Optics Sparc II Red Dot Sight - 2 MOA Dot

This is my first foray into Red Dot sights. This is part of a birthday gift for my wife, so I put a lot of time into researching the subject, including trying out other people's Red Dot equipped rifles. There are cheaper Red Dots out there...and certainly far more expensive ones as well. But I like this style and this one has features on it that I really like which makes it worth the cost to me. I'm extremely pleased with this. There are two buttons on this scope, one to brighten and the other to dim the red dot. The brighten button also controls the on/off function. Push it once and it powers up and automatically sets the brightness to whatever it was when you last used it. Push it and hold for about 5 seconds and it turns off. It has an auto-off feature as well...it will turn off after 12 hours. I think this scope is rated for 200 hours on the battery...I've not had time to test that yet. It came with two Lithium CR2032 batteries...the device only uses one, so the other is a spare. Nice. The scope also comes with scope mounts to allow four different height settings, up to 40 mm. This is nice because my wife's rifle has a fixed, raised front sight (it's an AR-15 platform). Sighting in was a breeze. I first sighted in the rifle on iron sights. Then mounted the scope, sighted through the scope with the iron sights and adjusted the red dot until it was sitting on top of the front sight blade. The rifle shot at point of aim with the scope from then on. I tested the accuracy of the holographic dot from different head angles too...tilted my head up/down/side-to-side in order to move the dot image around in the optics to judge the effect on the point of impact. As long as I could see the red dot anywhere in the field of view, whatever I put the dot on was where the bullet hit. The scope comes with flip-up covers over both ends, which is kinda nice. All my other scopes just have detachable covers. They have a nice compression fit over the ends of the scope and the caps installed on them flip up. However, even though they are tightly fitted to the body of the scope, the front one will eventually pop off after shooting one or two 30 round magazines. For hunting, this won't be a problem. For plinking and target shooting where you'll be shooting more than a few rounds, just pocket the front dust cover. I like this so much that I intend to buy another one whenever I get my own AR-15 platform, and I'll buy it from this dealer if they still have them available.

This is my second optic from Vortex. My other is a 4-12x40 Crossfire ll AO BDC and put it on an 18" 5.56 and was extremely impressed with it after my very first shot. The Sparc 2 I mounted on a 10.5" 300 Blackout build (see pictures). I am equally impressed with this optic and Vortex has found a new lifelong customer. Pros: 1. I like the design of this optic. I was a little concerned about the battery compartment on the right side and the on/off switch compartment on the left interfering with the sight picture but to my surprise they weren't a factor at all. 2. Very well built, like all Vortexes. The lens caps flip up and then snap back on solidly. They DO NOT move side to side like some have said. The battery and elevation/windage caps fit securely on and are easy to take on/off. The tether straps are independent of the caps' turning and DO NOT bind as others have stated. 3. The red dot is very easy to see and the various levels of brightness will fit any lighting situation you encounter. 4. Very easy to mount. Most people, like me, will be using the high mount. Gave me absolute co-witness with my Magpul back-up sights. 5. The glass is crystal clear and won't fog. The quality of this optic far exceeds it's modest price tag. 6. It's lightweight and compact. Even on my 10.5" blackout there is still plenty of room for my MBUS. 7. The best thing about this optic and all Vortex is the crazy, ridiculous VIP Warranty. Now you may say there are others out there with similar warranties, and you are probably right. But are you getting the same quality? How much are you paying for that optic? For the quality and price, you can't beat Vortex. Cons: 1. I wasn't initially happy with the dot emitter being visible in my sight picture. Once you get to the range and get to shooting, this negative quickly disappears. 2. I do agree with other reviewers that it would be better if it came with a QD mount. Overall, I really like this optic. Quality, price, and warranty are 3 excellent reasons I buy Vortex and you won't be sorry if you do too.

