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Old December 2, 2012, 12:10 PM   #1
BfloBill
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Vortex Sights on an AR

A friend of mine is currently adding some options to his AR-15 and is considering adding a Vortex sight. I have found nothing negative about Vortex in general, but was wondering if anyone here has the SPARC model with a 2X magnifier on their AR. Did you notice any shortcomings, or have specific reccommendations for other optics on an AR?

By the way, it is a carbine and is being set up for close quarters, not long range.
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Old December 2, 2012, 01:35 PM   #2
Carne Frio
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I have two Strikefires and am very happy with them.
The Sparc is supposed to be even better. Vortex has
an unbeatable warranty service.
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Old December 2, 2012, 02:16 PM   #3
scsov509
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I have a Sparc on my 300 Blackout AR and love it. It mounts solid, holds zero, and I really like the smaller size of the optic for a rifle that's designed to be up close and personal as the housing obscures less of my field of view. Great optic and an exceptional company.
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Old December 2, 2012, 03:07 PM   #4
cannonfire
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I have the Sparc and really like it. The magnifier screws into the sight itself but I haven't used it much. The only bad thing I've heard is that people accidentally bump the sight on without realizing it. Never had it happen to me but just what I heard
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Old December 2, 2012, 03:16 PM   #5
droptrd
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Ive had a strikefire for 6 mo. and I really like it so far. My only complaint is that the lense caps are a little hard to get on. Great product
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Old December 2, 2012, 03:20 PM   #6
jmr40
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I like both the Strikefire and SPARC. I ended up with the SPARC primarily because it uses a much smaller dot making precision shooting much easier. Both are good quality and the only sub-$600 red dots I've run across that are worth owning.
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Old December 2, 2012, 03:32 PM   #7
chadio
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The SPARC is mounted on my PS90.

My 2 cents on the SPARC:

pros - small, light, 2moa dot, doubler, plenty of mounting height options supplied in the box

cons - the location of the on/off switch, wind / elev o-ring seals are fragile

Overall, quite happy with the quality for the price. Really like the doubler and 2 moa dot.
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Old December 2, 2012, 04:58 PM   #8
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The field of view on the SPARC seemed a little narrow to me; I'd look around for a used Aimpoint instead...
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Old December 2, 2012, 08:56 PM   #9
djcantr
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I have a SPARC that I like a lot. I like its small size. I also like the 2 MOA dot as I refuse to use anything larger. The dot seems clear to me, though I haven't used any of the high end red dots.
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Old December 3, 2012, 01:40 AM   #10
moose fat
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Seem to be posting this pic, a lot;



A CMMG .22 Lr upper on my Bushmaster lower, with a SPARC. This is my first red dot and its too easy(fast and accurate). It is small but on a lite carbine it fits well. I did some research on the net and heard about the bumping the on/off switch, just peek through it every now and then and watch your handling. I don't think the windage and elevation nobs are protusive. The optics are very good and the price is right. I've been carrying mine lately bungied on my snow machine in 0'ish temps. and have had no issues, the battery still works. I guess my only criticism is the red dot is too bright, on its lowest setting, at dusk and the night vision mode is too dim. I like it.

After that picture was taken I've added a set of BUIS, well Magpull polymer, and it is more complete, still need a sling.

Last edited by moose fat; December 3, 2012 at 01:50 AM.
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Old December 3, 2012, 02:53 AM   #11
scsov509
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Quote:
After that picture was taken I've added a set of BUIS, well Magpull polymer, and it is more complete, still need a sling.
I hope you didn't add the MBUS to that railed front gas block. Those polymer sights aren't meant for gas blocks and can melt or become damaged once the block gets hot.
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Old December 3, 2012, 04:32 AM   #12
moose fat
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scosv509,

I didn't know that, no, but I should have. I have a GG&G flip sight on the faux gas block. The MBUS front sight would have been cheaper. It is a CMMG dedicated upper, 22 LR, blowback operated. A really fun little gun.

http://www.cmmginc.com/category_s/1553.htm

I have a JP, single stage trigger on the lower. When I first shot it my eye got distracted by the stream of .22 shells flying out the ejection port. I hadn't sighted in the scope so I wasn't hitting my target. Very easy to sight in. I got that lynx about a half hour later with it.

