LPVO Vs Red dot vs multiple guns

[PNWPrepper]

I have been doing some thinking on what I want to do with my rifle (AR-15) I feel like too often I get caught up in the "latest and greatest" and want to know everyone else's opnions on LPVO's vs red dots vs two different firearms. If someone wanted a gun(s) for home defense/plinking/SHTF what optic and rifle setup would you choose. Most often going to be used for 250 and in for plinking with friends, and home defense should someone kick in my door in the middle of the night.
These are my thoughts

Red dot- easy to use, lower price point than LPVO gets more bang for your buck, fast target acquisition with less training, no eyebox/ forgiving parallax.

LPVO- Higher price point for better quality that I would bet my life on, have the ability to identify targets at longer range and can more easily make very precise shots at ranges greater than 200 yards compared to a red dot. Can still very effectively engage targets up close

Or

AR-15 with Red dot and bolt action rifle
Would it be better to have an ar 15 that I can use quickly and effectively inside 300 yards easily and then have the option to be able to reach out past 800 with ease with a bolt action setup as well?

What are your thoughts as to what you would go with for a HD/fun/SHTF rifle setup.

Read More

 

[Mr Smith]

There's also the option to do a mix. You can do a variable scope for distance shots + 45° canted iron sights for close range. quick tilt of the rifle and you're engaging targets inside of 100 yards, and back to the scope for distance shots.

I've also seen reflex sights mounted to canted mounts instead of irons. but then you have a battery to worry about and a button to turn on vs fixed iron sights are always ready. no need to turn on.

 

[powermad]

I use a 1x6 and 1x8 Primary Arms ACSS
I switched from a RD and magnifier due to Astigmatism.
After putting them on and using them I came to the conclusion that even if my eyes focused on the RD as normal I still preferred the LPVO over the RD and should have went that route to begin with.

With an illuminated LPVO you can crank up the power to max, turn it on and leave the front cap closed and shoot it occluded for close in like a RD and flip up the cap for distance.

 

[oli700]

places where I struggle with a LPV over a red dot are: shooting lefty and shooting in unorthodox positions like under a car . Both related to finding the right eye relief to quickly find the reticle.
Straight up shooting and barrier shooting I am just as fast on steel and have a huge advantage past 100 yards . Lefty and weird positions , red dot is easier to find ......for me .
I like the LPV for grouping rounds at 100......I can do that with a red dot but its more of a hope, less precise and I can't see the impacts on paper, with an LPV I can see my holes.
I have been through the magnifier phase but hated that worse than anything .
I even sold the eotech off my pistol and replaced with a Leupold 1.5x4.
I shoot occluded when trying to act like a red dot, I keep my scope on 4x and if you need distance quick just flip the cap and you are there. If you master occluded shooting then true 1x in a LPV is a moot point .

AR-15 with Red dot and bolt action rifle
Would it be better to have an ar 15 that I can use quickly and effectively inside 300 yards easily and then have the option to be able to reach out past 800 with ease with a bolt action setup as well?

since another rifle is in the cards, a 20" Ar10 with either 308 or 6.5C will get you both SD and long range in one gun. although I haven't shot a LPV at 800 yards I can get torso size hits at 600 yards all day with an 18" 556. Its not easy because you just cant see that great out there with LPV but totally doable in a fighting situation using a BDC Ret .......I wouldn't hunt and expect ethical kills on medium/large game with that set up

What are your thoughts as to what you would go with for a HD/fun/SHTF rifle setup.

.....LPV illuminated ret/a good light will cover all that

 

[Seraphim38]

I found shooting a RDS with a magnifier to be too slow for target acquisition. I still own two of them and shoot with them occasionally for fun. But at under 50 yards, I tend towards a wide-view RDS (Holosun HS510c is my current favorite over the EoTech XPS).

On my 300 Blackout AR, have a 1-6x Vortex for doing 100+ yards without difficulty. I personally do not like trying to shoot an RDS (magnified or not) at 100 yards. I have certainly done it with the EoTech setup but found the LPVO much faster and easier for me.

 

[Boboclown]

A 4x scope with illumination can be used pretty close, takes a bit of practice though.

 

[Member 34319]

I've found I don't like magnified optics on my AR15s. Just not what I use them for. I like red dots and or iron sights.

I imagine if I built a spr type AR then I'd change my tune. But I got bolt guns for those purposes.

I have considered buying a QD type mount for a decent scope for one AR so as to be able to just swap from RD to optic for things like coyote hunting, but again that's just a thought as I have a bolt gun for that.

 

[kato pup dog]

I realize this thread has been inactive for a few weeks, but last weekend I finally picked up a LPVO for my 10.5in ar pistol. I haven't been much of a fan of Burris optics. Poor clarity, reticle issues, and reports of them not being sealed kept me from them. Well, I stumbled upon a Burris RT6 in a local gun shop for $265 and picked it up kinda as a joke. It surprised me. I had been looking at the Vortex Viper gen 2 24mm LPVO and this was every bit as clear. I dislike having to use a battery in the holographic sights, red dots and some scopes. I now have 3 illuminated optics that dont "need" a battery to use.

Everyone has their favorites, but this optic surprised me.

 

[oli700]

I realize this thread has been inactive for a few weeks, but last weekend I finally picked up a LPVO for my 10.5in ar pistol. I haven't been much of a fan of Burris optics. Poor clarity, reticle issues, and reports of them not being sealed kept me from them. Well, I stumbled upon a Burris RT6 in a local gun shop for $265 and picked it up kinda as a joke. It surprised me. I had been looking at the Vortex Viper gen 2 24mm LPVO and this was every bit as clear. I dislike having to use a battery in the holographic sights, red dots and some scopes. I now have 3 illuminated optics that dont "need" a battery to use.

