Optic for 300BLK pistol

I'm building a 300 BLK pistol, 8.5" bbl on a pre-2013 lower. Ultimately it will have a suppressor mounted, and a pistol brace. Use will be HD and general NFA fun.

I have an Eotech 512 from the bad era, but I assume any serious use will be in reasonable temp-controlled environment, so that ought not to be an issue. Also have a set of Magpul back-up sights to install.

Being near-completely new to the AR platform, it may be that there are far better options to explore. If so, please fill me in.

Thanks.

Having more toys than I need - generally I'd give you two different answers on whether it's a HD item or a general fun toy. For HD, there's nothing better than a red dot. Fast acquisition, both eyes open, simple, etc... Although I have Eotechs, MRO, Romeo, others - my personal favorite is the Aimpoint Micro. Buy once cry once. It's fantastic. Lots of guys run MRO's because they're cheaper. They're ok although they've improved in the Gen 2. I can outline but there's dozens of threads outlining on this and other forums. For general fun with a short 300blk, my selection would be a 1-4 or 1-6 optic. It provides true 1x for close encounters and a little bit of magnification to reach out a little further. With a pistol, you're probably not going to reach out to far - so ultimately a red dot is probably a little better. I have variations but the Vortex Viper PST in the lowest magnification is a great choice. Just like everything else - dozens of opinions and no wrong answers. Cheers..

Thanks.

Someone in the Depot just posted about the Meprolight M21b here:
https://www.mdshooters.com/showthread.php?t=225443

What do you think about it for this application?

I think its a good fit although I’ll be honest, I don’t have any experience with the M21.. The price is reasonable and the weight isn’t that bad - so maybe someday..

I’d look at picking up a used Aimpoint PRO and some back up irons.

And some reloading equipment so you can keep feeding it

I just picked up the Vortex Razor AMG. It’s very solid. If you are not in a hurry you can wait for the next Ebay 15% or 20% off coupon.

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https://www.ebay.com/ulk/itm/263785077956


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For those more value conscious, I have had good luck with Sightmark Ultra Shot Pro reflex sights co-witnessed with my BUIS. They are supposed to withstand the recoil up to .50 caliber and so far have done very well at holding zero on 2 of my ARs. They are also backed with a lifetime warranty.

You can find them on sale for around $45 shipped most of the time.

I think red dots and their Ilk really suit your needs. I would suggest trying a meprolight or other fiber optic/tritium before you buy it. They are pretty cool but have their own sets of benefits and drawbacks. That's assuming you're on a budget and can't buy random $400 optics on a lark. Here are my suggestions:

Budget 1x-ish prismatic optics (prismatics are good if you have bad astigmatism or other eye conditions that make red dots look terrible, also very clear and durable. Etched reticle means you don't always need batteries. Don't really cowitness with irons but you can typically use irons through them):

Vortex Spitfire AR
Burris Equivalent
Primary Arms Cyclops (not out yet but should be good)

Mid-range prismatic:

??? Not sure there are any left since Leupold got rid of theirs

High end prismatic:
Trijicon 1.5x TA44

Uber high end prismatic:
Elcan SpectreDR

For regular red dots there are a lot of good options but I'll try to keep it short and to what I personally like:

Looking between couch cushions for change:
Bushnell TRS25 (seriously it's pretty good)

Budget:
Primary Arms (new one with the lifetime warranty)
Holosun 503
Sig equivalent (pretty sure the Chinese made ones are all made in the same factory as the other brands)

Mid end:
Trijicon MRO gen2 (my personal favorite, the new ones are awesome)
DI Optical Red Dots (Korean Military stuff, really good)
Aimpoint PRO

High End
Trijicon MRO Patrol or whatever it is called (the more expensive of the two MROs)
Aimpoint T2
Aimpoint comp M5 (my favorite aimpoint)

Holographic Sights (less parallax than red dots, better with magnifiers, often better for people with astigmatism. Worst battery life):

Budget:
New Eotech 512. I have two and they seem to be fine

Mid range:
Vortex UH1
Eotech XPS 3

Not sure there is anything beyond mid end in holographic sights.

