Recomendations on reflex/Red Dot sights!

dobrzemetal · April 5, 2009, 03:17 PM

Hello all!, I recently bought a red dot sight for my ruger 10/22. I was shopping around on E-bay and found a great deal (or so I thought). I ended up with the NCSTAR red dot sight (see picture below). When I went to install it I had to buy some hardware from home depot to mount it correctly with the crap mounting bracket it came with. After I got the damn thing on it seemed to be fine and I went to the range to sight it in. When I got there, I realized the red dot was not that bright, even though I had changed it to highest setting. I emptied a mag and sat the rifle down to go reload. When I came back and looked down the sight, I noticed that the front reticle was loose and wobbling around in the cylinder!!. Suffice to say, I was ****** but I guess you get what you pay for. I really liked the style of this red dot sight but besides that, everything else was crap! So now im back in the market for a better red dot sight, what would you recommenced me? A would like a Bright, Durable, Decent priced sight. I've looked on E-bay but I don't know whats good and whats not. I've seen ACOG sights but they are 3x much as the gun itself :

:, SO, if you guys will be so kind as to help me out with some recommendations on good sights that would be great, thanks for reading.

CDH · April 6, 2009, 05:44 AM

You didn't say what you paid, but in general, crappy red dots are cheap and the very best red dots are the most expensive.

Then there are lots of them in between, and the challenge is to find the ones that are "less expensive" but of "higher quality".
It appears that you might have ended up at the former.

The one red dot that keeps coming up with good reports by owners, and the one that is reasonably priced, and the one that I am ordering today, is the Matchdot that's made by Ultradot.
However, the same company makes other models under $150 and most reports I've read on any of them are "+1" from owners. Any one of the Ultradot models would serve you better than it appears you've fared so far.
http://www.ultradotwest.com/ultradot_2008_005.htm

To be honest, my first choice would be the H-1 Aimpoint for my Model 41, but at just shy of $500, it's priced out of my budget (at this time).
http://www.aimpoint.com/products/aim...oint_micro_h-1

I do have the Aimpoint CompM3 on my AR-15, and I bought it because it's a little less expensive than the CompM4, but the CompM3 is a terrific sight and gave me a real appreciation of Aimpoints.
I just wish I could afford more of them.

mskdgunman · April 6, 2009, 08:52 AM

I have a drawer full of sub standard, red dot sights that I have purchased over the years in an attempt to find something efective and economic (read: Cheap) and have learned that the two critera generally don't come together in one package. I have two good red dot optics (An Aimpoint CompM and a Trijicon Reflex) both of which were over $400 when I bought them and both preform great.

The closest I've personally found to meeting both the cheap(er) and effective is the Bushnell Trophy red dot. It kinda looks like an ACOG but is a 1x red dot. I think I paind $230 for it at Cabelas a few years ago. It's not a bad sight for the money. MY chief complaints with most of the cheap red dot sights is most are simply not bright enough for me when used in bright sunlight. Even the Reflex has this problem unless you use the sun shade made for it. The Aimpoint and the Eotech are both visible no matter what conditions.

For your next one, save the money and do the research. Talk to people about what sights they own and what they have had good luck with. You should be able to find a decent red dot uptic for around $200 if you look around. I had not seen the Ultradot before and it looks promising for a middle of the road (price wise) red dot)

chris in va · April 6, 2009, 11:56 AM

Ncstar is notorious for being absolute junk.

My el-cheapo Tasco/BSA/Simmons (or whatever it is) I got for $40 has held up fine on my HiPoint carbine for 4 years. If you just want to plink at random targets and not do any 'bullseye' shooting, the larger 42mm tube is great for target acquisition.

It cracks me up guys recommending an Aimpoint or ACOG for a 10/22.

AK103K · April 6, 2009, 01:06 PM

Quote:

but I guess you get what you pay for.

Theres your answer.

If I had back all the money I spent on good "cheap" stuff, I'd have a couple more Aimpoints.

Quote:

It cracks me up guys recommending an Aimpoint or ACOG for a 10/22.

I dont see anything wrong with it. Your still getting a quality, well made sight that will hold up to the use and abuse most of the other stuff wont and can always be used on anything else you own down the road if you so choose. The cost of the sight and the cost of the gun are meaningless, as its what you get from the combination that counts. I hear about putting Aimponts on my AK's all the time, but they are the ones that are still working after all this time, as all the others took a dump long ago, and most of them, shortly after being installed on the gun.

I quit buying and using cheap ".22 scopes" long ago too. Better to just buy something you can always use on something else later. Scopes are usually like holsters when it comes to selling things off, and why suffer with crap when you keep it.

black bear 84 · April 6, 2009, 01:23 PM

I like my Aimpoint M-3

It seem to be very rugged and also waterproof.

Black Bear

THEZACHARIAS · April 6, 2009, 02:58 PM

I see more NCSTARs on paintball guns than on real firearms. They're not terribly accurate and dont hold a great zero, making them really only suitable for paintball anyway. Aimpoint all the way.

ckd · April 6, 2009, 05:50 PM

TruGlo is better quality and warranty; 5 MOA, so 100 yard max application for me.

Agree, high end holos and red dots for a 22lr seems a bit much.

hounddawg · April 9, 2009, 10:09 AM

I put a 90 dollar Bushnell Trophy 4 recticle red dot on the Buckmark a month or so ago and so far so good. I like the 4 recticle system because I switch between the large and small dot depending on distance to the target. Only had it on there for about 500 - 1000 rounds so time will tell..

