Ive got a buckmark UDX with a tacsol 4" barrel. I've purchased the tacsol Picatinny Scope Rail Mount and plan to put a red dot on it. Im looking at the browning reflex and the vortex venom. Has anyone shot both of these and care to offer an opinion?
Ive never used a red dot before so i dont know a whole lot about them. I'm not a competitive shooter. This is just a fun gun that i'll prob take squirrel hunting a time or two. I've read the browning reflex have been known to not hold a zero. has anyone experienced this?
Any other red dots I should consider? my budget is on the low end of this spectrum. the vortex venom is at the top end of what id like to spend on a sight as Bass Pro has it for $170 right now. Id prefer to keep it around the price of the reflex but i'm afraid i'll get what i pay for and it wont hold zero or i'll have other issues.
Currently have two Browning red dots, one on the MkIV Competition the other is on the Buckmark Hunter. I had one previously from Midwayusa, and it came in a little brown box. It was dead after a brick of ammo. They refunded my payment and I was on the hunt for another. After a few months of reading reviews, and looking hard at the guarantee factor........ the Buckmark went on sale .....I figured what the heck and ordered two. This time they came in the factory bubble pack. That was about two years ago, and they are working great. Yes, they still hold zero and I have no trouble with the 10" and 6" plates at 50 yards. I zero about 1/2" to 1" high at 25 yards. My advice is to keep the receipt, their guarantee (at that time) was for two years. So far.......so good. The only thing I don't like is when you change the dot to a different configuration, you might have to re-zero. If they both quit working, I will order two more when they go on sale. Yea, I guess I do like them! They really do make it seem like your are cheating. When ordering batteries, be sure to get the lithium type. They don't leak and corrode you battery compartment like the alkaline batteries do if you leave them in too long. Have fun!!!
That was a while back, but I do remember getting free shipping and it seems the price for both was less that $75 to my door. Batteries are cheaper on line than the local stores. I only keep about 4 extras in my range box, and usually give away most of them at the range to the members who don't have any extras.
I have a Vortex Venom and it works well. When I bought it they had what looked like the same thing (Viper) but I don't think the Viper has a manual brightness adjustment.
I have a few other dots with automatic brightness adjustment and don't care for that feature when shooting indoors. Some of the ranges I go to have a bright impact area and a dark firing line. The auto-adjust sights think the dot doesn't need to be bright because they sense ambient light.
i have been squirrel hunting with a venom on my Ruger single six the last couple of years and love it. no problem holding zero and warranty is hard to beat
Any other red dots I should consider? my budget is on the low end of this spectrum. the vortex venom is at the top end of what id like to spend on a sight as Bass Pro has it for $170 right now. Id prefer to keep it around the price of the reflex but i'm afraid i'll get what i pay for and it wont hold zero or i'll have other issues.[/QUOTE]
KRAZO: I have Viper on a Glock 17, which I use in the Steel Challenge. I have a Truglo on my Browning Buckmark, which I use in the Rimfire Challenge. The Truglo is red/green, has a sun shade, has a large viewing screen and is easy to turn on/off and adjust the brightness.
The viewing screen on the Viper is 1/2 the size and the whole unit is more than half the size of the Truglo. It does not have a sun shade, and is a little bit harder to turn on/off and adjust - it has little peepy buttons.
I bought the Viper because I wanted something small on the Glock. The best shooter in my matches has a Viper so I thought the Viper would make me a more accurate shooter - it didn't!! It's easier for me to pick up the red dot on the Truglo. My problem with the Viper is I do a "where's Waldo" searching for the red dot and I loose time. Once I find the red dot I'm OK. Sometimes I think I'd be quicker removing the red dot and going with iron sights. The Viper is co witnessed with the iron sights and sometimes I don't even turn it on.
My personal opinion and at my level of shooting is I don't see much difference between the 2 for the extra money I spent for the Viper. I've had zero problems with both red dots.
If at all possible borrow some and try before you buy. I tried several and just cant make them work for me. Of the ones I tried the Vortex Venom was the best and probably would have better with a 6 moa dot. I turned the brightness way up on the 3 moa dot and that helped but I still had too much trouble finding the dot. I do better with fiber optic sights. The Venom is now sitting on my PC9 carbine.
I have tried MANY - assorted Full size Reflex and Mini's.. I have settled on the Vortex Venom for many reasons and I have seen them on sale the last 2 weeks for as little as $179... and worth every penny... my groups were cut in Half with the aid of these lil' gems.
I've owned both a Burris Fast Fire II and a Vortex Venom. On centerfire pistols, the Burris was replaced twice by the factory, and the Venom lasted a mere two months before being replaced by the factory.
I have an UltraDot that has yet to fail.
Of the OP's choices, I'd go with the less expensive.
I've owned both a Burris Fast Fire II and a Vortex Venom. On centerfire pistols, the Burris was replaced twice by the factory, and the Venom lasted a mere two months before being replaced by the factory.
I have an UltraDot that has yet to fail.
Of the OP's choices, I'd go with the less expensive.
Interesting .. what Caliber were they on?
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"I have a very strict gun control policy: if there's a gun around, I want to be in control of
it." --Clint Eastwood
The sad truth is many of the micro red dots, ranging in price from $49 -$249, including many of the name brands, are all made in the same factory, only the markings and sometimes, the housing are different.
They really do make it seem like your are cheating. 
When ordering batteries, be sure to get the lithium type. They don't leak and corrode you battery compartment like the alkaline batteries do if you leave them in too long. Have fun!!!
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