Low power variables (1-4, 1-6, etc) or low power fixed magnification (2.5x, 3x, 4x, etc) are certainly good options too but I personally don't like the extra weight unless I have a good reason.

The main thing I would suggest is make sure that whatever you go with, get a decent set of backup or even fixed irons. The Magpul ones you mentioned are fine, though I prefer the metal ones to the polymer ones. Personally I also use QD mounts for my home defense gun optics. Old habit from the military. I like to be able to remove my optics just in case they go down in a way that causes them to obscure my irons. Probably silly but old habits are hard to break sometimes.

I'd rather spend the bucks to get rugged/reliable. I've dumped a fair bit of cash into the build already, so cutting costs on optics seems short-sighted, so to speak.

My hope is that the Eo512 will function properly, but I don't feel comfortable betting the farm on it. I've been pondering Aimpoint and Trijicon, per previous references, but I suspect it will require getting to a venue where side-by-side comparisons can be done. Before I go there, I need to narrow things down to a short list. Being able to count on the thing functioning perfectly under varying conditions is important, as is the setup agreeing with my eyes.

What do youall see as the pros and cons of the various types, prismatic, red dot, and holographic? (You may gather that I have little experience in the area of rifle optics; you'd be right about that.)

In my youth, I would have said that iron sights worked best. I could see well and was quite a marksman. Of course, all things are subject to change without notice. Time has taken it's toll and technology has given us more options than in the "olden days".

If you are looking for quick target acquisition, a reflex system may be best out to about 100 yards. At least that is what my old eyes can handle. At 200 yards, I am still capable of hitting a man sized target, but cannot hold great groupings. I blame my bad eyes more than my rifles or optics. I prefer the reflex system because I can co-witness with my BUIS which I consider a necessity on any rifle which may be used for defensive purposes. Offset BUISs can catch on things which makes them a liability IMO.

For long distance accuracy, a tactical scope may be in order. I plan to put one on my 20" A-2 build soon.

Bob A said:

I'd rather spend the bucks to get rugged/reliable. I've dumped a fair bit of cash into the build already, so cutting costs on optics seems short-sighted, so to speak.

My hope is that the Eo512 will function properly, but I don't feel comfortable betting the farm on it. I've been pondering Aimpoint and Trijicon, per previous references, but I suspect it will require getting to a venue where side-by-side comparisons can be done. Before I go there, I need to narrow things down to a short list. Being able to count on the thing functioning perfectly under varying conditions is important, as is the setup agreeing with my eyes.

What do youall see as the pros and cons of the various types, prismatic, red dot, and holographic? (You may gather that I have little experience in the area of rifle optics; you'd be right about that.)

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Red Dot: for people without astigmatism or other eye issues that cause them to appear distorted, these are probably the way to go. Good examples typically advertise having battery life on the order of 50,000 hours, so they can be left on at all times, with batteries being changed out every year or two. They are lightweight, easy to use, and rugged. They have slightly more parallax than holographic sights, but at home defense distances they are pretty much equivalent.

Holographic sights: they work better with magnifiers than red dots, and the reticle is typically easier to see for people with eye issues. They have battery life in the hundreds or low thousands of hours, so they really can't be left on indefinitely. Slightly less parallax than red dots, but that is fairly irrelevant at short range.

Prismatic Optics: they have an etched reticle like a normal scope, so they don't need to be turned on to be used. The glass is typically very clear. They are usually heavier than other options, but they can take a beating and still work. Unlike the other options, eye relief can be an issue so you have to train more to develop a consistent sight picture. They do have some parallax but at HD distances it hardly matters. Harder to use from awkward shooting positions due to eye relief. Typically the low end prismatics cost way less than mid/high end red dots or holosights but are incredibly tanky and can take a ton of abuse.

