Bushnell First Strike Red Dot + 870 = Failure Twice

M

Mrgunsngear

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As many of you may remember I tested the Bushnell First Strike about a month ago on my 12gauge 870 and the product failed to live up to its' published specs. Well, Bushnell was great to deal with and they paid shipping both ways and I had a replacement unit within 2 weeks. The reps at Bushnell assured me the product could hold up to the recoil of the 12 gauge and that I probably had a bad unit.

Well, I went out yesterday to see how the replacement would hold up. After only 25 rounds, it started to crack again. I'll be calling Bushnell again tomorrow but at this point I have to say that the First Strike just can't stand up to the 12ga recoil; the proof is in the video below:

Strike Fire Review Video
 
Interesting... I have some acquaintances that have used them on a Benelli M4, a heavily used Benelli M2 3-gun & a Remington Tac 4 shotgun as well as a Steyr .308 Scout rifle with no issues.

Perhaps you did get two lemons in a row. I'd be interested in knowing what Bushnell has to say about your first and second failures... the 'why' part.

I do have a question: Where is the crack... the body or the lens?

Cheers,
C
 
Where is the crack... the body or the lens?
Click to expand...

It's in the lens; this time it's not as bad as it was on the last one but I stopped shooting with it after 25 rounds---when I noticed the two cracks developing. It's still visible in the video though.
 
I wonder if its actually the 870 frame -- so poorly made it's flexing, twisting, and putting unanticipated stress on the holo-site. From a modern Remington pump I would NOT be at all surprised frankly...
 
Im not a fan of bushnell optics, and you have reminded me why. Maybe you should try out the leupold red dot if you have the extra $
 
so poorly made it's flexing, twisting, and putting unanticipated stress on the holo-site.
Click to expand...

Interesting theory. A single clamping point on a 1013 rail, you'd think not... but perhaps a pressure point that applies a load to the sight body, distorting it and in turn, causing the lens to crack? Perhaps amplified by flex in the receiver? All possibilities to support a theory.

Without having the parts in my hands to check the fit and observe the possible causes for failure... the most obvious cause is a flaw in the construction of the sight.
One would assume (oops... assumption is the mother of all ______ ) that the lens is isolated, or otherwise tolerant of shock and distortion loads... to a point.

Cheers,
C
 
The 870 receiver is milled from forged steel. Rough Express chambers may exist, but that has nothing to do with this, and the rest of the Remington line up is doing just fine.
I had fits with the mounts and everything else years ago with a Weaver Qwik-Point. I have a Burris SpeedBead now and so far so good.
 
...milled from soft, money-saving improperly heat-treated, forged recycled mild scrap steel?
Just sayin...
 
what a lot of crap,reciever flexing may have broken the sight. i have used eotec,s,red dots and other single point mounted sights on mossberg,remington and winchester shotguns with out any problems since the sights came out. the sights were defective plain and simple. eastbank
 
The sights were defective; Amen

...milled from soft, money-saving improperly heat-treated, forged recycled mild scrap steel?
Just sayin...
Click to expand...
WOW, now that's a stretch.!!! .... :eek:
Even though I've been somewhat critical of the newer issues of the Expresses, I would not go there this time. .... ;)


Be Safe !!!
 
"Looking too hard"? That's just silly. OK, can't be the receiver flexing -- that's just crazy talk! Two broken sights in a row eh? I think the dots were turned up too high. But I have an insensitve question for the OP:

are you really, really, ugly by any chance, and how do you fare with mirrors in general?

;)
 
getting two bad sights in a row,what are the odds of that? well i know a man who married the same women twiced,hows that for bad odds. eastbank.
 
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