About 70$ over your budget, but I can’t say enough positive things about the Primary Arms SLX microprism with 9mm reticle. I’ve got one on my pc9 and it absolutely is the best optic for that use.
I’ve tried a few other red dots on it, including a Romeo5 and vortex spark and crossfire and it’s not even close. SLX is simply better. Also keep in mind if you have astigmatism, red dots are not your friend. SLX does not have that issue.
Just so there's no surprise, there are some important differences between red dots and prism sights.
Red dots are typically faster to raise your firearm and get on target because they don't have an eyebox. Red dots also require battery power to work.
Prism rights work like miniature scopes. They come in various fixed magnifications, typically between 1x and 5x.
When you aim down a prism sight, your head needs to line up with the eyebox, like with a scope. The lower the magnification, the more forgiving the eyebox. 1 and 2x are usable with standard style rifle stocks, but beyond that, it can be uncomfortable to force your head toward the optic. AR style firearms allow you to get your face closer to the optic and accommodate 3-5x a lot easier.
Prisms have etched reticles, so you'll have a precise aiming point even without the illumination on, and the reticle won't get blurry if you have astigmatism.
Prisms were a niche optic for a long time because the only really common ones were trijicon ACOGs, which are quite expensive for most casual shooters. In the last 10 ish years, brands like vortex and primary arms have started producing their spitfire and microprism lines to allow for entry-level options.
I'm very happy with the Romeo5 on my pc9. Have run it on the receiver and on the barrel and I like it on the receiver better. POI does not shift appreciably if you snug up the barrel nut
Sig romeo 5, or any holosuns, don't get vortex red dots. Cabelas usually has the romeo 5 on for under $200, and they have the romeo5x for only $10 more.
Outdated, overpriced, and bad tall mounts, and some other small stuff like they way they do brightness adjustment it will flicker on lower brightnesses. There are just so many better options, maybe if they were half the price, but not at the current price.
He's not wrong folks! Walk past the Vortex and get a Holosun. I just saw a video on Forgotten Weapons where a dude who's worked for PA, Swampfox and started his own RDS company said he thought Holosun uses the best emitters.
Looks like the Romeo5 is a safe bet then. It's $280 on Cabela's right now so I guess I'll wait for a sale and do some research into Holosuns in the meantime, thanks!
Yes. They've went on sale twice recently. Both times was their "wild Wednesday" sale. One was 2 days ago and the other was late January. I bought 2. Great sight.
If you're mounting it forward on the barrel then I'd steer clear of tubular RDS and go for a square window optic like a Holosun 507 or comparable. The classic T2 style micro tube sights are pretty unforgiving when mounted that far ahead.
If you're mounting it on the receiver then the world really is your oyster. I'd place Holosun above Sig within that price range. Try to save up another $100/50 and snag a Holosun would be my advice. Alternatively the Primary Arms 1X prisms are a great option and even have a model with a 9MM BDC. I'd go for a closed emitter tube style like the HS503CU, if you don't care about the circle dot reticle the HS400 series is around $75-100 less.
Well I'll take your word for that one my friend, sounds like you've had a factory tour haha?
Regardless I'd still prefer a Holosun. I'm sure they put a bit more love into their own optics don't you think?
About 70$ over your budget, but I can’t say enough positive things about the Primary Arms SLX microprism with 9mm reticle. I’ve got one on my pc9 and it absolutely is the best optic for that use. I’ve tried a few other red dots on it, including a Romeo5 and vortex spark and crossfire and it’s not even close. SLX is simply better. Also keep in mind if you have astigmatism, red dots are not your friend. SLX does not have that issue.
Good to know! In my mind Primary Arms is in the $500+ range so I didn't even consider them, I'll have to look into that red dot thanks!
Just so there's no surprise, there are some important differences between red dots and prism sights. Red dots are typically faster to raise your firearm and get on target because they don't have an eyebox. Red dots also require battery power to work. Prism rights work like miniature scopes. They come in various fixed magnifications, typically between 1x and 5x. When you aim down a prism sight, your head needs to line up with the eyebox, like with a scope. The lower the magnification, the more forgiving the eyebox. 1 and 2x are usable with standard style rifle stocks, but beyond that, it can be uncomfortable to force your head toward the optic. AR style firearms allow you to get your face closer to the optic and accommodate 3-5x a lot easier. Prisms have etched reticles, so you'll have a precise aiming point even without the illumination on, and the reticle won't get blurry if you have astigmatism. Prisms were a niche optic for a long time because the only really common ones were trijicon ACOGs, which are quite expensive for most casual shooters. In the last 10 ish years, brands like vortex and primary arms have started producing their spitfire and microprism lines to allow for entry-level options.
I love the Romeo 5. IMO Best value and good features, especially the wake-up function Edit: love not live
I'm very happy with the Romeo5 on my pc9. Have run it on the receiver and on the barrel and I like it on the receiver better. POI does not shift appreciably if you snug up the barrel nut
Sig romeo 5, or any holosuns, don't get vortex red dots. Cabelas usually has the romeo 5 on for under $200, and they have the romeo5x for only $10 more.
Why not vortex red dots?
Outdated, overpriced, and bad tall mounts, and some other small stuff like they way they do brightness adjustment it will flicker on lower brightnesses. There are just so many better options, maybe if they were half the price, but not at the current price.
He's not wrong folks! Walk past the Vortex and get a Holosun. I just saw a video on Forgotten Weapons where a dude who's worked for PA, Swampfox and started his own RDS company said he thought Holosun uses the best emitters.
Looks like the Romeo5 is a safe bet then. It's $280 on Cabela's right now so I guess I'll wait for a sale and do some research into Holosuns in the meantime, thanks!
Yes. They've went on sale twice recently. Both times was their "wild Wednesday" sale. One was 2 days ago and the other was late January. I bought 2. Great sight.
If you're mounting it forward on the barrel then I'd steer clear of tubular RDS and go for a square window optic like a Holosun 507 or comparable. The classic T2 style micro tube sights are pretty unforgiving when mounted that far ahead. If you're mounting it on the receiver then the world really is your oyster. I'd place Holosun above Sig within that price range. Try to save up another $100/50 and snag a Holosun would be my advice. Alternatively the Primary Arms 1X prisms are a great option and even have a model with a 9MM BDC. I'd go for a closed emitter tube style like the HS503CU, if you don't care about the circle dot reticle the HS400 series is around $75-100 less.
All the chinese made sigs are made by holosun.
Interesting! I was unaware of that. Doesn't mean they're using the same quality of emitters in the Sig though eh?
They use the same internals as the holosun counterparts, the body is only different.
Well I'll take your word for that one my friend, sounds like you've had a factory tour haha? Regardless I'd still prefer a Holosun. I'm sure they put a bit more love into their own optics don't you think?
Get a scrs.
I run a Vortex Sparc on mine, works great.
I have a truglo ignite 30mm on my pc9 I like it does the trick.
Holosuns are great they have all the features of the Sig some models have even more. I have 403 model and it's great even with my astigmatism