Best for all-purpose AR - Holographic, or 1-6/1-8 scope?

[Rorge Retson]

Both are a little spendy, especially for the good ones, but what would you choose for your AR for all-around use (optics stays on rifle) - a holographic, or a single-to-6/8 scope?

If you chose one or the other, please elaborate in the comments as to which example would you buy, and why (e.g. I chose the Vortex Strike Eagle because it is a great budget 1-8x).

[theLBC]

i have not heard great things about the strike eagle optical quality...but have not looked through one myself.
i like the lvpo option, now that decent ones can be had at moderate prices.
i have a burris rt-6 that is decent and you can get one with a mount for around $350. works pretty well as a red dot and comes with a bdc type reticle.

if you want something with more features, like locking turrets and a little more magnification and optical quality, i just picked up a swampfox arrowhead 1-10 and at $450, it is a great bargain and very bright and clear optically.

[AlexRod85]

Well For me is Holographic Sight i just think it's perfect fit.

[NorCalRefuge]

Budget LPVO's like the Strike Eagle will have awful scope shadow, and chromatic aberration. In addition, the scope body will appear to be very large and blocking in your vision, compared to higher end models such as the Viper PST or even the famed Razor HD II (who's body melts away like a RDS).

In addition, I have not heard of a single LPVO that has an actual daylight bright red dot - even the Razor (and $$$ NightForce versions).

Something you didn't list in your options would be a RDS with a magnifier. Yes, they kind of fell out of favor for LPVO's, but if you really want something that can excel in low light, daylight, close range and reasonable distance - they are still a great option. Plus, you can remove the magnifier if you won't be using it that day, etc.

I settled on a Holosun HE503CU and a Vortex 3x Micro Magnifier for my recent build. I wanted a Circle Dot, but didn't want a EOTech with it's battery drawbacks. Many RDS can be left on 100% of the time for 5-10 years without replacing the battery - EOTechs will get you a few months max.

Somebody will inevitably come in here and poop all over Holosun for being made in China. Well... not all Chinesium is the same, and until EOTech gets better battery life (or at least shake-awake), and until Aimpoint gives us a circle dot option, it's Holosun all the way. (Holosun even makes Sig RDS's...)

[HKAllTheThings]

The Vortex Razor and PST Gen 2 are both daylight bright in this SoCal sun.

[theLBC]

with a sfp reticle, you don't need illumination to see the reticle in bright daylight, but that is jmo, and the arrowhead is still red against a bright sky.
of course, not trying to compare with scopes that cost 3-6 times as much...

[NorCalRefuge]

The Vortex Razor and PST Gen 2 are both daylight bright in this SoCal sun.

Do you have a RDS to compare to directly? Any decent quality RDS can go so bright it hurts your eyes... I have yet to see any scope be able to match that range.

Daylight Bright means the illuminated reticle won't be washed out when contrasted with brightly lit objects or reflections from rocks or windows, etc.

Scope reticles are etched, and have to have light "funneled" into the reticle, vs. a RDS which is literally a bright LED (or laser in holo sights) reflecting directly off the objective lens back into your eye.

Illumination on LPVO's seems to mostly be there to help with low light conditions, where the etched black reticle would melt away. So, even if you can see the illumination during the day, it probably doesn't compete with a real RDS.

With that said, the Razor is supposed to be among the best LPVO's for illumination brightness, so might be sufficient for many cases.

[HKAllTheThings]

Do you have a RDS to compare to directly? Any decent quality RDS can go so bright it hurts your eyes... I have yet to see any scope be able to match that range.

Daylight Bright means the illuminated reticle won't be washed out when contrasted with brightly lit objects or reflections from rocks or windows, etc.

Scope reticles are etched, and have to have light "funneled" into the reticle, vs. a RDS which is literally a bright LED (or laser in holo sights) reflecting directly off the objective lens back into your eye.

Illumination on LPVO's seems to mostly be there to help with low light conditions, where the etched black reticle would melt away. So, even if you can see the illumination during the day, it probably doesn't compete with a real RDS.

With that said, the Razor is supposed to be among the best LPVO's for illumination brightness, so might be sufficient for many cases.

