When do you turn on your optics ? And how long does your battery last ?
I turn mine on when I sit down on one. Turn it off when I get up.
I replace my battery every year but it is rated for something like 50k hours. Batteries are cheap, seems like good insurance.
curious to this as well. I was told they last thousands of hours. No experience though
I turn it on when I head into the woods. I turn it off when I get back to the truck. I change the battery every season, never had one die during the season. I think one of my red dots says 25K hours or thereabouts. Never tested it.
I was told the soldiers deploying to the middle east a few years back turned their Aimpoints on when they got there and didn't turn them off until they left country.
I turn mine on as soon as I get in the woods in the morning before fly down. I'll turn it off if I don't hear any on the limb and know that I'm going to be moving and then turn it back on once I get one one. I replace every other year but I always keep a spare battery in my vest.
I turn it on when I think I'm in the game and turn it off when I think I'm not. I'm not scared to go 4-5 seasons without changing a battery but that comes from 14 years of using one.
I turn the FF3 on as soon as it leaves the case and then it gets turned off when it goes back into the case. I also have a spare battery in my vest but I change it each season and have not had a problem yet.
Turn on first thing. Turn off when I leave for the day. Typically change each season, but both of mine have last years batteries. My season is almost over. So 2 years no issues.
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Quote from: Tail Feathers on April 10, 2025, 09:45:45 AMI turn it on when I head into the woods. I turn it off when I get back to the truck. I change the battery every season, never had one die during the season. I think one of my red dots says 25K hours or thereabouts. Never tested it.
I was told the soldiers deploying to the middle east a few years back turned their Aimpoints on when they got there and didn't turn them off until they left country.
This....
I turn mine on as soon as I get out of the truck and turn it off when I put it back in the case. I carry a spare with me to be safe, but never have had to put it in. One time I forgot to turn it off after Iowa season 2 and it was on until I went again in season 4, it worked no problem. I put the spare in every spring and then put a new spare in my vest.
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Holoson 507C has shake awake, whenever you move the gun the red dot goes on after being idle for so long the dot turns off.
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Just as the others have said, turn it on out of the truck and off when it goes back in the case. I have two Bushnell TRS 25 and have never had an issue. I put in a new battery each year and carry a spare just in case. Have forgotten to turn it off on a few occasions but never had a battery run down and fail in the field during use.
I have been using a Burris Fastfire III for 4 years now...same battery that came in it. On when I head out each day and off when day over. Carry a spare in my vest.
Some will definitely last others not so much. I have one on a particular gun that hasn't had the battery changed once in 10yrs. I have a couple more that I turn on before season and don't turn off until season ends. Those as has been stated above, gets swapped out yearly because batteries are too cheap not to change out.
The dot sights I use have very good battery life and shake awake, so they are always on. I just change the battery out once a year. Holosuns are excellent value and quality. Trijicons would also be a solid option, but more expensive.
Like others, on when I leave the truck and off when I enter the truck. Change battery every year.
I turn mine on as soon as it's pulled from the case. It gets turned off before going back in the case. I do have one Holosun with shake awake that doesn't get turned off. I replace all batteries before season starts and carry a spare in my vest just in case I get a bad battery.
Thnx ... never used 1 till this year.. i kept turning mine off and on but i was really worried about it not being on when I needed it
Doesn't the FF turn off after being on for so many hours?
On at first light and off going in the case at the end of the day. Shake awake feature is really nice. Switch batteries out every 3 years and carry a spare.Z
First gobble, till I quit for the day. Every vest has spare batteries, I change them every year.
Quote from: CALLM2U on April 10, 2025, 09:42:01 AMI turn mine on when I sit down on one. Turn it off when I get up.
I replace my battery every year but it is rated for something like 50k hours. Batteries are cheap, seems like good insurance.
This!!! CALLM is spot on. 50k on lower settings. If you forget to turn it off, 2083 days x 24 hours give or take. At the end of my season, when I clean my gun, the battery is thrown away and a new one goes in next spring. I don't want a battery to go bad on me during the off season and ruin my Dot.
My Holosun has shake awake, inactive off feature and solar power on top. I check every morning as I pull the gun out that it has come on. My AR model has been working fine for years.
I believe the FF3 does turn off automatically at 8 hours.
I to turn mine on when I get out of the truck and off when I get back in.
