Thoughts On Sightmark?

[Bgillette91]

I was at the indoor range today when I befriended a guy in the lane next to me. He wanted me to try out his custom AR that he just assembled for his wife. It was pretty badass. Franklin Armory lower, Spikes upper, Magpul UBR? stock, Noveske barrel and KMR handguards. He had MBUS back up sights and a Sightmark red dot. I dont know what model the sightmark was but that was what really grabbed my attention. It had a bunch of different reticle options, a few looked like the big 65/1 MOA reticles that echoed EOTech, as well as a single 1 MOA red dot that reminded me of an Aimpoint. The reticle was super crisp and I was floored when he said it was only 100 bucks. Ive been looking for optic options for my AR and AK and have been looking into mid range stuff like Vortex and Burris as well as top shelf stuff like Aimpoint and Trijicon, and even Leupold. Now i know that the high end stuff is really nice quality and will survive a ton of combat abuse, but at 100 bucks the Sightmark really sounds like a viable option. But it just sounds kinda wierd having a tactical light on my rifles that cost more than the optic. I also found it strange that this dude dropped a ton of dough on high end AR parts and accessories and then puts a super cheap optic on top. Do you guys have any stories to tell me about your experience with Sightmark?

[teflondog]

I was at the indoor range today when I befriended a guy in the lane next to me. He wanted me to try out his custom AR that he just assembled for his wife. It was pretty badass. Franklin Armory lower, Spikes upper, Magpul UBR? stock, Noveske barrel and KMR handguards. He had MBUS back up sights and a Sightmark red dot. I dont know what model the sightmark was but that was what really grabbed my attention. It had a bunch of different reticle options, a few looked like the big 65/1 MOA reticles that echoed EOTech, as well as a single 1 MOA red dot that reminded me of an Aimpoint. The reticle was super crisp and I was floored when he said it was only 100 bucks. Ive been looking for optic options for my AR and AK and have been looking into mid range stuff like Vortex and Burris as well as top shelf stuff like Aimpoint and Trijicon, and even Leupold. Now i know that the high end stuff is really nice quality and will survive a ton of combat abuse, but at 100 bucks the Sightmark really sounds like a viable option. But it just sounds kinda wierd having a tactical light on my rifles that cost more than the optic. I also found it strange that this dude dropped a ton of dough on high end AR parts and accessories and then puts a super cheap optic on top. Do you guys have any stories to tell me about your experience with Sightmark?

I myself would only use a Sightmark on a .22lr rifle or on a cheap AR build. But on a SHTF rifle or one that I plan on taking to classes, I would save up and get an Aimpoint Pro at the very least.

I don't understand why the guy spent so much on his build but then cheaped out with the Sightmark. He spent twice as much on his handguard than his optic. Putting a Sightmark on a "badass" rifle is like putting Walmart tires on a race car.

[alabamacoastie]

I put walmart tires on my race car... By the time i finished dropping money into my AR308, all i could afford was a Sightmark scope. I bought it cheap on amazon and kept saying, I'll buy a better scope later. Well, it's been doing so well at the range that i don't want to waste money on a new scope until this one breaks. I should add that it has only been used out to 200 yards. I know it's not a NightForce and I'm ok with that.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B004TDPNOW/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?qid=1465233946&sr=8-2&pi=SX200_QL40&keywords=sightmark+50&dpPl=1&dpID=31ryZAiF0yL&ref=plSrch

[Divernhunter]

The trouble with the cheap stuff is you never know if it will work(even out of the box) or when it will fail. On a range rifle/pistol I guess it does not matter much. On one for hunting or more important uses it does matter to me.

To each his own.

I remember people buying new Rem/Win/Weatherby and high dollar rifles then putting $29 Bushnell Sportsview scopes on them when I worked at a good gun shop. Many later brought them back complaining they fogged, broke, etc and sometimes saying the rifle had a problem because it was shooting all over the place. The problem was the cheap scope.

Sometimes the cheap stuff will work for a long time. Sometimes not even be able to be mounted. Also it will usually work longer if the firearm is not shot much or is a low recoiling firearm.

