AR15 Red Dot advice

[TheJuggernaut]

I recently purchased a Yankee Hills YHM-8810 AR15. So far I have managed fine in accessorizing the gun. But I am really having a tough time picking a good sight. It came with iron sights and co-witnessing would be nice. And I have done enough research to realize that sights really are a case where you get what you pay for. Right now I am primarily looking at options from EOTech and Aimpoint. But I am leaning more toward the EOTech EXPS2-0 with a 3X flip to side magnifier. Of course while reading and researching, I came across another sight, the UltraDot 6. It looks pretty good in the pictures and sounds good in the little I could find on it. But there isn't a whole lot of information out there on it. Could anyone please offer some good advice in recommending one over the other?

 

[shooter521]

Aimpoint or EOTech, preferably Aimpoint (JMHO). Ditch the 3x mag idea.

If you want a lower-cost but still good quality optic, look into the Vortex Strikefire or SPARC, or the Lucid HD7.

 

[KJQ6945]

The EXPS2 has the quick detatch lever. It's a little taller than an XPS2. I've got one on the Colt in my avatar that cowitnesses in the bottom 1/4 of the Eotech. I should have got the XPS.

 

[bowtie]

I would highly recommend getting an aimpoint over the eo-thingy. Aimpoint also makes the 3x mag and Larue Tactical makes a mount for both that makes it even better over factory.

I started with the Aimpoint PRO and it was around 400 bucks and came with the mount ready to go. I had tried several eotechs and just wasnt a fan of the halographic sight.

Also the turn it on leave it on feature of the Aimpoints is what I really love. With the PRO you can leave it on for 3 years without a battery change. The higher dollar models can go 6 years I believe. Eotech now claims better battery life but still has the automatic shut off feature on there. So dont know if always on is important to you.

 

[AD Marc]

Aimpoint is your best bet on a defensive rifle, not just because it is more robust than the EOTech, but because you can turn it on and leave it on for a long time.

If you want a magnified optic, I suggest a trijicon accupoint 1-4x over a flip up magnifier

 

[Hop]

Bah, I'm going to say the inverse of all these guys and say EOTech. I pick up the reticule much quicker than the red dot, it's smaller without loosing intensity so covers less target at distance. For some reason, my eyes do better with the smaller brighter dot than the Aimpoint.

 

[vedearduff]

On my AR, I went with the Aimpoint PRO. I have no regrets with this decision.

Here is a shot of my AR and XDm compact.

 

[MikeDVB]

I went with the Aimpoint Comp M4s simply because it accepts AA batteries which are easy to find without any effort .

 

[atvdave]

I know it's a personal choice, but I'm really likening my EoTech with a PA 3x mag. I like to shoot my AR with both eye's open (just the way I was trained) and I can acquire a target fairly fast.

 

[Josh Ward]

Aimpoint, all day long, and twice on sundays.

 

[TheJuggernaut]

It sounds like my initial hunch was right. EOTech or Aimpoint is the way to go. From the replies so far, it seems most prefer the Aimpoint. Thanks to all for the input so far!

I have come across the bundles offered for EOTech and Aimpoint on Primary Arms' website. They sell the sights with a free or discounted PA magnifier. I was wondering how these would line up with one of the sights. Thanks to atvdave, I can now see that they do line up well. I thought about the PA 3X Long Eye Relief Magnifier. Not sure which mount I would want though. They offer 3 choices of mounts with the magnifiers. Of course I also thought about picking up a Vortex VMX-3T too. But I haven't seen any pics yet for that one. As a fallback, there are always the genuine EOTech and Aimpoint magnifiers.

Typically I would be looking to shoot up to 100 yards. So I am not sure that the magnifier would be necessary. I know some don't like the idea of using a magnifier. Since I have primarily relied on iron sights and scopes in the past, I obviously have no experience with red dots. They obviously have their reasons for not recommending a magnifier. Maybe I should consider skipping the magnifier? I did buy a Burris AR332 Prism Sight a while back. I liked it with the fixed 3X magnification. I think I paid around $300 for it and liked it. But the warranty seemed a bit lame at just 1 year, especially since it was made in China. I probably would have held on to that. But I read a post where users were complaining about the reticle being canted on theirs. So I got to looking closer at mine and noticed mine was too. I never noticed it before. So I returned it.

 

[atvdave]

I would hate to see you shell out that kind of cash and not like what you purchased, so I'll include a few more pics so you can get a better look, and understanding on the EoTech.