Low power variable scopes: they have the most eye relief and parallax issues, and are not ideal for HD/room clearing type stuff, but can be used for it. Etched reticle like hunting rifles means they don't need batteries necessarily, but they have poor battery life compared to red dots. They are really heavy compared to the other options. The major win is that they give you the ability to make hits out to much farther distances since they are typical 1-4, 1-6, or 1-8. Pretty cool but there are a lot of drawbacks to using them.

Honestly I wouldn't overthink it if you're not interested in doing a bunch of research. I think aimpoint pro, Trijicon MRO, aimpoint T2, or Aimpoint Comp M5 would be ideal for what you want if you have the budget for it. The big thing is looking through them in person to ensure you don't get a big ol starburst or a bunch of grapes instead of a nice crisp dot. Nobody likes spending $400-$1000 on optic + mount and discovering they wasted their money. Personally I really love the gen2 Trijicon MROs (I have astigmatism and they still work great), but aimpoint does win the reputation war with many. Either way you can leave them on all the time so your home defense gun is always ready to go. If you look through a red dot and see a distorted dot that is unusable, it comes down to deciding which of the benefits and drawbacks you prefer for prismatics and holographic sights.

Bottom line is that any of these will work well. Red Dot is the easy button as long as you look through them first and verify that you can use them.

WHen I find myself looking to let go of half a grand, if I don't overthink I end up making expensive mistakes.

Thanks for all the suggestions; I'ma print out this thread and go to a few shops/shows and make a decision.

Bob A said:

WHen I find myself looking to let go of half a grand, if I don't overthink I end up making expensive mistakes.

Thanks for all the suggestions; I'ma print out this thread and go to a few shops/shows and make a decision.

Click to expand...

Let us know what you chose...cuz I'ma nosey-azzed bich?

outrider58 said:

Let us know what you chose...cuz I'ma nosey-azzed bich?

Click to expand...

Sure thing.

Don't sit on the edge of your seat awaiting the final word, though. The build will wear the Eotech 512 until the drained exchequer gets a refill. I will be looking, though.

If I decide to get a can, the sight will have to wait even longer, alas. . .

Bob A said:

Sure thing.

Don't sit on the edge of your seat awaiting the final word, though. The build will wear the Eotech 512 until the drained exchequer gets a refill. I will be looking, though.

If I decide to get a can, the sight will have to wait even longer, alas. . .

Click to expand...

Thanks for the update.

FWIW, I just dumped my SPARC for a Sig Romeo5 on my AR9 pistol. I like the setup way more.

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To the OP, you cannot go wrong with this:

http://www.primaryarms.com/holosun-paralow-hs503g-red-dot-sight-acss-reticle-hs503g-acss

fbi_surveillance_van said:

Bottom line is that any of these will work well. Red Dot is the easy button as long as you look through them first and verify that you can use them.

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This was a seriously informative post. I’m sure lots of experienced guys already know most if this but I just think it’s one more example of how generous community members here can be with their time.

Whenever I start feeling like we (me included) are a bunch of iron headed a-holes it’s content like that keeps me involved.

Now who likes to change their own oil?

For my 300 Blackout, I use an EOTech with a Vortex 3x magnifier. It's mainly used for hogs/deer at 100 yds or less, and this setup works rather nicely. This is perfect for low light shooting, and the 3x magnifier makes things a little easier for the longer shots. Hard to go wrong with what a lot of the folks are suggesting here.

I’m new to firearms but I put an Eotech EXPS 3-0 with a G33 magnifier on my AR pistol chambered in 300 BLK. It really helped on 200 yard targets.


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DD989 said:

I’m new to firearms but I put an Eotech EXPS 3-0 with a G33 magnifier on my AR pistol chambered in 300 BLK. It really helped on 200 yard targets.

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Nice looking pistol there.

What’s that Ipad thing with the target in the upper right of the photo? Target Cam?


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