What scope for a basic AR15?

[hittman]

I've never been a dedicated rifle shooter. I do have a couple of entry level AR15s and am thinking of maybe having one fitted with a scope.

Plinking is the main use for my AR, and only out to 100 yards.

Lucky me has a $250 store credit at a local mom and pop gun store. Wondering if I may want to use that on a scope. :?:

What do you think?
What size?
Red dot?
A particular brand to seek or avoid?

 

[427mach1]

The Nikon P-223 3-9x40 with the BDC reticle is a good value for the money. Great optics from a reputable company.

 

[GunnyGene]

Nikon makes an excellent low dollar scope ( I have one). You will need to buy rings (figure $25 and up - you get what you pay for) to mount most any scope, and maybe a base. Rings come in various designs, some see thru so you can still use your iron sights, tip-offs, different heights (to raise the scope to suit your shooting style), etc. You also need to decide if you want variable power or fixed power, and so on. There's a thousand different configurations of scopes, rings, different reticles (some lighted) etc., as well as red dots and other sighting systems. I'd suggest hanging out at a range and talking with other shooters before you plunk down your money. Maybe even shoulder a few of other folks rifles if they let you.

As for what to avoid: Any scope you can buy at Walmart.

 

[WAYNO]

Numerous companies market inexpensive dedicated AR scopes. They all work fine for what they're intended. Bushnell and Nikon come to mind. You can also spend thousands, but on an a AR, it's not at all necessary for informal shooting.

Personally, I have little interest in scoping an AR. But if I did, this Bushnell-AR scope would be adequate, for roughly $150. I bought this one to use on a bolt action .223. If it's good enough for an American Ranch Rifle, it'll be good for an AR.


Also, there are great choices in the compact 1-4x category and 2x7 category The Leupold Hog-Plex and VX-1 comes to mind.




.

 

[hittman]

Wouldn't a red dot be hard to see out to 100 yards during daytime hours?

Local guy or two swear by red dots but they're also 20 or more years younger than me. Maybe it's a generational thing.

And yeah ..... there's a crap-ton of scope options. (Sizes, shapes, power, mounting options and on and on ......) Apparently I'm not hot enough about this subject to spend countless hours reading the internet. :lol:

 

[Bear Paw Jack]

Didn't see this before I pm'd you. Either of the scopes mentioned would work. Depending on what your expected use would be. I would not use an illuminated dot in a regular scope, as they are hard to see in the day, plus you don't have to go out very far before the dot covers the target.
Personally I prefer a scope. As I get older it becomes more important to me. The Leupold 2-7 is also a good scope, especially at my price. I mentioned hardware to use because the picatinny rail on the upper is too low to not raise the scope without much higher rings. Warne makes good rings for that type of work.

 

[WAYNO]

Wouldn't a red dot be hard to see out to 100 yards during daytime hours?

Personal preference. A lot depends on how tolerant the rods and cones of your eyes are to seeing red and/or green. I struggle with both dots and lasers. Other folks like them. As we speak, I'm trying one on my PC Carbine. Once my eyes have finally acquired the dot, it is very usable.

I mentioned hardware to use because the picatinny rail on the upper is too low to not raise the scope without much higher rings. Warne makes good rings for that type of work.

And yes...Risers for a rail, or mounts for a handle, the sky is the limit, both in style and price.

 

[kmoore]

Not only does the AR flat top need really high rings, with most scopes you need the
scope further forward than just mounting rings on the receiver, thus a cantilever mount with rings is needed in most AR scopes. Best to have someone in the know show you what works and how to get the right height and eye relief. The AR is not anything like mounting a scope on any bolt gun. An example a AR scope eyepiece will normally be directly above the charging handle not further back. The center of the scope could be 2 inches above the receiver. A bolt gun has the scopes eyepiece several inches behind the rear of the bolt and maybe 1.25 inches above the receiver. Of course the distances I list will vary depending mainly due to it's size.

