Today I’m going to show you the best AR-15 carry handle scopes.
In fact:
I’ve hand- tested over 10 scopes alone for this review.
The best part?
I’ve sorted the scopes by use. So whether you’re on a budget or need the best scopes for AR-15 with carry handle, you’ll find it here.
Let’s dive in!
The 4 Best AR-15 Carry Handle Scopes
If you’re pressed on time, here’s a quick list of the best AR-15 carry handle scopes:
- Trijicon ACOG 3x24mm Compact: Best Overall
- Holosun HS510C: Best for Holographics
- Sig Sauer Romeo Zero: Best for Budget
- Aimpoint PRO Red Dot: Best for Red Dot Sights
1. Trijicon ACOG 3x24mm Compact: Best Overall
Trijicon ACOGs are great scopes in general and the 3x24mm compact is by far the best of them.
The compact, lightweight design makes it the best optic for carry handle on your AR-15 or AK-47.
Trijicon ACOGs are combat tested and are favored by military and law enforcement.
Want to know more? Read on…
Glass Clarity & Reticle
Trijicon ACOGs are pricey, but they’re well worth it because the glass is exceptionally clear.
Not only is the glass clarity top notch, but the ACOG uses tritium and fiber optics for illumination. This means that you’ll be able to see your reticle both day and night. It also adjusts the illumination for you by gauging the ambient light.
Plus, it’s completely battery free, so you’ll never have to worry about it failing when you need it the most.
The reticle itself is a green crosshair 223/55 grain ballistic reticle. The green crosshairs are a little harder to see in the daylight than red, but I like it because it’s not as harsh on the eyes either. And the green is perfectly bright and easy to see at night.
Eye Relief & Eye Box
Here’s the one downside to the Trijicon ACOG 3x24mm compact: the eye relief is only 1.4”.
It’s a little forgiving though and is actually pretty good for a standard AK stock. Plus, as long as you keep a good cheek weld, it’s not a huge problem for AR-15s either.
Another perk to the ACOG is that it uses the Bindon Aiming Concept, which utilizes a both eyes open concept. Having the use of both eyes has multiple perks that all make it an exceptional choice for combat or tactical situations.
You get the full use of your peripheral vision for maximum situational awareness. And using both eyes saves time and allows you to acquire your target fast. It’s almost as fast as what you get using a red dot sight.
Durability
When you’re looking for the best scope for your AR-15, you want to know that you’re getting something durable and reliable.
The Trijicon ACOG 3x24mm compact exceeds all expectations in that area. It is rugged and almost indestructible. It’s housed in aircraft quality aluminum that can take a beating and not show a scratch.
On top of that, this scope is waterproof, fogproof, and shockproof. And, it comes with a limited lifetime warranty too.
Elevation & Windage Knobs
The elevation and windage knobs are easy to adjust.
You won’t need any tools for these turrets because they adjust externally. And the caps come attached to a lanyard, so you won’t lose them while you’re making your adjustments.
Zeroing is done just like any other scope and I had mine zeroed in under 10 shots. I was able to get nice, tight groups at 100 yards quickly and easily.
I’m hard on my scopes and this one has taken a beating. I’ve thrown it in the back of my truck and dropped it in a rocky stream. It’s still holding zero to this day.
Parallax & Magnification
With this Trijicon ACOG you get a fixed magnification of 3x.
I’ve found this to be pretty perfect 75-150 yards, which is where I do most of my hunting. I can make really accurate shots out to 300 yards easily though. For a fixed magnification, it seems to have all the range that I need.
Parallax is completely non-existent vertically with all ACOGs. I can get a little parallax moving side to side, but a good cheek well solves that problem. And it’s barely noticeable anyway. I only noticed it because I was trying to find it.
Mounting & Rings
Unfortunately, this scope doesn’t come with a mount, so you’ll need to purchase one separately.
I chose the Trijicon RM54 mount
- Trijicon RMR Mount for 3x30 ACOG with bosses
- Made of 7075-T6 aluminum
- RM54 allows you to mount any RMR to a 3x30 ACOG with integrated mounting bosses
because the scope has mounting bosses integrated into the housing so that you can add on a Trijicon RMR red dot sight if you want to.
