Gear Review: Bushnell RXM-300 Reflex Sight

Bushnell has been making solid, affordable optics rugged enough for hunters for generations. When I saw their new RXM-300 come out earlier this year I suspected it might just fill the niche I was looking to fill for a recent build. I’m not heading into combat, but I do want an optic that’s going to be durable and reliable and will withstand harsh weather and some knocks or drops that might happen at the range or in the woods. I also don’t want to spend a fortune though, because I’m outfitting a bunch of different builds.

The RXM-300

I build ARs when I get bored. Sometimes they have practical purposes, sometimes they’re just for fun and plinking at the range. Some of the fun ones could still work just fine for self defense, hunting or casual local competition though, and I want optics that are going to hold zero and hold up. I’ve used a Bushnell TRS-25 on a 10/22 for ages and have had a TRS-26 on my 5.56mm CMMG MK4 SBR for years as well Both optics have held up great. The RXM-300 was exactly the format I was looking for and based on my past experience with Bushnell’s red dots, I was ready to give it a try.

The RXM-300 reflex sight is a large format reflex sight with a 4-MOA dot, 12 brightness settings, a shake-awake feature and long battery life. One of the things the old TRS-25 didn’t have was a long battery life. It was fine for range use, but for anything I might want to use for hunting, defense or competition, I prefer longer battery life so I’m not constantly checking it or worrying about needing to do a battery swap. The RXM-300 has a 35,000-hour battery life on a single CR2032, which is over four years of constant on use. It’s coupled with a shake-awake and auto shut-off timer option, so it’s definitely good to go in that area.

The big 24x28mm window on the RXM-300 is coated with Bushnell’s EXO Barrier lens coating that is supposed to repel water, oil, dust and debris. When water hits, it runs off rather than laying on the lens causing defraction. So, it gives you an unobstructed view down range and should work well in inclement weather.

As to durability, the RXM-300 is constructed from 7075-T6 aircraft-grade aluminum and has IPX7 rated seals that allow the optic to be submerged up to 1 meter for 30 minutes without damage. That’s plenty good for foul weather or a fall in the creek. The optic is impact and drop rated/tested to MIL-STD-810H standards and has been tested with thousands of rounds on hundreds of firearms and in multiple environments by Bushnell’s brand ambassadors that include competition shooters and hunters. So, maybe it isn’t combat tested, but if it meets military impact and drop standards and has held up to thousands of rounds by competition shooters and in all sorts of weather and terrain with hunters, then it’s probably just fine for anything I’ll put it through.

Installation and Sight-In

The RXM-300 will mount to a standard RMR footprint slide cut or can be used with the included Weaver mount. In fact, they include both a high and low mount, which gives you a lot of options right out of the box. Being that I was using it on an AR, I installed the Weaver mount. I was calling it a Picatinny mount at first, and it worked just fine on the AR upper’s I put it on, but since Bushnell calls it a Weaver mount, so will I. It actually makes sense that they would use a Weaver standard since their optics are just as likely to be mounted on hunting platforms as on more tactical ones. Weaver mounts will generally go on a Picatinny rail without issue, whereas a Picatinny mount is sometimes too wide, or not spaced correctly for a Weaver rail.

I intended on using the RXM-300 on my X-COM themed space gat build. Nerdiness aside, it’s a 10.5-inch barrel 5.56mm AR pistol with an Adams Arms piston system. It’s actually a handy set up, and the Bushnell optic worked great with it. Being that I wasn’t intending on using iron sights that I needed to co-witness, I went with the low mount. It sits close to the gun and was easy to see when using the Shockwave brace I had on the build.

Sight-in was easy. It wasn’t far off right out of the box and adjustments were simple due to the well-marked adjustment screws. I liked that the screws had good size and depth slots for a normal screwdriver, too. Microdrivers or specialized tools can be a pain, especially if you leave them at home.

The sighting window on the RXM-300 is huge and provides plenty of visibility down range. The 4 MOA dot is crisp and the auto brightness function seems to work well. I’ve tested it in dim light around the house and scorching bright summer sun at the range, and the dot was always visible and easy to find.

I didn’t test the drop rating, but I have had the optic rattling around in my Jeep and tossed in the corner of my gun room without showing any particular care to it. I worked with it in temperature ranges from the mid 70’s through the mid 90’s and high humidity, although not in any rain. So, far so good.

Although I’m a few years out from needing to worry about a battery change, another thing I like with the RXM-300 is the top mounted battery compartment. You don’t have to pull your optic to change the battery, which I greatly appreciate. While I did have the optic on and off the AR and it held zero, I still don’t love the idea of having to take the optic off to swap batteries. The RXM mount uses a Torx bit which I’m unlikely to have in the field, whereas I can use any flat head screwdriver or even the edge of a coin to unscrew the battery door.

Solid Performance for a Solid Price

I’ve been happy with the long-term use of my other Bushnell sights, and it looks like the RXM-300 is going to join that crowd. It’s a solid optic with very good battery life and some great features, especially the huge sight window and coated lens. Bushnell backs it with a five-year lifetime warranty, too. The RXM-300 comes with a form-fitting cover, a cleaning cloth and basic tools. The MSRP is $300, which is very competitive with other comparable optics. If you qualify for Bushnell’s VIP Program you can get some pretty substantial savings on top of that as well. The program is actually open to a good bit of groups like military, government employees, students, industry professionals, outfitters and others. It’s worth checking out to see if you qualify.

 

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