Last year the battery in my sons M2 went low. It was a FF3, been used some but I think it was a bad battery. At most it was on its second season. The red dot started blinking and would go off. You could turn it back on for a bit before it would repeat
I too have a Holosun 507C Green. I turn it on when I get it out of the case and turn if off when I get to the truck. It has shake awake so in the woods I know it's always on but I don't leave it on when I'm traveling because I have to assume at every pump it turns on. It has solar power panel on top, as someone mentioned earlier, so I don't stress about it. Been using it two years and haven't replaced the battery yet. I figure I'll replace the battery every so often though.
I also have a vortex defender on a back up gun. Also, shake awake. I treat it the same and will probably change the battery every several years as I don't use this one as much and it doesn't have a solar power backup.
I have a cheap bushnell mounted on an air gun that I was using Wednesday to shoot cow birds and I left it on max power apparently because I put the gun back in the safe earlier and it was still on an hour ago so that was nearly 2 days fully at max power so I'd say you'll be fine for a while on a battery with intermittent use
When I leave the truck. Replace batteries in everything that requires one before the start of every season.
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Usually when I leave the truck but going to experiment by leaving my shake to wake on all season and see how long it lasts. In theory it will save enough battery to last well past that.
One thing that I do so that if something goes wrong with my red dot, is my other scoped turkey gun is in the truck to swap out if needed.
2 ff3s, one is 10 years old now . Battery every other season. Carry a spare . Kind of a mixed bag as to when I turn it on. In the morning...I don't generally turn it on until I set up . And if I'm not on a bird I'll turn it off . In the evenings I do generally turn it on as soon as I walk in the woods . Sometimes I turn it off between setups , sometimes I don't . I've never had it die on me . But that don't mean it won't . Which is why I carry a spare battery . I have been setup on a bjrd before , and when he showed up I when I went to put it on him. I hadn't turned it on yet.... Which I did , and then shot him. It was no issue . It's been a good optic . The very first bird I ever shot with a red dot ... took off running at the last second ,and I folded him up . Been hooked on the dot ever since .
For those that change out their batteries, does the POI change any with a fresh battery? I have a Vortex Venom for 4 years and never changed the battery but I always carry a spare battery.
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It did not change the pattern when I changed batteries in mine..
Quote from: msm210 on April 13, 2025, 11:25:03 AMFor those that change out their batteries, does the POI change any with a fresh battery? I have a Vortex Venom for 4 years and never changed the battery but I always carry a spare battery.
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I change mine every year and I haven't noticed any change. The internals POA/POI shouldn't change unless the Red dot is bumped excessively, the mounting screws loosen or the windage or elevation screws are messed with. Some will say that when the barrel is removed and reinstalled it does, but I polish mine every year put it back on and tighten down the barrel nut plus a couple of extra clicks with a pair of channel locs and haven't had any problems.
Perfect - thank you very much for your responses!
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Quote from: msm210 on April 13, 2025, 11:25:03 AMFor those that change out their batteries, does the POI change any with a fresh battery? I have a Vortex Venom for 4 years and never changed the battery but I always carry a spare battery.
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Here's what I found on battery life for the Vortex Venom
5. Battery Life
The Vortex Venom red dot scope has 150 hours of battery life at the highest settings and 30,000 hours when you put it to the lowest. The actual battery life, the battery life you have when you put it on a mid-setting, will be somewhere between these two values.
I personally wouldn't leave the battery in the cup during the off season. If it corrodes, then you could ruin a $300 sight. A $3 CR 1632 battery just isn't worth it to me. Buy a couple at Wally World and toss em every season. Very cheap insurance.
I have a FF3. I once had it go dark in the middle of the day and didn't know it until a turkey was coming in. After I missed my chance at the bird I had to hike several miles back to the truck. I learned my lesson. Ever since that instance I have carried a spare battery on me, and I turn it on when I strike up a bird and off when the opportunity is over. I do make sure when I arrive that it works, and at the end of the day make sure I didn't forget to turn it off.
Quote from: Timmer on April 14, 2025, 01:29:51 PMI have a FF3. I once had it go dark in the middle of the day and didn't know it until a turkey was coming in. After I missed my chance at the bird I had to hike several miles back to the truck. I learned my lesson. Ever since that instance I have carried a spare battery on me, and I turn it on when I strike up a bird and off when the opportunity is over. I do make sure when I arrive that it works, and at the end of the day make sure I didn't forget to turn it off.
Do you carry a flathead screwdriver as well?
I change the battery in my FF 3 every other year. One year I forgot, so it went 3 full seasons with no issues. Echoing most here, I turn mine on out of the case and off on the way back in.
I just hope that whoever invented those sights has retired someplace really nice and is getting to enjoy their free time, because it certainly has helped my turkey hunting. God bless 'em!
Jim