Having Options Is A Wonderful Thing: AR Optics

I’ve built many AR’s. I’ve used quite a few optics. No doubt many are more experienced with different optics than I, and some less experienced. Some I liked, some I loved, and some I hated.

When equipping an AR the choices are mainly between iron sights, red dots/holographic, and magnified. There are there numerous variables to consider for just what role the AR will fill and what the deal optic will be needed to fulfill that role the best.

Here are a few examples:

HOLOGRAPHIC: A holographic weapon sight is a non-magnifying gunsight that allows the user to look through a glass optical window and see a holographic reticle image superimposed on the target.

The EOTech below is a popular example and sits atop my Stag Arms LH 5.56 AR. It is my favorite weapons sight. The round reticle with middle impact dot provides very fast target acquisition and the 1 MOA center dot is small enough for detailed work at longer distances.

RED DOT: Any non-magnified, illuminated sight that can be mounted to a shotgun, rifle, or handgun is considered a red dot sight. The reticle or “red dot” is created by an LED or a laser diode light that is reflected or superimposed onto the target.

While most commonly using a dot that is colored red, other colors including green are available.

An important consideration when looking at red dot optics is the size of the dot itself. A 3 MOA dot will cover approx 3″ of the target at 100 yards. A 1 MOA dot at 100 yards is around 1″ coverage of the target. When it comes to precision shooting at a variety of distances the dot size is important.

Generally, I stick to 2 MOA and under.

The optic in the picture below is the Bushnell TRS-25. I have this mounted atop my SHTF gun which I named, “VENOM”. The Bushnell in this configuration runs around $120 and has been around for many years. It is reliable, rugged, and absolutely a great value.

Red dots do a great job, especially for “seasoned” eyes, to get on target quickly.

MAGNIFIED: A telescopic sight, commonly called a scope, is an optical sighting device similar to a telescope. It’s equipped with some form of a referencing pattern (a reticle) to give an accurate point of aim.

I’m not much of a long-distance shooter and my experience with scopes is minimal. What I will tell you is you get what you pay for. The cheap scopes are not very clear and often have distortion that is distracting when shooting. Higher-end optics provide excellent clarity and brighter targets. The difference can truly be astounding.

As I am always budget-conscious I have grown fond of Vortex optics. The Crossfire II scope below is excellent for under $300. Very clear and what I really like about it is when dialed to 1X it is a true 1X. This means there is NO magnification and for close quarters the scope crosshairs can be used much like a red dot. This provides great versatility. Lesser scopes simply do not offer this feature.