The down side to red dots.

D

dayman

New member
Mine just died - or at least the batteries died. I can't seem to find the box I have the spares in. I do have a scope, but with only 3 more days in the season up here, I know both my neighbors are out in the woods too, and so I don;t really want to sight in a rifle and drive everything away.
So, in the spirit of the holiday, I guess I'm thankful that I have back up iron sights.
 
Depending on the red dot, like the Aimpoint Micro series, the battery will last for several years with the unit turned ON.

Getting a battery(batteries) should be no problem.
 
I don't believe the aimpoint has an off option. It's on 24/7 but still has a battery life of years.

Yeah you should be able to get a battery at an outdoor store like cabelas or bass pro, potentially Walmart.
 
ripnbst said:
I don't believe the aimpoint has an off option. It's on 24/7 but still has a battery life of years.

Yeah you should be able to get a battery at an outdoor store like cabelas or bass pro, potentially Walmart.
Click to expand...

All Aimpoints can be turned off. Just roll the intensity wheel to zero.
 
The real problem is, predicting when it will die. ..

Mine just died
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I don't know if I'd call it a negative for you know that it will happen. Just have no indication as to when. I always turn mine off and the batteries have lasted me through many seasons. ..... :)

Then it happens when you least expect it. For that reason, I always carry a spare. One of my buddys, has a spare taped right on the top of the battery compartment. A bit extreme perhaps but that is how he deals with the potential problem. .... ;)

Be Safe !!!
 
I guess I'm thankful that I have back up iron sights.
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To my way of thinking, BUIS are for when an optic fails right in the middle of a time-critical situation. For any other situation, having a spare battery on hand makes a LOT more sense than BUIS. Spare batteries are cheaper, smaller and can typically be switched out very easily.
 
The real problem is, predicting when it will die. ..
Click to expand...

I Sharpie the install date on mine. They use the coin-sized battery. On my HD Aimpoint, I change it every couple of years. It should go 5, but this way I am not worried about predicting which it will fail. It costs me a buck or so to make the switch.

The others will get changed around 4 years, though they will probably last beyond that given the units do get turned off once in a while. Once again, I should not have to predict when the batts will die since I will be changing them early.

For folks doing stuff like hunting, I don't see the problem in carrying a spare if it is a mission-critical item. I also don't understand the OP's comment...

Mine just died - or at least the batteries died. I can't seem to find the box I have the spares in. I do have a scope, but with only 3 more days in the season up here, I know both my neighbors are out in the woods too, and so I don;t really want to sight in a rifle and drive everything away.
Click to expand...

On what unit does changing the batteries require sighting in the red dot unit again?
 
It should be the same battery as the CMOS 3v Lithium on your motherboard...

Pull it from the computer...

But then it won't boot...

:cool:
 
I did have a spare battery, but I had misplaced it. I keep it with all my other assorted gun stuff at home, but it had apparently hidden it's self under a lens cover. All is well now.
This was year 3 on that battery, so I'd kind of forgotten that it might die.
As I generally hunt just out behind my house I prefer keeping spare parts in one place as apposed to making sure they're in the correct pants/vest every time I go out. But that only works when I can actually find stuff :)
 
I've never had one die on the stand. Locked in a gunsafe in the 'on' position for a month, I had one battery go dead.

Regardless, my practice is to leave it off until I hear a deer approaching, or only turn it on at dawn and dusk. And always, always carry a spare battery, just in case. If you have one, you will never need it!
 
Whatever you do

Don't loose the original battery! It seems like there are a zillion and one different kinds of these coin cells. Most sights do not have an indication of what battery is right for them. It can be a real issue if you don't know the number for it's replacement.

I have a local store that sells big cardboard packages of assorted coin cells for a couple of bucks. So far so good. Sure beats 5 bucks ea. at wally world.
 
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