Vortex Strikefire red dot

[HiBC]

There are things that appeal to me about this sight.I saw one at a good price locally,and I bought it.
Pretty much,what you have for controls are two elastomer covered buttons,a + and a - .This is the "Brightness" control,and also the "On" and "Off"

Now,I really do not want to condemn the line,but the one I bought had the issue of requiring extreme pressure on the buttons to activate them. I did not have an instrument to measure it,but seat of the pants guess,30 lbs plus.

There was no "Push the button,and it comes on" It was "Push really hard,check for red dot,push harder,repeat"

Not something I wanted to work with,and IMO,subject to failure.

So,I took it back to the LGS. The sales person tried it. He agreed,not so good.
He pulled another out of stock,and it was worse.

He happily refunded my money. Thats a good thing about buying local.

I only tried a sampling of two units. Maybe production had a bad day.

I don't know,but I suggest if you are buying one,try the buttons first.

 

[ms6852]

I have the Vortex Prism 3X spitfire, never have had those issues that you experienced with the Spitfire. I would give the prism a try, it has green and red illumination with 5 levels of brightnesss a bdc reticle good to 500 yards, a semi-circle used for CQB and the reticle is etched that you can see if the battery goes out. Very solid and well made. I give it a rating of 5 jalapeños out of 5.

 

[HiBC]

Thank you for the suggestion.
I'm building an AR 300 blackout pistol . I studied the BATF 2017 memo.
The BATF says the gun must be engineered to be used as a pistol from the get-go.

My interpretation, a 3x scope with short eye relief would dictate shooting it as a rifle. That could be a problem. A red dot with unlimited eye relief is not a problem.

I'm trying to pay attention to the details.

I'm just going to use iron sights for a while. AR bling is expensive.

I think Vortex makes good stuff. I'm not running them down. But IMO, this feature is worth checking before you leave the store.

 

[Warhammer]

Take a look at Holosun. I have one on an AK and one on a 12 gauge. Awesome sights with some really great features.

 

[gaseousclay]

^^
I picked up the green dot Holosun today but will be returning it. For some reason the reticles are really blurry and aren’t clear. When I tried switching to the dot reticle it looked more like a shotgun blast pattern rather than an actual green dot. I’m assuming it’s something to do with the lens and not my vision. Super disappointed

 

[stagpanther]

My theory is that every red dot no matter who's name is on it if it's under $200 it's made by the same factory in China--they all seem to have the propensity to flare.

 

[Warhammer]

How used are you to shooting with red dots like this? (Please don't be insulted by this question.) With regular magnified scopes, you can look directly at the reticule and it will appear crisp. With reflex dot sights, you need to focus both eyes on your target and look through, not at, the reticule. Pretend like the sight isn't there and just allow it to hover in the air between you and your target. It is typical for the dot (or circle) to look fuzzy if you focus on it. This effect is even worse if you have any astigmatism. Also, check the brightness setting. Having it set too bright for your surroundings will make it look fuzzy. The auto-adjust on my Holosuns works great too prevent this.

I had this problem when I bought my first Holosun. I called their customer support line and they talked me through the proper use of this type of sight. After correcting my technique, it worked great! It did take me a bit of intentional practice before using the sight correctly became natural. At first, I'd catch myself shifting my focus back to the dot and I'd really have to concentrate to keep my focus on the target, especially with closer targets. After a bit of practice, both at home with an unloaded weapon and at the range, it became very natural. I'm happy enough with my first Holosun (on my AK) that I bought a second one for my Mossberg Shockwave.

 

[gaseousclay]

I think you’re right. I took a picture of the green dot with my cell phone and it looks crisp. When I look through the sight it’s a star burst pattern. Does this mean I have astigmatism? Last time I had my vision checked, like 10 yrs ago, I had 20/15 vision.

 

[Warhammer]

You'd have to get a vision test to know for sure, but astigmatism can certainly do that. Try really focusing your eyes on your target (something like a door knob or light switch) and acting like the dot isn't there. It feels weird at first and actually takes a bit of effort to get your eyes and brain to do it. You'll naturally want to look at the dot (it IS a bright green dot, after all), but you need to look past the dot. Dialing down the brightness can help you get the hang of it.

 

[HiBC]

Interesting about the flare and focus. I know it was ridiculous before cataract surgery. Red dot looked like a cluster of grapes.That cell phone shot is revealing!
I might be looking at a SIG red dot after a bit, maybe the MRS ?

It has lens caps and a skeletonized AR height base.

I had a look through on another SIG sight...the compact,sleek one that looks identical to three or four competitors. Hand held,in the store the optics of it seemed quite crisp and clear.

I don't doubt the value of a red dot sight. I've spent too much for my budget already.

Irons with tritium will have to do for now.

 

[ghbucky]

Just to weigh in that I have a Leupold RDS that is amazing clarity and I have no issues getting a crisp focus on the dot if I want to try to be precise. It is also nice that is has variable brightness. The dot is only 1 moa, so that might be a bit small for some people.

Otherwise, as has been stated, if you mount the rifle and look downrange you have a dot aim point in your field of view.

 

[gaseousclay]

Interesting about the flare and focus. I know it was ridiculous before cataract surgery. Red dot looked like a cluster of grapes.That cell phone shot is revealing!

It's definitely revealing. I found some videos on red dots and astigmatism and it's exactly what i'm seeing. Had I known I might have astigmatism I probably would've gone with a Leupold.

*Sorry @HiBC, didn't mean to hijack your thread.

 

[HiBC]

Sorry @HiBC, didn't mean to hijack your thread.

I did not take it as a hijack. I've had similar concerns and I learned some valuable things.

Thank you for your contribution.

 

[bamaranger]

we're gonna see

Bamaboy has a Strikefire II on one of his AR's and the clarity of the dot impressed me greatly. The other 60 yr+ guy shooting with us was impressed as well. Subsequently, we've both of us old guys have gone out and bought a Strikefire II. Mines not come in yet, but we're gonna see how it does for me on an AR carbine.