RedDot

[giaquir]

Hello for those who hunt with
Red Dot optics.
Do you leave the battery on all day?
I'm a still hunter and I can't imagine the battery
lasting long especially on cold days.
One never know when they'll see a deer with seconds to react.

thanks-Ron

[tahunua001]

I have a nasty habit of leaving dots on and running them dead. I often end up replacing several batteries a year. I have been hunting more than once only to get out of the truck and have dead red dot and no spare batteries.

as a result I am anal retentive about not letting my batteries die so I usually will turn it on when I first get out of the truck and start walking and turn it off as soon as I get something, it gets too dark to shoot, or if I get back to the truck whichever comes first. I don't drive with the dot on, it's a pain if I do see something on the side of the road but I figure it's less pain than getting to the hunting site and finding another dead battery.

[TexasJim]

Depends on the red dot, mine has been on for the last two years.

[giaquir]

What type of Red dot do you have that's lasted two yrs.
I can't see the sights anymore (tired eyes) and I don't want
a scope
Thanks-Ron

[DPI7800]

Aimpoint M4 has 80,000 hours of continuous use or the T1 micro has 50,000, even their PRO model has a 30,000 hour run time.

[TexasJim]

Yep, Aimpoint Comp M4.

[NoSecondBest]

I've been using red dot sights for around twenty-five years now. I've never had one die while hunting and I leave them on all day and I hunt a lot. I put a new battery in before hunting season (and a couple of times a summer if I'm shooting matches). It takes about two minutes to change a battery in the field in needed and costs about three bucks or less to purchase and carry a spare. I've never needed the spare but it's with me. I'm not too concerned about it since I haven't run one out yet while hunting....or match shooting.

[Pahoo]

I own a variety of RedDots and on my Hunters, I turn it on when I start the hunt and turn it off when I get back to my car. I have "never" had one go out during a hunt but have accidently left them on for days and eventually they go dead. To answer your question, you would be amazed, just how long a battery will last. I have buddies that start off each season with a fresh battery and even though I think it's a good idea, I just carry a spare that so far, I have never had to use, during a hunt. They don't always indicate when they are about to die and when they do, it's right now. Most of mine, take 2032's and they are very reasonable. I usually buy a card of them, at Gun Shows but watch out for the expiration dates. ....

Be Safe !!!

[Unlicensed Dremel]

Aimpoint that takes AAs, yes I would. Anything else, no. But homey don't play dat (battery reliance) no mo'. If the reticle ain't etched / usable when the batts are T.U. (Burris MTAC, Leupold Prismatic, Trijicons, etc.), then I don't own it, and certainly wouldn't stake the success of a big game hunt (or self-defense) on it, even an Aimpoint. Squirrels, *maaaybe*. That's just me though.

[bird_dog]

I use them on several firearms as well as my crossbow. I turn them on walking in, just in case I jump an animal. I turn them off while on stand to conserve battery life. There's generally plenty of time to turn on a scope when you see an animal and it makes virtually no noise, so why waste the battery? Walking out (if still legal light) I turn it back on again until I get to my destination. Never had one go dead on stand this way.

[Deerhunter]

I have a Millett red dot on my shotgun. I change the battery out every year for the most part. Depends on how much I hunted with it that year. I have never had a battery go out while in the field.

Like someone else said I keep it off walking into the stand in the dark in the morning. I keep it off until I see/hear a deer walking in the woods. In the afternoons I turn it on when I load the gun and then shut it off once I am in the stand, just in case I jump one walking in.

If I am doing man drives it stays on the whole time. Again never had issues.

[BfloBill]

I turn mine on in the morning, and turn it off when I get back to camp. Had one battery last 3 seasons and the only reason it finally died was because I forgot to shut it off the last time in and noticed it was still in the on position about a month later. The first battery lasted so long that I don't trust the one I originally bought for backup this upcoming season, so I will buy 2 new ones this year. I don't care how long they have lasted in the past I will not go hunting without a spare battery. Mine is a Simmons, inexpensive but works fine.

[mardanlin]

In most cases, I have plenty of time to know that the deer is closing in on me and can turn my red dot on then. In thick woods where it can get up on me without me having time to turn on my sight, I will turn it on as soon as it's light enough to see.

I'm not sure how to operate all the red-dots you guys use, but mine can be turned on and off in a split second, so that isn't a factor for me. Takes less time to turn on the red dot than it does to acquire the target in a scope.

[Pahoo]

I'm not sure how to operate all the red-dots you guys use, but mine can be turned on and off in a split second, so that isn't a factor for me.

Some of my older ones, are operated buy a rheostat, so there is only one OFF-position. Others have selector switch positions like 0 thru 11 and if you park between any position, it will turn off. So all you have to do, is just stay off your preferred position and with little effort, turn it on. ....

Be Safe !!!

[tahunua001]

all of mine are 0-11 but doesn't turn off between settings, tried it, they just flicker until the switch rocks into one setting or the other. then again all of my dots are $40-80 so I'm at a disadvantage against the guys with their $800 aimpoints.

[BfloBill]

I'm with tahunua001. Settings 0-11, so it just gets left on.

[mardanlin]

I assume 1 would be too dim, but is 11 too bright? If not, could you not just leave it on 0 and then flip it backwards to 11 when you need it? Not sure if it's a radial or linear power switch.

[doofus47]

I turn it on going in and turn it off coming out.

[ripnbst]

Buy that new solar powered Trijicon SRS bruh. It's only something like $12.

[skizzums]

i know aimpoints and triji are in a league of their own, but also a league that i cannot afford, i really like the sightmark red-dots, i had the qd and liked it okay but also got one without the QD and its more solid and costed less

[Unlicensed Dremel]

Well, that's the point I'm trying to make to you - in my opinion, since you said this is for hunting, do NOT use any kind of ESD (electronic sighting device) if you cannot afford to get into those "leagues" - horrible idea, IMO. Asking for disappointment. You're right - cold screws with everything - espec. batteries.

UNLESS you take a backup gun with a different optic on it, or have back up iron sights, with a quick-release mount, I suppose.

Two years ago, I had had a nice actual scope on my crossbow but like an idiot took it off and put a TruGlo dot sight since I was enamoured with the fact that it had 4 dots - one for 20, 30, 40, and 50 yards. On the first day I hunted, in mid-October, a big buck came along - maybe the biggest one I've ever encountered (not sure since this all happened so fast) - probaby a 130 class; maybe 140. He ran, then stopped, then I shot. Well, it was a long shot for archery (about 43 yards), and I used the wrong dot and hit too high. I hit above the lungs/liver and below the spine. Arrow went completely through with clear liquid / no blood. Searched for almost 2 days. He lived. I feel as though I *know* I would have taken that buck had I left the scope on the crossbow. Cheap ESDs are for the birds I decided at that moment.

[Pahoo]

but is 11 too bright?

Not at all and in fact, you may have a rare situation where it isn't bright enough. I mostly hunt in Midwest type weather condition and none of my RedDots, have failed me. But understand that for hunting, I only use the closed tube type. ....

Be Safe !!!