AR optic

[Joe H]

I am buying a new AR. It will mainly be for plinking and pig control. What optic? Red dot? Will go thermal eventually.

[Smokeater]

Dots are fun and ok up close but not great for any real distance IMO...and even worse in low light situations. I like the illuminated reticle scopes. That way you have options for what ever situation. Just my 2 cents..spend it however you want!

[scott123456789]

I’m running a Vortex 1-6 on my run around rifle.

prior I was running a sightmark wraith mini NV. Except for boot time it did everything I needed to do. It was moved to a .308 for a bit more knock down.

[PVDT]

Red dot would be worthless for your purposes. And LPVOs are worthless in my opinion. That’s definitely a subject that can be beat to death. For me, if it’s a plinker/hog gun, I’d buy something economical like an Arken SH4 6-24x and then add a 45 degree canted red dot for close range if needed. I shoot a lot and a 1-8 LPVO just isn’t enough for plinking past 250 or even hog hunting at a decent distance. Again, there will be a quadrillion opinions on the subject but there’s not a single person that can legitimately say an 8x is as good as a 24 at 250+. BUT there will be someone that says “oh yes it is”. C‘’mom now….

[Joe H]

Very good input. Thanks all

[Clay C]

Red dot would be worthless for your purposes. And LPVOs are worthless in my opinion. That’s definitely a subject that can be beat to death. For me, if it’s a plinker/hog gun, I’d buy something economical like an Arken SH4 6-24x and then add a 45 degree canted red dot for close range if needed. I shoot a lot and a 1-8 LPVO just isn’t enough for plinking past 250 or even hog hunting at a decent distance. Again, there will be a quadrillion opinions on the subject but there’s not a single person that can legitimately say an 8x is as good as a 24 at 250+. BUT there will be someone that says “oh yes it is”. C‘’mom now….

I don’t think anyone would claim an 8 power scope is as good as a 24 power scope at distance (glass quality not being a limiting factor). That’s just silly.

Everything has pros and cons. Really just depends on OPs needs, area and capabilities.

I like red dots (Aimpoints) and prisms (ACOGS) on my AR15s. Simple, lightweight and durable. Never had a problem killing hogs or plinking.

[Draco]

Red dot would be worthless for your purposes. And LPVOs are worthless in my opinion. That’s definitely a subject that can be beat to death. For me, if it’s a plinker/hog gun, I’d buy something economical like an Arken SH4 6-24x and then add a 45 degree canted red dot for close range if needed. I shoot a lot and a 1-8 LPVO just isn’t enough for plinking past 250 or even hog hunting at a decent distance. Again, there will be a quadrillion opinions on the subject but there’s not a single person that can legitimately say an 8x is as good as a 24 at 250+. BUT there will be someone that says “oh yes it is”. C‘’mom now….

An 8x is better than a 24 at 250 yards if what you're shooting at is running or if what you're shooting at is very late or you're shooting with a light. So, as far as an all around rifle goes, the 1x6 or the 2x 8 would be the much better option.

[kkp005]

I’m not a vortex fan boy at all ….. but I have a 1x6 viper on a AR and like it

[Clay C]

An 8x is better than a 24 at 250 yards if what you're shooting at is running or if what you're shooting at is very late or you're shooting with a light. So, as far as an all around rifle goes, the 1x6 or the 2x 8 would be the much better option.

Agree with this.

[scott123456789]

What caliber are you going to be buying? Standard 16” m4 profile barrel?

what range in plinking.

If you are going to be buying a 6.5 Grendel then PVDT has a reasonable point. For an 800yard rifle then yes a 24x makes all the sense in the world. If you are looking at a 5.56 or 300blk then shooting past 200 doesn’t make much sense and even less if you are hunting that far. So if the later I’ll stick to my 1-6 recommendation. And if you wanted to jump up to a 3-9 that would work but would be on the top end.

[Clay C]

What caliber are you going to be buying? Standard 16” m4 profile barrel?

what range in plinking.

If you are going to be buying a 6.5 Grendel then PVDT has a reasonable point. For an 800yard rifle then yes a 24x makes all the sense in the world. If you are looking at a 5.56 or 300blk then shooting past 200 doesn’t make much sense and even less if you are hunting that far. So if the later I’ll stick to my 1-6 recommendation. And if you wanted to jump up to a 3-9 that would work but would be on the top end.

I understand not taking shots at animals past 200 with a 5.56, but why does shooting past that not make much sense?

[Joe H]

For my use on this gun think the 1x6 type scopes will work. Thanks again for everyone’s input.

[PVDT]

Agree with this.

I might agree too if there wasn’t 9-24x left on a 24x scope. We could add and/or change the variables all day long. For example, if it’s indeed running at 250 yards, is 8x better than the 24x scope set on 9 or 10 or 11x? How about just setting it to 8x if that’s without a doubt the ideal zoom range for that particular shot. Any LPVO limits its uses. I find that hard to argue with.

[Chase4556]

I run a red dot on my 5.56 AR for pigs. Works wonders.

I run a 1-4 illuminated LPVO on my 300blk. It’s mainly set up for NVG use at night with an IR laser, but during day time I can use the scope. 1x works well when using it like a red dot, 4x means I can put it in the head of a piggy at 100yds.


Addressing other comments on this thread, for what it’s worth we shoot 300yds with irons on our M4s. I just did it last month(although I did miss one 300m target dang!). Adding a red dot makes it even easier, and an ACOG is like cheating. So you can still plink away to your hearts content with a red dot. My buddy has a 1-8x on his 5.56 AR. He was smacking the steel at 600yds at a range we went to in Houston. Try to follow a group of pigs at 30yds with a 6x base magnification scope. 3x works okay though.

[TX03RUBI]

I can’t imagine ever shooting far enough with a 223 to need a 24X lol and I’ve shot well beyond 1K with them. Ideally I’m at 12-14X to a mile, so yeah a 24X is far from useful for me. I’ve shot quite a few prairie dogs at 500-700 with a 1-8 LPVO, and most of the hogs and dogs I’ve killed with it have been at 1-3X. Then again I buy good glass and my eyes still work.