• The SH Membership has gone live. Only SH Members have access to post in the classifieds. All members can view the classifieds. Starting in 2020 only SH Members will be admitted to the annual hunting contest. Current members will need to follow these steps to upgrade: 1. Click on your username 2. Click on Account upgrades 3. Choose SH Member and purchase.
  • We've been working hard the past few weeks to come up with some big changes to our vendor policies to meet the changing needs of our community. Please see the new vendor rules here: Vendor Access Area Rules

Hickory Creek Koolaid

too bright is the issue. An infinite adjustment Would be ideal. And it would be set super low for beginning and end of shooting hours hunting. Which is when the critters crit

I meant...too bright (red dot) vs no light (original scope)... Which is worse?
 
I meant...too bright (red dot) vs no light (original scope)... Which is worse?

the red dot for me. I bought an aftermarket scope that allowed me to see at all hours. Unfortunately it weighed a pound. That’s the second best feature of the red dot besides beingable to shoot with both eyes open from any anchor - it weighs nothing.
 
the red dot for me. I bought an aftermarket scope that allowed me to see at all hours. Unfortunately it weighed a pound. That’s the second best feature of the red dot besides beingable to shoot with both eyes open from any anchor - it weighs nothing.


Have you tried wearing your sunglasses at night?

Ha, jk.... Wait....I think....hmm...
 
the red dot for me. I bought an aftermarket scope that allowed me to see at all hours. Unfortunately it weighed a pound. That’s the second best feature of the red dot besides beingable to shoot with both eyes open from any anchor - it weighs nothing.


Does the whole sight picture get washed out? Is that the problem?
 
I have yet to see a sight available that gets dull enough to shoot until last legal light. But maybe I’m not looking the right places.
Huh, I also have a trijicon rmr for my handguns and although with my myoptic eyes it looks like an ameoba instead of a dot, all of my red duts dull down. Like I said my bushnell worked fine on the number one setting in my turkey blind this spring. Not too bright whatsoever.
 
Huh, I also have a trijicon rmr for my handguns and although with my myoptic eyes it looks like an ameoba instead of a dot, all of my red duts dull down. Like I said my bushnell worked fine on the number one setting in my turkey blind this spring. Not too bright whatsoever.

I have an MRO on my rifle. With it off, you can still see the reticle. This is about the level that I’d want.

I guess my issue isn’t low light conditions. It’s the lowest light conditions right at legal shooting times, +- 20 or 30 minutes. Were you able to pick a spot on a turkey as if you were going to shoot it with a bow? Or were you able to put the dot on the black blob and know the shotgun would do the trick? Seems like there’s a large difference in precision there needed.

I want this to work, shaving a pound off the mini and being able to shoot both eyes open is awesome.
 
I have an MRO on my rifle. With it off, you can still see the reticle. This is about the level that I’d want.

I guess my issue isn’t low light conditions. It’s the lowest light conditions right at legal shooting times, +- 20 or 30 minutes. Were you able to pick a spot on a turkey as if you were going to shoot it with a bow? Or were you able to put the dot on the black blob and know the shotgun would do the trick? Seems like there’s a large difference in precision there needed.

I want this to work, shaving a pound off the mini and being able to shoot both eyes open is awesome.


I guess someone needs to design a multiple reticle reflex red dot sight with an analog ultra-dim setting... Any takers?
 
So I'm not very up on crossbow scopes, but I'm looking to upgrade the no name on my HC mini. Would a Ravin take off be a decent choice? My understanding is its a speed dial scope and illuminated. I ask because I know the Ravin guys like to send it way down range. I like to keep my shots within 35 yards. The illumination interests me because of my bad eyes in low light.
 
I'm torn on mine. I would vote that all things considered, the red dot probably is "better" than a 3x scope. Lighter, easier to aim, quicker on the target, less clutter in the sight picture, and probably more visible reticle across a broader range of circumstances. But I haven't hunted with it. Kyle has, and he says it's an issue in low light. I trust him well enough, and low light target shooting in the yard did pose a bit of a problem. I'm not sure that it posed more of a problem than the $30 scope it came with. I'm not sure there isn't a better solution.

What I am sure of is I just chronied (thank you @Vtbow for that classifieds purchase) the mini at 324fps point-blank with the DCA arrows made specially for it and a 100 grain field point. I can put arrows in a 9" rineheart ball target from 10 to 40 yards without having to aim off of that circle.

Basically, point-and-shoot killing anywhere inside the 30 yard circle of death. Nutterbuster doesn't have to think. Hooray!
 
