Bushnell RXS-250

[CanineCombatives]

Was anyone here able to grab one before they vanished? Bushnell is now saying March restock, and that response was far greater than they planned for production wise. If this is the first your hearing of it check out the videos and limited reviews that are already online, also KC Eusebio has been running them for a while.

[Erick Gelhaus]

Was anyone here able to grab one before they vanished? Bushnell is now saying March restock, and that response was far greater than they planned for production wise. If this is the first your hearing of it check out the videos and limited reviews that are already online, also KC Eusebio has been running them for a while.

I have one. I finally have some time behind it to where I’m comfortable writing it up.

Back in August, Bushnell held a media event at Gunsite to demo their new pistol mounted optics – RXS100 and RXS250. Several people from Vista Group and its companies were there, as were numerous current gun writers. I was there to run the range / defensive firearms side of the three-day event. Jessie Harrison and KC Eusebio, both Bushnell sponsored competitive shooters, were there and handled competitive shooting instruction.

For the event's duration we had a Gen 5 Glock 17 MOS with a Bushnell RXS250 mounted to it. They were zeroed for 15 yards when they arrived (that was at our request, see the Sig Sauer PMO instructor class thread).

These have a 4moa dot with ten settings, the up button is on the left-hand side of the housing, and the down button is on the right. The factory says it has a 50K hour battery life with a top-loading CR2032 battery. The elevation and windage are 1moa per click. With Rx lenses, it has a thinner vertical line popping out the top. With un-aided eyes, it looks like a weird asterisk. I'm just trying to describe its clarity.

There were nineteen of the Glocks set up the same way for the event - fourteen for gun writers and Vista Group staff, two for the pro shooters, and three for the Gunsite instructors.

Federal shipped out 10K rounds for the event, and they finished up with noticeably less than 2000. Those 8000 rounds weren't evenly split up among all of us. Some shot a lot more than others. Maybe I fired 300 rounds, and that was mostly in demos.

We found one problem – when the batteries were installed, not all of the caps had been tightened correctly. They loosened up, and the dots went out. They were tightened correctly, and the dots stayed on. Other than that, I did not see any electrical or mechanical failures with any of the optics in use. None of them appeared to loosen up at the mounts.

One of the engineers was present, and I was able to talk with him. They aren't trying to beat Trijicon or Leupold or Aimpoint or Holosun with either of these. They are trying to get name recognition and set the conditions to take them on with their next offering(s).

I like the top-mounted CR2032 battery with a cap that has a single slot – think dime – in it. The optic sits higher than the stock sights on the 17.5 MOS, rendering them useless.

The Up/Down buttons, sitting on either side of the housing which is flared, are easy to reach and use. However, they are wide enough that I had to take the Dremel tool to the inside of the hood on the holster I was using – 6354DO (https://www.amazon.com/Safariland-6354Do-Tactical-Holster-Multi-Cam/dp/B00Y6YO8W2/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=6354DO+holster&qid=1611256765&sr=8-1). We were using Blackhawk T series holsters (https://www.amazon.com/s?k=blackhawk+t+series+holster&crid=17OIUP93ZUAZB&sprefix=blackhawk+t%2Caps%2C168&ref=nb_sb_ss_ts-a-p_9_11) that did not have an optics hood during the media event.

The housing has a forward angled hood protecting the glass – while everything else in common use is vertical or rearward. The forward angle keeps the gun from consistently seating in the 6354DO. Not an issue in a class, potentially a problem on the street. It is not an issue with an open-top rig like a Raven Phantom, especially the Roland Special Fight Club version.

The top of the housing is flat, straight across – not rounded like the Leupold or sunken like the Trijicon. This has not been a distraction when shooting it. I prefer the straight line to other optics' rounded tops when using the housing as an in-extremis sighting reference. I taught using it that way. The straight line was the first thing that stood out to me when I removed it from the case.

With the current ammo situation, I wasn't going to run rounds through a gun I'm not currently carrying just for the hell of it. So, it has sat for a bit.

This past week I took Sage Dynamics' Low Light Encounters instructor class. With a listed round count of 700 rounds, I decided to use it. I shot about 450 in the class. So, I've now got between 750-800 rounds through it. Not enough to give it a strong recommendation, not sufficient to recommend it for duty. However, it has lasted through more rounds than a couple of the early RMRs I had on a duty gun.

66483 66481
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Hope this helps.