Please note that the camera will not focus on the red dot. It does not look like that. Also in the 3x mag pic, the camera also picked up on the front sight through the mag. With the eye all you see is a slight blur in the lower 1/3 of the eye piece, and I had to hold the camera back to focus looking through the 3x. Your eye will be much closer with a larger field of view.

The iron sights co-witness in the lower 1/3 of glass. When I use the iron sights I don't have a red dot turned on, it's only on in the pictures so you can see what it looks like.

I'll also throw in what it looks like on my M&P 15-22 just for fun..

 

[atvdave]

Also esrice did a review of the Aimpoint vs the XPS last year here on INGO. The EXPS is a little different than the XPS but it will get you a feel in the comparisons of the Aimpoint and EoTech.

https://www.indianagunowners.com/fo...view_aimpoint_h1_vs_eotech_xps_pics_vids.html

 

[ckcollins2003]

I recently purchased a Yankee Hills YHM-8810 AR15. So far I have managed fine in accessorizing the gun. But I am really having a tough time picking a good sight. It came with iron sights and co-witnessing would be nice. And I have done enough research to realize that sights really are a case where you get what you pay for. Right now I am primarily looking at options from EOTech and Aimpoint. But I am leaning more toward the EOTech EXPS2-0 with a 3X flip to side magnifier. Of course while reading and researching, I came across another sight, the UltraDot 6. It looks pretty good in the pictures and sounds good in the little I could find on it. But there isn't a whole lot of information out there on it. Could anyone please offer some good advice in recommending one over the other?

IMO, it pretty much comes down to how much you want to spend and what you are doing with your rifle.

If you want to spend $400-500 on a sight, go with an Aimpoint or EOTech, because obviously your life depends on that rifle daily if you do, or you just have the extra money to blow. I've never owned one so I can't give you any advice between the two.

However, if this rifle is for backyard shooting and a couple of competitions a year, I'd recommend the Vortex SPARC. It is half the cost and is excellent. While you won't have the battery life of an Aimpoint, I assure you it will hold zero and the battery lasts quite a while. I've had mine for a year now and I haven't had to change the battery. Vortex makes a flip over magnifier for the SPARC as well as the Strikefire, so you'd have the same "cool" factor as with an EOTech or Aimpoint.

Just something to think about if you want to save some money.

 

[MikeDVB]

The biggest issue with EOTech is, imho, the short[er] battery life [by comparison].

Aimpoints start at around 4 years on one battery and go up as far as 8 years on a single battery. This means leave it on, don't turn it off, and always have it ready when you need it.

No need to fumble with buttons/turn it on when you *do* need it and no worries that it'll be dead when the time comes to use the firearm.

 

[rvb]

The biggest issues with EOTech, imho, is having to remove the sight to replace the battery

? which model requires removing the sight to replace batteries?

I like the EOTech sight-picture better than aimpoint and use them on "fun" or game guns. I prefer the aimpoint for a defensive gun for the reasons given.

-rvb

ps. I wouldn't hestitate to grab an EOTech for defensive use, they are still great sights, imo. I just think the edge goes to aimpoint (esp the always-on capability).

 

[MikeDVB]

? which model requires removing the sight to replace batteries?

I like the EOTech sight-picture better than aimpoint and use them on "fun" or game guns. I prefer the aimpoint for a defensive gun for the reasons given.

-rvb

Sorry, I had the Trijicon RMR in mind when I said that about the battery... The battery life is the largest issue with the Eotech imho. I do like the reticule available in the EOTech though... I wish Aimpoint had more options for reticules.

I'll edit my original post. Edit done.

 

[atvdave]

The biggest issues with EOTech, imho, is having to remove the sight to replace the battery and the short battery life [by comparison].

Aimpoints start at around 4 years on one battery and go up as far as 8 years on a single battery. This means leave it on, don't turn it off, and always have it ready when you need it.

No need to fumble with buttons/turn it on when you *do* need it and no worries that it'll be dead when the time comes to use the firearm.

[STRIKE]Not sure what model your talking about[/STRIKE].


EDIT... Looks like we posted at the same time..

 

[MikeDVB]

Not sure what model your talking about.

See the posts above yours .

 

[usp45]

Well I have a 552 with a G33 STS.
I like it better with the magnifier. REALLY clear, sharp reticle.







thats how it looks.

It makes hitting a target (whatever) a whole lot easier. I paid about $600 for the magnifier and $400 ish for the 552.
I don't wish i bought something else.
A plus, if you look at it that way, the magnifier wont die. whatever you put in front of it will eventually.

sure it was not a cheap part, but i handled others and found the quality here.