The red dot sight, also called the reflex sight is the best companion for your AR 15 hunting rifle. If you are into hunting, especially close-range hunting, you have no way but to get the red dot sights as this increases the overall accuracy, enabling you to hit the target’s bullseye with your AR 15.
You can realize how effective their use can be as these were mainly used in military services. Now that they are very popular for any short-range shooting. These optics are great to get you the fastest and the most accurate result. You cannot doubt their reliability. We understand how badly you want them for your AR 15. But if you are on a budget and have a price point of a mere $100, then you might be wondering whether you can get one. Luckily, we have some great solutions for you within this budget as well.
But before getting into them, there are a variety of different expectations and considerations you should be aware of. Buying the best primary arms red dot for AR 15 takes a lot of features that need your attention. In this case, a standard one should have the right combination of all the important features. Just remember to go for quality instead of quantity.
Thinking about what these features could be? Find them out in the following section.
6 Best Red Dot Arms Sight for AR 15
Bushnell Trophy TRS-25 Red Dot Sight Riflescope
Bushnell Trophy TRS-25 Red Dot Sight Riflescope deservingly tops the list, a personal favorite for its cool features to many hunters.
The Best Thing About This: Remarkably lightweight helps to aim perfectly.
Features
- It is very lightweight in nature.
- Features a mounted LED inside, which provides the red dot arms graticule.
- It comes with a 3 MOA red dot size, a more extensive and multi-coated lens providing excellent optical optimal clarity that helps you be spot on with your target hitting every time.
- It covers a wide range of brightness adjustments as well. The content starts from 0 to 11. With these adjustments you can carry on with your hunting in any situation, even during the night.
- The additional features, such as fog proof and waterproof, ensure it is highly durable.
- Recoils are not even an issue; you can go up to thousands of rounds without facing any trouble with this dot sight.
- The CR2032 battery that it comes with can go up to 3000 hours of battery life.
- You can get the perfect shooting height by using the UTG Med-pro Compact Riser Mount or the UTG Hi-Profile Compact Riser Mount. These two riser mounts are just perfect for you to get your Bushnell Trophy TRS-25 at the right height.
Pros
- An excellent optical clarity that helps you get rid of any harsh light.
- It is easy to carry and use in any situation due to its highly lightweight nature.
- High durability and ability to hold up to a higher level of recoils.
- Great battery quality lasting over 3000 hours.
- Excellent adjustability of brightness, making it easier to use even in the darkest night with the best quality.
Cons
- You may find the red dot disappearing at times.
- Sometimes the red dot gets turned off with every shot.
- Sight mounts might feel a little uncomfortable.
Sightmark SM26008 Ultra Shot Plus Red Dot Sights
It was an excellent comeback for the Sightmark SM26008 Ultra Shot Plus Red Dot Sights after improving in many important departments. This one provides you with the most clear-cut and ultra-fast shot for which you can’t resist getting yourself one.
The Best Thing About This: Excellent optical clarity
Features
- AR red coating of the dot makes the lens clear as a day. The scope includes the green and red illuminated dot sights allowing you to change the dot as you desire. Giving you a chance to change the dot just as you want. This type of optical coating always serves the best in low-light environments.
- It comes with a very decent camera battery CR123A that lasts over 2000 hours. Now, Hunting with a switched-on dot sight is nothing you should worry about.
- You can get four types of reticles with a variety of MOA dot sizes. It ranges from 3 to 5. Using any of these recital types is equally suitable for you to hit the target 100% accurately.
- It comes with a flexible range of brightness adjustment settings. You get five types of brightness intensity ranging from 1 to 5.
- You can get some additional benefit by adding a little magnification to the sight with Sightmark 3x Tactical Magnifier. It can provide you with 3x better magnification than this one as it comes with zero magnification.
Pros
- It has less power consumption techniques for a long-lasting service.
- Features parallax correction settings.
- Excellent eye relief for eyeglass users.
Cons
- Dot gets switched off with most shots.
- Battery life is less lasting in higher settings.
- Tinted glass can cause glare sighting sometimes.
AT3 Tactical RD-50 | Best Red Dot Sight
AT3 Tactical RD-50 Red Dot Sight is one of the most reliable ones available around. The scope offers some great features you would love to have for your AR 15.
