BSA Red Dot Sight with Laser

Unless you’ve been under a rock for the last six-months or so, you’ll know that BSA have joined the bullpup club with their superb Defiant PCP. This compact beauty has certainly made this lifetime BSA fan very happy and the company’s new model is flying off the shelves. I first shot one at the British Shooting Show, shot it some more at the Northern Shooting Show and was then lucky enough to take one home with me on the journey back home! I’ve loved shooting it and have been delighted that it has proven to be a superbly accurate rifle and I’ve pulled of some lovely shots with it out to 55-yards at Pete’s Farm airgun range in Essex and as you’ll see from the accompanying photo, the accuracy’s very good indeed, even if I did spoil what would have been a perfect one hole group at 30-yards by changing position slightly and ruining the group by sending the fifth shot low!

The same but different

One thing that’s different about the Defiant that I’ve got here is that it’s been fitted with the optional Picatinny rail instead of the standard type; it retails for a very reasonable £79.99. This type of rail is an industry standard rail, first used on AR15 style rifles that provides a standard accessory mounting platform, consisting of a hexagonal rail with multiple transverse slots. This type of rail allows the fitment of a wide range of optical accessories, such as scopes, reflex sights and Red Dots. BSA Optics have recently developed a very clever sight, the Tactical Weapon Red Dot Sight With Laser (TW30RDLL) that houses a Red Dot and a laser in one unit and have also moulded a Picatinny rail into the top of the alloy body, so that the included compact 140-Lumen torch can be fitted to it using a single thumbwheel. The resultant item, the TW30RDLL is therefore perfect for all manner of short range shooting, such as good old-fashioned plinking and a spot of vermin control after dark.

The build

The sight has a one-piece body with a diameter of 30mm, which increases in size towards the front to accommodate a 30mm lens; the Red Dot features a central dot that is adjusted via screw cap covered elevation and windage dials that have coin slots for ease of use. Underneath the main tube is a 650-nm laser, complete with small windage and elevation dials. A rubber ‘bellows’ is fitted to the rear of the Red Dot to limit extraneous light entering whilst in use, but due to the sight’s extended eye relief, this isn’t really needed in most situations during the day. The intensity of the central dot is controlled by the rotary dial on the left of the body, with power levels from 1 to 9. The dial also controls the laser, with one ON position.

Mounting is taken care of by the two thumbwheels on the right of the base and they have central screwdriver slots should they be needed but I personally don’t think they are really necessary when the sight is used on a recoilless rifle like the Defiant but could be vital on a spring or gas ram air rifle or firearm.

Rat attack!

Or maybe not! Once mounted, it was a simple job to zero the Red Dot at 20-yards and a little bit more fiddling to align the laser with the fall of shot at 10-yards. When I checked out the amount of light that the torch emitted at night, I was very surprised by how bright it is and the beam can be adjusted from flood to spot via the rotating collar at the front. Okay, it’s not mega tight on the narrowest setting but it’s still very useful.

With the twin zeroes, above, I thought I’d be covered for any rats that decided to pop out of the farm muck heap at dusk using the torch, or even the odd feral pigeon or magpie that ventured into the farmyard looking for a free meal during daylight. I had the Defiant’s 10-shot magazine full and inserted into the rifle and I readied myself for some rat action. I then waited and waited but nothing! The farm management must have upped their own pest control game with poison and traps because I didn’t see a single rat on any of my regular visits! I guess I should be pleased that the rats were being controlled but I was here to do a job – that clearly didn’t need doing! I was looking forward to being able to include a pic or two of the fruits of my labours but I’m afraid I have nothing and not a single feral pigeon, magpie, crow or parakeet ventured into the farmyard while I was suitably armed. The Defiant and Tactical Weapon Red Dot Sight With Laser was great during some plinking but pleasurable though they were, it’s not quite the same as a ratting session!

Conclusion

Well, what can I say? This sight did everything asked of it as far as targeting things with the Red Dot and laser and the torch did a great job too. However, it’s just a shame pickings were slim. The unit is well designed and made and works well. The torch can be easily removed and used as a stand-alone unit but I think it could benefit from a remote switch when employed on top of the sight. Apart from this, I really have no complaints. As for the rats, well, I’ll just have to wait a few months for them to make their way from the fields and hedgerows in the autumn and try again…