crazyboy 13 Posted November 11, 2009 Time to start researching for optics for the AR15. The EOTech 516 and the Aimpoint ML3 have both caught my attention. Everything I have read so far seems to be more of personal preference between the two, as they both are quality. So I'm looking for input on them. Has anyone used the sightmark knock off of the aimpoint. There seems to be alot of talk about it on ar15.com and majority of people seem to like it, but then again if your going to do it why not do it right? Thanks Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Caine 147 Posted November 11, 2009 No experience with the sightmark. EOTechs and Aimpoints both have their pluses and minuses, but either will serve you well. One thing to note with EOTechs is that certain models (can't remember which off the top of my head) have been plagued with battery problems. Supposedly newer revisions have addressed most of those issues. When it was time for me to decide, I went with an Aimpoint, mostly because the battery life couldn't be beat. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ChrisFry 8 Posted November 11, 2009 1) You get what you pay for 2) Try your best to shoot a couple guns with one of each optic first before buying 3) Aimpoint tends to have better battery life as Caine mentions and the mounts are generally better made for proper co-witnessing with your irons in the lower 1/3 of the optic I shot with an Aimpoint Mirco T-1 this last weekend and loved it, that will be my next purchase as soon as I can sell some other gear. Good luck Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Cylinder Head 22 Posted November 23, 2009 I have the aimpoint and it's bomb-proof. After a long shooting session I put it in my rifle bag on the underside of my M1A, and it spent the ride home grinding the magazine release against the glass on the front of the optic (the cover somehow popped open). Huge, nasty gash in the glass, but somehow when you look through it, you can't see any difference. Not a hint. Fantastic optic. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Lublin 3 Posted November 23, 2009 1) You get what you pay for My brother bought a cheap red dot for his 12 gauge. Took 5 shots with it and threw it in the trash. 6" groups @ 50 yards is unacceptable. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
coldsolderjoint 84 Posted November 23, 2009 1) You get what you pay for My brother bought a cheap red dot for his 12 gauge. Took 5 shots with it and threw it in the trash. 6" groups @ 50 yards is unacceptable. From what I read, shotguns are pretty picky about what kind of slugs they like to shoot. Was the gun sighted in before the red dot? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Malsua 1,422 Posted November 23, 2009 1) You get what you pay for My brother bought a cheap red dot for his 12 gauge. Took 5 shots with it and threw it in the trash. 6" groups @ 50 yards is unacceptable. From what I read, shotguns are pretty picky about what kind of slugs they like to shoot. Was the gun sighted in before the red dot? +1 for rifled slugs slugs. Rifled Barrel + Sabots and most shotguns will hold 1inch groups at 50 yards. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mauser88 0 Posted November 28, 2009 Easy to remember. Knockoff = crap. Don't do it. As stated, you get what you pay for. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
crazyboy 13 Posted November 28, 2009 Clearly the knock off is out. And it seems the aimpoint vs eotech is just personal preference. :doh: Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
EchoMirage 137 Posted November 28, 2009 i got a $30 tasco red dot from amazon for my AR. works just fine, hardly needed much sighting in at 50 yards. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Posted December 5, 2009 I have the aimpoint and it's bomb-proof....Fantastic optic. times 2 i have had identical experience with my aimpoint.. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
HODGIE 3 Posted December 5, 2009 It's kind of ridicilous to think that only EOTech and Aimpoint make the only halo, red dot or reflex sights that are not garbage. Yes there are a ton of cheap optics out there from china but there are some good ones for about half the cost of a EOTech or Aimpoint. Bushnell makes excellent optics they have never let me down with scopes there are reviews on just about every optic out there I am sure you can find one on these. http://shop.sportsmansguide.com/net/cb/ ... x?a=449050 http://shop.sportsmansguide.com/net/cb/ ... x?a=449049 http://www.cmore.com/tactical.html http://www.midwayusa.com/browse/BrowseP ... andId=2242 It's hard to beat these, they are pricey from this site but can be found from midway much cheaper. I know 2 guy's that have taken their personal one with them to Iraq and Afghanistan to use on their M4's because they are that good. EOTech and Aimpoint are no doubt excellent optics and well made but there is no reason why someone with a lower price point cannot get a excellent optic without having to drop $350.00 to $600.00. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Teufelhunden 6 Posted December 6, 2009 It's kind of ridicilous to think that only EOTech and Aimpoint make the only halo, red dot or reflex sightsthat are not garbage. Yes there are a ton of cheap optics out there from china but there are some good ones for about half the cost of a EOTech or Aimpoint. Bushnell makes excellent optics they have never let me down with scopes there are reviews on just about every optic out there I am sure you can find one on these. http://shop.sportsmansguide.com/net/cb/ ... x?a=449050 http://shop.sportsmansguide.com/net/cb/ ... x?a=449049 You are definitely right about Bushnell. Their Holosight is the same sight as an Eotech minus the guard, and at a much better price. http://www.opticsplanet.net/bushnell-holosight.html They are made in the same Ann Arbor, MI factory as the Eotechs. For anyone else considering knock-offs, the most important reason to avoid them is to prevent giving the manufacturer of these any business. There are unscrupulous dealers (and possibly unaware dealers) selling knock offs as the real thing. Our troops have been known to buy these before deployment and because of the quality, they can easily break or lose zero, putting our troops in danger. There was even a case of an ebay dealer selling fake serial number stickers for Eotech knock-offs. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