The Best Thing About This: Excellent battery life
Features
- The first feature that it comes with is the multi-coated optical lens that ensures the excellent imaging clarity that you desire.
- Standard 2 MOA red dot size will allow a sharper and more accurate shooting.
- It is integrated with 11 brightness adjustment settings that allow you to hunt in any lighting situation.
- The best of all is its excellent battery life lasting up to 50,000 hours in low settings enabling you to use it for years without changing the battery. It also has a great battery life of 5000 hours in the highest brightness. This long battery life is almost rare for any such optics on the market.
- It allows you to choose from a wide variety of mounts that it comes with. It covers low, med or riser, and hi mounts. You cannot run out of options for your desired mounting height.
- Go up to years with Monstrum Tactical Medium Profile Picatinny Riser Mount that adds a stronger build for this AT3 Tactical RD-50 Red Dot Sight, making it more durable and easier.
Pros
- Great build quality allows it to withstand any scratches or crashes.
- Its battery output is to die for even in the highest settings.
- Having unlimited FOV makes it easier to scan a zone.
Cons
- At times, you might not get the desired optical clarity.
- The red dot might stop in a few cases after going for several rounds.
OTW Red Dot Sight (1x20mm/ 1x27mm, 4 MOA Red Green Dot Sight Micro Rifle Scope)
You will feel like breaking the ground with this OTW Red Dot Sight, 1x20mm/ 1x27mm, 4 MOA Red Green Dot Sight Micro Rifle Scope. You get everything you want with these excellent optics.
The Best Thing About This: Great efficiency with excellent comfort to use
Features
- You get the flexibility to scroll through its different brightness settings for your desired scenario. Mainly you get to see five brightness adjustment settings that are more than capable of satisfying you to achieve your required brightness for any environment you wish to use this for.
- The integrated rotary switch provides excellent ease of use and has the perfect stiffness to sustain any recoil sessions.
- It comes with a very efficient two eyes open sight that always makes your shooting experience comfortable. You get them in two different colors, which are red and green. Both of the dot types can provide the sharpest intensity to give you a better awareness and speed.
- Mounting is extremely easy, and you should not have any problem while mounting it on the AR 15.
- My favorite feature is the faster center capability that completely locks the dot on the fully parallax-free target.
- The Monstrum Tactical Lockdown Series Lightweight Riser Mount will give you the versatility you need for a comfortable shot. It is also a lightweight one that can be easily mounted on the AR 15.
Pros
- With the larger 4 MOA dot size, the target hitting is easier.
- Average battery life lasting up to 2000 hours in the highest settings.
- Excellent field of view.
Cons
- The lens is rose-tinted.
- The green dot may cause trouble while focusing.
- Unable to hold zero in some cases.
Rhino Tactical Green & Red Dot Sight for Rifles & Shotguns
As the name suggests, Rhino Tactical Green & Red Dot Sight for Rifles & Shotguns is here to get you through any rough and tough situation yet provide the best quality output.
The Best Thing About This: Compatible to any rough environment
Features
- The 35 mm objective lens is a huge one to get an immense amount of light to go through it. Thus providing you with brighter sightings regardless of the lighting scenarios.
- The large 4 MOA dot size helps you big-time for a better aim at the target and its follow-through.
- The standard AR pattern sight integration makes this dot genuinely unstoppable.
- You can easily mount it on the AR 15 for its clever mounting technique.
- It has got five brightness adjustment settings with a green and red dot.
- It comes with the CR2032 battery that will last over 2000 hours. So, hunting for more extended sessions is very much possible with it.
- You can combine the Rhino Tactical Green & Red Dot Sight for Rifles & Shotguns with the very efficient 45 Degree Offset Backup Iron Sights by Ozark Armament. These can help you as a backup to any offset for an uninterrupted experience.
Pros
- Flip-up lens caps protect the lens.
- Excellent dots intensity for shooting in the daytime.
- Sturdy build quality provides high durability.
Cons
- The dot may fog up in low light situations.
- The green dot may cluster up in some cases.
UTG 6″ ITA Red/Green CQB Dot with QD Mount, Riser Adaptor
UTG 6″ ITA Red/Green CQB Dot with the QD Mount allows you to enjoy advanced features at an affordable price. Their best budget red dot will give you a crystal clear view while shooting.