 

[Busterswoodshop]

I put a Nikon P223 3X32 on one of my AR's.
I have shot lot's of bullets through it and have not had a single problem with it.
It is easy to get on target and is actually pretty accurate.
I can shoot clay pigeons at 200 yards with it very easily.
For an AR I really like the Nikon P223 3X scope and would recommend it.

As far as red dots go. I have an Aimpoint Pro on another one of my AR's.
It is very easy to use and the red dot shows up just fine for shooting 100 yards.
It is also easy to get on target.
The thing about red dots is the size of the dot in MOA's.
Mine is 2 MOA so it will cover 2 inches of the target at 100 yards. 4 inches at 200 and so on. So the farther you shoot the less accurate you will be.
But out to 100 yards or a little further it works good.

 

[WAYNO]

Hittman...


If you want to experiment, I could sent you a riser rail, and/or some really high rings to try, then maybe you could try some different scopes to form some ideas of what might work for you.









.

 

[kmoore]

I agree with the optical sight DOT size. MOA 2 on a carbine or rifle is what works great from a few feet to about 100 yards. Bigger is to big for small game, smaller is or can be tough to see at 100yd. The 2 is going to be prefect in about any day light conditions to 50 yards on man sized targets. You still need a raiser or high base on the AR flat top under the sight.

 

[powder smoke]

I agree with the optical sight DOT size. MOA 2 on a carbine or rifle is what works great from a few feet to about 100 yards. Bigger is to big for small game, smaller is or can be tough to see at 100yd. The 2 is going to be prefect in about any day light conditions to 50 yards on man sized targets. You still need a raiser or high base on the AR flat top under the sight.

I agree that is what I have and like it! No handle on my AR flat top with an optical
dot sight. Choose either red or green depending on conditions.

 

[Mobuck]

I carry and use the AR platform a LOT. There's an AR in my pickup and/or UTV 24/7. I carry one 90% of the time I'm outside.
The scope I really like is a 2-7x32-sort of a compromise between ease of handling and 300+ yard varmint capability. For comparison I have 1-3x20, 1.5-5x32, a few 4x32 & 6x40, and a bunch of 3-9x40(the cheapest choice due to the popularity). I have red dots from AimPoint, Vortex, Burris, ADCO, and 1/2 dozen economy brands. The scope on my primary winter EDC is a Burris E-1 2-7x32.
For casual plinking or short range varmint control or the possible self defense scenario, a red dot is adequate. Check the projected battery life of your choices as many tout a 50K hour battery life. Some have "auto off" to prevent battery rundown if you forget to turn it off(big deal if this is a SD use). For rifle use, I prefer a 2MOA dot. It's still big enough to not be lost in the background if you're in a hurry and small enough for more precise aiming at distance. Green tends to be advantageous in low light but we used red for years before discovering green was better.
The Vortex Strikefire 2 is a solid choice at a reasonable price. It has one button on/off and 2 button up/down brightness control. Priced most places in the $175+/- range. Factory support is good. I've mounted several of these for others' home defense type carbines with 100% satisfaction.
AimPoint is/was the premium choice but at a price. This company supported me when I was developing the assisted sighting device for blind shooters so I'm a bit biased. FWIW AimPoint is what's mounted on my home defense AR.
You can get quite a bit on the medium range scope market for $250 these days. I suggest sticking with a "simple" reticle rather than the ultimately confusing multi-strata, range compensating, mall ninja gizmo sort of aiming point. I realize I'm a bit opinionated but most of what I'm saying is the result of failed experimentation in the past. If you have specific questions you can PM me but I may not be able to respond until the end of next week. Work calls and I need to support my AR habit.

 

[contender]

A lot of your post has been answered except one thing. "Wouldn't a red dot be hard to see out to 100 yards during daytime hours?"

