Ultradots-anybody use these besides me?

[Krull]

Long story short:I decided to go for an AR over my old favorite the AK and picked up a nice Colt 6920.

When it came time for optics I casted about and came to the conclusion that since I don't plan on bailing out of planes or riding in the back of an APC I could probably get away with a lower cost dot sight and be fine,Aimpoint,Eotech were the best but I wanted to see if I could get something nice and something made somewhere other then China.

Much searching brought me to Ultrdot and their line of sights,most in the $150-$260 range,made in Japan and a fairly old company.
honestly probably the kind of dotsight you'd find on an AR back in the 90's,old tech but serviceable.

I nabbed a Millet mount and it lets me use iron sights for the day and the dot at night or low light,pretty damn sturdy actually.

I sighted it so the dot sits at the tip of the front sight post,at around fifty yards I'm getting one inch groups.

Here's a picture of it,really nicely made and cost me $204.99 at Midway:

[SeriousStudent]

The following is not a hate-filled angry rant:

For about another $150 you could have had an used Aimpoint Pro. How much money will you spend on batteries with the Ultra Dot? And if you accidentally drop it at the range a few times, do you think it will break?

Total cost of ownership is a good thing to keep in the back of your head. If the sight is going to be used on a hobby firearm, rock on and have fun. If you are going to defend someone with it, I'd save a little longer.

Welcome to M4C, by the way.

[Kokopelli]

I have a matchdot with Warne QD rings that I move around a lot and It's worked out well. I bought it for my Ruger 22's, but it currently resides on my Remington 870. I recently picked up a Vortex StrikeFire with a Burris QD ring for AR pistol use and I like it as well. I would rate both as mid priced dots for the hobbie oriented. In the same vein, I prefer mid priced glass (M223) on my carbines.. JMO.. Ron

[Krull]

The following is not a hate-filled angry rant:

For about another $150 you could have had an used Aimpoint Pro. How much money will you spend on batteries with the Ultra Dot? And if you accidentally drop it at the range a few times, do you think it will break?

Total cost of ownership is a good thing to keep in the back of your head. If the sight is going to be used on a hobby firearm, rock on and have fun. If you are going to defend someone with it, I'd save a little longer.

Welcome to M4C, by the way.

All my guns are "utility use" so they can be for anything from shooting something in a friend's chicken coop,hunting,all the way to self defense.

The Ultradot has a rep as being big in competition circles and I gather it gets used hard so while I don't think it'll survive getting thrown off a truck I do think it'll be okay with the daily bumps and dings of rural use.

I had a BSA dot once,I was MEAN to that $70 China special,it had dents and scratches like you wouldn't believe and last I checked it still ran,just haven't mounted it to anything for years.

Dots can take more abuse then a scope,a fair decent one can take regular use easy

When I get the cash I'd like a Meprolight reflex that the IDF uses though...for now this will do.

[foxtrotx1]

The mepros are terrible sights IMO.

The same applies to reflex sights in general. It's old technology that has since been replaced by electronics and ACOGs.

The dots wash out. They wash out extremely easily. Shooting from a dark area to light area is not happening in full sun.

[Krull]

I've heard about that,thing is with me unless it's a scope with a literal reticle I don't use my optics in the day or any usable light I use the irons.

Backwards to some I know but to me any dot or reflex is for low light or darkness,in fact I shut the dots off in the daytime.

That's the one thing that's kept me from the Meprolight,I dunno how the reticle would affect irons use,and you can't shut the thing off.

If I got an ACOG I'd have to get a folding front sight and not even think of the irons it's just how I am.

But back to electronic dots I see them as secondary sights for low light use and irons are primary,one reason I'm not too concerned with not having a high end dot,to me the thing is basically a good add on yet in a way disposable-I have pocket pliers and if it gets so screwed up I can take it off!

Even my light isn't a big deal it goes off I have one in my pocket I can fall back on.

[Koshinn]

I've heard about that,thing is with me unless it's a scope with a literal reticle I don't use my optics in the day or any usable light I use the irons.

Backwards to some I know but to me any dot or reflex is for low light or darkness,in fact I shut the dots off in the daytime.

That's the one thing that's kept me from the Meprolight,I dunno how the reticle would affect irons use,and you can't shut the thing off.

If I got an ACOG I'd have to get a folding front sight and not even think of the irons it's just how I am.

But back to electronic dots I see them as secondary sights for low light use and irons are primary,one reason I'm not too concerned with not having a high end dot,to me the thing is basically a good add on yet in a way disposable-I have pocket pliers and if it gets so screwed up I can take it off!

Even my light isn't a big deal it goes off I have one in my pocket I can fall back on.

That's a very interesting view point and I'm curious as to how it came to be.

Because by backwards to "some" you mean the vast vast majority of people who use carbines professionally, as a hobby, and for home defense.

[Krull]

That's a very interesting view point and I'm curious as to how it came to be.

Because by backwards to "some" you mean the vast vast majority of people who use carbines professionally, as a hobby, and for home defense.

First gun I ever used was an old .22 with a bent peep sight,I learned to shoot it very well and then got an old 98 Mauser and then an SKS.

Never used a scope much until I was in my twenties and before that only my granddads old 30-06 (which had irons and I thought about pulling the scope off to use them...if that wouldn't have resulted in my death then I would have)

I just tend to use irons first if I can rather then any optics because I'm comfortable with them and I always view the optics as a secondary sight,the only way to make me not use irons is to ether take it off completely or attach it in such a way as to make the optic the primary sight.

So nothing more then I'm a thirty eight year old dinosaur,I was taught on irons and go to that first.

And a side note-I can't use the large peep for shit,and that goes back to the Enfield MkIV I had,peep down with the huge assed hole I couldn't hit the broadside of a barn from the inside,but flip up the ladder and I did fine.

THAT one I don't get but it's true.

[Koshinn]

First gun I ever used was an old .22 with a bent peep sight,I learned to shoot it very well and then got an old 98 Mauser and then an SKS.

Never used a scope much until I was in my twenties and before that only my granddads old 30-06 (which had irons and I thought about pulling the scope off to use them...if that wouldn't have resulted in my death then I would have)

I just tend to use irons first if I can rather then any optics because I'm comfortable with them and I always view the optics as a secondary sight,the only way to make me not use irons is to ether take it off completely or attach it in such a way as to make the optic the primary sight.

So nothing more then I'm a thirty eight year old dinosaur,I was taught on irons and go to that first.

And a side note-I can't use the large peep for shit,and that goes back to the Enfield MkIV I had,peep down with the huge assed hole I couldn't hit the broadside of a barn from the inside,but flip up the ladder and I did fine.

THAT one I don't get but it's true.

No one uses the large peep as accurately as the small. It's trigonometry.

[Krull]

If you saw me use the large peep I swear you'd laugh until you pee,I get to shifting around and squirming since I can't seem to get the post right in the peep hole.

I do patterns with it at best.

Oddly since I used the SKS first and longest and then the AK I'm an unholy terror with that type of sight,and yet I hear many proclaim the peep superior-I've shot running ground hogs with an SKS so many times it's not funny,even hit a running mouse once.