Resurrecting this thread just to make a few comments.
IMO, the only "Red Dot'ish" optic which might have the highest likelihood to behave like a cockroach when the SHTF (pick your disaster..EMP, Zombies, Foreign invasion..etc) is the Dual Illumination Tijicon ACOG models (maybe in the case of this thread, the mini ACOG 1.5x16) (Tritium/FIber Optic..no batteries needed)
I am in the market for a Red Dot optic myself right now but am finding it hard to convince myself to spend big money on any of them for a few of the reasons listed below and for others reasons that I am too lazy to type out here:
* EMP Strike...all of the battery operated optics are likely going to be paperweights unless you had the sense to store it in a Farrady cage before a blast went off; but who's doing that? The Trijicon most probably has some sort of electrionics in it also in order to generate the Dot/Reticle but I would feel more comfortable spending the money on it than most of the other options mentioned so far in or near the same price point. With that said though, I dont recall ever seeing any manufacturer publish EMP testing reports for any of the RedDots or similar on the market. I think there should be though.
* Battery availability without an EMP strike scenerio...at some point finding them will become an issue and the ones you might find will likely be garbage every few months assuming they work in the first place. Maybe its just me, but batteries today are not the same as they used to be. I still have remotes for TV's and other devices with the original batteries in them, which still work, that came with the device 10+ years ago. I know if I replace them just for the hell of it the next set will have a lifetime measured in months...if I'm lucky!
I'm leaning towards either ponying up for a Mini ACOG or just buying a throw away RedDot in $300 or under range. That way, when it fails or the batteries become problemactic to aquire, i'll just toss it like a piece of chewed bubble gum. I intend to run BUIS on the firearm anyway for a multitude of reasons. In the case of a failed RedDot, at least I will have some piece of mind knowing that I am not throwing away a $500+ dollar piece of bubble gum (I hear you there..will it matter at that point? Probably not but at least I'll go out with a smile..lol)
Now obviously if some would rather live in the world of butterfiles and rainbows and continue on with the thought that none of the above would ever happen in this lifetime then spend away. I wish I could believe that myself but unfortunatly as I see things today, I can no longer be that optomistic and thus need to over think all of this crap.
Send lawyers, guns and money, the $hit seems to have "already" hit the fan
www.shieldpsd.com
I’m from the central oregon mountains, and have run the M3 & PRO in -30F conditions plenty enough to know they work well in the cold…lots of good choices out there though
