Air Gun Home :: View topic - Crosman wide view Red Dot Sight #0290RD Review

AirGunEric · Site Admin

There have been tons of complaints around and about regarding this "cheap" Crosman red dot sight. Virtually all were about it not being terribly usable when out in the sunlight.

Redster, who is a member here had noted that he had no such problems with it.

I was in a store early today and saw one and decided I would try it out- it is a cheap unit (typically $15-20) but it comes with two batteries (CR-2032, the same batteries 95% of all desktop computers have in them to save the setup information) that would cost $3-4 each on their own, one is for use in the sight right away, the other is a spare. Even if you hate the sight and couldn't return it- you would still have $6-8 worth of batteries to use if your computer loses its setup info and needs a new one installed.

This sight can have problems if there is bright light behind you- but not so much when it is in front of you. The 'wide view' lens can get reflections from behind you and block the view of the red dot. This is the same as "lens flash" on a camera- and it's solved by installing a shroud over the camera lens- so if this is a real problem on the 0290, a piece of dark paper, plastic, whatever could be attached on the top to shield the lens better and eliminate the problem (there is plenty of space for this without blocking the view).

The red dot laser is aimed at the lens- this is not a "Predator" type red dot that emits a beam on the actual target- so once you have the elevation and windage adjusted- you just put the red dot projected onto the lens over the target and shoot. For a $15 sight- it works pretty darn good up to about 35 feet/12 meters- beyond that I really didn't test (yet).

It's one particularly notable negative feature? The power switch is on the wrong side for right-handed shooters. It is on the right side of the sight when it should be on the left, so you don't have to lower or support the gun entirely by the forearm, to turn it off.

Would I buy another one? For a lower-powered gun, absolutely. For a magnum-class springer or PCP- maybe- but I don't think it's adjustment for elevation and windage is the most accurate at greater ranges- so trying to set it up for a 35m/100ft target wouldn't likely work out too well.

I give the Crosman 0290RD an overall thumbs-up due to its low cost and shortrange accuracy. Thumb Up!

AirGunEric · Site Admin

Well, I finally got around to installing a shield around the viewfinder of the 0290RD red dot. Turns out the reflection problem originates a fair bit further back rather than immediately around the lens.

I used a cut plastic 35mm film canister and tied it on with a plastic tie-wrap- I still need to trim the canister down a bit for it to fit perfectly- but it is positioned so that it doesn't matter how bright the light in front or behind the scope- it will still allow you to see where the red dot is positioned on the target.

Here's a basic picture of it:

Sorry about the picture quality- I really need to get one with a 'macro' function!