AR Optics Choice

[Nathan]

How does this change, if we are taking sbr or pistol build?

What kind of optic is best here, in your opinion?

[Bartholomew Roberts]

Definitely a red dot for a pistol. Even with a blade or stabilizer, not having to have a perfect cheekweld will be a big help. On an SBR, I’d typically go red dot as well; however, my .300 SBR has a 1-6x scope on it because .300 is a lot less flatter shooting and it is a bigger variation in the different types of ammo, so the milrad reticle and target turrets come in handy.

If it was something flatter shooting or I was using a aingle type of ammo, it would be wearing a T-1 or MRO.

[DMK]

How does this change, if we are taking sbr or pistol build?

What kind of optic is best here, in your opinion?

I agree with Bartholomew Roberts. For a pistol where you may have difficulty getting a consistent cheek weld, the eye box and parallax issues are especially important. Magnification is less important because you will have limited range (and much more drop) due to lower velocity compared to a carbine or rifle.

For me and my 10.5" barreled pistol, the goal was light and compact, but tough and reliable. I went with a Primary Arms MD-ADS (now they have a newer model) with the 50,000 hour battery life on an American Defense QD mount. I have ARMS rear and Magpul Pro front BUIS as well.

[Chainsaw.]

If you are using your rifles magnified optic to identify a target you are breaking a cardinal rule of firearms handling. Get a pair of binoculars.

[Nathan]

@chainsaw.....who are you responding to?

[Dragline45]

I opted for a 1-4x scope for my 16". While not as good as a red dot for close ranges, it's still great for fast target acquisition from close to medium ranges.

[BWM]

I like the target dot in my varmint gun and the Mil dot,s scope that helps when shooting long range.

[Skadoosh]

My own 16" has gone through quite the evolution in terms of optics over the years.

My rifle started with irons. Limited usefulness to say the least.

Soon after I put a 4x ACOG on it. Big mistake. Being fast and lightweight, I found that my carbine was even less useful. In short order, I came to highly dislike the ACOG's short eye relief and relatively slow target acquisition.

So I moved on to a 1-4x variable. Looked like a good idea on paper. But that optic was HEAVY. Like a boat anchor. It threw the whole balance of the rifle way off. I had again ignored that rifle's shining feature: it's lightweight and speed.

Realising my mistakes, I then mounted a 2moa Aimpoint H1. Now that rifle was really starting to show its capabilities for what it was best suited for: a SD/HD/Duty Rifle.

Eventually I found that even the Aimpoint H1 has its own limitations. The body of the H1 obscures far too much of my FOV for my liking and the tube effect is quite bothersome.

But then I discovered the 2.5moa dot Leupold Deltapoint Pro. Small reflex sights have come a looooong way in terms of ruggedness, reliability and usefulness. A side by side comparison between the DPP and the H1's field of view and clarity was striking. Like night and day. With the DPP's battery conserving, motion-activated, instant-on feature, battery life can be measured in years.

In its final iteration, my 16" carbine is back to doing what it does best: being lightweight, fast and quite accurate inside of 300.

[darkgael]

I have a Trijicon TA01 fixed 4X on my Colt HBar