I'm looking for a cheap but durable red dot

[savasyn]

I'd like to get an inexpensive but durable red dot scope to mount on a Mosin M44 via scout mount.

Obviously I'm not interested a $400+ optic on a $90 rifle, but it does need to stand up to the recoil of 7.62x54R.

Thanks!

[geeknow]

I picked up a "clonepoint" off the net for $79 shipped. I have been surprisingly impressed with it. No, it is not a $400 Aimpoint, but for what I spent, it was more than I expected.

.....looking for the linky

[savasyn]

That sounds good. Please post the link when you find it.
Thanks!

[gottarollwithit]

Vortex Strikefire-releasing tomorra???

Talk with Scotty at Liberty Optics. One of the friendliest folks in the industry. I think i called him pretty late at nite too!

[LibertyOptics]

Vortex Strikefire would fit the bill. Cheap quality backed 100% by a reputable company. Like $129 shipped.

thanks for the comment. Glad my phone manners have improved

[maxicon]

If you want to go with a clonepoint, I've had good luck with the Aimpoint lookalike from 1337tactical, who have a good reputation for customer support:

http://www.1337tactical.com/shop/productlist.php?typeId=1

They're out of stock on the high mount version, but the low mount's probably what you'd want for an M44, I'd guess. Avoid the QD mount, as there are complaints about it breaking.

You can get ones like them cheaper from ebay and other places, but if you want to go with a place with a good reputation and lots of satisfied users of their specific product, 1337tactical is a good bet.

[Ledbetter]

Do Not Buy A BSA.

I have had good luck with Bushell Trophy.

[savasyn]

Excellent, thanks for all the suggestions, you guys!

[Sheldon]

I got one of these for kicks. Less than $35 shipped. Not bad for what it is. I haven't mounted it yet.

http://cgi.ebay.com/G-P-30mm-Aimpoint-Red-Dot-Sight-w-QD-L-Mount-GP121_W0QQitemZ270260975925QQihZ017QQcategoryZ7307QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

[Ironchef]

I'd first recommend getting a good mount first, since there's only really two to choose from that stay put on that kind of rifle. SKmounts and Darrells. I think the S&K ones are superior to Darrells..plus Darrell probably doesn't even have any.

http://www.scopemounts.com/index.html?main.html

Otherwise, I'm sure the advice above is good..i bet some chinese ones are fine..although that IS a hard recoil to withstand. Then again, my cheap-o ncstar 4x32 scope is plenty durable and holding just fine after several hundred rounds of bulgarian heavy ball 184 grain surplus.

[djbooya]

What would I be missing out on with other manufacturers such as BSA or NCStar? I'm not sure what I'm missing out on when purchasing a sub $50 Red Dot vs. $100 vs. $400+.

Do Not Buy A BSA.

I have had good luck with Bushell Trophy.

I've got a BSA on my 10/22 and it seems to work fine. Is there something I should watch out for going forward? I only use it for plinking / target shooting up to 25-50 yards and haven't had an issue yet. Although I must admit I've only had it for a month or so now.

[maxicon]

The low-end gear like BSA and NCStar have 2 main issues.

One is that optical quality is often mediocre. This isn't as big a deal as with magnified optics, but it bugs some people. My dad had a $30 BSA red dot that had terrible distortion around the edges. He didn't even notice it, and I couldn't keep from noticing it. I'd pay more for better glass (or plastic, in this case), but not everyone cares that much.

The other is that quality control is a lot more uncertain. There are people who report great results with BSA, NCStar, Leapers, and other bottom end optics, but there are also lots of people who say theirs didn't survive the first 50 rounds - reticles shifting, knobs falling off, power drop-outs, etc. Now, most of these have strong warranties, but most of them require you to cover a handling charge and ship it back on your dime. If you have to do this twice on a $50 red dot, you might as well have bought a $80 red dot, and so on.

Some models have lots of good feedback from users, and if you can identify them, you're a step ahead of the game. There are no-name Aimpoint look-alikes where satisfied users far outnumber unhappy ones, so that decreases the risk, but there are others that you just don't know anything about. At least with BSA and other name brands you know where to go for support.

You may have good luck, not mind the warts, and have great reliability. If so, that's great. If not, well, it's a lesson learned, and it's a very common one. Tons of people figure "What the heck, it's only $30/50/whatever", and take a chance, but it's also common to hear them regret it later.

[MAX100]

The Millett, Bushnell Trophy, Tasco PDP3 are all good red dot sights for the money. The Ultra Dot is a Excellent red dot sight with less parallax error but they cost more, about $150. Many of the top pistol target shooters use a Ultra Dot sight. The Sightron is excellent but they cost more also.

You don't have to pay $300 - $400 to get a good red dot sight.

GC

[djbooya]

The Millett, Rushnell Trophy, Tasco PDP3 are all good red dot sights for the money. The Ultra Dot is a Excellent red dot sight with less parallax error but they cost more, about $150. Many of the top pistol target shooters use a Ultra Dot sight. The Sightron is excellent but they cost more also.

You don't have to pay $300 - $400 to get a good red dot sight.

GC

Thanks for your feedback. My NcStar red dot sight was backordered so I just changed it out with a Bushnell Trophy. Not too much more, but looks like I'll get a bit better quality out of it.

[MAX100]

I would say that Bushnell and Millett are much better quality than the NcStar. You can't go wrong with either. I have seen customers that have had them mounted on 357mag, 44mag and even 454 Casull revolvers for years without any problems. Once in a while you will get a bad one and have to return it.

Here is a good read on red dot sights workings and Parallax error. It is in favor of Ultra Dot sights. They are good red dot sights though.

http://www.bullseyepistol.com/dotsight.htm

GC