I recently purchased a semi-custom built AR-15 with a Bushnell red dot scope. At the sight-in range of 25 yards, and even 50 yard the red-dot was not problem at all but at 75 yards and up my eyesight just ain't what it used to be at all! So I started the search for a workable but inexpensive scope. I was planning on something along the lines of a 4-9X/30 and hoping to keep the price under a hundred bucks. I found this page and scope digging thru Amazon and the numbers of positive reviews and the price keep me reading and eventually ordering it. I ordered it on a Friday evening and it was delivered a full day ahead of schedule the following Thursday! (A shooting friend, looking at the unmounted scope, thought I probably paid at least 300$ up for this scope. I still have not told him the actual cost.)
So.... a review:
1. The scope arrived in perfect shape in a box big enough for maybe 8 scopes this size. The rest of the box was filled with those airbag thingies.
2. When I first picked the shipping box up I was amazed at how light this thing actually is.
3. The internal box contained the scope wrapped in bubble wrap and several items: The scope itself with it's transparent covers (one, the rear, is yellow) in place, a card with the cvlife website and an 800 number to call if you have a problem of some kind. a bag containing a wiping cloth and a hex allen wrench for the rings, and another with the 2032 lithium battery for the reticle lighting (that 2032 will be installed with the + or positive side up!). There was a warning label about the L-ion battery on the shipping box big enough for a 12 volt car battery
4. After reading perhaps a hundred plus reviews or more, both the positive and the negative, I figured I was pretty well prepared for what might be coming, both positive and potential negatives. Before doing anything else, I checked for the location all of the possible adjustments, the range ring at the front, the aperture or focal ring at the rear just to see if it all worked, the reticle luminosity control and the battery location, the power ring and the scope adjustments themselves. Out of the box with the forward range ring set for 75 yards (or meters, not specified) and the power level set to 6X, and with just a bit of adjustment to the rear focus ring I could easily read the phone number on the 5"X8" alarm sign under the mailbox across the street, about 200' away. (1-822-protect). I found the illumination settings, for red in red numbers 1-5 and green in green numbers with the off setting at either the green G or the red R. They are there around the base of the control but kind of faint. Putting the battery in the proper spot and I got the green or red illumination expected. in bright sunshine the lighting with a fresh battery seemed to be sufficient for my old eyes set on 3 in either color. So I went back to black. I played with the power setting and found that a bit stiff to turn but again, looking at the alarm sign across the street found the 24X setting pretty comparable to my 20X-60X spotting scope at the same setting. The image on the cvlife scope is bright and sharp and the reticle is also sharp from edge to edge as is the illumination in either color. (I also forgot to turn it off and eventually killed the battery. As I said elsewhere the indicator numbers are faint!)
5. Now for the fun part, installing the scope on my AR15. I have a full length rail in two sections on my AR, with the forward grip section a free floating ADR setup. One of the things I knew to do from a bunch of years ago was to figure out just where I was going to need to install the scope to match my eyesight. Per the specs you need about 3.5" between your eyeball and the rear glass. My first mistake was trying to install the scope with the rings attached to the scope. You are far better off first figuring out where to mount the rings first (about 4" apart on the rail) to allow for forward/backward adjustment of the scope tube depending on where your cheek actually hits the stock. While doing that I found that my forward rail was not perfectly aligned with my rear rail (which explained why I had to offset my rear iron sight more than I thought should be needed for zero). After taking care of the furniture placement I mounted the scope into the rings leaving things a bit loose and then mounted the rings on the rail. Good thing I left the rings loose because I found out right away that I didn't have the reticle perfectly vertical. Fixed that and then a bit of adjustment fore and aft for the scope picture and I was ready to bore sight.
6. The reticle was perfect as shipped for windage on the bore sight and just needed a bit of adjustment for the height. More on that aspect later. Both the windage and height controls are 4 clicks to MOA (1/4" per click at 100 yards) and are under the screw-on covers that appear to be weatherproof. A quick comment on the supplied rings: They are made from a fairly soft aluminium so some care is needed when you begin to tighten things down. Keep the guy with the gorilla hands AWAY! Bit by bit will do it. You will probably need some further tightening or adjustment a couple oftimes when you actually get to the range and begin shooting but use some care. (if you find that the rings do not meet your standards, WalMart has several 1" rings for about 10$ in their sporting goods area.) The rear of the scope with the supplied rings just(!) cleared my rear magpul flip-up sight and the front sight in the down position is not visible thru the scope. When I first started to set things up I was afraid the flip-up sights would have to go but in their horizontal position there was no problem. Depending on your iron sights, your mileage may vary.
7. At the range: My local range max distance is one hundred yards so testing/reviewing at longer distances will have to wait until I can visit a friend's farm. But at one hundred yards you can easily see the holes punched in the paper targets from a . 223/5.56 at full power and less! Heeding my own advice about gorilla hands, I forgot to re-tighten the rail clamps which resulted in some confusing shot placement until I fixed that problem. I had the same problem with my Bushnell Red Dot at double the price but I forgot about that! Carry a quarter, a loonie or a Euro coin for that task. Works/fits perfectly. This scope is impressive! (My shooting ability apparently less so!) If you are running a Picatinny rail or an adjustable stock, be prepared to make adjustments all the way around until you find what ever is the proper fit for you and the scope picture. And at full power, a good bench rest or sand bag or a bipod might be a good add-on choice
8. My verdict on the rings is still tentative until I can get back to the range again for the third time for more badly needed practice on my part but so far, this scope rates a solid 5 stars. I will edit this review if anything further comes up. Sadly, once again, another Amazon product that did not come with free beer!
| Brand | CVLIFE |
|---|---|
| Color | black |
| Style | Rifle Scope |
| Sport | Hunting |
| Item Weight | 1.39 Pounds |
| Material | Aluminum |
| Magnification Maximum | 24 x |
| Objective Lens Diameter | 50 Millimeters |
| Magnification Minimum | 6 x |
| Compatible Devices | Handgun, Rifle |
| Mounting Type | Free Mount |
| Night vision | No |
| Eye Relief | 3.52 Inches |
| Field Of View | 28 Feet |
| Manufacturer | Huihaozi |
| UPC | 610395988175 |
| Item Package Dimensions L x W x H | 17.04 x 3.07 x 3.03 inches |
| Package Weight | 0.83 Kilograms |
| Brand Name | CVLIFE |
| Part Number | US0002 |
| Size | 20mm |