- 3.25 MOA ADJUSTABLE LED RMR: Features an automatic brightness mode and easy push buttons for eight adjustable brightness settings including 2 nv and 1 Super bright
- DEPENDABLE ELECTRONIC DESIGN: Ruggedized Battery contacts and electronics ensure performance and survivability in harsh environments
- UNIQUE PATENTED HOUSING SHAPE: Military-grade aluminum alloy forged housing shape diverts force of impact away from the lens, greatly increasing its durability
What you do get with this scope is a scopecoat, lenspen, the elevation and windage caps with lanyard, a logo sticker, and the manual and warranty card.
Is the Trijicon ACOG 3×24 mm compact worth it?
This scope has everything you could want for your rifle and more.
It has:
- Clear glass
- Dual illumination
- Rugged and durable
- Fast target acquisition
- Green crosshair reticle
- Low height body design
If you’re looking for the best overall scope for your rifle, try the Trijicon ACOG 3x24mm compact. You’ll be happy that you did.
- Magnification: 3x, Objective Size: 24mm
- Illumination Source: Fiber Optics & Tritium
- Reticle Pattern: Crosshair .223 / 55 gr.
2. Holosun HS510C: Best for Holographics
I recently stumbled on the Holosun Hs510C while looking for an optic for my B&T GHM9 carbine.
What I found was uncompromising quality for a reasonable price, something you don’t see often. I don’t recommend an optic unless I have used and abused it enough to know how it will perform at a critical moment.
Want to know what I found out about the Holosun HS510C? Well…
Glass Clarity & Reticle
The Holosun has the best quality glass out there.
Multiple coatings on each layer of the glass create an optic that reflects as much light as possible. This level of glass quality allows for total visibility, even in lowlight conditions.
What impressed me most was the reticle.
The Holosun HS510C has a red circle dot reticle with a 2MOA dot and a 65 MOA circle. The reticle has 12 brightness settings, which automatically adjust to your light level. The reticle is solar-powered most of the time, with 50k hours of backup battery life for nighttime use.
The best feature of all, however, is the shake-awake feature. No button fumbling and no wasted battery. Just on when I need it and off when I don’t. The shut-off time is adjustable, and the shake-awake is VERY sensitive, so you won’t ever have to turn it on yourself.
Eye Relief & Eye Box
The Holosun HS510C has unlimited eye relief and a large eye box.
When handing a self-defense carbine, fast target acquisition is a life or death matter. Thanks to the large eye box, which co-witnesses perfectly with iron sights, you’ll find center mass as fast as you can raise your weapon.
Durability
The Holosun HS510C is one of the most rugged scopes I’ve ever had the pleasure of operating.
A scope like this has to go through my custom torture test before I entrust my life to it. Let me tell you, I beat the devil out of it, and it held zero like a champ. Drop it, kick it, knock someone over the head with it–it WILL hold.
Made with grade 5 titanium, this is a solid piece of equipment. The only downside is, it’s nearly five pounds.
Of course, if you are mounting it on a Scorpion or other 9mm carbine, that shouldn’t be a problem. If you are looking for something lighter, try one of these incredible prism scopes.
Elevation & Windage Buttons
The rubber buttons are .5 MOA per click.
No more listening for clicks and freezing your fingers trying to work a turret knob. Just easy adjustment with a button press. Welcome to the digital age!
Parallax & Magnification
The Holosun HS510C is a 1X magnification optic, as close to iron sights as you can get with a reticle.
1X magnification means objects seen through the glass are nearly the same as the naked eye. This optic is great for shooting with both eyes open and shooting at close range.
Because let’s be honest. You can play with your toys on the range, but in a self-defense situation, if you can’t aim with iron sights, you can’t aim, period. The only thing better than iron sights on a 9mm is a 1X circle-dot like this one.
Because the Holosun is a fixed magnification, there is no parallax.
Mounting & Rings
Ready for good news?
A quick detach sling mount is included! Nothing annoys me more than having to shop for all the add-ons I need for my new optic. For once, it was all in the box.
I installed it myself with the included screw tool, and it was a perfect co-witness with my GHM9’s iron sights.
Is the Holosun SH510C worth it?
The Holosun is a premium optic at a budget price.
I admit, when I saw the price tag, I was expecting a merely adequate scope. What I got was…
- A titanium frame
- Perfect co-witness
- A shake-awake reticle
- An included sling mount
- A perfect zero that stays zeroed
All of that, at a FRACTION of the cost of an Eotech scope. To be honest, I’ve seen this before. Here is my report on Eotech affordable alternatives.
