The AR15 has quickly became one of the most popular rifle platforms in the world. The AR15 has a combination of long range accuracy, and short range maneuverability. This makes it one of the most versatile weapons of all time. I pair most of my rifles with red dots and a magnifier. The red dot paired with a magnifier gives you the best of both worlds. You can shoot competitively at close range and out to a few hundred yards. Luckily you don’t have to spend a lot of money to buy a decent red dot.
What is The Best Cheap Red Dot Sight For Your AR15
1. Bushnell Trophy TRS-25 Red Dot Sight Riflescope
You get way more than you pay for with the Bushnell Trophy TRS-25. This red dot is actually one of the more expensive sights on this list. The Bushnell TRS-25 is available in both black and camouflage. This sight is specifically designed to work best in low light conditions. It has an amber colored optics to help you distinguish between objects in low light conditions. If you want a cheap red dot that you can feel comfortable stalking through the woods with this is for you. The TRS-25 sight is completely waterproof and fogproof. You can also bang the sight around with the shockproof design.(I wouldn’t recommend this)
Like every great red dot the Bushnell is designed to be used with two eyes opened. This will increase your awareness of your surroundings and possibly see game before it senses you. A parallax free design gives the user increased target acquisition speed. The red dot will actually follow the movement of the shooters eye while staying fixed on the target. The red dot reticle can be adjusted with a control knob that can’t be mistakenly turned on. You should be able to see the red dot in even the brightest lighting conditions. You can’t go wrong with this quality Bushnell optic. It’s a brand that has been trusted in the optics industry for more than 50 years.
2. Rhino Tactical Green & Red Dot Sight by Ozark Armament
My second choice of cheap red dots is this Rhino Tactical red dot sight made by Ozark Armament. This is a relatively unknown company in the optics department. That doesn’t mean that they don’t make a quality product. These seem to be built very well for the price. You can tell that this sight was built to withstand very tough conditions. This red dot is ready to be mounted right onto your AR15. This sight can easily be cowitnessed on almost any AR15 depending on your front and rear sights.
This sight was made to be used on both rifles and shotguns. So you know that it can handle the recoil of most tactical rifles. These will hold zero while shooting any medium recoil round. You shouldn’t have to re-zero more than once every couple of years. This sight has an optional red or green dot that can be changed to fit any light level.
3. UTG 3.8″ ITA Red Dot Sight
This UTG red dot is the cheapest on my list. This is actually a really nice red dot for the price. I like to use these on a few of my loaner rifles. These work well and stand up to most of the abuse people throw at it. This is a bare bones red dot that just works well on medium recoil rifles. These are a great red dot for any ar15. I wouldn’t trust this on my primary rifle but what can you expect for the price.
This scope will hold zero over a long period of time. It also looks sharp in every light condition due to the adjustable red and green dot. This sight will come with everything you need to mount it to your picattiny rail. The only downside to this scope is that you may notice some ghosting in bad light conditions. This can be reduced by lowering the intensity setting of the red dot.
High Quality Cheap Red Dot Sights
It used to be that you couldn’t find a quality cheap red dot sight. Thankfully those days are behind us. There are so many red dots that have flooded the market that the overall price has dropped considerably. Like with all things in life you can’t expect to get all the features of an Aimpoint or Eotech red dot for 20 dollars. You just aren’t going to get the same type of quality at a fraction of the price. So what can you expect out of a cheap red dot?
The world of cheap red dots is flooded with trash. Some of these sights I wouldn’t even trust on an airsoft rifle yet alone a rifle with a little recall. There some diamonds in the rough that are actually good quality for the money. A lot of the cheap red dots copy each other and top shelf sights to make choosing them even more difficult. There are some red dots that actually hold up to real world use.
What Makes a Quality Red Dot?
The best red dots are the ones that you don’t have to worry about when you need them. They need to be able to stand up to moderate abuse. A red dot is essentially a tool and it shouldn’t stop working at the first sight of rain. You sight needs to hold a steady aim. The worst red dots on the market start to drift with light to medium recoil. You can’t rely on a sight that has to be adjusted every time you go to the rifle range. It’s hard to find a budget red dot with a decent battery life. They don’t need to have the same type of battery life as an Aimpoint, but they need to last while taken care of.
What’s The Best Cheap Red Dot Sight For AR15
If you are looking for an affordable red dot you aren’t going to beat the Bushnell Trophy TRS-25. You can’t beat this red dot for the price. It should hold up to a decent amount of abuse and still hold zero.