It's a Vortex, so the build quality is excellent and the best warranty in the optics world. Beautiful anodized finish. Comes with flip-up lens caps, battery and several mounts to adjust height...AWESOME! Parallax free and rated for shotgun, so you know it's rugged. Battery life isn't the highest, but is very acceptable and has auto power-off after 12 hours. The glass is quality, the dot has a great range of brightness. Very highly recommended!

This optic is awesome! After hundreds and hundreds (if not over a thousand) rounds down range, the optic still holds zero. It is very well made, lifetime warranty never hurts, and is light weight as to not weigh down your gun. I tested the zero parallax and it is true, there is no parrallax. Push buttons to adjust brightness are easy to manipulate and are facing you which is a huge plus from them being on the side. One click and it's on, hold it down and it turns off. Several brightness levels, two of them being night vision compatible and they do work, I tested them out. Lowest setting shines bright at night and during the parts of the day when the sun isn't out, when the sun is out you don't even need to have it on its brightest setting. I'm very impressed with it, it exceeded my expectations greatly. Screw caps are a little bit of a hassle to get off and on, but that's not a big deal to me. The only complaint I have besides the screw caps is the sight picture. The tube is a little small so quick acquisition will take a little practice. After a few mags and a few drills it is no longer a problem to me. Don't spend $500 on an aimpoint, get this and you will not regret it. If you want a bigger sight picture than with the tube on this and you feel like paying a few hundred dollars more then by all means get an Eotech. But for the money this is a high quality optic that will not let you down. I will recommend this to anyone I come across who is looking for a great red dot optic. Also, pair this with the vortex 3x magnifier and you will love it even more!

Mounted to my custom built AR15 with a VLTOR CASV M hand guard rail system. I use an Abrams Gas Block with a VLTOR Flip up front sight and a Flip up Troy rear sight. The included spacers allow for easy co-witness. Has maintained zero despite my wife dropping the rifle not once, but twice as well as 20+ trips to the range in the range bag. I've put over 2000 rounds of 5.56 and 3000 rounds of .22LR through this gun since I put this optic on. I leave it on full time unless I'm using my Nikon P223 scope. Mount stays tight, but I do use a drop of blue LocTite on all such things. The optic shuts off by itself, saving battery life. It also comes with extra spacers and an extra battery. Using the CR2032 battery, of which only one is needed, ensures easy availability for replacement batteries. The two buttons that allow adjusting for brightness and dimming are facing the shooter. A HUGE plus in my book. Also, I have ZERO issues with obtaining a bright enough dot no matter the sunlight conditions I've used this in. I've only had to adjust it brighter by two clicks of the button to make the dot easily view-able in full on, Florida sun conditions. Even with the target glowing a bit from reflective sunlight conditions, the dot is easily seen without having to adjust to full brightness. I've fired in a full on downpour and even the lowest setting was excellent for those conditions. I've had ZERO issues with fogging or with water getting on the optics. I set zero at 50m. It's easy to aim slightly higher or lower depending on your target distance. You'll learn this optic faster than any of the others I've used and it's extremely clear. I'm rather impressed on how clear the optic is given my much more expensive CQB optics. Windage and elevation screws have very positive clicks when being adjusted. Something I was concerned with after reading some of these reviews. Three minor cons for which I removed one star. One, it isn't a quick disconnect mount nor is one offered that I've been able to find. I carry a small tool with many different sized Allen wrenches on it, so no big deal unless time was a factor when swapping to my P223 scope. I would imagine given time and experimentation, I'll find a QD mount just like I did for the P223 scope that works without affecting the MOA too much. Two, the windage and elevation covers are a bit of a pain to remove if you have big fingers/hands. The attached retention straps on these caps can cause the caps to be difficult to tighten or loosen. A small amount of graphite lock lubricant in-between cleanings fixes that issue. Finally, the battery cover can loosen on it's own after a few thousand rounds. This shouldn't be an issue but since it has been for me, and this also would compromise the water tight integrity of the optic, I used a Q-Tip to put a very small amount of Blue LocTite on one section of the threads. Hasn't loosened up since then. Overall, for an optic at this price point, it simply cannot be beaten.