[LittleLebowski]

What a great writeup, thank you Eric.

[Erick Gelhaus]

What a great writeup, thank you Eric.

You're welcome, sir. Much appreciated.

[CanineCombatives]

Wonder how much time needs to pass for them to feel they achieved the name recognition and set the conditions for the next version, which I assume will be the model they intend to take on the established players with.

[Erick Gelhaus]

Wonder how much time needs to pass for them to feel they achieved the name recognition and set the conditions for the next version, which I assume will be the model they intend to take on the established players with.

Couldn't tell you.

I did forget to mention this uses the Leupold DPP footprint rather than the Trijicon RMR style.

[LittleLebowski]

Wonder how much time needs to pass for them to feel they achieved the name recognition and set the conditions for the next version, which I assume will be the model they intend to take on the established players with.

I would say they just need to have a decent product at a good price point that is widely available. Obviously, testing by gun forum owners is paramount :D

[JRV]

How has the RXS-250 held up? It seems like the options with the DPP footprint are limited to very tall (DPP) or very wide (R1P) optics.

[backtrail540]

Looks to be available on the Bushnell Amazon store.

https://www.amazon.com/Bushnell-RXS250-Reflex-Sight_RXS250/dp/B08DL7N8XY?ref_=ast_sto_dp

[Erick Gelhaus]

How has the RXS-250 held up? It seems like the options with the DPP footprint are limited to very tall (DPP) or very wide (R1P) optics.

I have not shot it since the Cowan class earlier this year. So I won’t be any help there.

[LittleLebowski]

Looks to be available on the Bushnell Amazon store.

https://www.amazon.com/Bushnell-RXS250-Reflex-Sight_RXS250/dp/B08DL7N8XY?ref_=ast_sto_dp

That’s a pretty solid price.

[JRV]

I tried to order one through Amazon. Twice. Someone in their customer service department said they were showing up as in-stock for one-day Prime delivery, but they were not able to fill and ship the orders because of an inventory system glitch (maybe a backorder with a distributor or the manufacturer?).

Interested to see if anyone is successful. I guess I have a Romeo1 Pro inbound...

[steve]

I tried to order one through Amazon. Twice. Someone in their customer service department said they were showing up as in-stock for one-day Prime delivery, but they were not able to fill and ship the orders because of an inventory system glitch (maybe a backorder with a distributor or the manufacturer?).

Interested to see if anyone is successful. I guess I have a Romeo1 Pro inbound...

I ordered one yesterday on Amazon Prime, I will let you know if it arrives or not.

[steve]

It just arrived and they are still showing in stock for me on Amazon Prime.

[JRV]

It just arrived and they are still showing in stock for me on Amazon Prime.

Would you be able to provide an update after it’s been mounted and shot for a while? Any initial quality issues, dot and glass visual quality, feel/consistency of adjustments?

[Archer1440]

Just remember if you plan to carry this item (emphasis added to excerpt from user manual):

“By default, a timer will automatically switch power off after 12 hours to extend battery life, if no button has been pressed. Switch power on again to continue using the sight if necessary. To turn the timer off and enable continuous power, press and hold both arrow buttons for 3 seconds. The red dot will slowly blink 3 times to confirm “timer off”. Note: If you disable the timer, be sure to manually turn power off before storing the sight away or when not using it for long periods of time, to prevent draining the battery.”


If these prove reliable they may be a great item for the price range.

[steve]

Would you be able to provide an update after it’s been mounted and shot for a while? Any initial quality issues, dot and glass visual quality, feel/consistency of adjustments?

Well here is the update.........I returned it to Amazon and bought a Trijicon RMR instead. I wanted to use Forward Control's plate with the Bushnell and use one of FC's DPP plates. Roger.....from FCD also got a Bushnell and he said it would not work without minor fitting. For that reason I ordered the Trijicon and the FCD RMR plate and returned the Bushnell.

It looked like a nice red dot but I am not one to work on stuff mechanically so I passed on it.

I hoped it would have worked at roughly half the price.

[Erick Gelhaus]

How has the RXS-250 held up? It seems like the options with the DPP footprint are limited to very tall (DPP) or very wide (R1P) optics.