[manuelcardenas77]

I put walmart tires on my race car... By the time i finished dropping money into my AR308, all i could afford was a Sightmark scope. I bought it cheap on amazon and kept saying, I'll buy a better scope later. Well, it's been doing so well at the range that i don't want to waste money on a new scope until this one breaks. I should add that it has only been used out to 200 yards. I know it's not a NightForce and I'm ok with that.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B004TDPNOW/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?qid=1465233946&sr=8-2&pi=SX200_QL40&keywords=sightmark+50&dpPl=1&dpID=31ryZAiF0yL&ref=plSrch

You should have just bought some iron sights,for 200 yards

[alabamacoastie]

You should have just bought some iron sights,for 200 yards

YEP. I agree with you. I should have just put iron sights on it.

My wife and i plan to leave california within the next two years. Wherever we go, i want to buy 50+acres. I'll have my own land to shoot on, whenever i want. Then, i plan to buy a nice scope and work my way up to 1000 yard shots.

I grew up in Alabama. I can't wait to own my own land and to be able to wake up and shoot deer from my own back porch. No hunting license, no game tags, no paperwork. That'll be a great day.

When i hit my mid life crisis, I'm not going to buy a stupid sports car. I'm going to buy a Barrett .50 cal.

[FMJBT]

As cheap optics go the Sightmark stuff isn't too bad. Glass is reasonably clear, and the turret adjustments are actually pretty decent with very positive clicks. I've shot with the 2.5-10X32 version out to 1000 yards, and while not ideal for that distance it is still perfectly capable of getting it done as long as you're not shooting at targets that require a lot of resolution to see that far out. Good for banging steel plates, but probably not for varmint hunting at extended ranges.

[camaroguy2012]

haha i had a cheap sightmark red dot on my 870 and someone knocked it over and it smashed to a million pieces.

[alabamacoastie]

My first red dot was a $30 Barska from Big 5. That's thirty bucks I'll never get back. It lasted one trip to the range, then it literally vibrated apart while shooting on the second trip.

My second red dot was a $80 dollar bushnell trs25. After a year, it's still going strong.

I'm slowly learning my lesson on buying cheap optics, but I'll never pay more than 250 dollars for a red dot. That's silly.

[teflondog]

I put walmart tires on my race car... By the time i finished dropping money into my AR308, all i could afford was a Sightmark scope. I bought it cheap on amazon and kept saying, I'll buy a better scope later. Well, it's been doing so well at the range that i don't want to waste money on a new scope until this one breaks. I should add that it has only been used out to 200 yards. I know it's not a NightForce and I'm ok with that.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B004TDPNOW/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?qid=1465233946&sr=8-2&pi=SX200_QL40&keywords=sightmark+50&dpPl=1&dpID=31ryZAiF0yL&ref=plSrch

A Sightmark scope is a lot more forgiving than their red dots. The scope's main downfall will be inferior glass, which isn't a big deal since it still gets the job done. A Sightmark red dot uses inferior electronic components. Once those fail, the optic becomes useless.

[Meatballs697]

I have fired 1000s or rounds of .357 mag from a S&W 327 MP R8 revolver and then 1000s of 7.62x39 from an AK on the same Sightmark optic. Got it off Amazon, not a single problem with it. on the same battery now that I think about it. Off a sandbag @50y and with the Sightmark 5x magnifier, I consistently shoot between .5-1" groups with the sight on the AK. The one I have is the "EOTech looking" Sightmark red dot. It's definitely NOT an EOTech, I own one of those too, but from an accuracy standpoint, you couldn't shoot any better with the $550 price tag over the $100. So IMO it's a good way to save money if you aren just gonna be a range warrior and won't be carrying your rifle to Afghanistan.


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[mshill]

I have both the Sureshot and Ultrashot on a couple of .22s. While the Sureshot isn't built as well it is light and holds zero fine. I really like the Ultrashot but my bigest complaint is the battery life and the stupid little batteries that it uses.