Dead Battery

I

I'vebeenduped

New member
I picked up my home defense rifle this weekend just to make sure that all was in order. Lo and behold, I had a dead battery on my red dot!!! I started to think that, if this was an emergent situation, this could have not been so great. Does anyone know of an AFFORDABLE option to the trijicon scopes which I could use in a scout position? Are there scopes that have a low battery indicator? Scoped that turn the lit reticule off after so much time? Please, give me ideas of how to minimize the risk of running a dead light in such a situation. Thank you,

David
 
Which Trijicon do you have, and how old was the battery?

I thought Trijicon was the one where the battery life was measured in YEARS of continuous use, as long as you didn't have the brightness cranked all the way up.
 
My apologies for not being clear enough. I wish I could afford a trijicon, I really do. I know just enough to know someone would recommend buying one. I have a dot scope that my brother gave me. It was battery and solar powered. The solar option broke. Subsequently, the battery died soon thereafter.
 
Does the battery still work without the solar charger feature? If so, I'd just put in a fresh battery and get in the habit of checking the red dot as often as you need to in order to feel comfortable that it'll work when you need it.
 
I replaced the battery. I am thinking about something with a permanent reticule or some other kind of backup. I tried an unsuccessful search with Bing. I couldn't find anything. I am checking to see if someone has something they like that I couldn't find. Who knows, I grew up on iron sites. I was in the Army back when scopes were for snipers. Maybe I should stick to that?
 
Several options exist that might help you out.
Some red dots auto switch offf 15 minutes or so after they're placed in darkness.

Get one with a regular battery & carry a spare at all times on the gun. (this is what I do & I automatically swap the batteries & buy a new spare every birthday so I don't forget)

There are a couple of "luminous" ones that light up by being exposed to sunlight as well, IIRC they're called "firefly" sights.
 
I have a Burris Fastfire III 3moa red dot and have not managed to run the first batteries out yet. There is an automatic 8 hour shutoff. From what others say of the battery life I am not expecting to need to change the batteries for at least another 8-12 months, but apparently it should indicate to me when they are getting low. Love it though, been very happy with it so far.

I would avoid magnified optics on a home defense rifle. If you do use a scope, consider a 1x and a rifle mounted flashlight.
 
Last time I picked up my AR, I noticed I had left the red dot on, full brightness, and it was dead as could be. I still need to get a replacement battery for it...

I recommend back-up irons just in case.

But, ill be interested in seeing what all suggestions are made.
 
Sneaky trick for thems of youse what lets yer batteries die.:eek:

As long as its some kind of "button, or coin" type battery try this wizard wheeze.

Get a sheet of the old "slide file pages" or any similar multi-pocketed ringbinder page made of plastic. Cut out a few of the "pockets" individuslly leaving a sealed border of about 1/8".
Put a spare battery in the pocket.
Tape the opening shut & tape the sealed pocket to the outside of your stock with non-marring tape.
If you need a coin to open the battery compartment tape a second pocket with a washer or quater in it as well.

You'll never even know its there till you sudenly need a spare battery at midnight in the middle of a field. Then you'l be real glad you had it on there.:):cool:
 
What make red dots are we talking about? I leave my old Aimpoint M2/ML2's on 24/7/365, and just swap the battery out once a year, when I change the smoke detector batteries. I have yet to find one dead yet. I hear the newer models, go almost 10 years on a battery.
 
Wouldn't hurt to practice just using the dead scope to aim with.
The large round glass can make a decent aiming device, too, in an emergency.
Try it - turn the scope off and see if you can hit anything, just using the glass to aim.
Bet you surprise yourself.
 
Night sights, tools...

Stay alert, stay alive isn't just a clever slogan, it's a good way to go thru life.

Any battery powered device or gear needs to be checked often. Heat, cold, rain, water, muck, sand, sunlight, fog, etc could have a - impact.

I'd get night sights(tritium type) as a back-up.
In the early 1990s, the NRC was all touchy about tritium & how it was used in firearms/weapons but they aren't as strict now. :)

I prefer Li batteries over regular AA types. I do however use the Li AA type batteries now offered. Li batteries hold up better in extreme cold.

CF
 
"Wouldn't hurt to practice just using the dead scope to aim with.
The large round glass can make a decent aiming device, too, in an emergency.
Try it - turn the scope off and see if you can hit anything, just using the glass to aim.
Bet you surprise yourself. "

^^ OK, I am doing THIS on my next range trip!
When I was young, my Dad taught my brother and I to fire while just looking over the barrel. Almost like shooting a shotgun without the bead. We weren't dead on accurate mind you, but we were awful close to the center of what we were firing at. Sometimes I think, "maybe I am too old to get used to the red dot systems?" Then I go to the range and remember how much fun they are.

I think I need a quick release so that, God forbid this happens again, I can easily revert to irons. Are these any good?

"Aimpoint and BUIS" "they're called "firefly" sight"
^^ I will DEFINITELY be looking into these!
 
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