If you are looking for something more than iron sights on your carbine, look no farther. The Holosun Hs510C is the best holographic on the market right now.
- Holosun HS510C open Reflex sight
- 1x, 30mm diag, 2 MOA Red dot + 65
- Moa ring reticle, matte black, Absolute co-witness mount
3. Sig Sauer Romeo Zero: Best for Budget
If you want a crisp, reflexive micro red dot that won’t ding your wallet you need to check out this new sight from Sig Sauer.
The Sig Sauer Romeo Zero is a novel optic with many innovative features you won’t see in any other optic on the market right now.
Sig built this from the ground up specifically to accompany its P365XL conceal carry handgun. But it would make a nice addition to almost any slim, compact, carry gun–including many 1911s.
Glass Clarity & Reticle
The lens on the Sig Sauer Romeo Zero is a SpectraCoat HD polymer Lens. You read that right, this optic doesn’t have any actual glass. Sig developed the polymer lens and it is supposed to be 10 times more impact resistant than glass.
That said, the dot picture in this optic is top notch. There is no smudging or blurring of the red dot. It’s exceptionally crisp and easy to see. In use, I couldn’t tell that the lens wasn’t glass.
Even in bright daylight, using the brightest dot settings, the dot didn’t blossom or grow. The light increased in intensity without spreading. I found this to be fantastic. There are other red dots on the market that struggle with blooming.
You have your choice of a 6 MOA or 3 MOA dot. I used the 3 and really liked it. It wasn’t overbearing and covered my target, but it wasn’t so tiny it was hard to read either.
If you’re someone who has astigmatism, I’m not sure if you would have problems with this sight. Here’s a list of optics that do work well for people with eye conditions.
Sight Picture
Sig was very forward thinking in their design of the Sig Sauer Romeo Zero. When I installed this on my handgun, I had to remove my stock rear sights. I noticed that the Romeo Zero has rear sights built in.
This not only simplifies co-witnessing the red dot with my iron sights, but aids in sighting efficiency.
When I drew my gun to fire, I didn’t have to “search” for the dot. I lined up my eyes with the rear sight posts when my gun came into ready position, and the dot was there.
Including the rear sights in the design helped me shoot more intuitively; increasing my accuracy and speed. These are features that I want in a concealed carry optic that I will be using under duress.
Battery LIfe
The Sig Romeo Zero has MOTAC technology. Meaning the red dot is motion activated. When it’s sitting in my safe, my night stand, or I get a chance to sit still, the sight will deactivate. As soon as I am on the go and in motion, the sight will turn itself on.
What’s fantastic about this feature is that when I need to draw my gun in a hurry for a high-stress defensive situation, I don’t need to fumble to turn the optic on.
The downside is that this always on feature can really chew through batteries. Sig claims that the battery life is at least 20,000 hours. If you keep your handgun in constant motion, thus keeping the dot perpetually activated, the battery should last 2 years. Not bad.
Durability
This optic is made entirely out of polymer–plastic. Sig Sauer says that the optic housing is made of “Weapons-Grade Ultralite Polymer,” another Sig innovation.
I liked how the lightweight didn’t disturb the balance of my pistol throughout all phases of firing a shot.
My concealed carry system has been tossed around a bit since installing this sight, and it has this held up really well. I am curious how well this special polymer housing will hold up to a serious bashing.
Sig makes fantastic products. I don’t think they will make an exception with this one.
Is the Sig Sauer Romeo Zero worth it?
For an innovative reflexive optic that is straightforward to use, I don’t think you can go wrong with the Sig Sauer Romeo Zero.
- Proofs: impact resistant
- Reticle: 6 MOA dot
- Series: reflex sight
To recap its top features:
- Motion activated reticle
- Super bright, crisp red dot
- Extra-durable SpectraCoat lens
- Weapons Grade polymer housing
Get the accuracy and sight picture of more expensive reflexive sights for a fraction of the price.
Interested in holographic reflexive dot sights? I have a list of the best ones.
4. Aimpoint PRO Red Dot: Best for Red Dot Sights
The original red dot, Aimpoint is one of the best.
Fully submersible, this PRO Red Dot is one rugged scope.
