Rifle Scopes Who has switched from red dot to 1x prism?

[Baron85]

I have a few red dots that over the last couple years started to bloom more and more to my eyes, from reading sounds like I have an astigmatism. I started to research options to correct that and have switched to a few 1-4/1-6 scopes and like them but have 2 SBR’s that I would like to leave with small 1x sights.

Has anyone switched from red dots to primary arms cyclops or vortex spitfire? How did you like the switch? Any other options I didn’t mention?

Last, how is the durability, sight picture, ect


Thanks

Edited to add, my 2 red dots are Aimpoint ml3 and vortex spark I think. No blooming for my wife or friends so pretty sure it’s my problem not the optics.

 

[dustingaunder]

I have astigmatism. I moved from red dots a long time ago to TA44 ACOGs. took a little to get used to but I really like them now.

 

[Centuriator]

With the AIMPOINT T2 I put on a 3x magnifier and the dot was sharp as a razor blade. Perfectly round at 3X magnification. I guess that means

I have astigmatism. I moved from red dots a long time ago to TA44 ACOGs. took a little to get used to but I really like them now.

Can you talk a bit more about the TA44 ACOG....particularly in closer distances?

 

[Lightning8]

I moved to Low Power Variables as an option

 

[chevy_man]

I like the eotech.

 

[dustingaunder]

With the AIMPOINT T2 I put on a 3x magnifier and the dot was sharp as a razor blade. Perfectly round at 3X magnification. I guess that means



Can you talk a bit more about the TA44 ACOG....particularly in closer distances?

It works fine. You shoot with both eyes open and it looks like you would expect it to look.

 

[steve123]

Same here, RD's dot looks like this to me - "&" nowadays.

I got a PR11 Athlon prizm scope. It's good for the AR I bought it for and it had exposed adjustable turrets for shooting farther out if I feel like it.

Yeah, went to LPVO's on the others.

 

[Baron85]

I have used a few EOTechs in the past and liked the good enough I guess but battery life kinda sucked. Didn’t know athlon had a prism, will look into that. And I looked into the Trijicon in the past but couldn’t stomache the cost for what I felt it was.

What are a few really light weight LPVO to look into? I’m currently running pst 1-4, Bushnell 1-6.5, razor 1-6 and had Swfa 1-6. Have looked at the Leupold 1.25-4 and liked it and was lite weight.

 

[Baron85]

Just checked out the athlon prism, looks like no more 1x only 3x and 4x. Really like the reticle but at that weight, might as well go with LPVO

 

[srt-4_uk]

Cliffs: Vortex Spitfire AR is the tits.

I went from various Red dots (PA, Holosun, Sig, Eotech, Aimpoint) to Vortex Spitfires with Leupold Prismatic and Burris AR1X along the way. For my eyes, prisms reticle quality cant be beat. I use them for 3gun limited division so no magnification allowed.
All the red dots looked like blobs to me. Depending on brand, the blue tinted lenses bothered me. Cheap red dots were the worst for tint.
Of the prisims, I like Vortex the best.
Started with a leupold because they were the only ones available. Reticle is good. Mount sucks ass and red only illumination is worthless in day time.
Burris had a good mount, took normal batteries, and illumination was day bright. The aiming dot was huge (it covered targets) and the BDC was worthless to me. I couldnt tell the differences of lines under the clock. Mount only at AR height
Vortex Spitfire is good. Mount is meh but you can run it low so it doesnt have to be on an AR. Red/green Illumination is day bright and reticle is identical to Leupold.
Vortex Spitfire AR is great. Run it without caps on and the view looks like the body of the scope isnt there. If you've used a Razor 1-6, it's like that. Much nicer mount but only at AR height. Takes normal batteries and red/green illumination is day bright. What I liked most was the bdc turret. With a 1x, I find bdc reticle unusable. So it's either holdover with no reference or quick dial and get hits. Not a big deal under 400 but i can dial and hit out to 600 with no problems.

 

[Lightning8]

I like the lighter weight LPVO such as the Leupold intended for short range hunting. I have multiple Simmons 1.5x5 "Turkey Scopes" (yes - cheap Simmons) and that is a great lightweight LPVO - just came back from the range with a PSA AR9 with that Simmons "turkey scope" as a simple new shooter rig.

I have a Vortex PST Gen 1 1-4 with capped turrets I really like but they are out of production.

 

[Darayavaus]

I have the Vortex, Leupold prismatic, some ACOGs, the Eotech, low power Accupoint/Mk4, etc. It all has it's place which depends on the application.

prismatics are nice on home defense AR's because of the etched reticle. if the battery was left on and dead when you need it, you don't have to be.