I'm torn on mine. I would vote that all things considered, the red dot probably is "better" than a 3x scope. Lighter, easier to aim, quicker on the target, less clutter in the sight picture, and probably more visible reticle across a broader range of circumstances. But I haven't hunted with it. Kyle has, and he says it's an issue in low light. I trust him well enough, and low light target shooting in the yard did pose a bit of a problem. I'm not sure that it posed more of a problem than the $30 scope it came with. I'm not sure there isn't a better solution.
Guess you could put an EZV on it but then @kyler1945 may never speak to you again.
 
You really could put an ez v on the full size bow Jerry makes i think. It uses pins. But I've never seen the point of an ez v. Solves a problem I don't have
Right on. I can't imagine using it with the 320fps insert. Certainly helps me with my 240fps bow but it seems kind of unnecessary as the lbs go up.
 
key is to find one that is night vision capatible, I have one that will decrease in light so you can use it with a pvs-14
the vortex I have on my mini goes down pretty low, can us it at last light
 
I'm torn on mine. I would vote that all things considered, the red dot probably is "better" than a 3x scope. Lighter, easier to aim, quicker on the target, less clutter in the sight picture, and probably more visible reticle across a broader range of circumstances. But I haven't hunted with it. Kyle has, and he says it's an issue in low light. I trust him well enough, and low light target shooting in the yard did pose a bit of a problem. I'm not sure that it posed more of a problem than the $30 scope it came with. I'm not sure there isn't a better solution.

What I am sure of is I just chronied (thank you @Vtbow for that classifieds purchase) the mini at 324fps point-blank with the DCA arrows made specially for it and a 100 grain field point. I can put arrows in a 9" rineheart ball target from 10 to 40 yards without having to aim off of that circle.

Basically, point-and-shoot killing anywhere inside the 30 yard circle of death. Nutterbuster doesn't have to think. Hooray!
Glad someone is using that thing...I dont have time for that stuff these days...if its burries itself halfway into the delta mckenzie at 40 yards....it hits hard and fast enough!
 
I'm torn on mine. I would vote that all things considered, the red dot probably is "better" than a 3x scope. Lighter, easier to aim, quicker on the target, less clutter in the sight picture, and probably more visible reticle across a broader range of circumstances. But I haven't hunted with it. Kyle has, and he says it's an issue in low light. I trust him well enough, and low light target shooting in the yard did pose a bit of a problem. I'm not sure that it posed more of a problem than the $30 scope it came with. I'm not sure there isn't a better solution.

What I am sure of is I just chronied (thank you @Vtbow for that classifieds purchase) the mini at 324fps point-blank with the DCA arrows made specially for it and a 100 grain field point. I can put arrows in a 9" rineheart ball target from 10 to 40 yards without having to aim off of that circle.

Basically, point-and-shoot killing anywhere inside the 30 yard circle of death. Nutterbuster doesn't have to think. Hooray!
Do you find the DCA to shoot any more consistent than the victory they used to come with?
 
I have an MRO on my rifle. With it off, you can still see the reticle. This is about the level that I’d want.

I guess my issue isn’t low light conditions. It’s the lowest light conditions right at legal shooting times, +- 20 or 30 minutes. Were you able to pick a spot on a turkey as if you were going to shoot it with a bow? Or were you able to put the dot on the black blob and know the shotgun would do the trick? Seems like there’s a large difference in precision there needed.

I want this to work, shaving a pound off the mini and being able to shoot both eyes open is awesome.
The red dot on my mini has multiple reticle options. It has a fine dot, a larger dot, a dot with a circle around it and finally a crosshair. I put the setting on "1" inside the blind because shooting outside of the blind I had it on level "3" to be bright enough to see in normal daylight conditions. In the blind, "3" was too bright. When the turkey passed I put the lighted red "crosshair" reticle on the middle of the back and it hit where I aimed. I did spend a lot of time dialing in the red dot crosshair reticle before hunting this spring. As far as target clarity, the turkey was in a cut corn field so it was fully in daylight and I had no problem seeing it and my crosshair "showed up" on the turkey nicely. Not too bright, not to faint. Obviously, with the 30mm straight tube its not a like a 56mm light gathering scope but it doesn't do bad. Jury is still out on dawn and dusk times and that is a very relevant question. I would say because the overall length of the tube is relatively short compared to even the scope that came with the mini, you're going to get more light in the tube and since magnification on this particular scope is minimal, it doesn't really add or detract from additional light gathering. Again; however, with a red dot your eye isn't up to the sighting tube and finally, you don't have black crosshairs on darker targets like deer and turkey you have the lighted dot. I need to do more testing in low light circumstances but I can tell you when I was sighting it in this spring one evening I was shooting right up until last light with no problems. I was however in my driveway not in the woods.
 
Last edited:
So it's been raining all day here and is super overcast. My yard is fairly wooded. I'm going to try and remember to shoot a few in between cooking some new york strips and draining some Guinness. Legal light for tonight would end at 8:22.
 
Back
Top