first optic: vortex sparc or strikefire?

S

shrewd

New member
In fact, I've been an iron sight guy since i started shooting (which was only really a year or so ago), so this is pretty much my first optic ever, aside from a cheap simmons 4x i bought for my 10/22 on a whim from midway.

i've pretty much been seduced by vortex, so my real question, or plea, is help me choose between the SPARC and the Strikefire.

This will go on a stag model 2 carbine, my only ar. it will be used for exactly what my iron sights were used for; everything. to be a bit more precise, the farthest that i really get to shoot is a free outdoor range near me that has a 100 yard line. the vast majority of my shooting is at 25 yards at the several indoor ranges around me.

however, once every month or so a club nearby has a carbine match that often extends to 200 yards (which i think is awesome, even with my ol irons), so the fact that the vortex strikefire (the first i read about) comes with a 2x magnifier seems pretty awesome.


then, lo and behold, i discover the SPARC. I suppose in pretty much every way this is a superior sight. i suppose the smaller size is it's greatest attribute, but i dont expect to be clearing buildings any time soon so that doesn't really matter to me. what caught me eye, aside from the fact that it also comes with a 2x magnifier, is that the reticle is a 2MOA dot as opposed to the 4MOA dot on the strikeforce.
at 100 or 200 yards is this size difference of the dot really significant? will it give me noticably or even significantly smaller groups at 100 yards? will that effect be compounded at 200?



anywho, i turn to you, the members of TFL, my bastion of knowledge; with the general usage of my rifle, what can you tell me about these sights? sure the SPARC sounds great, but so does a hundred dollars less....
make my decision easier...:)
 
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I have a micro H-1 4 MOA dot isn't too bad on 50-100yds at 200 i could see it posing a problem but i could just turn down the intensity.
 
I have the Strikefire on my M&P 15 OR and have it cowitness with Troy BUIS.

Pros - included in the price is a mount and magnifier. It has green and red dot. Holds zero.
Cons - the covers are crap and you can easily bump the on and off switch. So when putting it away, make sure it is off, or the battery is dead for the next time you want to use it.

I usually shoot it just to 100 yards but occasionally use it to ring a steel plate at 260. Here's a target at 100 yards.

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As far as the 2 MOA or 4 MOA. Yes, it does make a whole lot of difference to your group size. Or more like how much target area does your dot cover. At 200 yards, your dot would cover 4" with a 2 MOA dot and double that for the 4 MOA.
 

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I own both; the StrikeFire is on my 9mm Cx4 Storm with the included mount, and the Sparc is on my Colt 6920 using a LaRue mount.

Both sights have been quite reliable for me.

I would recommend the Sparc for two reasons:
  • The smaller 2MOA dot - it does make a difference in your groupings.
  • The mount. It gives you several options for height adjustment to allow you to co-witness, and it is quite solid. The only reason I don't use it is because I need to remove and reattach the sight too often; that's why I went with LaRue.

The StrikeFire does have the option to use either a green or red colored dot, but that's not particularly important to me.

The covers for either aren't great; the StrikeFire covers won't stay closed, and the Sparc cover's cord broke almost immediately. A Tini Bikini did the trick for me to protect my optics.
 
did you cowitness the sparc or what? How does that look?
I have a fixed front sight and am wondering if I'll want an absolute cowitness or a lower 1/3
 
Sorry for delay in reply: I co-witnessed the Sparc; the dot is right at the top tip of the front sight. I find it very usable there, as well as my wife.
 
The SPARC is mounted on my PS90. I mostly agree with Fargazer..

My 2 cents on the SPARC:

pros - small, light, 2moa dot, doubler, plenty of mounting height options supplied in the box

cons - the location of the on/off switch, wind / elev o-ring seals are fragile
 
The Strikefire magnifier has a lot of fisheye effect. It's like peering through a door peephole. I suspect the SPARC is not much different. I'm not a big fan of magnifiers so far.
 
I went ahead a bought a sparc, and quite enjoy it. Put about 200 rounds through it since, including a 100 carbine event at 100 yards, and it performed quite well. Even with debris and brass hitting it in SBU and low prone.

Two thumbs up
 
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