Posted: 9/1/2026 3:43:15 PM EDT
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I bought a refurbished Vortex Defender XL 2 MOA from AA Optics. Mounted it with the included FN screws onto a DR920. Took it to the range, zeroed and shot just fine. Had a total of two range trips and about 300 rounds through it. The next time I took it out of the safe for some dry fire, the dot didn’t come on. I checked the manual to make sure I hadn’t done some crazy “lookout at minimum brightness” thing. Then, I tried a new battery. No dot. Then another. And another. Then I checked the batteries to make sure I didn’t have a bad batch. All good. I used the form on the Vortex website to make a warranty claim on 8/13. Later that day, I had a response email with a shipping label. It took me a few days to get it shipped, so it didn’t get to Vortex until 8/26. On 8/27 I received a shipping notification. I got a package on 8/28 containing a new optic. There was a note saying that the battery contacts were broken and to make sure I centered the battery in the magnet when replacing it. I’m not sure if that was the original issue, since I didn’t change the battery before the problem appeared. However, it’s entirely possible that I broke them during the battery replacement frenzy. Or, I could have bent them when I installed the original battery after removing the film. It’s a real testament to Vortex that they responded the same day, got a new dot shipped out one day after receiving mine, and sent it two day shipping to boot. I had seen lots of good reviews for the XL, and I hope that this was a fluke. I have, I think, four other various vortex optics and all have performed admirably. I will get this one zeroed soon and see what happens. This is supposed to be my new Carry Optics gun, so I expect this XL to rush me to GM in a couple of matches. |
