Got me to thinking - if it ever came time that I got a text from my wife that an active shooter was at her or one of my kid's schools, I'm not gonna sit outside and leave them at risk. What is the best AR optic for CQB? ACOG, EOTech, something else?

I currently have a Bushnell 3-9x40 on my AR and it's fine for plinking steel, but not much good for CQB type stuff.

Also what is the most affordable body armor that's decent?

TIA

EOTECH EXPS2

But,,,, If you ain’t the popo, your an active shooter. Prolly gonna get lit up. I don’t think we will ever see the police wait around again.

Horrible idea. Go running towards a school with a rifle and armor during a active shooter situation and you will be dropped before you make it to the door. if heaven forbid there is another school shooting I can almost guarantee you that the response will be a lot more aggressive and the same mistakes won’t be repeated. If you still want to be John McClane go for it but have your will and stuff in order.

SS 1-4X or 1-6X do a whole lot of things well.

You can see the muzzle at 1X, or hit a hog at 400 yards with the magnification turned up.

I keep this close with a full mag. Sig Red Dot. Until I tried one I would have never wanted one. Easy to knock down 6" plates at 100 yards, or up real close use factory irons, both eyes open either way.

Slow down, cowboy. Your post indicates that you have no experience with defensive rifle work or the gear. You haven't even considered what you would need for home defense. Statistically speaking, about as many people are killed by lightning (and a lot more injured) than killed or injured in school shootings. After all, you are more likely to need to defend your family in a home defense situation than to go save your child at school as there are about 1 million home invasions each year where the occupants are at home. With that said, the vast majority of shootings are over quickly, either because they were short duration or the shooter was stopped by intended victims or the cops. So what you are talking about preparing for is the black unicorn of situations.
https://bjs.ojp.gov/content/pub/ascii/vdhb.txt
https://www.inquirer.com/news/texas-school-mass-shootings-nationwide-20220525.html
https://www.weather.gov/safety/lightning-victims

I don't know what it is that people worry more about the exceptionally rate and grand events than the day to day dangers. None of are are nearly as likely to be involved in a mass shooting event (school, mall, workplace, etc.) as we are to be involved in getting murdered or intentionally injured by a family member/friend/acquaintance. Even if somebody trying to harm you doesn't know you, chances are infinitely in favor of violence against you being a random assault, mugging, rape, etc. than it is that you are in a mass shooting event.

Honestly, how concerned are you about your kids and lightning as that is and equal or greater threat than the possibility of being injured or killed in a school shooting.



Ah, the "never again" attitude. The thing about 'never again' is that it does keep happening. After Columbine, we weren't supposed to be seeing it again. Yet it happened TWICE this year alone, at King Soupers in Colorado and at Uvalde and it happened previously at Parkland. In both cases, the police got their noses blooded early one and said, "Holy crap, I could get shot doing my job. Best to surround and contain and wait it out."

Columbine was the case example for rewriting the book on active shooters. Prior to Columbine, the dogma was 'surround and contain.'

And, RD is right. You run to a school with your gear, you might get lit up. Hell, they cuffed, arrested, and tazed parents in Uvalde who wanted to act. Apparently, they were interfering with the cops NOT doing their job.

For pure CQB, a red dot or holosight with “shake awake “ technology is king. Shake awake saves your battery and ensures it’s on without thinking about it when you need it.

I like that Sig 556, I regret selling mine.

Thanks, mine is a 553P.

Can’t beat the versatility of the AimPoint PRO. 5 year battery life when left on level 10 brightness. Absolutely a rough optic. True CQB is best with both eyes open, eliminating tunnel vision and gaining the use of your peripheral vision. The PRO has a solid front flip up cover, while the back cover is clear to act as a dust and rain guard. Leave both closed with the unit on, and with both eyes open it’s a point a shoot optic. Your dominant eye will see the red dot while non dominant eye picks up the threat down range, then your eyes transpose the images into one.

While I agree with what JG said, a 1-4 or 1-6 or 1-8 is the ultimate AR optic, for true CQB I’d rather have the 1x red dot.

When you've spent a life time looking through a conventional rifle scope, going to the both eyes open 1x red dot wasn't something I thought I could pull off. That's why I tested the waters with this Sig Romeo, $150.00 experiment. It works. I only shoot this 3-4 times per year and it's always on, always on zero when I shoot it. If I had a need, I'd go up on the quality and durability scale from what I have. It has proven the concept to me.

Sig Romeo 5 is a solid budget choice-- a better step up would be a Holosun.

If you want a 'duty rated' optic they generally start with the Aimpoint Pro, Trijicon MRO, Eotech XPS/EXPS series and the Aimpoint H and T series are top of the chain.

My Aimpoint H2 has been in a Scalarworks mount in my cruiser for the past 4 years, rattled around for thousands and thousands of miles, sat in extreme temps inside the car only to deploy outside into the opposite extreme... all without fail--- that includes two car crashes, each one where my Tahoe was completely TOTALED-- (the last one broke my 870!!)-- each time I took it to the range and checked zero-- had a 1.5" POI shift after the last crash at 50 yards.... which is about as good as you could hope for.

^^A man definitely worth paying attention to^^

Not exactly room clearing, but I’m also a fan of the H2.

I heard setup depends entirely on your training.

Body armor slows you down. If you don't care, find a chest plate carrier and then practice. Affects everything about your shooting. LABEL it PD so you don't get shot. Hire a lawyer later if needed.

I like the EOTech 1x6 on a 5.56 or a Sig Romeo 5 on a PCC. Again, practice. We all should be.

Sounds like a suicide mission but

At minimum Aimpoint PRO

Aimpoint t2 or h2

MRO HD

These are solid choices, I am running an Aimpoint PRO and like it.

What makes the T2 double the cost of a Pro? Is it worth it?

I really like my Romeo 5 for short range. Wherever the dot is is where it hits, no matter your angle of view. Was thinking of replacing with a Leopold Firedot 1-4 for further distances.

That has been my experience.

Pro is best real deal bang for buck. I would probably get a different mount to lighten it up.

If I was buying again I would look at the mro hd..

You can’t go wrong with any I listed. It depends on budget

Cant fault a man for wanting to protect kids...but this thread is stupid on so many levels. If your dead set on being ready to step up if or when the time comes, then worry less about fancy equipment and more about being physically conditioned to put the hurt exactly where it needs to be while out of breath, sweating, trembling, and from a random shooting position. Because if that moment of truth comes you WILL have run towards danger and f@#K up you enemies day with whatever weapon is available be it a long gun, short gun, bayonet, entrenching tool, fire extinguisher, whatever...at the very least you CAN pave the way for your brothers behind you. But a safe full of the best equipment in the world wont do much good if your not conditioned to fight. And in my experience when its really up close and personal your not taking time to look through gun sights.

Although I have no grand illusions of going Rambo on some guy that has lit up my daughter's or son's school, IF the situation presented itself, and I could actually get past the police barricades to get in the front door of the school, I'd use my 300 blk pistol with supersonic ammo and Leupold RDS. Shake awake, easily adjustable brightness, streamlight weapons light. Same gun that protects my family at home.

An LPVO is a great idea, and if I ever buy another AR, it will probably be outfitted with one.

I'm not willing to bet my wife and kids lives that this is correct. A bunch of parents with dead kids made this gamble in Uvalde and are having funerals this week.