Magnified AR Optic Recommendation

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  • sailskidrive

    Legalize the Constitution
    Oct 16, 2011
    5,547
    Route 27
    Thanks so much for the replies everyone.

    I've settled on the Vortex Viper PST Gen 2 1-6.

    Questions:

    1. Mil dot or MOA?
    2. What is a bomb proof mount that you recommend? I'm assuming it doesn't come with one.

    Thanks

    Good choice. The Strike Eagle has significantly greater distortion (the 1-8x is just plain awful IMO); the PST is a huge step up.

    :thumbsup:
     

    Silverlode

    Ultimate Member
    Aug 16, 2010
    4,797
    Frederick
    If you already have an eotech on it I really recommend you try a magnifier on it. You may be surprised how accurate you can be out to 300 and if you decide to go another route you can put it on another one of your guns.
     

    AliasNeo07

    Ultimate Member
    Feb 12, 2009
    6,548
    MD
    If you already have an eotech on it I really recommend you try a magnifier on it. You may be surprised how accurate you can be out to 300 and if you decide to go another route you can put it on another one of your guns.

    I've thought about it. Admittedly I've never even looked through one, nor do I know anyone that has one. Seems like extra crap hanging off the rifle that I don't need, but maybe I need to reconsider and find somebody that has one.
     

    AliasNeo07

    Ultimate Member
    Feb 12, 2009
    6,548
    MD
    Just ordered Vortex Viper PST Gen 2 1-6 from Larue, and if you order it through the, you get a SIGNIFICANT savings on their mounts when bought together.
     

    Bountied

    Ultimate Member
    Apr 6, 2012
    6,906
    Pasadena
    Thanks so much for the replies everyone.

    I've settled on the Vortex Viper PST Gen 2 1-6.

    Questions:

    1. Mil dot or MOA?
    2. What is a bomb proof mount that you recommend? I'm assuming it doesn't come with one.

    Thanks

    Larue cantilever mount all day long. They run in the $200 range but they return to zero and you can swap the optic around when you need to.

    I've switched to MOA for everything, you get a slightly more accurate adjustment range for zeroing and I think in inches, yards, feet etc. Mils are a little easier math-wise but it's really personal preference.
     

    Bountied

    Ultimate Member
    Apr 6, 2012
    6,906
    Pasadena
    I've thought about it. Admittedly I've never even looked through one, nor do I know anyone that has one. Seems like extra crap hanging off the rifle that I don't need, but maybe I need to reconsider and find somebody that has one.

    I had an eotech magnifier setup. Bulky and heavy. a 1-X power optic does all that in a smaller package. There is no advantage in an eotech/magnifier setup except that you may be able to sell them separately.
     

    Silverlode

    Ultimate Member
    Aug 16, 2010
    4,797
    Frederick
    I've thought about it. Admittedly I've never even looked through one, nor do I know anyone that has one. Seems like extra crap hanging off the rifle that I don't need, but maybe I need to reconsider and find somebody that has one.

    I have two of them including one on my truck gun. I also have a couple of 1-4x FFP scopes and my preference for longer range shots would be the scope while my preference inside 100 yds would be the Eotech set up (by far). If I had other guns with Eotechs, I would add a magnifier before swapping out for a scope. One big advantage for scopes is the etched reticle so you don't have to worry about losing your red dot due to battery failure, etc.
     

    trickg

    Guns 'n Drums
    MDS Supporter
    Jul 22, 2008
    14,602
    Glen Burnie
    The optic I ordered for my AR is the Primary Arms Prism 3X, Gen 3. I wanted a compact prism optic though. Believe me, I did a TON of reading and research. The goal was to find the best poor-man’s ACOG, and everything I read pointed me to that or the Vortex Spitfire 3X. I felt that there were a couple of things actually done better on the Primary Arms, and it was a few bucks less.

    This is supposed to be a Christmas present so I didn’t get to check it out too much, but I messed with it a bit off of the rifle before putting it back in the box for my wife to wrap for the tree. The adjustable diopter is a nice touch, and the glass seems pretty bright and clear. I can’t wait to get it on my rifle and get it zeroed.
     

    Foohaus

    Member
    Nov 22, 2020
    67
    I have a Leupold VX-R Patrol 1.25-4x20mm, which has a dot you can turn on/off. The glass is great and I’ve had no issues with it over 7+ years. Only drawback is that it’s not a true 1x power, but as of when I bought it, the true 1-X VLPO optics were all really expensive.