ACOGs are friggin awesome outside. I shoot them out to 500 meters, no problem. And when I walk the property and jump a deer that blasts out of cover right in front of me, I'm on it in an instant. They are fast, with both eyes open. Low power scopes are not quite as fast, but more versatile outdoors.

the Eotech is as fast as you can get, and I have no blur with or without a magnifier.

of the various dots, some are better than others when you have astigmatism. Aimpoints tend to be cool round dots, while the holosuns and other chicom crap has the banana shaped dots and starbursts. My trijicon MRO starbursts a lot as well. But if you flip up your rear BUIS and look through the aperture, you'll have a nice round dot again, even on the worst offenders.

 

[Baron85]

I have the Vortex, Leupold prismatic, some ACOGs, the Eotech, low power Accupoint/Mk4, etc. It all has it's place which depends on the application.

prismatics are nice on home defense AR's because of the etched reticle. if the battery was left on and dead when you need it, you don't have to be.

ACOGs are friggin awesome outside. I shoot them out to 500 meters, no problem. And when I walk the property and jump a deer that blasts out of cover right in front of me, I'm on it in an instant. They are fast, with both eyes open. Low power scopes are not quite as fast, but more versatile outdoors.

the Eotech is as fast as you can get, and I have no blur with or without a magnifier.

of the various dots, some are better than others when you have astigmatism. Aimpoints tend to be cool round dots, while the holosuns and other chicom crap has the banana shaped dots and starbursts. My trijicon MRO starbursts a lot as well. But if you flip up your rear BUIS and look through the aperture, you'll have a nice round dot again, even on the worst offenders.

Haven’t heard of the rear sight trick, I will give that a shot before making any changes.

 

[Darayavaus]

Haven’t heard of the rear sight trick, I will give that a shot before making any changes.

yep. it prevents you from using a magnifier, but some of those cheaper magnifiers actually make the condition worse anyway.

My trijicon dot is so star-bursty that I once had a steel Troy stand up sight behind it as a permanent fixture, but at some point I just went back to the flip up. At point blank, room clearing range the starburst doesnt matter, and at long range I have time to flip the buis. You are looking through the aperture, then through a tube aperture, so it doesnt really affect your peripheral vision as much as some people might expect.

 

[erwos]

Someone needs to put out a 1x prism that uses battery-powered fiber optic illumination. That would be a game changer in terms of really making them competitive with red dots. Bonus points if they use Micro-style mounts.

I saw someone reference the Vortex Spitfire 1x as "daylight bright", and that has not even remotely been my experience on a sunny day.

 

[Darayavaus]

Someone needs to put out a 1x prism that uses battery-powered fiber optic illumination. That would be a game changer in terms of really making them competitive with red dots. Bonus points if they use Micro-style mounts.

I saw someone reference the Vortex Spitfire 1x as "daylight bright", and that has not even remotely been my experience on a sunny day.

my vortex is brighter than my leupold, but the mount is walmart quality. Ok for home defense if you don't drop it down the stairs, but not suitable for true tactical use.

 

[5RWill]

So i hadn't found a red dot that worked well with me until this year. Vision is fine but my H-2 i had years ago was kind of starry. Tried a Holosun 510C this year still same thing. Finally just tried an EXPS3-4 and absolutely love the EOtech. Battery life of course takes a hit. But the holographic nature of the site works well with my eyes and i'm a huge fan.

Trijicon's new MRO HD is interesting i want to see it. Since it's sort of the best of both worlds. Size/weight of Micro Aimpoint with the circle/dot reticle. Also have seen some say the MRO doesn't bother them versus some others.

 

[Cotay]

I have four ARs with 1X Prism optics. Two Vortex Spitfires (V1) and now two Bushnell Lil P's. I am really impressed with the Lil' P and it's 4.4oz weight. I thought the small 11mm objective would be a problem, but it isn't.

I bought both of mine from Natchez: https://www.natchezss.com/bushnell-tac-optics-lil-p-prism-sight-blk-circle-dot-bdc-hi-rise-5l.html

 

[PBWalsh]

We have the Leupold Prismatic optics on our a lot of our duty rifles at work.

You couldn’t give me one of those. I’ve seen a lot of lost zero’s my elevation turret spun off, illumination is only good for overcast or darker, and its not exactly easy to get behind.

Wife’s PA Cylops is definitely easier to get behind, no shooting yet though.

 

[Baron85]

I have four ARs with 1X Prism optics. Two Vortex Spitfires (V1) and now two Bushnell Lil P's. I am really impressed with the Lil' P and it's 4.4oz weight. I thought the small 11mm objective would be a problem, but it isn't.

