Black Spider Red Dot Optic Review

If you have ever built an AR, you know the optic can end up being as much as the rifle, and even a good red dot will run you several hundred dollars. At least, until now.
Spike’s Tactical has a good reputation in the industry for building quality products, so when we found out they had launched an optics company under the name “Black Spider”, it caught our attention. When we found out the price, we knew we needed to give it a try.

The optic is a 3 MOA red dot, about the same size as an Aimpoint T-1. However, the retail price is a very low $185 (member price is $130). For that price you can equip 5 rifles for the price of one T-1, and still have money for a case of batteries. Here is the real kicker….the Black Spider comes WITH the mount, easily saving you another $50.
The specs: 3 MOA Center-Dot, Auto-dimming, with Co-Witness height Picatinny mount. It also comes with a rubber lens cover. It uses a single triple A battery.

We currently have 5 of these in various phases of testing, mounted on various types of rifles.  To demonstrate just how accurate these sites are, I took out my rifle to put a box through at 100 yards.  This particular site was mounted and sited in about 2 weeks ago.  Since that time, it has a couple hundred rounds put through it, and then spent the remaining time riding around as my trunk gun.  If you have ever ridden with me, you can attest riding in the trunk would not be a smooth ride.  If a site were fragile, it wouldn’t survive.  If it wasn’t quality, it wouldn’t have stayed zeroed.

I have a steel target at 100 yards.  I put a fresh coat of paint over the steel for this test.  Using a 16” barrel, Federal off-the shelf ammo, and shooting from a kneeling position, the pictures show the result.  I held all rounds onto the head of the steel.

Keep in mind at 100 yards a 3 MOA dot covers the head.  There are actually 20 “hits” to the steel as confirmed with the signature ring after each shot.  The group is approximately 4” if you actually look at the dents and not just the paint splatter.  (This is a good time to point out it isn’t a good idea to shoot handgun steel with penetrator rounds, but more on that another time).

  
On our other test rifles, the optic has gone through some fairly extreme courses and all have held their zero.

Some people will say they don’t like the fact it uses a AAA battery versus the CR type.  Personally I find this a benefit for any weapon I take to courses, as it is easy to find replacements for the battery even when I am at a remote range and forgot to bring spares.  If you depend on your weapon, occasionally do a quick battery check and you will be fine.  The battery life has been solid, with some of our test weapons going through 4 days of training with zero loss of brightness.  Again, with a cheap AAA replacement that seems to be more than adequate.

Bottom Line:  We have yet to find a reason where there is any drawback to this site, especially considering the price.