Overview
The Vortex Crossfire is a red dot sight that is inexpensive, yet effective. It can usually be had for around 150 bucks, less than a third of many other red dots. It has many great features considering its low price tag. However, there are some things that I believe could use some improvement.
Find it here-https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1021740386?pid=765346
Specs
Magnification-1x
Manufacturer-Vortex
Parallax-Parallax free
Reticle Color-Red/(Night Vision Compatible on lower setting)
Weight-5.2 ounces
Length-2.5 in
Warranty-Vortex VIP Warranty
Battery Life-50,000 hours
Red Dot-2 MOA
Adjustment-1 MOA per click, 100 MOA of adjustment for windage and elevation
Pros
This sight offers many great features that are usually reserved for more expensive optics. It is parallax free, it offers 11 brightness levels(2 Night Vision Compatible), and it is rather lightweight. Many cheap optics in this price range and below do not come with a parallax free design. It is great that Vortex incorporated that feature into this optic. With 9 brightness levels, this sight has you covered for any sort of light conditions. One final thing I really liked about this site is the quality feel. It feels as sturdy and rigid as optics that carry triple the price tag. This is definitely something to consider depending on the conditions you plan to put your red dot through.
Cons
As with many lower priced optics, there are a few small problems I have noticed with the Vortex Crossfire. One of these is the adjustment knob. It is rather hard to turn and it is not very positive in its feel. This does not really affect the usability of the optic, but it is a slight annoyance. The adjustments for windage and elevation are also stiff and they are 1 MOA per click. That is probably fine for most situations that you would use this sight for, but if you plan on using a magnifier for longer range work it would probably be a problem due to the lack of precision that you can achieve. The biggest issue I had was that the “6” brightness setting failed to work. I don’t really know why this is, but it is a slight irritation.
At The Range
I currently have this sight mounted on a Ruger 10/22. I used the low profile instead of the co-witness mount that the site comes on. Personally, I like the low profile mount better because it provides a sleeker look and it is easier for me to find the dot while I am behind the rifle. The co-witness mount is great if your are running backup iron sights along with your red dot. However, some may find that the higher mount is better for their particular rifle or shooting position behind their rifle.
It was rather easy to zero in this optic. This is the first red dot I have used that had 1 MOA adjustment values. Even at 25 yards, a few clicks made a big difference.(1 click at 25=1/4 inch) My point of impact was about 1 foot high at 25 yards when I took my first shot. After a few clicks down, my POI was perfect. I zeroed this optic at 25 yards mainly because this is just a plinking rifle and I probably will rarely use it past that range. While possible, precise zeros past 75 yards might be difficult given this optic lacks magnification and the adjustment values are so large.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the Vortex Crossfire Red Dot is a solid optic and I would give it four stars. It is inexpensive and it is packed with many great features usually only found on higher priced red dots. The fact that one brightness setting failed to work is that main reason I docked it one star. While I may have never used that particular setting, it is still annoying knowing that my optic doesn’t “fully” operate. However, I would still recommend it to anyone in the market for a good budget red dot.