    I think the new model is the VX-Freedom 1.5-4x20 AR FireDot. It looks identical to the VX-R Patrol. MSRP is $650, but you can find it for less retail or, if you’re current military or LEO, Leupold will give you 45% off MSRP if you buy direct (which is a GREAT deal, BTW).

    Good luck!
     

    SkiPatrolDude

    Ultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    Oct 24, 2017
    3,332
    Timonium-Lutherville

    erwos

    The Hebrew Hammer
    MDS Supporter
    Mar 25, 2009
    13,866
    Rockville, MD
    There's two kinds of LPVO users:
    1. People who spend a lot of time on 1x and care about being fast. This is 3gunners, carbine classes, etc.
    2. People who don't. Plinkers, or maybe people who spend a lot of time at 400-600.

    FFP LPVOs without daylight bright illumination are simply not good choices for running and gunning, doubly so if they're using a circle or horseshoe based reticle. If you want to plink, they're fine, but picking up the reticle fast on 1x is just harder and slower than it should be. I can at least design an SFP reticle that will mostly work well without illumination, FFP is gonna be a little black dot or a little black circle-ish dot, which isn't fun to find if you've got a messy forest berm as your background.

    The difference between a 1-6x and 1-8x LPVO is pretty minimal, even at max magnification. Glass, illumination, and reticle are way more important. I would MUCH rather have one of the $600 Bushnell SMRSs at Euro Optic than a PA 1-8x SFP (or FFP). In fact, I'd rather have a Viper PST GenII MRAD than either of them for my usage, but if I was going to spend a bunch of time at max zoom and didn't care about running/gunning, the SMRS 1-6.5x for $600 is by far the best deal in LPVOs out there.

    If you were gonna hold a gun to my head and tell me to pick an LPVO at $500 and under:
    1. Vortex Viper PST Gen II 1-6x
    2. Burris XTR II 1-5x
    3. Sig Whiskey5 1-5x
    4. Burris RT-6
     

    SkiPatrolDude

    Ultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    Oct 24, 2017
    3,332
    Timonium-Lutherville
    FFP LPVOs without daylight bright illumination are simply not good choices for running and gunning, doubly so if they're using a circle or horseshoe based reticle.
    ------------------------------------------------------------------------

    That's why I went with a Nightforce NX8 :party29:, although that is the most I have and probably ever will splurge on optics. It's mind numbingly bright at even medium setting.

    I had the Viper PST Gen 2 1-6 for a few years.. was a great scope, built like a tank and truly had 80-90% of Razor performance for less than half.

    I've only spent a limited amount of time behind an FFP ACSS reticle, but it seemed decent even at 1x, although perhaps not truly daylight bright. The Viper at highest setting was definitely daylight bright.
     

    erwos

    The Hebrew Hammer
    MDS Supporter
    Mar 25, 2009
    13,866
    Rockville, MD
    That's why I went with a Nightforce NX8 :party29:, although that is the most I have and probably ever will splurge on optics. It's mind numbingly bright at even medium setting.
    The NX8 is probably the cheapest FFP LPVO I'd consider. The Razor Gen III is a close competitor... decision for me would come down to whether I cared about weight or not.

    "You need to spend $1700-$1800 for an FFP LPVO that's high performance" is just not news most shooters want to hear, unfortunately.
     

    FHJ69

    Active Member
    Mar 13, 2011
    458
    Upper PDRMC
    On the MilDot Vs. MOA. I've been an MOA person all my life and recently transferred everything over to MRAD. The key take away is, as said before, personal preference. However, make sure that the reticle matches the turrets. One of my old Leupods had mildot reticle and MOA turrets. It was a PITA to get used to. IMHO you really can not go wrong with Vortex. I use EuroOptic because with a military discount you get stupid low prices. And since they're in PA the item usually arrives in one day.
     

    trickg

    Guns 'n Drums
    MDS Supporter
    Jul 22, 2008
    14,602
    Glen Burnie
    I use EuroOptic because with a military discount you get stupid low prices. And since they're in PA the item usually arrives in one day.
    Out of curiosity, is the Military discount a set thing, or is it dependent on manufacturer? I'm still itching for an ACOG, but normal new street price is a bit more than I'd want to pay.
     

    FHJ69

    Active Member
    Mar 13, 2011
    458
    Upper PDRMC
    Out of curiosity, is the Military discount a set thing, or is it dependent on manufacturer? I'm still itching for an ACOG, but normal new street price is a bit more than I'd want to pay.

    Howdy! No, it's not by manufacturer. At least as far as I have noticed. However, be forewarned that if the item is "on sale" you will pay more than you would with your military discount. And they do not allow military discount on items that are "on sale". Does that make sense?
     

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