Red dot scopes on battle rifles

Smiley · January 5, 2002, 01:58 AM

Does anybody here mount a red dot scope on their battle rifle? I have an AR 16" dissapator and a FAL. I was thinking about moutning a Red dot scope of some kind one of these guys. My buddy did it to his AR but it seems pretty high.

For those who have done this. How do you like it? Any great advance over iron sights? What scope type did you use?

I don't have the money to blow on scopes that cost as much as the rifle so if I were to do this it would probably be a simmons or Burris.

What size do you guys have? I have seen 1", 30mm, 42mm and 50mm. What size does it have to be to get a good quick acquisition with?

brandon_h3 · January 5, 2002, 03:28 AM

Quote:

What size does it have to be to get a good quick acquisition with?

What are you doing with your guns, hunting or target shooting?

uglygun · January 5, 2002, 05:12 AM

Flattops really stand to gain a lot from a red dot site or atleast they are easier to mount while being more comfortable to use, don't have to kink into some wierd position to use a sight mounted off the carry handle or use a cheekpiece.

There are a few setups that allow for mounting a red dot sight in front of the carryhandle where it's over the handguards but I can't say I like the setup much, I find in that situation it's just easier for me to use the iron sights rather than line up through the sights then try to use the dot.

I'm using a Trijicon Reflex with a 4.3MOA dot on my flattop AR15 and getting decent results with it out to 300 yards, for me it's a quick sight to use out to 100-200 yards. Some don't like the Reflex sights because they believe that it has to be fiddled with too much to get decent contrast for different shooting conditions but I've had good results with mine. Overall I like using the red dot about as much as using the iron sights, I'm a bit faster with the red dot but not any more accurate.

dZ · January 5, 2002, 10:21 AM

heres the 30 dollar A2 mount solution:
http://www.americansforguncontrol.com/leaper/

the 30 dollar Simmons Blaser from www.CDNNinvestments.com
will get you started

mounting a reddot on top of a carry handle is kinda silly

co-locating the Red dot with the iron sight is the best solution
here is what an Army A3 solution looks like:
http://www.army-technology.com/contr...aimpoint5.html

the old Aimpoint 3 M.O.A. Comp M-XD from http://www.SWFA.com/riflescopes/aimpoint/index.html
for 200 dollars is the deal of the month

you only buy quality once
my 30 dollar leaper mount has been upgraded to the real deal ARMS 39

dZ

Jake 98c/11b · January 5, 2002, 11:22 AM

Listen to the man, the SWFA deal is great. Snap up one, more if you can afford it. Personally I like the foreward mount from aimpoint, seems faster for some reason than one mounted closer to the eye.

DZ has this one pegged, enjoy.

Danny45 · January 5, 2002, 03:25 PM

Do you plan to use this as a "battle rifle", maybe for home defense? If your gonna rely on it in that capacity, I'd be leary of a red dot scope. What if you need it, and the battery is dead from sitting in the gun cabinet for a few months?

If you're gonna use it for varmint hunting, or just target practice, they are great. But I agree that it should be mounted as low and close to the bore as possible to do you much good accuracy wise.

Charmedlyfe · January 5, 2002, 04:12 PM

I've got an Armson OEG on my FAL. Including shipping, the sight/mount rig was about $180. It is tritium and fiber optic, so no batteries. It is light, fast, and fits the rifle. Given that no-one makes night sights for FALs, the OEG gives me the ability to shoot accurately out to 75 yrds in low light. It self-adjusts for light level, so it doesn't kill your night vision like some red dot sights do. All but indestructible. These sights were, from what I understand, developed for use in Rhodesia and South Africa. Worth the money. Order on the web from armson ltd.

Smiley · January 5, 2002, 08:03 PM

Thanks for the replys all.

I have no real specific need for the red dot so I couldn't really give a purpose for it's use. Just kind of like tinkering.

Snowdog · January 5, 2002, 10:29 PM

I've got an Aimpoint on my Springfield SAR-48 Match (FAL clone).

Took a quick pic with my computer cam for you (kinda upside-down... oops).

If I had to do it all over again, I would have put the $300+ towards a quality compact scope.

