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Leshaire

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Ok, yeah a little bit o' everything. I've gotten out of the powered dot scopes simply because for the type of rifle shooting I do, I was handicapping my longer range accuracy. 1-4x or fixed 3x have replaced my red dots and I couldn't be happier.
If I were mainly interested only in speed I'd go back to the Eotech (with a large field of view), or maybe that Trijicon. The other smaller tube style red dots were still slow because of the narrow fov. The Vortex was the worst.

Anyway, if speed is the goal I'd prioritize field of view over weight and battery life. That's just me.
Weight effects speed as well. But I see your point. I want something that I can slap on my rifle, leave it there forever, and never have to worry about it. I acquire the dot in the micros just fine. Although, Ive never had formal training or much outdoor shooting with a larger dot. I used to have a 512 now that I am thinking about it (adding to OP now) and the larger FOV was nice, but not worth all the downfalls to me. Im gonna check out the MRO first. Seems to be one of the best for me.
 

dial1911

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Not on your list, but I've been pretty pleased with the sub $50 red dots I've been using- two are PA's and one is a Bushnell. I think I got them on the Black Friday deals last year.

I'm not going to war anytime soon, so I probably don't need a super expensive red dot on an AR9 or other cheap plinker.

I'll check the model numbers later if you're interested.
 

Leshaire

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Not on your list, but I've been pretty pleased with the sub $50 red dots I've been using- two are PA's and one is a Bushnell. I think I got them on the Black Friday deals last year.

I'm not going to war anytime soon, so I probably don't need a super expensive red dot on an AR9 or other cheap plinker.

I'll check the model numbers later if you're interested.
Its likely the same PA dot I have now, and have had more of. Dougie has one of them now lol. 79-89 bucks I believe.
 

AtlMedic

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I have the SPARC AR, I'm sure you saw the review I wrote on it. It has worked great since I've had it. Turns on every time and has held Zero for me. If you ever want to meet up and check it out let me know.

I don't know if you factored in costs of mounts into your consideration but the Sparc AR does have a built in mount for absolute or lower 1/3 co witness.

I got held up on the battery life thing when I was going back and forth and I decided that if I have time to get my rifle I have the extra second to also hit the button to turn it on. It uses a AAA battery so I bought a big pack of them. Keep two spares in my range bag, two in the grip of the rifle, 10 in my BOB, and a handful in my ammo can with my mags and ammo. I have alerts set in my phone to swap its battery every 6 months when I check my smoke detectors.

I like the Aimpoints and still may end up with one later this year, but once I got past the battery life they don't have any huge advantages over the MRO (I really like them after shooting with one) or the eotech (which I prefer it's reticle).

But all things considered unless the Sparc AR craps out when I have a chance to beat on it a bit I don't see myself spending more money to upgrade it. The no questions asked lifetime warranty is nice too.
 

Leshaire

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I have the SPARC AR, I'm sure you saw the review I wrote on it. It has worked great since I've had it. Turns on every time and has held Zero for me. If you ever want to meet up and check it out let me know.

I don't know if you factored in costs of mounts into your consideration but the Sparc AR does have a built in mount for absolute or lower 1/3 co witness.

I got held up on the battery life thing when I was going back and forth and I decided that if I have time to get my rifle I have the extra second to also hit the button to turn it on. It uses a AAA battery so I bought a big pack of them. Keep two spares in my range bag, two in the grip of the rifle, 10 in my BOB, and a handful in my ammo can with my mags and ammo. I have alerts set in my phone to swap its battery every 6 months when I check my smoke detectors.

I like the Aimpoints and still may end up with one later this year, but once I got past the battery life they don't have any huge advantages over the MRO (I really like them after shooting with one) or the eotech (which I prefer it's reticle).

But all things considered unless the Sparc AR craps out when I have a chance to beat on it a bit I don't see myself spending more money to upgrade it. The no questions asked lifetime warranty is nice too.
Yeah besides being slightly heavy, likely due to the AAA battery, and the shorter battery life, the Sparc AR is not a bad option at all.

I did have mounts in there originally but it was simply too hard to compare really.

Id prefer just throw a battery in there and maybe one in the grip (keep in mind the weight savings on a bug out type gun with one 2032 battery vs 2 AAA's) and be set for 10 years, shit even the one IN the optic should be plenty for anything other than complete 100% SHTF. Then again the weight of 10 more AAA's in your bag vs none. Ounces are lbs when youre carrying crap around. The catch for me is do I porepare for something like that or save the $200 per dot and add a little weight and battery purchases lol...?
 

Laufen

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Yeah besides being slightly heavy, likely due to the AAA battery, and the shorter battery life, the Sparc AR is not a bad option at all.

I did have mounts in there originally but it was simply too hard to compare really.

Id prefer just throw a battery in there and maybe one in the grip (keep in mind the weight savings on a bug out type gun with one 2032 battery vs 2 AAA's) and be set for 10 years, shit even the one IN the optic should be plenty for anything other than complete 100% SHTF. Then again the weight of 10 more AAA's in your bag vs none. Ounces are lbs when youre carrying crap around. The catch for me is do I porepare for something like that or save the $200 per dot and add a little weight and battery purchases lol...?
I think you're weighting variables based on scenarios with a near zero likelihood of happening, and ignoring the often encountered scenarios like shooting at the range and 3 day classes.
 