The Best Thing About This: It has excellent zero locking and provides a crystal view.
Features
- Its excellent feature is the lockdown feature which enables you to lock up your zero sights when you need it. Using the locking screws to lock it up will ensure a steady zero locking no matter how many rounds of shots you have taken.
- The large 4 MOA dot size is perfect for acquiring targets instantly. To lock up a target and shoot with perfect accuracy is easier with this.
- The 38mm objective lens diameter is large enough to provide clear and bright imaging in any environment.
- It comes with a variety of brightness adjustment settings for both the red and green dots. You adjust it the way you want.
- Its CR1620 3V battery will last around 1000 hours in low settings and 40 hours for the highest brightness. It is a perfect choice for your indoor shooting experience.
- You can use UTG 3X Magnifier with Flip-to-side QD Mount to aim and hit for a more extended range. You can also use UTG Hi-Profile Compact Riser Mount to mount the UTG 6 better” ITA Red/Green dot scope.
Pros
- Hold zero for more than 2000 rounds.
- The mounting is easy with its versatile mounting base.
- Excellent eye relief having no blind spots.
Cons
- Battery life is low and not suitable for longer hunting sessions.
- You may have trouble seeing the green dot in the daytime or in bright situations.
Our Top Pick
Dot sight scopes are very effective while shooting any moving target. Being compact and lightweight, they are perfectly suitable for the AR 15 rifles. Among these top 6 products on the list, we think the Bushnell Trophy TRS-25 Red Dot Sight Riflescope deserves the best red dot for AR 15. It provides an excellent value for the price and is indeed the most catchy one for your AR 15 rifle.
Considerations To Make
Optical Lens Quality
The first thing that always matters while buying anything new is quality. In this case, you need to consider the optical lens quality that largely depends on different types of coatings. High-quality lenses like ED or HD are something you should look for. These lenses are great to obtain the best result for AR 15 in any situation.
Although fully multi-coated lenses are an even better option. Fully multi-coatings help the lenses to decrease reflection and improve visual quality.
Its additional features like fog proof, waterproof makes your best red dot sight more durable. If you want to have the shooting experience to the fullest, you should invest in a longer-lasting one.
Brightness Adjustment Settings
Another important feature for the best red dot sight is its brightness adjustment capability, which helps to adjust the dot’s intensity. It’s always better to go for a broader range.
With this feature, you find it easier to shoot in any lighting situation, whether it is a low light situation or a night time, and even in broad daylight shooting by adjusting it back. It is also helpful in case you are using the AR 15 for short-range hunting.
Generally, you will find the dot sights mostly come with a broad range of adjustments. Yet check this feature out to know if it can cover all the environments you intend to buy it for. One with a fewer range of adjustments can cause serious trouble while you shoot in the dark.
MOA Dot Size
What does 2 MOA mean on a scope?
The MOA Dot size means the size of the red dot sights. The size is important because using a bigger dot size for your AR 15 will make your target hitting easier without any problem, regardless of what you are targeting.
You cannot choose a dot size smaller than 2 MOA, although getting anything more significant is much appreciated for your shooting performance. So choose the one with 2 MOA red dot sight or more.
Below is a comparison of red dot MOA.
Battery Life
If you love to have longer hunting sessions, which is why you bought your AR 15, you will look to go for a longer life with a battery that provides so. If you are habituated with the longer sessions, then you know the importance of this feature.
Longer battery life will help you avoid unwanted situations like forgetting to turn off the dot sight leaving the battery life to drain unnecessarily. You can just be relaxed with a long-lasting battery without bothering any of these problematic issues. Isn’t it something extraordinary?
Eye Relief/Eye Protection
The more relieved your eyes are, the more accurate your target hits. So, hunting for a long time with your AR 15, you need your eyes alright with proper eye relief or eye protection. Straining your eyes would be the last thing after getting everything right and spending enough money on it. Having other features, you also want your optics to be comfortable. Eyeglass users are the ones who will most benefit from it. So make sure you get it right for your optics.
Conclusion
Now that you’ve seen it all for your AR 15 red dot sights under $100. You can surely go for our best pick from the list, or you can choose any other one on the list as all of them can give you the best shooting experience. We have also mentioned some of the USPs associated with each of the sights so that you can choose the one that best suits your purpose. Happy Hunting!
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