Bushnell Red Dot, Practical or Gimmick?

[Lumber_Jack]

So since ive been off work with back surgery I have nothing better to do than browse the internet and look at stuff. I was looking at optics on Brownells and saw this red dot with pistol style back up sights on top. So my question is, are the sights on top practical or gimmick. Seems to me they would work in a pinch but would be hard to acquire compared to normal backup irons.

Thoughts?

Full disclosure, I'm not really in the market for this and realize there are probably better options.

Here is link for more info on optic

http://www.brownells.com/.aspx/pid=27371/avs|Manufacturer_1=BUSHNELL%20OUTDOOR%20PRODUCTS/ttver=1/Product/TROPHY_1X32mm_RED_DOT_SIGHT#

Edited September 23, 2011 by Lumber_Jack

[Magiccarpetrides]

I have a bushnell trs and for $80 It's been awesome...I ran through about 200 9mm rounds in my ar Wednesday and it did great

[mikegideon]

I have one too, but it never lived on a rifle very long. Sight picture thru the optic is GREAT. Dont know if I ever tried the irons, but think they're probably real prictical on a flat top AR. The sight is kinda big and heavy, but works real well. I just wound up going the aimpoint and eotech route before I got to shoot with it very much.

[Patrick Henry]

My observations from the pic provided are the sights on top are not adjustable, and since they are so high you will have to lift your head to use them, thus no consistent place to anchor your cheek, thereby limiting practical use to short range.

I have used the Bushnell Trophy 28mm red dot. It is great in bright conditions but terrible for low light such as dusk and early morning.

[mikegideon]

To each his own. Bushnell stole the idea from these folks...

TA01NSN Trijicon ACOG 4x32 .223 Rifle Scope -

[Jon_L]

Mike, do you still have the optic?

[mikegideon]

Mike, do you still have the optic?

Yes.

[Magiccarpetrides]

To each his own. Bushnell stole the idea from these folks...

TA01NSN Trijicon ACOG 4x32 .223 Rifle Scope -

Oh yeah its an embarassingly blatant design copy of the Acog....first time I saw one I thought it was some china knockoff junk lol. But it is

A. A whole lot less expensive

B. Different optical features...they way it functions...what not

So while the exterior is similar its not an Acog...but for the money...I wouldn't knock anyone for using it.

[1gewehr]

To get back to the OPs question, It's pretty much a gimmick. You can aim as well by using the rail channel as with those tiny sights. If your electronic scope dies, pull it off and sight down the rail. Of course, that is also why they make back-up iron sights, a MUCH better solution.

[mikegideon]

Oh yeah its an embarassingly blatant design copy of the Acog....first time I saw one I thought it was some china knockoff junk lol. But it is

A. A whole lot less expensive

B. Different optical features...they way it functions...what not

So while the exterior is similar its not an Acog...but for the money...I wouldn't knock anyone for using it.

Yeah. I was referring to the iron sights on top. Real different optic.

[mikegideon]

To get back to the OPs question, It's pretty much a gimmick. You can aim as well by using the rail channel as with those tiny sights. If your electronic scope dies, pull it off and sight down the rail. Of course, that is also why they make back-up iron sights, a MUCH better solution.

Here's the deal, and it is personal choice. That optic is too long to leave room for a typical flip-up backup sight. Personally, I won't have a rifle that requires you to remove the optic to deploy the backup sight. You may not know the optic is dead until you're setting up for a shot. FWIW, the sight is marked with white dots. It ain't as crappy as it looks in the picture.

[Dolomite_supafly]

They have nearly doubled in price in 2 years I guess. I was looking at them a while back and passed for $150 shipped they sold for just a few years ago. For the money I think there are better options out there.

Vortex StrikeFire is one. It is as goo, if not better, and is cheaper. It also has NV capability. Even though you don;t think you will ever have a NV it is better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it.

STRIKEFIRE RED DOT SCOPE - Brownells

Or the Vortex SPARC would be better.