I bought both of mine from Natchez: https://www.natchezss.com/bushnell-tac-optics-lil-p-prism-sight-blk-circle-dot-bdc-hi-rise-5l.html

I have been looking for reviews of this but all I could find was media hype. Would you mind giving some info and comparison. My main concern is eye box being so small

 

[Darayavaus]

We have the Leupold Prismatic optics on our a lot of our duty rifles at work.

You couldn’t give me one of those. I’ve seen a lot of lost zero’s my elevation turret spun off, illumination is only good for overcast or darker, and its not exactly easy to get behind.

Wife’sPA Cylops is definitely easier to get behind, no shooting yet though.

I had 4, now have 1. with an American Defense mount and red locktite in the spacer channels, and tightened down to proper torque, it is solid as a rock. no lost zeros. I have it on a pistol and never had a problem with fast acquisition. The illumination is weak, but it has an etched reticle.

I hate Leupold (their hunting scopes, anyway), so it is unusual for me to defend them ever, but for what it is, it's decent. Sure, if I had a pile of money in front of me and had options today, I'd get an Eotech for the pistol, but I already have the Shitpold, and it works fine so I'll keep using it.

I had the PA cyclops and sold it recently. the drop hash marks were way too heavy for shooting at distance. Funny enough, I sold it to a cop.

 

[Darayavaus]

like I mentioned earlier, application is very important.

if this is going to be used primarily outside, get an ACOG or low power tube scope. Especially if you'll be shooting a lot of paper,

if this is for room clearing, get your prismatic or stick with a dot.

dots and magnifiers are fine outside, but not if you have astigmatism.

because the reticle is not affected by astigmatism, an eotech with a magnifier works great inside and out (within reason) but will not reach out as far as the acog/scope.

 

[DIBBS]

I see a fair amount of discussion on the Vortex Spitfire 1x. I have had a 3x in my safe for a number of years, thoughts on this scope? AR gets very minimal use and currently wears a 3.5-10 Vari-X III duplex. Okay for paper punching and coyote hunting occasionally, but not really for other purposes.

 

[Darayavaus]

PA just sent me an email about new 3x prism scopes they have. check out their website if interested. I have one of their last-generation 3x 's on a 7.62x39 AR and it's..........meh. looks ugly, but works ok. It's a poor man's ACOG. For most people, it's perfectly good enough. But if you are waiting to bug out before the coronazombie hordes get you, or think you might have to head for the hills when the Rooskie paratroopers land at Calumet High, then play it safe and save up for the ACOG.

 

[-=boone=-]

If you have a astigmatism every reticle of every type is affected. Wear glasses or contacts and move forward.

 

[308pirate]

If you have a astigmatism every reticle of every type is affected. Wear glasses or contacts and move forward.

Finally the correct answer.

I have rifles with RDS and LPVO both. And I have pretty bad astigmatism until I put on my glasses. Then I don't.

 

[Rob01]

Finally the correct answer.

I have rifles with RDS and LPVO both. And I have pretty bad astigmatism until I put on my glasses. Then I don't.

Same here. Got to wear safety glasses anyways. LOL

 

[PlinkIt]

Having a BAD astigmatism may require you to put glasses on, BUT if you only have a slight issue the rear flip up and small aperture will clear up the streak for more precise aiming at range or smaller targets.

And you have more time at range or with smaller targets anyway... So flipping up an aperture is no big thing.

 

[E. Bryant]

If you have a astigmatism every reticle of every type is affected. Wear glasses or contacts and move forward.

It's not that simple. Even with my corrective lenses in place, Aimpoints do not present a sharp dot. Eotechs and RMRs are better.

 

[Baron85]

I actually was scheduled to have an eye appointment but the virus got that cancelled. I tried the flip up rear sight and was shocked, made the dot in my Aimpoint perfect! As far as other optics causing issue, all of my etched reticle scopes have no issues and don’t have any issues that I’m aware of seeing day to day life, but maybe the slow decline of eyes hides the truth.

My main use will be 100 yards and in, mostly 50yds and in for my 9mm and 300blk SBR’s paper and steel blasting and my 9mm is the home defense gun. I don’t really have issues hitting up close and fast stuff it’s just annoying with the weird dot.

 

[Moose]

I tried my first red dot an aimpoint T2 and all I seen was a big red star so I returned it and got a vortex gen-2 E 1x6 and love it.

