Red dot questions

[Sacbjackson]

So I just finished an AR15 build and I'm looking into red dots. There are so many different brands and configurations that I don't know where to begin so I thought I'd turn to my fellow gun gurus for some insite and knowledge. So one of my biggest concerns is batteries. I know its stupid, but I'm in the military and right now I have to always have a set of AAA for my helmet light, AA for my flashlight, and CR123 for my scope. So that's my military get up and I want to make my civilian less complicated. So I've seen a lot of AA red dots and CR123. I haven't seen any AAA. Do they make a AAA because I would like to carry less weight. If they do make a AAA can you let me know the brand name because I would like to do some research. Currently my flashlights at home are AAA and if I can just carry spare AAA it would make it easier than all these different kinds of batteries. Another concern of mine is size. I'm not a big fan of a huge acog or a eotech with a magnifier. I like a slimmer design. Is there any benefits to a larger red dot? I mean essentially you are putting a dot on target and pulling the trigger. Does a larger scope make it easier? Just to give you an idea, I carried a rifle with an eotech 552 in the military and thought it was a little on the larger side. Any help would be greatly appreciated on this subject as I don't know what I want to get yet.

[balrog006]

Two words

"Aimpoint Micro"

Nothing out there is better, more reliable, easier to use, tougher, has longer batter life or better quality.

[SlowDog]

I prefer the Eotech 512 just because my rifle came with battery tubes built into the stock and AA batteries are everywhere....just my :twocents:

[Sacbjackson]

What kind of batteries does the micro take?

[5.56]

Bushnell TRS-25 ...... if for AR or like get the riser ... I like mine , so does NUTnFANCY ** 2032 Bat. **
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jGLOd1jHz8E
http://www.dx.com/p/2032-x-20-pcs-cell-batteries-751?rt=1&p=0&m=0&r=3&k=1&t=1&s=60&u=751#.U9nKiyi9_Fs

[FADE TO BLACK]

Two words

"Aimpoint Micro"

Nothing out there is better, more reliable, easier to use, tougher, has longer batter life or better quality.

This, or the Aimpoint Pro. Depending on your budget both are proven winners.

[balrog006]

What kind of batteries does the micro take?

Flat 3v lithium watch cells, CR2032 usually. As far as storing them, they will fit anywhere and are usually available anyplace more than a gas station. Though needing one is a remote possibility, life in an Aimpoint is 50,000 hours or so:shock:

[rjc5197]

This, or the Aimpoint Pro. Depending on your budget both are proven winners.

Ditto
I have Aimpoint Pro and it is a great unit.

[chosos]

for the $, the aimpoint pro is hard to beat. or even a used aimpoint comp, since mounts are so easy to find. if you have the $, the aimpoint pro is awesome.

[BigMoose]

Regarding SlowDog's post...

Totally agree -- AA batteries are a big selling point IMO.

[mitommy]

Regarding SlowDog's post...

Totally agree -- AA batteries are a big selling point IMO.

I originally bought an Eotech 512 for this reason and the built n mount. In reality the battery became a non issue. I just pur new ones in at the beginning of summer and they lasted for all my weekend shooting. What I did find annoying about the Eotech was the auto shut off feature (designed to save battery life). I had a few occasions where the thing shut down while shooting a match (3-gun). Tha convinced me to change.

I went with the Aimpoint micro and added a true co-witness larue mount (when spending that much on the dot! Don't skimp in the mount) I liked the micro because of the small size. It doesn't obscure your view and is very light. With 50000 hours battery life, you could turn it on & not have to worry about batteries. As with the Eotech, I changed the battery at the beginning of the summer. More for a preventive measure than need. I kept an extra battery in my range bag - just in case. (it's the size of a quarter). I never needed that spare!

Another thing I noticed was my groups really tightened with the Aimpoint. I had heard stories about Eotech dot moving. I'm not sure if my dot was moving, or if the single dot of the Aimpoint (vs the dot in circle Eotech) just made me focus my shots better.

That's just one person's specific experience.

[chosos]

if you rock nvg, an Eotech 512 might also be an option, because then you can just stock AA Lithium's and call it a day.

Granted, on an Aimpoint Micro or better yet, a Trijicon RMR dual illumination or similar, you'll likely never have to change the batteries.

[1996MonteSS]

Primary Arms just released the their new micro red dot. Rated at 50k+ hrs. I have the older version and love it. I always buy a few extra cr2032 batteries. Keep one in my range bag, and 1 in my grip storage. PA gets my vote for quality budget optics.

[bolonytony24]

Vortex has a decent line IMO for the money.