April 5, 2009, 03:17 PM	#1
dobrzemetal Junior Member Join Date: December 16, 2008 Posts: 4	Recomendations on reflex/Red Dot sights! Hello all!, I recently bought a red dot sight for my ruger 10/22. I was shopping around on E-bay and found a great deal (or so I thought). I ended up with the NCSTAR red dot sight (see picture below). When I went to install it I had to buy some hardware from home depot to mount it correctly with the crap mounting bracket it came with. After I got the damn thing on it seemed to be fine and I went to the range to sight it in. When I got there, I realized the red dot was not that bright, even though I had changed it to highest setting. I emptied a mag and sat the rifle down to go reload. When I came back and looked down the sight, I noticed that the front reticle was loose and wobbling around in the cylinder!!. Suffice to say, I was ****** but I guess you get what you pay for. I really liked the style of this red dot sight but besides that, everything else was crap! So now im back in the market for a better red dot sight, what would you recommenced me? A would like a Bright, Durable, Decent priced sight. I've looked on E-bay but I don't know whats good and whats not. I've seen ACOG sights but they are 3x much as the gun itself ::, SO, if you guys will be so kind as to help me out with some recommendations on good sights that would be great, thanks for reading.

April 6, 2009, 11:56 AM	#4
chris in va Senior Member Join Date: December 26, 2004 Location: Louisville KY Posts: 13,806	Ncstar is notorious for being absolute junk. My el-cheapo Tasco/BSA/Simmons (or whatever it is) I got for $40 has held up fine on my HiPoint carbine for 4 years. If you just want to plink at random targets and not do any 'bullseye' shooting, the larger 42mm tube is great for target acquisition. It cracks me up guys recommending an Aimpoint or ACOG for a 10/22. Last edited by chris in va; April 6, 2009 at 12:02 PM.

April 6, 2009, 01:23 PM	#6
black bear 84 Senior Member Join Date: April 23, 2005 Posts: 246	I like my Aimpoint M-3 It seem to be very rugged and also waterproof. Black Bear __________________ builder of the BOREALIS 1050 lumens flashlight http://thefiringline.com/forums/show...=169074&page=3 and www.BlackBearFlashlights.com e-mail [email protected]

April 6, 2009, 05:44 AM	#2
CDH Senior Member Join Date: August 18, 2005 Location: Houston, TX Posts: 941	You didn't say what you paid, but in general, crappy red dots are cheap and the very best red dots are the most expensive. Then there are lots of them in between, and the challenge is to find the ones that are "less expensive" but of "higher quality". It appears that you might have ended up at the former. The one red dot that keeps coming up with good reports by owners, and the one that is reasonably priced, and the one that I am ordering today, is the Matchdot that's made by Ultradot. However, the same company makes other models under $150 and most reports I've read on any of them are "+1" from owners. Any one of the Ultradot models would serve you better than it appears you've fared so far. http://www.ultradotwest.com/ultradot_2008_005.htm To be honest, my first choice would be the H-1 Aimpoint for my Model 41, but at just shy of $500, it's priced out of my budget (at this time). http://www.aimpoint.com/products/aim...oint_micro_h-1 I do have the Aimpoint CompM3 on my AR-15, and I bought it because it's a little less expensive than the CompM4, but the CompM3 is a terrific sight and gave me a real appreciation of Aimpoints. I just wish I could afford more of them.

April 6, 2009, 08:52 AM	#3
mskdgunman Senior Member Join Date: December 28, 2008 Posts: 127	I have a drawer full of sub standard, red dot sights that I have purchased over the years in an attempt to find something efective and economic (read: Cheap) and have learned that the two critera generally don't come together in one package. I have two good red dot optics (An Aimpoint CompM and a Trijicon Reflex) both of which were over $400 when I bought them and both preform great. The closest I've personally found to meeting both the cheap(er) and effective is the Bushnell Trophy red dot. It kinda looks like an ACOG but is a 1x red dot. I think I paind $230 for it at Cabelas a few years ago. It's not a bad sight for the money. MY chief complaints with most of the cheap red dot sights is most are simply not bright enough for me when used in bright sunlight. Even the Reflex has this problem unless you use the sun shade made for it. The Aimpoint and the Eotech are both visible no matter what conditions. For your next one, save the money and do the research. Talk to people about what sights they own and what they have had good luck with. You should be able to find a decent red dot uptic for around $200 if you look around. I had not seen the Ultradot before and it looks promising for a middle of the road (price wise) red dot)

April 6, 2009, 02:58 PM	#7
THEZACHARIAS Senior Member Join Date: January 26, 2009 Location: Louisiana Posts: 537	I see more NCSTARs on paintball guns than on real firearms. They're not terribly accurate and dont hold a great zero, making them really only suitable for paintball anyway. Aimpoint all the way.

April 6, 2009, 05:50 PM	#8
ckd Senior Member Join Date: January 17, 2007 Posts: 249	TruGlo is better quality and warranty; 5 MOA, so 100 yard max application for me. Agree, high end holos and red dots for a 22lr seems a bit much.

April 9, 2009, 10:09 AM	#9
hounddawg Senior Member Join Date: March 1, 2009 Posts: 4,232	I put a 90 dollar Bushnell Trophy 4 recticle red dot on the Buckmark a month or so ago and so far so good. I like the 4 recticle system because I switch between the large and small dot depending on distance to the target. Only had it on there for about 500 - 1000 rounds so time will tell..