Everyone has their favorites, but this optic surprised me.

At it was a little hard to swallow replacing my eotech with a 1-4x in my 10.3" . After a couple years now I would not turn back for money .

 

[SageRatSafaris]

What are your thoughts as to what you would go with for a HD/fun/SHTF rifle setup.

If we're talking HD, the answer is simple: red dot sight. Under stress, in awkward positions, in the dark, at close range, nothing even comes close to the performance of a red dot sight. An LPVO will have a specific eye-box that you MUST place your eyeball into, but a red dot sight has unlimited eye relief and a huge cone behind the optic your eyeball can be in.

For fun/hunting, I'd go with an LPVO. 1-5X or 1-6X is pretty common nowadays, and you can even find a few 1-10X. For multi-gun competition shooting, an illuminated LPVO with true 1X at the low end is standard equipment. A bright dot at true 1X makes both-eyes-open much easier.

 

[hatchj]

Anything where adrenaline could kick in hard, I personally wouldnt use anything magnified due to eye relief and parallax. Maybe if I shot more that would change.

I'm also not worried about range as my ar15 isn't what I'm going to grab if that's what in doing. I built my ar15 to be light(ish) and to have ease of use at close range targets (under 150 yards)

I dont mind variable optics, they justvarent as easy to use up close for me. I like the red dot because it's really easy for me to transition to shooting left handed.
I dont want canted sights due to "snag" factor

I'm looking into variable optics for my aero m5 I'm building, but that's a whole other story

 

[titsonritz]

Why not both?
ROF-90 for Trijicon RMR - Reptilia

 

[Cerberus Group]

Why not both?
ROF-90 for Trijicon RMR - Reptilia

That's a neat option!

 

[Cerberus Group]

Red dot- easy to use, lower price point than LPVO gets more bang for your buck, fast target acquisition with less training, no eyebox/ forgiving parallax.

LPVO- Higher price point for better quality that I would bet my life on, have the ability to identify targets at longer range and can more easily make very precise shots at ranges greater than 200 yards compared to a red dot. Can still very effectively engage targets up close.

The only thing I would add about a LPVO, should you decide to go that way...make sure it is as close to 0 power on is low setting as possible. Although the low setting says 1, often they are lower than that. If you can keep both eyes open and have clear view with both eyes at 10 feet, go with it. If not, keep looking.

 

[titsonritz]

That's a neat option!

Reptilia is "the new kid on the block" and he's shows promise, keep an eye him.

 

[daved20319]

I just went through this self-discussion again. When I still had AR's, one had a RDS, the other had a scope. Got rid of both, fun platform but just not my cup of tea. But then all I had was my bolt action .223, great for long range work, but no use for up close and personal, other than maybe as a club . So I just ended up making a trade for a Ruger Mini-14, still have the bolt for long range, but the Mini gives me a viable option for SD/HD/SHTF/plinking. As it's an older model, no scope rail, it was a bit more of a challenge, but I went RDS again. I know from past experience with my AR that I can effectively put shots on a man size target at ranges far beyond anything acceptable as SD. I went with a Holosun, it's rated at 50K hours battery life, and has a built in motion detector that turns it on as soon as it moves or senses any vibration. Just placed the order last night, will post more once it arrives. But I guess the short answer is, 2 guns, one RDS, the other scoped. One size fits all, never really does . Later.

Dave

 

[PNWPrepper]

I just went through this self-discussion again. When I still had AR's, one had a RDS, the other had a scope. Got rid of both, fun platform but just not my cup of tea. But then all I had was my bolt action .223, great for long range work, but no use for up close and personal, other than maybe as a club . So I just ended up making a trade for a Ruger Mini-14, still have the bolt for long range, but the Mini gives me a viable option for SD/HD/SHTF/plinking. As it's an older model, no scope rail, it was a bit more of a challenge, but I went RDS again. I know from past experience with my AR that I can effectively put shots on a man size target at ranges far beyond anything acceptable as SD. I went with a Holosun, it's rated at 50K hours battery life, and has a built in motion detector that turns it on as soon as it moves or senses any vibration. Just placed the order last night, will post more once it arrives. But I guess the short answer is, 2 guns, one RDS, the other scoped. One size fits all, never really does . Later.

Dave

You will like the holosun! I have one for my AK and I love it! It's sitting on my AR right now because my ak feed ramp broke and PSA is dragging their feet to fix it:/ it's been over a month since I sent it in.... anyways. Holosun. Love the optic, I got the 503gu elite and every time I pick my rifle up the optic is on. Just the SLIGHTEST movement wakes it up. It's really clear glass and the turret caps have directions to sight in which is nice! My biggest complaint is the finish is very easily scratched... I have barely abused it but it is scratched up pretty bad somehow. Other than the finish being sub par it's a fantastic optic! Don't really care about the finish anyways because I plan on painting it!

 

[Boboclown]

Rather a company cut corners with finish than critical components.

 

[PNWPrepper]

Rather a company cut corners with finish than critical components.

Exactly

 

[No_Regerts]

For me, it really depends on what I would use it for. I don't think any one option is the best overall. Clearing houses with an SBR? Red dot. Something more like red dawn? Low powered scope.