Dave Spaulding shared this earlier today:

Handgun Combatives
2h ·
We have received a number of inquiries regarding our experiences with the Bushnell RXS 250 pistol optic. Several months ago, I mentioned I was working with the unit and a number of folks have asked what I think. At this point, I have between 8 and 9 thousand rounds across (recoil impulse) it with no problems. Since mounting and zeroing, the only time I have even messed with it was to retighten the mounting screws, which I did once. I set the ten-position brightness setting in the middle and have left it alone. In classes, we see WAY TOO MANY students constantly fiddling with their optic, trying to get the “perfect” brightness for the lighting conditions at hand. Are you going to stop in the middle of a gunfight and adjust your dot level? Probably not. Set it and leave it alone! All you need to do it see it…it doesn’t need to be “perfect”.
I have carried, practiced and taught with the RXS 250 and have nothing but positive things to say about it. It has a number of features I really like including very discernible click adjustment knobs, a top access battery compartment, a robust aircraft aluminum housing, deep black color, no blue tint, a rounded contour that resists snagging on clothing, light weight and a price point that is VERY affordable ($250 MSRP). Many will say “you get what you pay for” which is true in many cases, but there is certainly nothing wrong with saving a few bucks if the quality you need is there.
Once I established that the 250 is certainly “shootable”, I wanted to see how durable it was. There are several folks who “torture test” pistol optics on line and I have no problem with this. Like many of you, I actually find these tests interesting. That said, they are tests to establish “duty ready” which I will leave up to those who carry an optic on duty. I am interested in seeing if the RXS 250 is durable enough for EDC and maybe off-duty carry. Recently, Bucky Buchanan and I were teaching an MRDS Workshop outside of Rochester, NY. During the lunch break, we decided to see just how tough the 250 really is. We put together a number of drop tests including plastic, wood, metal and concrete to simulate surfaces the gun and optic might be dropped on and then dropped it from both holster and head height on these surfaces. Some of them, like concrete, we did multiple drops.
The 250 was largely unaffected by plastic (counter tops), wood (flooring and decking) and metal (car hood, etc.). On these surfaces not only was the dot and glass left intact, the exterior aluminum housing was not even scratched. The concrete drop is the real test of durability so we both wondered if the 250 would be shattered. After the first drop, we found the roof of the optic was scratched, but the glass and dot were unaffected. We dropped it again and while the top of the housing was scratched even more, the glass and dot remained unaffected. We had checked the optic’s zero prior to starting, shooting three rounds off hand at a three-inch square at 10 yards. We use this distance in class and then reconfirm zero at 25 yards on a 3 x 5 rectangle. Throughout our little test, we checked the zero and while I missed a few shots, the zero remained.
At this point, the only thing we thought to do (I was not going to run over it with my truck as I wanted to keep the Glock 19 intact. A few scratches is one thing, but a smashed pistol is another!) was to throw the gun across the range. I did just that…gave it a toss and the checked the zero which was still on. Bucky threw the thing like a Frisbee!! We walked over, got the dust and gravel out of the optic and tested the zero again…it was on! I’m sure someone somewhere will say this was not enough, but it satisfied me, Bucky and the students in the course that watched us abuse the gun and optic. We feel the Bushnell RXS 250 is tough enough for EDC or off-duty carry. Again, I will stay away from duty-grade, leaving that up to those who go on duty.
The entire test was videoed…nothing “Hollywood” … and was sent with the optic back to Bushnell. I did not get paid for this; I have no dog in the hunt. It was done merely as an FYI. That said, I will have another RZS 250 as soon as possible and will continue to carry, shoot and teach with it. Bucky feels the same. Now, I can only speak for this unit as I am sure someone out there has had a bad experience with the 250. Everything human designed and engineered will fail, but my one experience was VERY positive! Son-In-Law Daryn has the video but due to its size (something about being filmed in 4 something and being 15 minutes long, etc.) he is having difficulty downloading it. If he can sort this out, we will post it for all to see. We have nothing to hide and really don’t care if you like the 250 or not. We do…
FYI only…not trying to pull you away from your RMR or Delta Point Pro, but if you are currently thinking about a carry optic, the Bushnell RXS 250 is something to consider…
Have a great week!

[JRV]

In a crowded market, it's heartening to hear that a new option appears to be doing well for a fair price, especially on its initial iteration.

[JeremyL617]

I have one. I finally have some time behind it to where I’m comfortable writing it up.

Back in August, Bushnell held a media event at Gunsite to demo their new pistol mounted optics – RXS100 and RXS250. Several people from Vista Group and its companies were there, as were numerous current gun writers. I was there to run the range / defensive firearms side of the three-day event. Jessie Harrison and KC Eusebio, both Bushnell sponsored competitive shooters, were there and handled competitive shooting instruction.