Not necessarily. As mentioned the MOA is important, as the smaller the dot,,,, it COULD be harder to see. BUT,, any 2-3 MOA red dot sight,, NOT the lasers, can easily be seen. The dot is actually in the optic,, and not projected downrange.
As noted, a red dot MOA is the size the dot appears at 100 yds. A 2 MOA, looks like a 2" dot at 100 yds. If you were wanting to shoot the head off a squirrel at 100 yds, then your 2 MOA would totally cover the head approximately.

Multi-Gun & 3-Gun competitors use a dual system for their AR's. In those games, speed and accuracy are equally important. And, they shoot out to over 300 yds. Generally, they will mount a scope on top, then an angle mount off to the side with a red dot. They use the red dot's for distances out to 100 yds,, then use the scope for longer shots.
Many good red dots out there,, and I often see UltraDot on a lot of AR's.

Overall,,, if casual shooting is your idea, then I'd say a scope is a better option,, as you are more precise at distances. But if your idea is to quickly shoot reactive targets such as produce, water bottles, etc then the red dot is the way to go.

 

[hittman]

WOW :!:

Excellent thought-provoking detailed info here gentlemen.

I've for sure got some thinking and research to do. Thank you very much.

 

[blume357]

I think the poster asking about the red dot was confused.... and actually was asking about a laser... which would be hard to see if not impossible out at 100 yards during the day... easy at night. But a red dot is actually just a lit dot inside the optic... which you can see in any light.....

As for the original question, my suggestion would be an optic that zooms from 1-4 or about.... I guess if all one is doing is target shooting then a higher power would be better... but for a quick tactical use low power is much better to acquire the target fast....

 

[Busterswoodshop]

I have found lasers to be just about useless in the day light.
They work OK in low light or indoors , but in bright light you can't see them.

 

[Hawk-in-Wi]

just to give you some ideas , here are a few links,, nothing to do with me just trying to help out

https://www.gunbroker.com/item/832694237
https://www.opticsplanet.com/vortex-crossfire-ii-1-4x24mm-riflescope.html
https://www.opticsplanet.com/vortex-strike-eagle-scope-1-6x24-ar-bdc-reticle.html
https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1019614720
https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1477386787
https://vortexoptics.com/riflescopes/strike-eagle.html
https://vortexoptics.com/riflescopes/crossfire-ii.html?vx_rfl_magnification=312
https://vortexoptics.com/vortex-crossfire-ii-2-7x32-riflescope.html?vortex_reticle=978

 

[Ale-8(1)]

https://www.opticsplanet.com/nikon-p-tactical-riflescope-223-3x32.html

Nice 100-yard optic that suits my use.

:)

 

[Biggfoot44]

I have astigmatism , so so called Red Dots are indistinct blobs .

I am big time preference for Iron Sights . If they group MOA for me on AR , I don't see much room for improvement , and dislike spending more on an optic, than on the rifle .

That said , an sbr upper had a canted bbl , and thus front sight tower is at 11:45 instead of 12:00 . So for that one , I put on a 2.5 x 20 .

 

[arky65]

You might look at the reflex type sights, several different sighting options to choose from, depending on type of shooting you are doing. I really like the inexpensive Muller Reflex, I use the dot for distance/precision, and one of the circle type sights for tactical or close up.

 

[WendyZXZ]

Kenneth got a Burris AR536 and likes it a lot!

 

[krw]

If you give me a bolt rifle capable of 1/2moa I can shoot 1/2 moa. If you give me an AR capable of 1/2 moa, I can shoot 1 moa. I have found this to be a norm. AR’s are harder to precision shoot. I have had Eotechs, Acogs, and a plethoria of high end scopes on AR’s. On SBR uppers, I like Eotechs. On longer uppers I swap a NF 3.5x15. I have a “beater” AR w 16” bbl that I swap Magpul flip up sites and a Nikon 3x9 BDC. For the money its hard to beat

 

[Mike J]

I put mine together during the Obama panic & pretty much did everything as inexpensively as possible. I have an inexpensive 3 moa red dot on it & it is fine for my uses. Of course I just pull it out to plink with from time to time.