Of course. Those 2 are plenty bright enough to provide contrast. I used the Razor on my last 2 Afghan tours as well so for desert enviros, no problemos there.
But yes, they are not brighter than red dots.

[DrewTheBrave]

I think a LPVO suits the "general purpose" role for ARs pretty well, but almost all of my ARs have higher magnification scopes on them. My "general purposes" involve target shooting at 100+ yards and hunting, so 3-9x, 2-10x, 3-15x, and similar scopes work best for me. I don't really need 1x on the low end for those scoped rifles, so the small exit pupil, low field of view, and tight eyebox of LPVOs aren't worth the tradeoff to me.

I have a Red Dot and mounted light on my HD AR, but I hardly consider that a "general purpose" gun. If you plan on using a gun for self defense, kit it out specifically for that role and do not compromise to "do everything" if at all possible.

If you only have one rifle to do it all, I think a quality 1-4x or 1-6x SFP optic is a safe bet. The Burris RT-6 would be my top choice for a budget LPVO under $500.
If you're able to spend $500+, then the Vortex Viper PST Gen2, Delta Stryker, or Steiner P4xi are noticeable steps up in performance.
If you can afford $1000+, then FFP and higher magnifications (1-8x, 1-10x) start to become a bit more worthwhile.

[HooYah]

I prefer running an EOTech and 3x mag with Unity mounts.

[theLBC]

I think a LPVO suits the "general purpose" role for ARs pretty well, but almost all of my ARs have higher magnification scopes on them. My "general purposes" involve target shooting at 100+ yards and hunting, so 3-9x, 2-10x, 3-15x, and similar scopes work best for me. I don't really need 1x on the low end for those scoped rifles, so the small exit pupil, low field of view, and tight eyebox of LPVOs aren't worth the tradeoff to me.

I have a Red Dot and mounted light on my HD AR, but I hardly consider that a "general purpose" gun. If you plan on using a gun for self defense, kit it out specifically for that role and do not compromise to "do everything" if at all possible.

If you only have one rifle to do it all, I think a quality 1-4x or 1-6x SFP optic is a safe bet. The Burris RT-6 would be my top choice for a budget LPVO under $500.
If you're able to spend $500+, then the Vortex Viper PST Gen2, Delta Stryker, or Steiner P4xi are noticeable steps up in performance.
If you can afford $1000+, then FFP and higher magnifications (1-8x, 1-10x) start to become a bit more worthwhile.

i have the rt-6 on my 10/22 and it is a great value. you can probably get the scope and the burris mount packaged for $350 at cameralandny.com or cabelas. (i did).
that said, for $450, the swampfox arrowhead 1-10 is better in pretty much every way.

[Munny$hot]

IMHO for a one and done optic an LPVO is your option. A scope or magnifier doesn't make you shoot better it lets you see better. Can you reach out to @ 300 with a RDS and PID your target yup, but with a 1-6/8 LPVO you can stretch your range out to 500+ yards without a problem with a larger field of view.

As far as dot brightness the Razor Gen I/II/III is absolutely daylight bright. I have used multiple AimPoint Comp, T1, RMR, MRO, etc. In 12:00 noon sunny no cloud day at the highest setting an Aimpoint dot on setting 16 will bloom due to being so bright. A Razor will be @ setting 15/14 which will also bloom in the same condition.

The few reason a LPVO is a better option is with an etched reticle adjustable diopter it will be an optic multiple users can use with varying vision and your eyes will be able to grow into as you age.

[static2126]

For an all purpose ar what distance are you thinking? We decided on the primary arms 2x acss as it is great.for.indoors out to say 250 or so.

[static2126]

Lvpos are great but there are weight and eyebox penalties

[Rich1911]

+1 on an LPVO being the best "all around" option. I had the Viper PST, but upgraded to the Razor--both are absolutely daylight bright. I also have an Aimpoint Pro, in which both the Viper and Razor do live up to the "Aimpoint bright" saying.

I do somewhat treat the Razor as a red dot, and it is nice to shoot accurately at range. Downside, it is noticeably heavier.