I have older eyes and having everything on the same focal plane is what I need. The All Sight doesn’t do that. But it’s an interesting sight for sure. I have no idea if I’ll use it or on what. It could be interesting on my EDC gun. But I just haven’t done it yet.

For a Kel-Tec sub2000 I bought a Primary Arms red dot for a bit over $100 in a package deal. The first one was junk and wouldn’t hold zero, the replacement is 100%. Great customer service too. The red dot itself is small and light, exactly what the sub2k needs. The dot is plenty bright enough in full daylight on snow. I’ll be shooting the rig in competition (pistol caliber carbine) once the weather warms up.