Leshaire

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I think you're weighting variables based on scenarios with a near zero likelihood of happening, and ignoring the often encountered scenarios like shooting at the range and 3 day classes.
Definitely not disputing that. And maybe my small small chance of something like that changes a little by stocking more batteries or ditching the sight once it dies and just switching over to running irons... Idk.
 

AtlMedic

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Yeah besides being slightly heavy, likely due to the AAA battery, and the shorter battery life, the Sparc AR is not a bad option at all.

I did have mounts in there originally but it was simply too hard to compare really.

Id prefer just throw a battery in there and maybe one in the grip (keep in mind the weight savings on a bug out type gun with one 2032 battery vs 2 AAA's) and be set for 10 years, shit even the one IN the optic should be plenty for anything other than complete 100% SHTF. Then again the weight of 10 more AAA's in your bag vs none. Ounces are lbs when youre carrying crap around. The catch for me is do I porepare for something like that or save the $200 per dot and add a little weight and battery purchases lol...?

Valid point. But I agree with Laufen that you are using a pretty unlikely scenario. I also have my BOB set up with flashlights that take AAA batteries. I know I haven't lugged the rifle around like someone in combat has, and I'm on board with the ounces equal pounds mentality. But in the grand scheme were still not talking about much weight at all.
 

Leshaire

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Valid point. But I agree with Laufen that you are using a pretty unlikely scenario. I also have my BOB set up with flashlights that take AAA batteries. I know I haven't lugged the rifle around like someone in combat has, and I'm on board with the ounces equal pounds mentality. But in the grand scheme were still not talking about much weight at all.
Yeah im still sitting here debating if I wanna stick with a "budget" dot or not. I probably will end up with the Sparc AR or Romeo because of the price and points made here.
 

AtlMedic

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Yeah im still sitting here debating if I wanna stick with a "budget" dot or not. I probably will end up with the Sparc AR or Romeo because of the price and points made here.

My other line of thought was with a lifetime warranty and good reputation it should be easy enough to sell for minimum loss or keep as a spare for down the road if I upgrade to something else.

I initially was going to save up for a PRO but the $200+ I saved was more money I could put into mags, ammo, and other accessories I wanted.

Doug multiple rifles I would buy one or shoot mine if you want. If you like it you can outfit two rifles with the same optic for less than one PRO.
 

Leshaire

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My other line of thought was with a lifetime warranty and good reputation it should be easy enough to sell for minimum loss or keep as a spare for down the road if I upgrade to something else.

I initially was going to save up for a PRO but the $200+ I saved was more money I could put into mags, ammo, and other accessories I wanted.

Doug multiple rifles I would buy one or shoot mine if you want. If you like it you can outfit two rifles with the same optic for less than one PRO.
Yeah I agree with the warranty, which is something I care a good bit about. Vortex is the only brand in that list that is unconditional lifetime. That warranty is the same reason I spent the extra dough on my 30 cal suppressor from Rugged.

And yeah, I assume ill buy one first to try out.
 

1776

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I run the MRO on my AR. It's best selling point is that it has incredible FOV and isn't an eotech. I've been on the same battery since I got it in October and it's still going strong and stays on constantly. It's also easy to zero because it doesn't have the stupid adjuster caps. Durability is fine despite not having the caps. I've knocked the shit out of it and dragged it through the mud with no problem.

The only issues I've encountered are some tube glare under very specific indoor to outdoor shooting conditions and the adjuster clicks are very light.
 
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AtlMedic

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I run the MRO on my AR. It's best selling point is that it has incredible FOV and isn't an eotech. I've been on the same battery since I got it in October and it's still going strong and stays on constantly. It's also easy to zero because it doesn't have the stupid adjuster caps. Durability is fine despite not having the caps. I've knocked the shit out of it and dragged it through the mud with no problem.

The only issues I've encountered are some tube glare under very specific indoor to outdoor shooting conditions and the adjuster clicks are very light.

I read that the MRO had very slight magnification that messed with some people. Have you experienced that at all?
 

1776

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I read that the MRO had very slight magnification that messed with some people. Have you experienced that at all?
There is a very slight magnification, but I haven't ever had an issue. Also, if you have a slight astigmatism, the MRO is much more crisp than any other RDS I've ever used.
 
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AtlMedic

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There is a very slight magnification, but I haven't ever had an issue. Also, if you have a slight astigmatism, the MRO is much more crisp than any other RDS I've ever used.

Good to know. I do like the MRO and I've been seeing them pop up for PRO prices lately.
 

freedom

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Ive had really good luck with PA red dots. I don't baby them, and never an issue. I had one of their early generation ones, I've had it for at least 6 years, mounted on AKs for extended periods and zero held fine.

If cost is an issue, they're definitely a good option.
 
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