r/canadaguns • u/Response-Cheap • May 10 '26
Buy recommendations Any optics experts want to weigh in?
I'm looking for a very compact scope for a little badger.
I'm not sure if I just want to put an SU16D rear peep sight on the pic rail and swap out the front sight for the Bad Ace adjustable front sight, or if I should just put a proper aluminum pic rail on top in place of the plastic one, and look for a tiny scope.
This is a survival rifle, so I want something compact that won't take up a lot of space. The rifle is being taken down and packed in a small pocket in a rucksack. I want something tiny and super reliable. No batteries. Doesn't need big magnification, 1x is fine. Just something basic that holds zero well.
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u/cumbrad May 10 '26
why not just a pic mounted red dot, something decent with solar failsafe from Holosun or Vortex?
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u/Few_Lynx2224 May 10 '26
Probably doesn't want battery
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u/Response-Cheap May 10 '26
Yeah that's the case. This thing might only get used once in a while. I don't want to wait until I need it to realize the rechargable batteries leaked and the whole things useless. Want something simple as shit. Like a straw with an adjustable crosshair in it would be mint.
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u/Few_Lynx2224 May 10 '26
If you want red dot function but not have to worry about batteries take a look a meprolight. They're milspec and focus on energy conservation. Some of them even use tridium so they can glow without power
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u/prosper_0 May 14 '26 edited May 14 '26
my Badger is all irons all the way. I want ruggedness and compactness, and optics just can't compete on either count with a nice steel low-profile aperture sight tucked closely up against the action. I took most of the silly useless plastic rails off, modified a 10/22 weaver rail for the top, and put a super low profile NECG peep on the back, then filed down the front post to get the elevation to match. At some point, I should replace that janky front sight with steel too, but I'm less worried about it than I was about the rails and rear sight.
Chiappa could vastly improve that gun for small cost by putting on some metal rails, and re-implementing their sight system in metal. Even cast aluminum would be miles better than the junk they used. Seriously, that plastic is worse than just not including any sights. Heck, do what the Turks are doing with a lot of their guns, and put a metal rail on top with an integrated peep on it. It's small, light, rugged, cheap, and effective.
Mine's potted a good deal of grouse over the years, and it works well for that application.
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u/Response-Cheap May 14 '26
I'm buying the adjustable front sight from bad ace tactical, but I'm struggling to find a low profile peep that will fit on a Picatinny rail nicely. Was looking at the Keltec sight for the su16, only 40usd, but I can imagine it would be triple that to ship one here..
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May 14 '26
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May 14 '26
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u/Hot_Cheesecake_905 May 10 '26
Maybe get a 3X or 5X prism scope?
I got the primary arms 5X recently and am pretty happy with it. Not the clearest at lower light levels, but it’s super compact and good for about 100 yards.
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u/bombhills May 10 '26
Yea, agreed. They’re light, have magnification and illumination. Also affordable.
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u/Hot_Cheesecake_905 May 10 '26
It’s amazing how much magnification can be packed into a prism scope these days.
Also, they’re great for people with astigmatism since the reticule is etched onto the glass. The reticle works if the battery is dead. Apparenlty, prism scopes are quite durable too.
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u/therowdyirishman May 10 '26
Do you have it mounted on a little badger? It doesn't look to me like the LOP would work for the eye relief.
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u/Hot_Cheesecake_905 May 10 '26 edited May 10 '26
I have it on a SBI Superlite and Midwest Industries 10/22.
I was actually going to get one for my Little Badger too but I currently have a cheap UUQ 1.2-6X scope on it.
I forgot to mention, the 5X PA Microprism does come with various mounts, including an offset cantiliverish mount that can shift the scope eyepiece about 2" from the end of a rail.
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u/DougMacRay617 May 10 '26
Its a badger. The iron sights or a red dot are all its really designed for. The amount spent on a red dot could be put towards a more functional gun like a 10/22
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u/Response-Cheap May 10 '26 edited May 10 '26
I already have more functional guns. Like the post says, this is a backpacking survival rifle. It's meant to be in my pack when I'm out in the woods and my primary purpose for being there isn't shooting. If I'm just going out to the woods to shoot, I'll be bringing a pelican full of guns, or a good hunting rifle. This isn't for that.
Edit: and the "iron" sights on a little badger aren't sufficient, that's why, in the post, I mention replacing the peep with an SU16D peep, and the Bad Ace adjustable front site. It's a fairly consistent shooting little gun, but the sights are plastic and the front post isn't adjustable. It will be getting something more reliable before it goes in my pack.
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u/therowdyirishman May 10 '26
Primary arms prisms are lightweight, durable and have an etched reticle (no batteries required). You may not be able to comfortably satisfy the eye relief with anything other than a 1x though. For this reason I'd stick with the PA micro prism 1x or a quality micro red dot with solar from Holosun. I'd gravitate towards a micro RDS as the chevron will obscure more of the target, which isn't much on small game. Regardless of which you decide on I'd advise you to afffix the hex key for the mount to the rifle. If it ever does fail on you (eg glass cracks from a drop) you can remove it and revert back to irons.