IF you can't afford at least a $300 scope you're wasting your money. Spend money on ammo and shoot iron sights until you can afford moderate quality.
BTW, the 1-4x scopes that have been suggested can not only be used at 4x like a traditional scope, but can be used at 1x similar to a dot (just not as forgiving in head position). It's what 3-gunners use for a reason, you basically get dual use...
He has PST 1-4
So, just curious, what sits on top of your AR?
He has PST 1-4
Throwing crap on the gun that won't work, won't hold zero, and makes the shooting LESS fun sure won't help them develop a commitment... it'll just become "this sucks, I wanna go play my xbox."
There are some decent suggestions above that while slightly more expensive than some chinese knockoff crap, they will work, and they will hold some re-sell value if you want to change/upgrade later as opposed to some crap optic that will most likely be too busted to re-sell later.
-rvb
Completely disagree with this. I grew up with nothing but a crappy 3x bb gun scope on my .22, and it taught me TONS about marksmanship and skills needed with shooting. This is comparable to saying "If you don't buy your kid a nighthawk 1911, they'll never enjoy shooting handguns."
I'm not saying it has to be expensive, I'm saying it has to work and hold zero. I'd give a crappy chinese acog clone a 50-50 chance of lasting a year. There are probably simple fixed 4x scopes that would be more likely to work and at 1/2 the cost of the knock-off acog.
-rvb
Under heavy use, you are probably right about it being 50/50 in a year. But from the sounds of it, it will be under extremely light use.
Hopefully he will find something that fits both his budget and his expectations.
...after coming back a week later, it shot 1" low!
...
Basically, if you want a perfect scope, this sucks. If you have an ACOG on your real rifle, but want a matching training unit for your .22 and don't mind adjusting zero a tad before a range session, it's super sweet
. If I remember right, you can buy a 3x attachment for the crossfire also (might want to check with him about that).
The 3x magnifier only works with non magnified red dots like the strikefire, and sparc.
Hum.. I can see the target...Got my ACOG clone about a week ago. Came in an awesome cardboard box... It's held zero pretty well so far on my 5.56 AR. I'd estimate 300ish rounds fired with it. It was fairly easy to zero but the clicks weren't as positive as my Aimpoint PRO, so slightly disappointed. At 200 yards, the girlfriend and I were able to consistently hit a 8" steel plate from Bobcat. Can't say that's much of a track record but I'll report back if it bites the dust (which could be tomorrow or years down the road, just a gamble).
Low & left. Maybe trigger pull? Not the scope I think.