Bushnell 73-0131 red dot sight - Bushnell 1x28 Trophy Red Dot Sight 730131

After many years experience with centerfire and rimfire smokeless powder arms I recently decided to become a member of the air rifle community. I purchased a new break-barrel springer .22 caliber air rifle that came equipped with open sight and a 3x9 scope. Wanting an inexpensive sight that would fill the accuracy and versatility gap between the open sight and the 3x9 scope I bought one of red dot sights in the $40 price range. During accuracy testing I discovered that this red dot sight had so much parallax error at 20 yards I could no longer feel confident in my shot placement. After reading internet postings of red dot sight reviews I decided to upgrade to the Bushnell Model 73-0131 Red Dot Sight. So far this sight is worth every dollar of it's price. While not giving solid, precise tactile feedback the sight elevation and windage adjustment is precise enough for the application and able to withstand the double-recoil of a springer air rifle. And although the red dot does not remain perfectly round for all illumination settings weapon accuracy is not affected as long as you adjust to the minimum intensity level for best target contrast. There is a small amount of parallax error detectable at 20 yards but most of it is in the outer edge of the field of view. Best accuracy to date has been sub 1/2 inch for 5 shots at 20 yards with quality ammo. This is nearly equal to my best groups with the 3x9 scope. The Bushnell 73-0131 red dot sight is definitely a good buy.
Pros: Excellent entry level red dot sight that does not compromise weapon accuracy. Lifetime Limited Warranty exceeds anything the competition offers in this price range.
Cons: Battery cap can loosen when adjusting red dot intensity.

This review was written in the old system and had content requirements that are different than reviews written today.