SPARC RED DOT SCOPE - Brownells

I would even consider the Zoom Dot a better optic than the one you are looking at. And since Bushnell is making those now they are cheaper as well. Even FastFire's by Burris are cheaper. It is hard to beat the price of the Vortex line considering what you get, not just features but the warranty.

And if you are serious about the Bushnell I can have it delivered for less than $200. I also get discounts on the Vortex stuff as well if you decide to go that route LumberJack

Dolomite

[Lumber_Jack]

They have nearly doubled in price in 2 years I guess. I was looking at them a while back and passed for $150 shipped they sold for just a few years ago. For the money I think there are better options out there.

Vortex StrikeFire is one. It is as goo, if not better, and is cheaper. It also has NV capability. Even though you don;t think you will ever have a NV it is better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it.

STRIKEFIRE RED DOT SCOPE - Brownells

Or the Vortex SPARC would be better.

SPARC RED DOT SCOPE - Brownells

I would even consider the Zoom Dot a better optic than the one you are looking at. And since Bushnell is making those now they are cheaper as well. Even FastFire's by Burris are cheaper. It is hard to beat the price of the Vortex line considering what you get, not just features but the warranty.

And if you are serious about the Bushnell I can have it delivered for less than $200. I also get discounts on the Vortex stuff as well if you decide to go that route LumberJack

Dolomite

I was really just asking for pure curiosity. I think what I might actually do is buy something I can mount on my ruger 10/22, as it only has irons right now. Then could move to AR once I've procured one.

For that I like the Sparc or Burris Fastfire. I actually missed the opurtunity to get on local in the classified section. Oh well I'm in no hurry, birthday and Christmas coming up. Don't worry Dolomite I will call you before I buy anything retail, and thanks for the help.

[mikegideon]

I own one of the Bushnells, an Aimpoint CompML3, and an Eotech 512 (and a few others). My favorite AR sight is the Eotech. Again... personal preference. There's no better sight picture than the Bushnell, but it doesn't look as cool on the rifle. The Eotech has a wide field of view, and that's a big deal to me.

[Lumber_Jack]

I own one of the Bushnells, an Aimpoint CompML3, and an Eotech 512 (and a few others). My favorite AR sight is the Eotech. Again... personal preference. There's no better sight picture than the Bushnell, but it doesn't look as cool on the rifle. The Eotech has a wide field of view, and that's a big deal to me.

Dolomite said the battery life on the Eotech was fractional compared to the Burris fastfire or millet zoom dot. What's your experience?

[mikegideon]

Dolomite said the battery life on the Eotech was fractional compared to the Burris fastfire or millet zoom dot. What's your experience?

I haven't carried one for a living like Dolomite has. Battery life is fine with me. They're all fractional compared to the Aimpoint, if that's big on your list. I'll probably be dead before my Aimpoint needs a battery.

[Lumber_Jack]

I haven't carried one for a living like Dolomite has. Battery life is fine with me. They're all fractional compared to the Aimpoint, if that's big on your list. I'll probably be dead before my Aimpoint needs a battery.

I wouldn't be carrying one for a living either so I'd say my use would be more on par with yours. But if used on a home defense gun that might sit in closet for a while i sure want the batteries to last for a while

I would love an Aimpoint but price is always a factor

[mikegideon]

My Eotech (512) uses AA's. If you turn it on with the left button, it shuts off after 4 hours. If you turn it on with the right button, it stays on for eight. I'm still on my original set of batteries. If they die, I'll get some from the gas station. A LOT of pros use eotech sights.

[Dolomite_supafly]

Let me clarify a few things.

I absolutely love the Eotech reticle as well as their controls. I used it with NV and it was by far the best I have ever tried with NV. I spent months using one in NV mode and got really disappointed when I switched to an Aimpoint. The Aimpoint works but through NV the Eotech seemed much easier to aim with and seemed easier on the eye (we used head mounted NV monoculars). We would shoot their version of coyotes, jackals, a few days a week for practice at night and we dessimated the local population in a month or two. They got skiddish and even though they were 200+ yards away I could get hits regularly with the Eotech and a laser looking through NV.

