by Orwell » Tue Oct 09, 2012 2:06 am
I've had two red-dots, personally. The one was a replica CompM2, the other is an EOTech 552 replica. I got both from ACMGear.com, a sponsor to this website.
CompM2:
Price: $28 before shipping, plus $20 Dear-God-Get-It-To-Me-Now shipping.
Pros: Cantilever mount placed the dot nicely above my triangle sight by just enough. The control dial could be positioned on the left or the right side of the sight.
Cons: I beat the hell out of this thing. The glass held without even a crack after several nasty drops onto hard surfaces. That said, the control dial was not so strong. I found, overall, the sturdiness of this piece of equipment couldn't keep up with me.
552:
Price: $40 before shipping, plus $20 Dear-God-Get-It-To-Me-Now shipping.
Pros: Distinct reticule, many brightness settings, uses AA batteries. The shield around the site can be removed (and thus easily painted). I've heard that this sight has issues because of how reflective the glass is, but I've had no such problems as yet. It's tough (I'm also beating this one up!), and the buttons are easy to manipulate with either hand in either position on the rifle.
Cons: Still looking. It can be a *little* too dim in absolutely direct sunlight, but I found that switching from red to green eliminated that problem.
Assuming you're one of us who actually looks through his sights, a red dot or holographic is totally and completely worth it. It allows you to keep both eyes open and still remain confidently on target. Given the ranges we shoot at in this game, I can't think of a reason that you shouldn't get one of these sights. Specifically, I recommend the 552. It's a little long, but its batteries are common and cheap.
Regarding your last question, though: Why did you stipulate, "...in the rainy pacific NW"?
