Cheap red dot for ar

[Tommy]

Been looking around for a good red dot but not sure what would be the best length or magnification to get. I'm limited on the amount I can spend. I was looking at below 50

[John]

To be straight up and honest with you, staying under $50 will get you a piece of garbage. My suggestion is to save up a bit more before you make a purchase. If you're going to be shooting 200 yards and under, the Vortex Sparc II or Strikefire II each would be a great choice. They are both $175 +/-. I know that is 3x your budget but it will get you a good quality optic for a reasonable price that will last you a lifetime. If it does ever happen to break on you then Vortex will repair / replace it.

[Not_Warren]

I agree, under 50 will get you Chinese airsoft garbage. Lowest I would go is a Bushnell TRS-25 which are actually awesome little sights and can be had for around 60-80 bucks. Next up would be Vortex options (they have the smaller dot SPARC and the larger Aimpoint style Strikefires) which can be had used for 100-150 or new for around 200.

Again, as John mentioned, Vortex has a no questions asked replacement / fix-it warranty whether you're the first owner or you bought it used from Joe down the street. I've had to send my Sparc back and they offered to overnight me a replacement once they saw mine on its way to them.

[Frisco]

iTac makes my favorite "value" red dot. They package it as the Sig STS-081. If you buy the iTac branded model it runs $120. If you buy the one that is branded for Sig it is about $180.

I got one that came on a Sig 516 about 5 years ago. I figured I would just shitcan it and replace it with an AimPoint Patrol or an AimPoint Micro. I never got around to it and when I finally took that rifle to the range the Sig was still on it.

I fired the first rounds and they were 1/4" right and 1/2" low at 50 meters. I made the adjustments, put it dead on a 50 meters......and thousands and thousands and thousands of rounds later....that little fucker hasn't drifted off zero. It has been on and off the rifle multiple times for various reasons, mounted on other rifles, and even on a shotgun.....and it has been rock solid.

I have it on my Elite Patrol from Predator Technology Group....and it has many more thousands of rounds through it...and it still keeps screaming along. I have since bought several of them with the same results.

Stop thinking "cheap" when it comes to equipment you may call upon to save your life. If you only want to spend $40-$50....spend that money on ammo and practice with your iron sights. It will serve you a LOT better than junk gear.

[dbrad197]

Primary Arms has some pretty well priced red dots, check them out too. The warranty is only a year, nothing compared to vortex.

[Deeznutz]

Vortec when I wanna go a tad under $200 (with mount). Primary Arms, I've been testing recently and may surpass Vortec for me (So far, so good), on certain applications soon. Bushnell TRS-25 (Beleive it or not) has always been a great sub $75 sight, for me, and often can find sales for right about $50 or so, to about $60-$65.

I think your best-bang-for-the-buck would be the Bushy T-25 for your price-point. I've put several through hell and have not had a single issue with any of the 6 or so that I have currently.

I agree with the sentiment that you shouldn't think "cheap" when your considering what you are counting on, especially if it's your primary weapon, but when you have a few safe's full, you have to spread the love a little and make considerations, lol.

My .02