Crisp, Rugged, and Reliable: A Great Mid-Tier Red Dot The Vortex Sparc II has become one of my go-to optics for rifles and carbines. What stood out right away was the clarity of the glass—multi-coated and parallax-free, so the dot stays consistent no matter where my eye shifts. The 2 MOA dot is sharp, and with ten brightness levels (including night-vision compatibility), I had no problem finding the right setting whether I was at an indoor range or outdoors in full sun. I also really like the build. The housing is aircraft-grade aluminum, sealed, and nitrogen purged. I’ve used it in damp weather and fog, and it’s held up without issue. It’s not Aimpoint-tier, but for the price, it feels extremely rugged and confidence-inspiring. Recoil hasn’t shifted zero—mine stayed rock solid even after a few hundred rounds. Mounting was straightforward thanks to the modular base. Being able to choose between absolute and lower 1/3 co-witness was a nice touch, and the included hardware and tools were actually usable (not always the case). At 5.9 ounces, it doesn’t weigh down the rifle. The controls are simple—just two rear-facing buttons—and I appreciate that it always remembers the last brightness setting when powered back on. Battery life on a CR2032 is decent, though not as legendary as higher-end optics, so I keep a spare in my range bag. If there’s one thing to keep in mind, it’s that this isn’t designed for extreme duty use like parachuting into combat zones. For home defense, training, hunting, or general shooting, though, it’s more than enough. Bottom line: A dependable, clear, and versatile red dot sight that delivers Aimpoint-like performance at a fraction of the price. Great choice for anyone who wants a rugged optic without overspending.

When I received my first red dot sight since the early predecessors in the late 60's or early 70's called an instinct sight.... It was the Vortex Spark 2 I was pleased with the mounting options which covered all the bases. I installed the optic on a kit built AR-15 carbine. I read reviews and noticed that some reviewers complained that the relatively small moa dot wasn't crisp and clean and appeared like a squiggly shape of some kind I also read many 5 star reviews. So I ordered the very reasonably red dot unit After I installed the unit I fired it up. The " dot" looked like South America with my right eye. I thought, no wonder the price is so good and took a picture with supposedly camera. The dot was a perfect circle ... I looked at it again thru only my left eye and the squiggly outline was a perfect, nice small red dot. Using the scope as it is designed for with both eyes open and it was a very decent, fairly crisp dot at to the proper intensity setting Turns out I have pretty bad astigmatism in my right eye Everyone with good eyesight also sees a crisp dot. I look at my sons 6moa Burris red dot and it is a round circle but too big for my purposes Now I have tried a lot of red dot sights and 2 and 3 moa dots are much more sensitive than larger I have a Vortex Venom reflex on my accurized Ruger mk111 slab side comp and with the great warranty I'm sticking with Vortex Looking forward to delivery the magnified scope I just ordered

So this is the second iteration of the SPARC. I did in fact own the original SPARC and the differences are clear. The on/off switch has been moved from the side (where it sometimes was initiated during rough handling or storage of the weapon it was attached to), so the simpler controls are much more appreciated. The dot seems very clear; while not Aimpoint sharp (I do have one for comparison), it is still hella sharp. The lens cover caps are much more positive closing than the 1st version. The sight came with a low and high mount and a riser. Currently mounted on a Tavor 9mm, it can perfectly cowitness the flip-up iron sights. The windage and elevation knobs give a positive click when turned one direction or another. The cap for each can even be used to adjust via a raised bar on them if a tool were not available. If you can delve into old Shotgun News issues, they had an interesting review where the authors did unspeakable things to the poor little SPARC II. They submerged it, shot it, whapped it, dropped it, froze it, clubbed it, heated it, and just generally heaped abuse that the little thing didn't deserve. It performed like a champ. If you are not jumping out of planes or holding off undead hordes, I think this sight will take most, if not all, you throw at it.