For the event's duration we had a Gen 5 Glock 17 MOS with a Bushnell RXS250 mounted to it. They were zeroed for 15 yards when they arrived (that was at our request, see the Sig Sauer PMO instructor class thread).

These have a 4moa dot with ten settings, the up button is on the left-hand side of the housing, and the down button is on the right. The factory says it has a 50K hour battery life with a top-loading CR2032 battery. The elevation and windage are 1moa per click. With Rx lenses, it has a thinner vertical line popping out the top. With un-aided eyes, it looks like a weird asterisk. I'm just trying to describe its clarity.

There were nineteen of the Glocks set up the same way for the event - fourteen for gun writers and Vista Group staff, two for the pro shooters, and three for the Gunsite instructors.

We just went with this RDS agency wide in June. I have been using RDS for about 2 years now on my personal guns. I have had the same battery in my Trijicon RMR since I purchased it. With the Busnell RDS, we are having batteries die left and right. We switched out the factory Mikana? right out the gate to a Duracell which according to tests in RDS had the best, longest life span. We have now moved on to Energizer Lithium because we have had roughly 30-40 % dead batteries after roughly 4 months. I have not been able to find any info about this issue other than its supposed to be a 50,000 hours/ 5 years on mid setting.

Federal shipped out 10K rounds for the event, and they finished up with noticeably less than 2000. Those 8000 rounds weren't evenly split up among all of us. Some shot a lot more than others. Maybe I fired 300 rounds, and that was mostly in demos.

We found one problem – when the batteries were installed, not all of the caps had been tightened correctly. They loosened up, and the dots went out. They were tightened correctly, and the dots stayed on. Other than that, I did not see any electrical or mechanical failures with any of the optics in use. None of them appeared to loosen up at the mounts.

One of the engineers was present, and I was able to talk with him. They aren't trying to beat Trijicon or Leupold or Aimpoint or Holosun with either of these. They are trying to get name recognition and set the conditions to take them on with their next offering(s).

I like the top-mounted CR2032 battery with a cap that has a single slot – think dime – in it. The optic sits higher than the stock sights on the 17.5 MOS, rendering them useless.

The Up/Down buttons, sitting on either side of the housing which is flared, are easy to reach and use. However, they are wide enough that I had to take the Dremel tool to the inside of the hood on the holster I was using – 6354DO (https://www.amazon.com/Safariland-6354Do-Tactical-Holster-Multi-Cam/dp/B00Y6YO8W2/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=6354DO+holster&qid=1611256765&sr=8-1). We were using Blackhawk T series holsters (https://www.amazon.com/s?k=blackhawk+t+series+holster&crid=17OIUP93ZUAZB&sprefix=blackhawk+t%2Caps%2C168&ref=nb_sb_ss_ts-a-p_9_11) that did not have an optics hood during the media event.

The housing has a forward angled hood protecting the glass – while everything else in common use is vertical or rearward. The forward angle keeps the gun from consistently seating in the 6354DO. Not an issue in a class, potentially a problem on the street. It is not an issue with an open-top rig like a Raven Phantom, especially the Roland Special Fight Club version.

The top of the housing is flat, straight across – not rounded like the Leupold or sunken like the Trijicon. This has not been a distraction when shooting it. I prefer the straight line to other optics' rounded tops when using the housing as an in-extremis sighting reference. I taught using it that way. The straight line was the first thing that stood out to me when I removed it from the case.

With the current ammo situation, I wasn't going to run rounds through a gun I'm not currently carrying just for the hell of it. So, it has sat for a bit.

This past week I took Sage Dynamics' Low Light Encounters instructor class. With a listed round count of 700 rounds, I decided to use it. I shot about 450 in the class. So, I've now got between 750-800 rounds through it. Not enough to give it a strong recommendation, not sufficient to recommend it for duty. However, it has lasted through more rounds than a couple of the early RMRs I had on a duty gun.

66483 66481
66484 66482
66485


Hope this helps.

[MVS]

Bringing this one back up as I have been wanting to try one for a while and finally picked one up. My first complaint, it doesn't come with screws that will work for mounting. I went to put it on my Sig Carry Legion as it should be a direct fit. Well it fit very well but the screws that came with it that mounted it to the picatinny base are too short. Anyone else run into this?