Navy joe · January 5, 2002, 11:25 PM

ACOG, don't leave home w/o it! 2x scope is not the least bit goofy in the carry handle, target aquisition and low light is a dream, no batteries, and iron sights still work. Of course we now come back to your budget issue.

Gary H · January 6, 2002, 02:32 PM

Aimpoint on my Carbon 15.

trapshooter · January 7, 2002, 12:19 PM

Follow dz's link to SWFA for the Aimpoint Comp. At $200, it's a steal. The holo type sights are cool, but the $ difference is significant.

SWFA is pretty fast on delivery, too. Two days, shortly before Christmas. I bought one peice of glass from them, they threw in a sleeve for a beer/coke can. Hey, freebies are cool.

uglygun · January 7, 2002, 04:17 PM

Yeah, I've been a fan of theirs for years now. The deal was just too good to pass up, I've got an Aimpoint on the way

I've already got a Trijicon Reflex NSN with 4.3MOA dot, I love the sight a WHOLE LOT but it's a little more difficult to shoot out to longer ranges. The Aimpoint 3MOA should be an easier sight to use and help me be more precise on out to some pretty decent distances, hopefully entirely within what a person typically finds on an action rifle or 3 gun course.

The real nice thing is that the price of the Aimpoint with an ARMS mount shipped to my door will be 309 which is actually less than I paid for my Reflex NSN unit back about 3 years(paid 315 delivered back then) ago.

Just wish I had a kick butt preban M4gery to throw this Aimpoint on, I'll have to make due with my postban shorty or my 20inch flattop.

Now, if any of you can find close outs on ITT night vision monoculars like they use for flattop mounting on AR15s

January 5, 2002, 01:58 AM	#1
Smiley Senior Member Join Date: June 3, 2000 Location: CT, U.S.A. Posts: 217	Red dot scopes on battle rifles Does anybody here mount a red dot scope on their battle rifle? I have an AR 16" dissapator and a FAL. I was thinking about moutning a Red dot scope of some kind one of these guys. My buddy did it to his AR but it seems pretty high. For those who have done this. How do you like it? Any great advance over iron sights? What scope type did you use? I don't have the money to blow on scopes that cost as much as the rifle so if I were to do this it would probably be a simmons or Burris. What size do you guys have? I have seen 1", 30mm, 42mm and 50mm. What size does it have to be to get a good quick acquisition with? __________________ "Let's Roll......." Todd Beamer American hero "Ne Conjuge Nobiscum" God and soldiers, we adore In times of danger, not before With the danger safely righted God is forgotten, and soldiers slighted

January 5, 2002, 10:21 AM	#4
dZ Senior Member Join Date: May 31, 1999 Location: Exiled, Fetid Swamp, DC Posts: 7,548	heres the 30 dollar A2 mount solution: http://www.americansforguncontrol.com/leaper/ the 30 dollar Simmons Blaser from www.CDNNinvestments.com will get you started mounting a reddot on top of a carry handle is kinda silly co-locating the Red dot with the iron sight is the best solution here is what an Army A3 solution looks like: http://www.army-technology.com/contr...aimpoint5.html the old Aimpoint 3 M.O.A. Comp M-XD from http://www.SWFA.com/riflescopes/aimpoint/index.html for 200 dollars is the deal of the month you only buy quality once my 30 dollar leaper mount has been upgraded to the real deal ARMS 39 dZ __________________ "O tell the Lacedomecians to damn the torpedoes." BOTR, Chapter V: Some Monsters

January 5, 2002, 03:25 PM	#6
Danny45 Senior Member Join Date: September 28, 2000 Location: Tulsa Oklahoma Posts: 434	Do you plan to use this as a "battle rifle", maybe for home defense? If your gonna rely on it in that capacity, I'd be leary of a red dot scope. What if you need it, and the battery is dead from sitting in the gun cabinet for a few months? If you're gonna use it for varmint hunting, or just target practice, they are great. But I agree that it should be mounted as low and close to the bore as possible to do you much good accuracy wise. __________________ Danny

January 5, 2002, 08:03 PM	#8
Smiley Senior Member Join Date: June 3, 2000 Location: CT, U.S.A. Posts: 217	Thanks for the replys all. I have no real specific need for the red dot so I couldn't really give a purpose for it's use. Just kind of like tinkering. __________________ "Let's Roll......." Todd Beamer American hero "Ne Conjuge Nobiscum" God and soldiers, we adore In times of danger, not before With the danger safely righted God is forgotten, and soldiers slighted

