the best of 'inexpensive" optics for the AR-15

[ah1whiskey]

whats your favorite "truck gun" optic?

i know we all would like to have a US-optic or NF. but when you get into doing a bunch of shooting irons and into truck guns that gets to be too much expense quickly.

were talking under $300 --better yet in the $150 range or in some cases even less--

i have had a few el-cheapos that had done pretty good.

i have had a PA 1-4X30 for a few years now holds zero well, glass is clear and bright enough that it compares pretty good to more expensive scopes.

right now it is sitting on a 6.5G M4 clone-- i keep saying i'm gonna put a leupold of a viper on there --but i'm certainly hitting what i am aiming at with this old PA-- so no complaints so far.

[cory]

In my thinking the most important requirement for a truck gun optic is remaining reliable under abuse. For that reason, I'd say Razor 1-6x, NF 1-4x NXS, ACOG, Aimpoint M4s/M4 in that order. Just going with good iron sights isn't a bad option. For this price point I'd suggest an Aimpoint Pro. A little more than the $300 budgeted, but anything less I'd stick with irons I can rely on, before I rely on a made in china optic.

[robertc1024]

I tend to agree with cory's "made in China" line of thinking, but I know a lot of people that run PA red dots and haven't heard anything negative about them yet - and they certainly fit within the budget. For a scope, the Nikon P-223's are pretty darn good.

[terrywick4]

My Bushnell ar223 1X4 holds nicely on my 223 and my grendel

[wraith1516]

Bushnell has never failed my have a 4-12that has served well for 20 odd years and a tasco 3-9 that is almost as old

[VASCAR2]

Primary Arms has a new 1-6 optic with the ACSS reticle that cost around $270. Vortex just released the Strike Eagle 1-6 which is getting good reviews but are selling for around $330. I have a Vortex Strikefire but it has a 4 MOA dot but the SPARC gets good reviews and has a 2 MOA dot and each is less than $200.

If your wanting more magnification look at Vortex Diamondback HP or Leupold Mark AR series of scopes.

[Bwild97]

I have the Burris MTAC 1.5-6x42 slated for purchse to mount onto my 12.5" Grendel

http://www.burrisoptics.com/scopes/mtac-riflescopes-series/mtac-riflescope-1.5-6x42mm

[ah1whiskey]

i know a guy who has a viper XBR crossbow scope on one of his-- -- seems like a hell of a scope. got it for $229 off swfa a while back--

the absolute cheapest glass i have is a BSA "boss" 1-4x shotgun scope i have on a 9mm ar-15 i bought off DVOR for like $50- shipped. the glass seems pretty good and the turrets seem OK as well. now i would't try shooting at a 1,000 match with it but as far as i want to shoot the 9mm carbine it is good enough. very thin crosshairs , illuminated but only red and green are visible much as the blue fades out. sort of a uber cheapy-- don't know how long it will hold up --but so far holds zero fine.

i have a optisan mamba 1-4x i bought a few years back from SWFA-- it seems pretty good too. thought it seems a little mushy the glass is brighter than the PA and very good. but it has a tight eye box on 4x---

seems that all the "cheap" scopes have a weakness somewhere--lol

[BluntForceTrauma]

I get my value-priced scopes from E. Arthur Brown company. Swift and Hawke are good values for the lower price. Heck, Nikon, as well?

[Drift]

I'd probably look E Arthur Browns Weaver scopes - 2-7 or 1-3 -depending. The 1-3 is like $160, if I remember right-how can you go wrong at that price?

[Rainman]

Go to SWFA.com and check out the Hi-Lux Leatherwood 1-4x CMR scope. I've been using one for the past four years and really like it. I "broke it in" on my Marlin SBL .45/70 with 50 rounds of mid range power handloads to see if it would break or survive. Fours years later it is still going strong. Though made in China, Leatherwood owns and operates the factory. SWFA sells this with a package option that includes their S. SALT AR specific mount and the scope for about $330. Mine has been on three or four different ARs and I have loaned it out to a couple people with one buying his own. Very good optical quality for this price point and perhaps a couple hundred dollars more. Another worthwhile option is SWFA's own 1-4x non-HD scope for $399. Check their Black Friday sale because it will probably be among the discounted optics on sale that weekend. Also check out "The Sample List" category as there are quite a few trade in and store demo 1-4x scopes for sale at this time. Check it out now and wait for Black Friday to buy anything to see what their deals will be this year. Great company to deal with and I've been buying from them since the mid 1980s.

[GSPHunter]

I've got a 2.5x primary arms scope on my truck gun. I like it....alot :-)

[leftyman]

I too have the nikon p_223 in the 3 x 9 and the 4x12. They reside on a .223 and a grendel. I like that they both adjust the same way so my daughter and my wife can shoot both rifles because they have the same sight picture. I definitely will upgrade the grendel as it easily shoots past the six hundred fifty yard targets at the range.

[tackdriver]

I have a Leupold Mark ar 1.5-4 on my .450, and it is clear and has held zero great . It's a pretty nice/compact unit for $300

[ah1whiskey]

nobody has mentioned the redfield revolutions ??

i saw a nice vortex diamond back HD the other day-- very clear and bright glass, that looks to be straight out of the viper line , small and light in 2-8X adjustable Px too , i have been thinking about getting one-- and their not pricey at all-- i'm not that crazy about the cross-hairs as they got only duplex and BDC--

it is a decent a step up from my 2-7X-35 diamondback and much like my viper 2-7x 32-- wich is a very fine scope that is no longer made.

the old diamondback 2-7x35 is a nice scope on its own with clear glass -- it does a have a little of that "rolly-polley" effect on 2x-- but spanking clear everywhere else.

yea i get most of my optics from SWFA--as well.

i got to watch myself or i'll end up buying another vortex--lol