If you are looking for an affordable holographic reflex sight look no further than the Barska
The Barska Multi Reticle Electro Sight gives you a lot of features of more expensive optic at a fraction of the price. That being said don’t expect the durability of the Trijicon RMR or a Vortex Venom at this price point.
For the average recreational shooter that doesn’t abuse his optics the this reflex sight is a much cheaper alternative. Continue reading below for my hands on Barska Multi Reticle Electro Sight Review.
Unboxing The Barska Multi Reticle Electro Sight
Before I opened the Barska Multi Reticle Electro Sight I was a little worried about the durability of this cheap reflex sight. In the optics world you really do get what you pay for and with the extremely low price point I wasn’t expecting a lot.
To my initial surprise this Barska sight looks and feels surprisingly well built. At a little over 4 oz the sight is surprisingly bulky for the size. The steel construction feels sturdy and all the dials and settings are stiff to move.
I was unable to move my brightness adjustment dial at first, but with a little lubricant I got it moving(albeit a bit stiff). The quality standards might be a bit lacking but overall the sight seems to be very well built.
If you are looking for an extremely compact reflex sight for a glock or small pistol get something else. Try the Vortex Viper Red Dot for an affordably priced pistol reflex sight.
It’s about the perfect size for a Ruger 10/22 or a budget AR15. I had planned on mounting this on my Browing Buckmark 22lr target pistol, but it looked ridiculous. It really is much larger than I was expecting, but that’s to be expected at this price point.
Setup and Mounting Options
Like most modern optics this Barska Red dot was designed to be mounted on a Weaver Style Base or Picatinny rail. If your sight has a mounting rail it’s more than likely a weaver or
This sight is extremely easy to mount. Simply mount it in your preferred location and screw in the allen screws on the sight. I went back and added a little Loc-Tite to mine because it seemed wobbly after 100 rounds or so.
After the Loc-Tite was in place the optic feels strong and secure. After removing the battery cover conveniently located on the top of the sight I was off to sight in this budget optic.
I like to sight in all my rifles using my SiteLite Mag Laser Boresighter[. The SiteLite mag laser boresight is extremely easy to use and can be used with any rifle from .17HMR to 12Gauge shotguns.
It only took a few minutes to sight in at 25 yards with minor adjustments to the windage and elevation knobs. The sight was very easy to sight in, but will it hold zero.
Barska Multi Reticles and Sight Picture
By far the coolest feature this sight has is the multiple reticle options. You can choose between a red or green reticle color(I Prefer Red). With 4 reticle options you can choose the reticle that looks best to you.
Choose between the circle dot, cross 10 MOA and 3 MOA red dot reticles. Personally I prefer the 3 MOA reticle since it doesn’t obscure the sight picture. The other reticles are clear and bright with no noticeable distortion.
Some customers claim the cross reticle isn’t perfectly level, but I don’t notice that on my sight. With 7 brightness settings you’ll be able to find a reticle that works in all ambient light conditions.
You will likely notice slight distortion at high brightness settings, but reducing the brightness should eliminate ghosting. You shouldn’t expect a long battery life at the highest brightness setting(100-300 Hour Battery Life). The Rheostat illumination setting will allow you to adjust the Barska Multi-Reticle for just about any lighting situation.
Barska chose to use an incredibly wide sight picture measuring 22mmx33mm. Considering a Glock 17 is only 30mm wide you’ll be hard pressed to find a pistol this reflex sight will fit onto.
That being said it really is the perfect size for your AR15 or 22LR rifle. The 10 MOA red dot and wide field of view offers extremely fast target acquisition.
Like most red dots the Barska sight has unlimited eye relief. When looking at the sight indoors you’ll quickly notice the clear sight picture. Barska uses a multi-coated glass to reduce glare, but you’ll notice slight glare in bright lighting.
Durability and Waterproofing
Barska chose a somewhat durable design for this reflex sight. The increased size allowed Barska to offer a more durable design at this price point. Don’t expect extreme durability at this price point.
Strong enough to withstand the occasional ding, I wouldn’t put this sight through the ringer. The steel construction and shockproof design will withstand recoil of most low recoil rifle rounds. The shockproof Barska Multi-Reticle Electro Sight is perfect for your AR15 or 22Lr Rifle.
Barska claims this red dot is 100 percent waterproof and fogproof. Personally, I wouldn’t trust completely submerging this sight in water. It should hold up in the occasional rainstorm at the range or slight snowfall. Just don’t allow the sight to become fully emerged in the back of your truck.
Does The Barska Electro Sight Hold Zero?
The real question is whether or not this sight holds zero? Since this sight was designed to withstand light recoil I decided to try the sight out on my S&W M&P 15 Sport. After running 500 rounds through this budget AR15 I was pleasantly surprised.
At 50 yards I had consistent 3″ groupings which is about what I would expect out of a 3MOA Optic. I didn’t notice any significant impact drift or outliers.
The only real issue I had was the mount seemed a little wobbly after 100 rounds or so. With a little bit of Loc-tite on the allen screws and a minute sighting the rifle in I was back on target.
Barska Multi Reticle Electro Sight Review Final Thoughts
I was pleasantly surprised by the Barska Multi Reticle Electro Sight. The Barska Open Red Dot sight performed above my expectations at this price range.
At the end of the day you’re buying an inexpensive reflex sight and expectations should match the price. If you have extremely high standards you should consider the Vortex Viper or Trijicon RMR. Both of these more expensive sights offer a much sturdier design. For the price it’s hard to complain about this cheap Barska Sight.