 

[ddavis]

I get starburst with red dots but it's not terrible. I'd say it makes a 2 moa dot look more like a 4 moa dot but no strange double images or anything like that. Still perfectly usable for the situations you'd use a RDS. This is with laser corrected eyes that are 20/20 and 20/30 and I'm young enough to not need readers. I still prefer the crisp reticle of a prism and not having to worry about batteries is nice as well. I have a Spitfire that I got used from here and during the first range trip the dot would blink out under recoil. I didn't even bother sending it in for a year because the sight worked fine without and illumination does nothing for me in the daytime. They sent me a new one and it's been fine. I don't care for the way the on/off switch works. Hoping there are some more good options in the coming years. The TA44 seems like the holy Grail for me but I'm not paying $800+ for a 1.5x optic and they don't come up used that often.

-Dan

 

[lobohunter]

I have a few red dots that over the last couple years started to bloom more and more to my eyes, from reading sounds like I have an astigmatism. I started to research options to correct that and have switched to a few 1-4/1-6 scopes and like them but have 2 SBR’s that I would like to leave with small 1x sights.

Has anyone switched from red dots to primary arms cyclops or vortex spitfire? How did you like the switch? Any other options I didn’t mention?

Last, how is the durability, sight picture, ect


Thanks

Edited to add, my 2 red dots are Aimpoint ml3 and vortex spark I think. No blooming for my wife or friends so pretty sure it’s my problem not the optics.

I have recently purchased a Vortex Spitfire prism scope.

I have one on my 458 SOCOM build, love it.
It has red or green light up reticle with different power settings. Reticle is etched onto the glass so you can also use it without the light up reticle.

I got mine from PSA on sale.
There is a 3X version also which is much more expensive.

 

[lobohunter]

If you have a astigmatism every reticle of every type is affected. Wear glasses or contacts and move forward.

The first red dot I bought, I saw a star instead of a dot.

Investigated and found that if you have an astigmatism that is what you will see.

A test to see if it is you or a defective scope is to use a digital camera and take a picture through the scope.

If the camera sees a dot when you see a star, you probably have an astigmatism. It is not the scope.

 

[gunner442]

I’ve switched almost exclusively to the spitfire. I have 4 and love them. Will never switch back to red dots.

 

[steve123]

If you have a astigmatism every reticle of every type is affected. Wear glasses or contacts and move forward.

Ours eyes are all different depending on many things, age is a big one. Progressively getting worse as time goes by with me. Even with my corrected glasses a RD still looks odd, though less miss shapened than without glasses.

I think it's that those of us with eye problems just prefer "normal looking", which a prism does for us. It's not that we can't hit with a RD, I can just fine on average sized steel.

I didn't know about that lilP, thanks for mentioning it!

My eyes are so bad that with my old 40x with aperture sights I can't hit odd shaped steel, like a 200M chicken, easily anymore, especially as the lighting changes and the white paint gets worn off. So I bought a 1-4.5x24 service rifle scope for it. It was either that or sell the rifle

 

[Cotay]

I have been looking for reviews of this but all I could find was media hype. Would you mind giving some info and comparison. My main concern is eye box being so small

It's really not bad at all, especially with both eyes open. It isn't as easy to get behind as the Spitfire 1X, but when you are in the gun it comes right up. You certainly notice that you are looking down a small tube if you try to "one eye" it, but with both eyes open it blends in pretty much like a red dot. It certainly has a more sensitive eye box compared to a typical red dot, but it ain't that far off. It has been cloudy and overcast here since I got mine so I can't definitively say it's daylight bright in direct sun, but from prior experience it's pretty darn close and at least as bright as the Spitfire 1X. One thing I've found that is perhaps the biggest negative is that the Lil P needs to be positioned fairly far back on the rifle to get a comfortable sight picture. This didn't work for me with polymer MBUS sights so I ended up using offsets. Some folks say that this won't work with T1/T2 mounts, but from looking at it I'm pretty sure it does. That's confirmed by Strike Industries saying their T1/T2 mount works also for the Lil P. The includes mounts are good enough for me so I'm not planning on adding QR mounts since I don't have room for standard top mount irons with how I've got it positioned. I think it's a solid buy at $150.

Here it is on a 6.5 Grendel pistol build.

 

[StanfordBunny]

TA44 is my ideal option for range shooting, solid, light weight and compact size, clean glass just like ACOG, and excessive eye relief

 

[PBWalsh]

Prisms FTW, TA31. I‘l like to try a TA44 though.

Edit: I consider the TA31 (4x) WITH the front objective cover to be a 1/4x optic. So think of it as a Trijicon Elcan type optic but instead of switching a lever, you pop open the cover for 4x and close it for 1x.