And in all honesty the only time I personally have had batteries go dead on an Eotech is when I didn't replace them myself when I got it issued. It went dead in a little over a month being used for 8+ hours a day. The complaints of battery life, even when turned off, are from other owners and users. It seems to be a common problem with them. This is the reason I would never use it for home defense. I know my current defense gun only gets checked every 2-3 weeks. Keeping that same schedule, having an Eotech and knowing Murphy's law the battery will go dead somewhere right after I checked it last and right before I need it.

What I have seen first hand is a lot of the Eotechs just die or loose zero for no apparent reason. I have seen it with well used and abused ones as well as brand new ones so there is no rhym or reason to it. And this was with several different versions but mostly with the AA version. In one trip we had 1/4 of them die and those were brand new ones. In their defense we are a bit hard on equipment but no harder than the average 3 gunner.

I don't hate Eotechs, as a matter of fact I loved the Eotechs I used but hated the fact they seemed to have reliability issues. I can deal with battery life issues but I couldn't deal with an optic, that we trusted our lives upon, when it dies for no reason. This is why I started using Aimpoints most times.

For LE the Eotech is a good optic because they check their gear all the time or at least should.

After having the factory battery go dead on my FastFire I found myself checking it all the time for a while then gave up. It is still going strong and has been for a few years now. I turn it off when I remember to but that is less than 50% of the time. The Millet Zoom Dot I have has also had the same batteries in for the same amount of time. I did replace the batteries once on a trip and measured a 1300 hour battery life in an area of constant light. Those batteries were supposedly new but I have my doubts now because it has been running strong for a lot longer than that now. Our main defense gun has a basic Bushnell red dot. I looked through plenty of red dots and it was the onyl one that didn't get washed out in bright light. It has had the same battery for at least 2 years no but it remains in the off position unless it is being used which is every few weeks on average.

For a range gun or a gun that will get checked or used on a regular basis the Eotech is a nice optic that works very well. For a gun that will sit waiting for an emergency I would get something else.

Dolomite

[mikegideon]

Don't think I'm with you on this one. I have good backup sights on my rifle, and spare batteries in the grip. I also kinda treat all my AA gear the same. When the batteries have been in there for awhile, I change them out. I rarely run them all the way down.

[Dolomite_supafly]

Don't think I'm with you on this one. I have good backup sights on my rifle, and spare batteries in the grip. I also kinda treat all my AA gear the same. When the batteries have been in there for awhile, I change them out. I rarely run them all the way down.

You check and change the batteries out as needed. That is what needs to happen. Them setting for months without being checked is where the problem comes from. Well not exactly. The problem comes from the batteries going dead even when the optic is turned off. Your solution is checking the batteries.

I am sure as time goes on you get a "feel" on how long you got left before the need to change them comes up.

I am not trying to beat up Eotech. Aimpoint has issues as well.

Dolomite

[mikegideon]

Any device with electronic on/off circuitry has some constant drain on the batteries. I'm on the original set that's around 9 months old. Probably time to swap them out. Any electronic sight can let you down. My Aimpoint has a 5 year battey life if you just leave it on, but I would much rather shoot with the Eotech. I'm stuck with the Eotech, warts and all.

[Dolomite_supafly]

That is great. Maybe they figured what was causing the drain.

I may have to take another look at Eotech seeing how I will not be using it in the same role as I was. Like I said I really like the reticle as well as how it looked in NV mode.

Dolomite

[mikegideon]

That is great. Maybe they figured what was causing the drain.

I may have to take another look at Eotech seeing how I will not be using it in the same role as I was. Like I said I really like the reticle as well as how it looked in NV mode.

Dolomite

No telling. Battlefield gear doesn't get babied like my rifles. Still, with Eotech getting a big percentage of their revenues from Military and Law Enforcement, it's safe to assume that they are very serious about reliabilty in the field.

For me, it's simple. The Eotech works better than anything else as a sight. If it dies, I'll use the irons until I can fix it.

[Ratfink]

the irons work in close ranges on acogs but nothing precise on acogs its made for center mass and on acogs its made of metal but acogs are super pricey