Heard a large truck approaching, could hear the squeal of the brakes as it stopped. Oh, UPS is here. Cool SFWA shipped my optic. Lets see shall we.
Went together pretty good ring feels solid. Not a big fan or torx head screws but it included the tool. Optic itself feels solid, will be headed to the range this weekend will post an AAR with more pics. Will update post will more info later in the week.
I'm going to test this like I would any normal optic. Put it through the paces, will give pros and cons. Range distance will be from 25 75 100 150 300 yards. We'll see what happens.
* UPDATE *
Today was hectic but as promised an After Action Report. I loaded up, made sure I had everything,ammo, rifles, eyes & ears,. check. Target stands, check,. staple gun& staples,.check. Oh batteries need spare batteries,.check. What else could I be forgetting? Oh, a spare card for the camera, check!
So I drive the 35 or so miles to my favorite shooting spot. Saturday afternoon traffic isn't bad, looks like its going to be a good day. Weather was cooperating, (87 no clouds, slight winds @ 5mph)
Once I get the target stands and everything set up I figure I would start snapping pics. So as I start to unload gear, I said to myself, wheres the camera? Son of a Bitch!I left the fucking camera sitting on the dresser while I was getting other crap! Oh, well I'll be a mother %#@*?!
The Strike Fire is mounted on a high ring, they offer three different sizes. I figured this would co witness in the lower third quadrant. The test rifle was a DTI midlength gas, 16" 1/9. Test ammo was Prvi Partizan 5.56x45 55gr. Optic is mounted in picture above, it includes a 2X magnifier but I did not use it this time.
The first thing I notcied when I started to zero,the green dot was brighter than the red dot, and it did not wash out in the direct sunlight. I did not use the red dot. Only thing I noticed is that it could have a couple more brightness settings. At the highest setting was not as bright as an Aimpoint M2 or M4 at position 8 or 9. Zero process went smoothly, I set up a target approximately 25yds. Fired a string of five rounds from a prone position. To steady the rifle I used my range bag as a sandbag. Took about 25rds to get it dialed in.Groups approximately 1.5" @ 25. Next I moved the target out to about 50 yds. Fired five shots just slightly over the center of the target, I wanted to see if there was any difference between POA vs POI at this distance. There was not much, those five shots were 3 to 4 inches above the center of the target.
I did not get a chance to shoot at longer distances. Next outing which will most likely be next weekend( fingers crossed).
Overall, I like it. Is it a T-1? No not at all, but for a 1/5 of the cost it is a great optic. It performed well at close range, 150rds were fired and most groups were pretty much were I aimed. Glass is fairly clear, overall use of this optic is pretty basic. It has a NV mode but I have no NV gear so that feature most likely will never get used. Adjustments are made easy, turrents move crisp and feel solid, each click feels the same, doesn't skip over, or have loose spots like other imported red dot optics. Like I stated, maybe not the brightest, or clearest optic but performed good. I have not had enough use with it , I have no idea what the expected battery life is, how well it can perform and in what kind of environments. I can say its a great plinking optic.
My only dislike is the view through the optic is more constricted than other 30mm red dot optics. Seems like the inner tube has a smaller ID than other 30mm red dots. The reflective coating on the foward lens is mirrored, not a red or amber tint like most other red dots.I do not like the mirrored lens. I did have a parallax issue if that is what its called. The sun was to my right, at a 4pm ( starting to move to lower horizon) I could see a upside down and reverse glare, from the front lens, when exposed to that light, when I turned away from the sun or shaded the lens with my hand it went away. Other than these small issues that can be common with any optic, of any make. I'll say for the price, its good to go!