January 5, 2002, 11:25 PM	#10
Navy joe Senior Member Join Date: January 28, 2001 Location: VA, USA Posts: 1,804	ACOG, don't leave home w/o it! 2x scope is not the least bit goofy in the carry handle, target aquisition and low light is a dream, no batteries, and iron sights still work. Of course we now come back to your budget issue. __________________ FY47012

January 5, 2002, 05:12 AM	#3
uglygun Senior Member Join Date: March 27, 2001 Location: Cowpie Ca Posts: 552	Flattops really stand to gain a lot from a red dot site or atleast they are easier to mount while being more comfortable to use, don't have to kink into some wierd position to use a sight mounted off the carry handle or use a cheekpiece. There are a few setups that allow for mounting a red dot sight in front of the carryhandle where it's over the handguards but I can't say I like the setup much, I find in that situation it's just easier for me to use the iron sights rather than line up through the sights then try to use the dot. I'm using a Trijicon Reflex with a 4.3MOA dot on my flattop AR15 and getting decent results with it out to 300 yards, for me it's a quick sight to use out to 100-200 yards. Some don't like the Reflex sights because they believe that it has to be fiddled with too much to get decent contrast for different shooting conditions but I've had good results with mine. Overall I like using the red dot about as much as using the iron sights, I'm a bit faster with the red dot but not any more accurate.

January 5, 2002, 11:22 AM	#5
Jake 98c/11b Senior Member Join Date: November 25, 1999 Posts: 471	Listen to the man, the SWFA deal is great. Snap up one, more if you can afford it. Personally I like the foreward mount from aimpoint, seems faster for some reason than one mounted closer to the eye. DZ has this one pegged, enjoy.

January 5, 2002, 04:12 PM	#7
Charmedlyfe Junior member Join Date: October 11, 2000 Location: SC Posts: 799	I've got an Armson OEG on my FAL. Including shipping, the sight/mount rig was about $180. It is tritium and fiber optic, so no batteries. It is light, fast, and fits the rifle. Given that no-one makes night sights for FALs, the OEG gives me the ability to shoot accurately out to 75 yrds in low light. It self-adjusts for light level, so it doesn't kill your night vision like some red dot sights do. All but indestructible. These sights were, from what I understand, developed for use in Rhodesia and South Africa. Worth the money. Order on the web from armson ltd.

January 6, 2002, 02:32 PM	#11
Gary H Senior Member Join Date: April 26, 2000 Location: Texas Posts: 2,267	Aimpoint on my Carbon 15.

January 7, 2002, 12:19 PM	#12
trapshooter Junior member Join Date: January 2, 2002 Location: Missouri Posts: 902	Follow dz's link to SWFA for the Aimpoint Comp. At $200, it's a steal. The holo type sights are cool, but the $ difference is significant. SWFA is pretty fast on delivery, too. Two days, shortly before Christmas. I bought one peice of glass from them, they threw in a sleeve for a beer/coke can. Hey, freebies are cool.

January 7, 2002, 04:17 PM	#13
uglygun Senior Member Join Date: March 27, 2001 Location: Cowpie Ca Posts: 552	Yeah, I've been a fan of theirs for years now. The deal was just too good to pass up, I've got an Aimpoint on the way I've already got a Trijicon Reflex NSN with 4.3MOA dot, I love the sight a WHOLE LOT but it's a little more difficult to shoot out to longer ranges. The Aimpoint 3MOA should be an easier sight to use and help me be more precise on out to some pretty decent distances, hopefully entirely within what a person typically finds on an action rifle or 3 gun course. The real nice thing is that the price of the Aimpoint with an ARMS mount shipped to my door will be 309 which is actually less than I paid for my Reflex NSN unit back about 3 years(paid 315 delivered back then) ago. Just wish I had a kick butt preban M4gery to throw this Aimpoint on, I'll have to make due with my postban shorty or my 20inch flattop. Now, if any of you can find close outs on ITT night vision monoculars like they use for flattop mounting on AR15s