Truglo Red Dot Crossbow Sight Review
 Check Today's Price | Pros: - Sturdy enough for crossbows or shotguns - Very easy to sight in - Excellent brightness control Cons: - 5 MOA dot is too large for most hunting applications - Flip-up lens covers come off easily - Uses thumb screws instead of Allen bolts for mounting |
Welcome to our review of the TruGlo Red Dot 30mm 3-dot Crossbow Sight. This crossbow sight is an illuminated red dot sight with an integrated Weaver-style mounting system and see-through flip-up lens caps.
How Much Magnification Do I Get From the TruGlo Red Dot 30mm 3-Dot Crossbow Sight?
Since this is a simple red dot sight, it does not magnify the image at all.
How is the Optics Quality on the Crossbow Sight?
The optics on the TruGlo 30mm 3-dot Red Dot Sight are multi-coated, and the barrel is nitrogen-charged to keep fogging from obscuring your sight. The sight’s image, unfortunately, lacks contrast and detail. I noticed a fair bit of softness of the images through the sight, which is troubling for something as simple as a red dot sight. The softness wasn’t bad enough to affect the usability of the sight in the field, though, so I don’t really consider it much of a drawback.
The other problem with this sight is the 5 MOA red dot. This is simply too large a dot for most hunting applications; at short range, the dot might be okay, but if you shoot beyond 30-40 yards, your dot is going to cover up too much of the target for a precision shot. I know what you’re thinking, “use a scope?” but deer hunting at 50 yards shouldn’t require a scope. If the dot was a standard 1 or 2 MOA size, this sight would be an excellent choice for hunting deer or elk.
Light gathering capability in this sight is fantastic, with the sight working just as well in low light conditions as in broad daylight. The rheostat-controlled illumination settings are perfect, and you get plenty of adjustments for various lighting conditions. I found that the contrast and detail through the sight during low light conditions was, unbelievably, better than in broad daylight. This sight has actually become my favorite for overcast weather and early morning hunts.
What’s the Housing Like on the Crossbow Sight?
This particular red dot sight is advertised as being equally at home on a shotgun or a crossbow, and I tested it on both. The housing is aircraft-grade aluminum, but the sight simply does not stand up well to the recoil of a shotgun. It stays sighted in, but the flip-up lens covers snap off under the force of the shotgun’s recoil. If you can do without those caps, you’re fine, but if you need them, they won’t last on a shotgun.
On a crossbow or pistol, though, this sight works perfectly. If you’re weapon of choice is a crossbow or small caliber handgun, you’ll find this sight to be an excellent upgrade over the iron sights, and the durability will be perfectly suited for your needs. I’ve dropped my crossbow out of the tree stand a couple of times, and it didn’t even affect the zero of the sight, let alone do any damage to the sight.
How Easy is the Sight to Mount?
With its Weaver mount, the TruGlo Red Dot is an easy sight to mount. I had it installed on my TenPoint Titan crossbow in seconds, literally, and was then off to sight it in. The only complaint I have about mounting is that the sight uses thumb screws instead of Allen screws, which means you can’t get the sight secured tighter than your hands can turn it. This shouldn’t be a problem for most users, but it would be nice to see TruGlo using the tried and true Allen bolts instead of thumb screws.
How Easy is the TruGlo to Sight In?
This particular sight was almost sighted in straight out of the box. It only required a couple of adjustments to the windage and elevation before I was shooting bull’s eyes every time. The windage and elevation knobs are click-adjustable, and are covered by screw-down caps to keep things secure. The caps have built-in lanyards to keep them attached to the housing of the sight when you’ve got the caps removed, so you don’t have to worry about losing them.
The sight holds true through thick and thin, even when using the sight on a 10-gauge shotgun. The one I have on my crossbow was sighted in once, about 3 years ago, and I haven’t had to make any adjustments to it since then.
Is the TruGlo Red Dot 30mm Sight an Easy to Use Sight?
This sight is definitely easy to use. The illumination setting knob turns easily, but not too easily, and the 3 dots are perfect for shooting at various ranges. I wish the sight had green illumination, but that’s not a game-changer for me. The only challenge with this sight is the size of the dot, which might be too large for some long-range shooters. Other than that, this is an excellent sight, easy to use, and it holds true through hours upon hours of shooting.
| Conclusion | Rating |
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| Ease of Sighting-In |
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| Value |
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| Optics |
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| Dot Quality |
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I have two of these 3 dot red dots and two of the single red dot models. Ive had one on my bow for 15 years and it still works good today. I rate them at 5 stars. I agree with the fault you find with the lens caps-they are useless. However in the hunting situations I encounter in the northeast I disagree with your fault of the size of the dot. Remember this is a close range sight – 100 yds. The dots are sized well for that purpose. In the deer hunting I do, Fast target aquisition within 100 yds is more important than pinpoint accuracy at 200 yds. You can also reduce the size of the dot by turning down the intensity. Ive shot dozens of deer and credit these scopes with them. The lighted dot is invaluable in low light hunting situations. Also with a lifetime warranty, IMO, these are the best in their class.