Is it worth the price tag? I think so.
Here’s why.
Glass Clarity & Reticle
This is some of the best glass I’ve seen.
The fully multi coated optical assembly comes with state of the art coatings that are as durable as they are clear. The waterproof design is rated to 50 yards. Also, various add-ons are available to make the experience even better.
Unlike cheaper scopes, Aimpoint is built for co-witnessing, making it a true 1x in terms of being able to view other elements in your sighting system.
The reticle is a single 2MOA dot that’s bright enough to catch your eye, yet accurate enough for long range shots. It’s as good as your vision will allow.
All of this at a third the price of an ACOG.
Multiple lens caps are available, most of them threaded for an anti-reflection device. The sight does come with an opaque front cover and a clear rear cover. You can even use it as an occluded gun sight with the covers down.
- The killFlash ARD (Anti Reflection Device) is designed to eliminate potentially compromising reflections from the objective lens
- Compatible with the Aimpoint Comp, PRO, ACO, and 9000 series red dot sights
- Honeycombed design offers anti-glint and anti-glare protection for your lens as well as from dirt, sand, and grime
Eye Relief & Eye Box
Like any reflex sight or other red dot, the eye relief is infinite. Mount it a little forward to allow room for a magnifier or a flip-up rear sight.
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Or mount it closer to your eye where you can get a wider view of your target. The choice is yours.
I prefer to mount mine a bit forward for a full co-witness iron sight setup, as batteries don’t last forever. Even with the special 30,000 hour DL1/3N battery that came with it, I never like putting my faith in a battery.
Durability
This should be a mute point as Aimpoint has an outstanding reputation, and the PRO Red Dot sight is no exception.
All aluminum construction, a mounting platform specially designed for the sight ensures a secure platform without fiddling with rings. I’ve taken the thing off my AR to test a 1-4x scope, and when I replaced the Aimpoint, it was still dead zero.
The best part is, all of this comes without sacrificing the clean, elegant look of the Red Dot on my rifle. It looks the part and does the job well.
Elevation & Windage Knobs
All you need is a coin to adjust your targeting. A quarter or dime will work nicely.
The scope comes from the factory with the dot centered inside the tube, so minimal adjustment is needed when zeroing for the first time.
All the caps, including the battery cap, come with tethers to keep you from losing them, a nice little bonus feature.
Parallax & Magnification
There will always be some Parallax on a red dot, but the Aimpoint PRO is very well performing in this respect.
I tried mine out at the range with a minimal amount of head movement, something similar to what my head might actually do, and I couldn’t see any difference in the red dot location versus the target. It performs really well, better than any non-holographic I’ve tried, even the Trijicon MRO.
Anyone who wanted to could show parallax on a holographic sight, but from a functionality standpoint it isn’t noticeable. Most of us don’t look sideways through our scopes.
Mounting & Rings
The most amazing thing about this mounting, it cannot be over-torqued.
Twist the knob till you hear a click, and then repeat. Two clicks and you’re finished. No guesswork, no error. If only all bolts were this easy.
On the list of scopes for AR 15 with carry handle, this one is made perfectly for them. The spacer comes already attached and it’s designed to work with AR15 or M4 iron sights. It can be removed if you want the platform closer to the rail.
Is the Aimpoint PRO Red Dot worth it?
You’re darn right it is, at least for me.
Is it right for you? Let’s review the features.
- Accessories available
- Fully multicoated optics
- Rugged aluminum construction
- As parallax free as a red dot gets
- Easy and repeatable mounting system
- Coin to turn windage and elevation knobs
The Aimpoint PRO is probably the best red dot sight on the market in this price range, and even above it in some cases, and there is no other that looks so “at home” on an AR15 or an M4.
- Absolute co-witness with iron sights (with the supplied spacer installed)
- Features 2 MOA red dot for accurate target engagement
- Includes front and rear plastic flip cap lens covers
And of course, it comes with Aimpoint’s factory warranty.
Now It’s Your Turn
I hope you enjoyed my best AR-15 carry handle scopes guide.
Now I want to turn it over to you:
Which carry handle scope will you pick for your firearm?
Let me know by leaving a quick comment down below.
Sir, Can you suggest what to use to mount the Holosun 510 or Sig zero on a Carry handle. thank you,Ray