Riton X3 Tactix ARD & X1 Tactix Mag3 for about $300

[NT2C]

Good deal?  Yea or nay?  And is the X3 really worth the extra money over the X1?

I've been thinking about upping my red dot game on my AR and when I saw the X3 Tactix ARD for $159 locally my debit card started tingling.  Especially knowing I can get the x1 Mag3 for about $150, making the package about $40 less than the MSRP of the X3 Tactix ARD alone.

[NT2C]

And... I splurged and grabbed a Holosun HE503CU-GR from Midway instead.  $275 shipped with 10% off and incl. almost $14 sales tax.  I'll get a magnifier at a later date.

I would have grabbed a HE503R-GD but nobody had them in stock.  I went with the Holosun because of something that happened just now while I was shopping online.  I heard two what sounded like rifle shots coming from up my street, spaced exactly how they'd be spaced for a double tap.  I grabbed my AR, killed the outside lights and slipped out the front door to listen and see what I heard.  It wasn't until I got out there that I remembered to turn on my red dot.  That meant I had to divert attention to fix that issue and get the brightness right, which I didn't like.  Too easy to get surprised and jumped while distracted.

All was quiet though, no yelling or screaming, no doors slamming and house lights coming on, so I came back inside and started to put the rifle back where I keep it and almost forgot to switch the red dot back off.  That settled it, Holosun "Shake Awake" was what I needed.  Clicked the order button 20 minutes later on the Midway site.

[boskone]

Regarding the magnifier, I had one for my Primary Arms red dot at first and didn't really care for it: it seems like a great solution, but I've found I much prefer a 1-4x scope.

The RDS+mag setup (theoretically) let me use my irons if the RDS failed; but on the other hand it was bulkier than a 1-4x scope, less precise, and I've never actually needed to use my irons through it.

The scope is slightly lighter, overall smaller, noticeably more precise, and generally less of a hassle.  It also works fine without power, since while it has an illuminated dot it's still a regular scope with the dot off.  It seems to work fine when cranked down to 1x, like some kind of an improved occluded sight.  Also cheaper; I think I paid less than $200 for mine with mount.

And if I ever needed to remove it, it's just a couple turns of two screws and the scope is gone.  I actually removed and remounted it (to move my rear iron), and just making sure I put it in the same spots and bumped forward had it return to zero, at least within measurable tolerances at a 200yd range.

But if you really want the RDS+mag setup, PA would similarly priced from a well-known brand (and one I've been very satisfied with): $90 for a RDS, $50 for a lower-third or absolute cowitness mount, and $155 for a 3x mag with mount; $295 total.

Or a PA 1-4x for $90 and a pair of rings for $50, $140.  Or about $190 for a mount, though I'm not 100% confident that cantilevered mounts don't have some wobble.

[edit]
Or not, because I overestimated NT2C's attention span. 

Though a "shake awake" scope would be kinda nice.

[NT2C]

Regarding the magnifier, I had one for my Primary Arms red dot at first and didn't really care for it: it seems like a great solution, but I've found I much prefer a 1-4x scope.

The RDS+mag setup (theoretically) let me use my irons if the RDS failed; but on the other hand it was bulkier than a 1-4x scope, less precise, and I've never actually needed to use my irons through it.

The scope is slightly lighter, overall smaller, noticeably more precise, and generally less of a hassle.  It also works fine without power, since while it has an illuminated dot it's still a regular scope with the dot off.  It seems to work fine when cranked down to 1x, like some kind of an improved occluded sight.  Also cheaper; I think I paid less than $200 for mine with mount.

And if I ever needed to remove it, it's just a couple turns of two screws and the scope is gone.  I actually removed and remounted it (to move my rear iron), and just making sure I put it in the same spots and bumped forward had it return to zero, at least within measurable tolerances at a 200yd range.

But if you really want the RDS+mag setup, PA would similarly priced from a well-known brand (and one I've been very satisfied with): $90 for a RDS, $50 for a lower-third or absolute cowitness mount, and $155 for a 3x mag with mount; $295 total.

Or a PA 1-4x for $90 and a pair of rings for $50, $140.  Or about $190 for a mount, though I'm not 100% confident that cantilevered mounts don't have some wobble.

[edit]
Or not, because I overestimated NT2C's attention span. 

Though a "shake awake" scope would be kinda nice.

I may wind up with a scope instead at some point, but the Holosun can then find a home on my shotty, or PCC, replacing the cheap optics on them now.  I really prefer a RDS for anything out to 100 yards or so.  The pair of red dots I currently own, one on the AR and one on the shotty, are of reasonable quality for their $45 price tags (two of the same except for color - more about why I use red things on my shotty in a different post) and have held up well to heavy use so I can't complain.  It was time to kick it up a notch though, and the Holosun will do that pretty well (though I'm going to miss being able to switch from green to red under some lighting conditions).