red dot optic

[RangerX]

Just paint a red dot on your iron sights.

[Bushwack]

Dec,

I have an ACOG Reflex (amber dot) mounted on my Bushmaster M4.

Up side
1. No batteries
2. Tritium - visable in complete darkness
3. Fiber optic - for day light power
4. Very well built
5. Completely reliable

Down side- Price is north of $400.00

[C-MAC]

Just paint a red dot on your iron sights.

Damn. I could have saved a few hundred if I thought of this.

[KW Driver]

the answer is it depends. I ran an M-68 because I had grown up with Aimpoints. first optic I ran was an Aimpoint 2000 and upgraded from there, when I carried an M-203, Car-15, M-4. we had the first gen AGOGs, and they struck me as a fine optic, but I didn't carry one.

I had shot an Eotech, and it's fine. it has a 2 MOA center dot vs. a 4 MOA dot in the M-68. all well and good.

but here's why I carried an M-68 downrange.

a. I was more familiar with it
b. I liked to ease of ergonomics with it better than the Eotech (again, familiarity, I could have trained through it)
c. I couldn't get a riser to place an Eotech on that would allow me a good and comfortable sight picture or cheek weld while wearing an HGU-56/P. all my shots in anger with an M-4 this time round were from the cockpit. E&E I could have run an Eotech, because my flight helmet would have stayed in or near the bird when I left it.

[cams]

I've been using the same Eotech for almost 8 yrs now, beat it up pretty good and put thousands of rounds under it, only complaint I have is in moving from extreme cold weather into a warm enclosure it gets condensation inside the glass that stays for a couple days, blurs the reticle, not enough to render it inoperable, but a nuisance amount anyway.

I haven't used Aimpoint or ACOG so can't comment there, although I'd love one of each.

I received an email a while back about fake (clones) Eotech's being sold that were really shitty quality. Possible your Texas friends in SWAT purchased some of these? Once made aware the differences are easily determined by the naked eye.

I'll dig it up and post a link or the whole email, have to clean it up as it's work related/Intel Unit.

[GoldCoast]

Just paint a red dot on your iron sights.

Evidence of genius :)

Presuming you are already a competent shooter:

If I had to pick which I prefer then I would say, "Eotech wins hands down." Both are rugged, come in a jillion configurations to suit your purpose, and can be attached, detached, fixed, glued and welded onto your weapon of choice in as many ways as you can imagine. Both get dirty as soon as the wind picks up and both run out of batteries just when you really need them to work. Murphy loves optics. I have better luck with Eotech because they rarely turn on by accident, they co-witness easier (IMHO) and I like the way they look.

I don't know what level shooter you are, be it beginner, middle or ninja, but first you need to learn those iron sights. An optic doesn't magically make you a good shooter. Optics give you another tool in your kit and that lends you versatility. On my M4 I leave the cool guy optics, bi-pods, etc. off whenever possible because it is heavy, gets in the way, and I probably need more practice with my iron sights anyway.

Hope that helps.

[RangerX]

Get a GG&G Accucam while you're at it then.

[Rockin Ranger]

Just paint a red dot on your iron sights.

Evidence of genius :)

....... Optics give you another tool in your kit and that lends you versatility. On my M4 I leave the cool guy optics, bi-pods, etc. off whenever possible because it is heavy, gets in the way, and I probably need more practice with my iron sights anyway.

Hope that helps.

Gold Coast and Ranger X have it right on target here. Case in point:

A few years back I bought a new Bushmaster XM-15 target model. I put a National Match 2=stage trigger and NM rear peep=sight aperture on it. I first took the time to properly lap the barrel. Then, using the lessons I learned at Batt from my roommate and team leader (a true Appalachian mountain boy), I was able to pull 1/2 moa shots at 100 yards with the iron sights all day long using 55 grain and a bit bigger (around 1 inch) groups with the SS-109. Funny thing - once I started trying my Millet red dot, an Aimpoint red-dot and/or my Springfield Gvt Mod 5090, the groups went to shit. Back to the iron sights, back to the tight groups, and then the same less than wonderful groups with the optics. Bottom line for me - marksmanship starts with a well-tuned stick and the basics we learned on the range as young Rangers without all the extra stuff. When all else fails, iron is the way to go. Site picture...breath control...trigger pull consistency....produces hits downrange every time. Your experience may differ from mine, but that's how I roll.

So Ford, if your out there, thanks for the lessons (and the push-ups when I did not get it right), they were worth it all.

Spend the extra 500 buck on more ammo to practice with......RLTW

[Ndog275]

Shot groups tend to open up for folks going from irons to optics because they "aim bigger" if that makes sense? One of the hardest things to learn as a shooter is what an acceptable site picture looks like for the shot that you are trying to make.