I’m thinking to buy a red dot for plinking - recently bought a new rifle.
What kinds of creature comforts do you guys like to have on your red dots?
Conversely, what are some quirks that you guys don’t like about your red dots?
Why is the rifle not posted in the appropriate section?! Why! Whyyyyy! The public demands photos!
Also, helps to know what rifle, because red dot sound fun, but in a lot of cases not really suitable for types of guns and types of shooting.
No pics because the PTA is still being processed.
It’s a 515 tac because I’m basic, and my soft wagie cagie hands demand something I can shoot on the reg at Springy.
I’d go LPVO, red dot doesn’t really make use of the accuracy 515 is capable of.
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Im with JS a 2 MOA red dot is just too big of aim point for a 22 at 50 yards.
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I see - I’ve never really looked for LVPO’s before. Do you have any recommendations as there where to start?
I’m guessing Vortex is probably a good place to look? That with some QD mounts cause of the stupid system where you gotta strip the rail to clean the gun.
Another vote for lpvo. Much more useful and versatile then a red dot. Im a fan of vortex, but it really depends on your budget.
Too bad there aren’t many affordable fixed power scopes available these days…
So…
You want to work on tight groups or flinging volumes of rounds down range?
If you want the red dot and are not really wanting to work on technique and grouping; rather just plink plink plink… get the red dot.
Look at 1.x - 4.5 or 5.x. Athlon and Vortex are the ones to look at. Athlon is considerably lighter. But both are excellent. QD rings definitely help. Red dot is ok to about 25m, after that it gets a lot less fun (with a dot).
Actually… You got couple of things to think about. Red dot looks cool and badass, but been there, tried that, moved away from it, it just doesn’t work beyond 20m or so. Thing for you to consider is your use case. Off hand plinking allrounder, LPVO is your best solution. If you are going to be shooting at Springvale supported 99% of the time, I’d go Leupold Rimfire 3-7 or 3-9. It has a more traditional look, but you’d get a lot more benefit from it if you are shooting from a supported position. And it is a reasonably small and lite scope as well.
So honesty consider your use case and of course the looks 
Personally, LPVO would be my pick for lever-release.
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An LPVO sounds like the right idea in terms of having a more plink focused optic. Something like a 1-4/6 illuminated reticle sounds like the right idea.
Will a LPVO function similarly to a tube red dot at 1 power?
I still have a 3-9 on my Ruger, so I’m looking to have the 515 provide a bit of of a different experience.
Hard to say, some are try x1 some claim to be 1, but really a 1.5, if that’s what you mean.
Not sure if I’m explaining it right, but more that red dots have a really generous eye box and are parallax free.
Is it similar for a LPVO at ‘1’ power?
I remember shooting one of your red dots once, and I found not having to constantly adjust my head to get in the right position really nice.
Not sure. Works for me.
For a red dot:
Auto on/shutdown.
High and low mounts included.
Normal 2032 battery, not some obscure shit Ill never find in NT.
Proper cradle for said battery, not one of those cheap crap cage style cradles that the snap off the teeth.
Maximum 3 M.O.A. DOT size for a rifle. (thats a ~1.5" circle when you are plinking at 50m, plenty for plinking)
LPVO?
Nah, too heavy for bunnies. If I know its a place with >50m shots, the fixed 4x Leupold is a lightweight winner. For everything else, a fixed 1.75 or 2.5
I think for 515 Tactical model an LPVO is perfect. Vortex is on the heavier side, but for plinking and range gun, it’s alright. As are the rest. You’re welcome to dm and we can organise a time to catch up and you can have a look, rather than guesstimating. Red dot, it’s a personal preference, I tried it, it didn’t work for me. On a practical side, budget red dot will cover most if not all of a 50mm target at 50m. You could play around with the brightness and what not, but it’s not really the right tool.
Sweet. I’ve got an application in for a 515.
Any good ones under $800?
Or is there some rule that the scope should be 1/2 the price. I heard it was 1/3…
I have been through the same process. My 515 started with a red dot.
I quickly realised red dots are only useful for CQB (which hopefully is never an issue for me) and close shots at larger targets. For the majority of shooting I do with a .22, the red dot was simply unacceptable.
I went with a Vortex Strike Eagle 1-6. Has a glowy reticle and works well. Allows you to shoot good groups out to 100m or so. The x1 setting is good. Can be used easily with both eyes open and for the average punter , is a perfectly acceptable substitute for a red dot.
I originally had the scope mounted lower but I found the higher mount better.
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With a red dot, you will struggle to see 50mm targets, not always, but entry (good) level dots will cover the target at 50m. You can dim them and see through the dot, but this is all dependent on time of day/light conditions. It is not really made to shoot past 25m at smaller targets. LPVO on even x2 is worlds apart from a red dot. Example being sighting the gun in on something the size of a 20c coin at 50m. You will either see the target (LPVO) or you won’t (dot).
Something to throw in, look for a cheap one piece mount or QD rings. Tactical (not American) version needs the scope removed for cleaning. Not a huge deal for a 22, in a sense that they don’t need a clean often. But they do need a clean, especially this type of action. You want to do that with minimal impact. A cheap Chinese one piece mount or something from US (locally they are crazzzzzy expensive) goes a long way on this one.
LPVO: StrikeEagle - what @Supaduke has in the pic above is absolutely awesome on 99.98% of everything you want from LPVO. Glass quality, build quality, magnification, illumination, fancy shmancy tactical reticle, etc. The 0.02% is that it is a heavy scope. I would definitely look at it (I own one, I like it), but also consider Athlon 1-4 (I own one, I also like it). As always, there are tradeoffs between x4 and x6 vs weight. Depends on what and how you are shooting I suppose. Both are very nice. If weight is not an issue, StrikeEagle is the way to go. If weight is an issue, Athlon could be a good choice.
If you are going for an American model, than a ‘normal’ 3-7, 3-9 or 3-12 scope will do just fine.
Wild card for you to consider: Vixen 2-8X32 Riflescopes | Vixen Optics Australia