crazyboy 13 Posted December 6, 2009 It's kind of ridicilous to think that only EOTech and Aimpoint make the only halo, red dot or reflex sightsthat are not garbage. Yes there are a ton of cheap optics out there from china but there are some good ones for about half the cost of a EOTech or Aimpoint. Bushnell makes excellent optics they have never let me down with scopes there are reviews on just about every optic out there I am sure you can find one on these. http://shop.sportsmansguide.com/net/cb/ ... x?a=449050 http://shop.sportsmansguide.com/net/cb/ ... x?a=449049 http://www.cmore.com/tactical.html http://www.midwayusa.com/browse/BrowseP ... andId=2242 It's hard to beat these, they are pricey from this site but can be found from midway much cheaper. I know 2 guy's that have taken their personal one with them to Iraq and Afghanistan to use on their M4's because they are that good. EOTech and Aimpoint are no doubt excellent optics and well made but there is no reason why someone with a lower price point cannot get a excellent optic without having to drop $350.00 to $600.00. Thanks for the info, I appreciate it. The cmore doesn't really look durable the way just the lens sticks up, is it? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
crazyboy 13 Posted December 6, 2009 It's kind of ridicilous to think that only EOTech and Aimpoint make the only halo, red dot or reflex sightsthat are not garbage. Yes there are a ton of cheap optics out there from china but there are some good ones for about half the cost of a EOTech or Aimpoint. Bushnell makes excellent optics they have never let me down with scopes there are reviews on just about every optic out there I am sure you can find one on these. http://shop.sportsmansguide.com/net/cb/ ... x?a=449050 http://shop.sportsmansguide.com/net/cb/ ... x?a=449049 You are definitely right about Bushnell. Their Holosight is the same sight as an Eotech minus the guard, and at a much better price. http://www.opticsplanet.net/bushnell-holosight.html They are made in the same Ann Arbor, MI factory as the Eotechs. For anyone else considering knock-offs, the most important reason to avoid them is to prevent giving the manufacturer of these any business. There are unscrupulous dealers (and possibly unaware dealers) selling knock offs as the real thing. Our troops have been known to buy these before deployment and because of the quality, they can easily break or lose zero, putting our troops in danger. There was even a case of an ebay dealer selling fake serial number stickers for Eotech knock-offs. Thanks for your input. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
HODGIE 3 Posted December 6, 2009 The cmore's are built to last, they are a halo sight and are built like tanks. Trust me you would not see soldiers taking them off their personal rifles and then off to war if they were not. The comes in several different models, the cheaper ones have a polly frame like the EO-Tech and they are great for plinking or the range, if you plan to go to war they have a aluminum frame that is built like a tank. The glass is tuffer then one would think most of the time all the high end use hard coated and weather proofed glass. They have a interchangeable moa system which is great if you shoot at all different ranges. Some even have the rear back up sight built into the system it can be used directly through the glass if the optic fails for some reason. It's well worth it's weight in gold. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
crazyboy 13 Posted December 6, 2009 The cmore's are built to last, they are a halo sight and are built like tanks.Trust me you would not see soldiers taking them off their personal rifles and then off to war if they were not. The comes in several different models, the cheaper ones have a polly frame like the EO-Tech and they are great for plinking or the range, if you plan to go to war they have a aluminum frame that is built like a tank. The glass is tuffer then one would think most of the time all the high end use hard coated and weather proofed glass. They have a interchangeable moa system which is great if you shoot at all different ranges. Some even have the rear back up sight built into the system it can be used directly through the glass if the optic fails for some reason. It's well worth it's weight in gold. Understood. Thanks Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
civictuner04 6 Posted December 31, 2009 i just ordered a few knocks to give them a try...1 eotech clone and a aimpoint clone with magnifier---1 is for my gsg and other is for my wasr 10 i spent $180 with shipping for gsg mount, 2 the 2 red dots and magnifier i will do a right up on all the above... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
djg0770 481 Posted December 31, 2009 i will do a right up on all the above... No - no you won't do a right up. You might create a write up, but it will probably need that guy Ed - you know, the one who does EDiting. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
exedotbat 0 Posted January 9, 2010 what kind of shooting do you plan on doing, are you just going to the range and punching paper? If so I would suggest something with a little mag like 1-4x. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RV-Ted 0 Posted January 11, 2010 Hey civictuner, was the aimpoint clone with magnifier a "Strikefire" by chance? They have gotten really good reviews considering their $150.00 avg. price. In their defense, they resemble an aimpoint but are not intended to be clones. Their controls are different locations and they have the option of red AND green dots. They are also NV compatible. Dave(?) Fortier did a favorable write-up in ShotgunNews a while back and I've read good reviews on other forums. They include a 2x magnifier that threads on the back and a high or low mount (high is for co-witness on ARs). I plan on putting one on my MP15FT as soon as I can get away with it! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites