[PCS01]

I just ordered this red dot from Primary Arms for my S&W M&P 15 Sport:

https://www.primaryarms.com/Primary_Arms_MultiReticle_Red_Dot_Sight_PAM3M_p/pam3m.htm

Does anyone have any experience with it? And/or, does anyone have experience dealing with the PA warranty process? If so, I'd love to hear about it. Hopefully I made a good choice.

I had actually already ordered a Vortex StrikeFire (bright red dot only version - SF-BR-AR15; Vortex Optics - StrikeFire Red Dot Extra-High Mount ) from OpticsPlanet, but I cancelled it at the last minute before it shipped. What changed my mind was when I looked back at an older thread here about budget red dots where dbeardslee mentioned getting a Primary Arms red dot that he was really happy with ( http://www.taurusarmed.net/forums/firing-line/86768-nice-budget-red-dot.html).

Well, I did some more reading on the Primary Arms (PA) website, along with some forum discussions about their product line. In the end, I decided that this red dot seemed like a whole lot of bang for my buck. This 2 MOA dot version runs on the CR2 Lithium battery (just like the StrikeFire) instead of the CR2032 batteries of the older PA 3 MOA version that doesn't have as long of battery life. It also has three different reticles to switch between, which I really like. I added the high cantilever mount for $10, so when it was all said and done with shipping, it came out to $120 and some change! To me, that seems pretty hard to beat. The StrikeFire was going to cost me $169. With the $50 I saved, I'm thinking of adding a little money to it in a couple months and getting one of the PA 3X magnifiers with a quick-detach mount to put behind the red dot for longer-distance shooting.

Anyway, just thought I would share my new acquisition. I have a new Hogue grip on order also to replace the standard one that came on my M&P 15. When I get both installed, I'll post some pics in the "Other Long Guns" forum and here too. After all, I know that :nopics:.

 

[RichO]

Now THAT is a coincidence! lol I remembered dbeardslee posting something about a red dot, and was going to try searching for
it tonight! I know of another M&P 15 that is in need of some affordable optics.

 

[youngandfree]

Primary Arms has a pretty good rep over at ar15.com so you might search around over there.

 

[PCS01]

Now THAT is a coincidence! lol I remembered dbeardslee posting something about a red dot, and was going to try searching for
it tonight! I know of another M&P 15 that is in need of some affordable optics.

Glad I could help. If you end up going with a Primary Arms, maybe dbeardslee can work out a way to get some commission for drumming up business. Worked for me.

 

[PCS01]

Primary Arms has a pretty good rep over at ar15.com so you might search around over there.

That's exactly where I ended up reading several discussions about, or including Primary Arms red dots. Yeah, those folks sure seem to be singing the praises of this company and it's products. The more I read, the better I feel about my choice.

 

[rifleshooter]

I have one, and it's GREAT!! Get it - you won't have a regret in the world.

 

[PCS01]

Ordered it earlier today. Should be here sometime next week. I'm looking forward to getting it mounted and sighted in.

 

[rollin thunder]

I just happened to be in the market for a red dot. I think I'll order one this weekend.

 

[PCS01]

artsin01::icon_ lala: I got my Primary Arms Multi-Reticle M3 red dot (PAM3M) today. I ordered it with the high cantilever mount in case I decide to eventually put a magnifier behind it. It's already mounted on the gun, and I did a preliminary zeroing based on my iron sights. Then, I played around with it a bit. I found that being able to switch between reticle types is a really nice feature. I don't envision myself changing reticles all that often, but after trying the different options, I think the circle dot option will probably be the one I use the most. Seems to be pretty quick and still has the 2 MOA dot in the middle for precision work.

By any means, it's a cool optic for the price. I'm pretty impressed so far.

I'm holding off until next week to post pics because that's when I get my new Magpul MOE hand guard and short picatinny rail section. That will allow me to easily attach the bipod that I already have for my other rifles. I figured I would just post a picture or two of the rifle in all of it's modified glory once everything has been installed.

As a side note, I installed my Hogue grip a day or two ago, and it is AWESOME! I haven't had it to the range yet, but I love the way it feels. It gives so much more positive grip. I should have done this from day one of owning the gun.

 

[PCS01]

For anyone who has experience with this PA mount, I've got a question about installation: How tight are you supposed to tighten the base cross bolt? I followed the instructions to stop when you first feel light resistance while hand tightening it. Then it said that you should give it another 1/4 turn, so I did that, but it still doesn't seem all that tight. I guess I was just surprised that I was able to give it another 1/4 turn by hand and that I could pretty easily tighten it a bit more beyond that by hand too.

It seems like that small amount of torque will not be enough to hold it in place under recoil, but I don't want to over-do it either. Should I give it a little bit more with a wrench, or at least tighten it as tight as I can get it by hand? What do you all think?

 

[PCS01]

Just to give an update on the question I asked earlier about proper torque on the base cross bolt:

I called Primary Arms today and asked how tight to make the cross bolt. The guy I spoke with said that he always uses a wrench to tighten it a bit beyond finger tight. He didn't say exactly how much more to give with the wrench, so I guess it's like any other small hardware: be careful, go a little bit at a time, and if you have any doubt that you're about to over-tighten it, STOP immediately.

For those of you who have an inch/pound torque wrench at your disposal, the PA guy also said that the cross bolt should be tightened to about 16-20 inch/pounds. Unfortunately, both of my torque wrenches are calibrated in foot/pounds. So, I just used my "inch/pound calibrated hand" instead and got it close to where I thought it should be. If it comes loose at the range, not that big of a deal. I'll just give it bit more umph next time and be good to go again.

 

[PCS01]

Here is basically the same post I just made in the "Other Long Guns" forum, but I wanted to post it here too in order to show the finished product and give some initial thoughts about the red dot. The pics below are of a "before and after" nature.


The picture below is of the same M&P 15 after some modifications that I made over the past week or two (Hogue pistol grip with storage, Primary Arms PAM3M red dot in a PA high cantilever mount, Magpul MOE handguard with a short rail section, Harris picatinny to sling swivel adaptor, and the same bipod from the first picture.

The Hogue grip makes a ton of difference -- now feels a lot more substantial. I've shot it once with the PA red dot, and I really like it a lot. It's seems to be a nice optic and customer service (asking a bunch of questions before ordering) was great to deal with. I haven't shot it yet with the new handguard and bipod, but I'm looking forward to it. I think it's going to work pretty well, but man I'm wishing I had a mid- or rifle-length handguard about now. The bipod really eats up a lot of real estate on a carbine length fore end. I was hoping that I would be able to push the bipod out toward the muzzle a bit further, but the mounting holes for the rail didn't allow it. Oh well, like I said, I think I'm going to like it anyway.

 

[RichO]

... I was hoping that I would be able to push the bipod out toward the muzzle a bit further, but the mounting holes for the rail didn't allow it. Oh well, like I said, I think I'm going to like it anyway.

Have you considered switching out the front sight/gas block to a picatinny? You would be able to mount the bipod on it, and
although it wouldn't give as much real estate as a mid or rifle length, would free up some space.

 

[PCS01]

Have you considered switching out the front sight/gas block to a picatinny? You would be able to mount the bipod on it, and
although it wouldn't give as much real estate as a mid or rifle length, would free up some space.

I've thought about it, but not too seriously. I knew that limitations of having an A2 front post/gas block when I bought the gun. I don't know that I'm ready to start cutting the gas block off to switch it out quite yet. Plus, then I'd have the added expense of buying another front sight.

Instead, I'd rather just complain about the lack of space and keep it the way it is.

Just kidding. I do appreciate you throwing out that option.