Regards,
moose fat

Last edited by moose fat; December 3, 2012 at 05:05 AM.
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Old December 3, 2012, 08:05 AM   #13
pturner67
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as most people have said, the SPARC is great

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Old December 3, 2012, 08:22 AM   #14
sailskidrive
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Keep in mind with the SPARC and Aimpoint T1 that you need to have a really consistent cheek weld if you're moving around with it as they offer a very narrow field of view... I'm a little faster with the Aimpoint Comp3 and Trijicon SRS.
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Old December 3, 2012, 08:57 AM   #15
Fishbed77
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Quote:
I hope you didn't add the MBUS to that railed front gas block. Those polymer sights aren't meant for gas blocks and can melt or become damaged once the block gets hot.
This is OK on moose fat's rifle. The .22LR CMMG upper works on blowback, and the gas block (which is non-fuctional - there's no gas tube installed on these uppers) doesn't heat up all that much.
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Old December 3, 2012, 02:00 PM   #16
scsov509
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Quote:
I didn't know that, no, but I should have. I have a GG&G flip sight on the faux gas block. The MBUS front sight would have been cheaper. It is a CMMG dedicated upper, 22 LR, blowback operated. A really fun little gun.
I missed the 22 part initially, which obliviously means you don't have the same concerns with the gas block getting warm. The dedicated 22 uppers are certainly a hoot to shoot, aren't they?
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Old December 3, 2012, 11:32 PM   #17
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Quote:
The dedicated 22 uppers are certainly a hoot to shoot, aren't they?
I would guess that to be true and I've wanted one for a while, but it seems that the S&W 15-22 runs about as much as one of these uppers. Hmmm....think I'll save my pennies for one of those, instead
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Old December 4, 2012, 12:32 PM   #18
Fishbed77
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Quote:
I would guess that to be true and I've wanted one for a while, but it seems that the S&W 15-22 runs about as much as one of these uppers. Hmmm....think I'll save my pennies for one of those, instead
Personally, I would recommend a CCMG dedicated .22LR upper on an AR-15 lower over an S&W 15-22. They are incredibly accurate and reliable, and I prefer the forged receiver and ability to use many standard AR parts to the plastic construction and proprietary parts of the S&W 15-22.

Yes - the whole setup is a little more expensive that an S&W 15-22 (which is a fine .22LR rifle in its own right), but if you build your own lower, the overall difference in cost is only about $150 or less.

Here is a link to my experience with my CMMG upper:

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=668410
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Old December 6, 2012, 05:47 PM   #19
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I like the Sparc on my SIG. The way the in the box mounts line up, it works just great. I have heard that people have issues with unintentionally turning the sight on, which may be true for them, but I have not noticed this. Of course, my failure to notice this could be due to the fact that the sight turns itself off after 6 hours.

The batteries the Sparc uses are not particularly common, which may be an issue.
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Old December 8, 2012, 06:58 AM   #20
Departed402
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I have one on my AR, but I have the Strike Fire. It's a decent optic with very good quality. My only dislike is the God-forsaken on-off switch. The Sparc has a similar power switch, if not identical. It can easily be bumped on anytime, but I notice it most when I'm putting my AR in a gun case. You won't notice it for some time, and the batteries can die. I strongly recommend keeping a spare.
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Old December 8, 2012, 11:57 PM   #21
Eghad
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The red dot is projected on one spot of the optic. you may move and it may look like the dot is moving. I have used reflex sights mounted on scopes for close range. The dot may not appear to be centered in the optic but if I have it on my desired point of impact that is where it goes. Same for my EoTech. try shooting some with what appears to be off center to you and check you point of impact and grouping. Your mileage may vary as you get extremely off center.
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