Product Review – UTG DS3068 6.4-Inch ITA Red/Green Dot Sight

I have been wanting to change out the current CQB sight on my WW “SCR” with a better sight. The current sight is not bad, but it lacked the dot illumination adjustment that I desire. I found it in the UTG DS3068 6.4-Inch ITA Red/Green Dot Sight.

The key feature of the sight was the variable intensity adjustment. Rather than being a “step” adjustment, the UTG DS3068 6.4-Inch ITA Red/Green Dot Sight features more of a rheostat adjustment; whereas, you can turn the intensity adjustment knob until the correct degree of intensity is reached according to your shooting light situation. I found that with most illuminated dot sights that the lowest setting was still too bright for indoor shooting conditions – even that at a well-lighted indoor range.

From the product description, there is the following information:

Features:

• 4.0 MOA dot sight
• Lo-reflection high tech emerald coatings
• Low-profile, integral, one-piece quick detach Picatinny/weaver mount
• Red or green dot
• Patterned illumination rheostat with variable brightness levels
• Aim and instant lock on target
• Suits a wide range of shotguns and rifles
• Two year warranty

Specifications:

• Magnification: 1X
• Tube Diameter: 30 millimeters
• Objective Diameter: 34 millimeters
• Field of View @ 100 yards: 60 feet
• Eye Relief: Flexible
• Exit Pupil: 28 millimeters
• Click Value @100 yards: 1/2 inch
• Length: 163 millimeters
• Weight: 6.7 ounces
• Parallax Setting: Infinity
• Batteries: CR1620 3V

The unit is well-constructed and the finish is excellent.

The sight mount is a one-piece quick detach Picatinny/weaver mount with four hex-head screws used for the sight itself. Two quick-detachable levers hold the sight firmly in place once the proper tension is achieved by adjusting the hex-head set screws. According to the manufactures, “The optimal tension is achieved when the side plate first makes contact with the Picatinny rail while the Cam Lever still has enough travel left for you to securely snap into its locking position.”

The unit comes with the following:

• Three hex head wrenches
• One hex head set screw
• Two CR1620 3V batteries
• One lens cloth

The flip-up lens covers seem to work fine for me, but there have been complaints about the front flip unit pushing off of the sight when attempting to release the cover. The covers snap well into place and release with a flick of the thumb. While they are fine when the sight is close to the eyes, I don’t prefer them mounted when the sight is forward mounted, such as on a scout rifle or when mounted on a pistol. All I want to see is the target and the dot. For my purposes, I’ll probably replace these covers with an alternative (see my review of Scope Shields @ https://guntoters.com/blog/2014/11/22/product-review-scopeshield/)

Elevation and windage adjustment are of the “double-lock turret” type; the dot adjustments lock in with two set screws (the smallest hex-head wrench in the set). The adjustment turrets are; however, finger adjustable. Adjustment is in ½” @ 100 yards per click increments. To make adjustments, the two set screws are backed out approximately ¼ turn (it is recommended by the manufacturer that the locking screws are backed out no more than ¼ turn). Once the sight is correctly aligned at the desired POA, the set screws are then tightened to hold the turret in place (do not over-tighten; they are easy to over tighten). The adjustment knob detents for are crisp and the adjustment knobs are easily turned.

The unit comes with excellent instruction for adjusting the various types of sights

The intensity adjustment housing also serves to house a CR1620 3V battery. The battery cap incorporates a seal to prevent moisture from entering the adjustment housing. The intensity knob is used to select the color of the dot (red or green). The unit mounts with the intensity knob facing the left side of the firearm. One has to careful when rotating the intensity knob in the counter-clockwise direction (toward the muzzle) as the battery cover could loosen. In turning the intensity knob in the counter-clockwise direction, you also select the brightest illumination setting for the re/green dot.

The sight was quickly mounted on two UTG Low Profile Riser 3-slot Mounts (http://www.amazon.com/UTG-Profile-Riser-Mount-slots/dp/B003TWZFOC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1416675237&sr=8-1&keywords=UTG+low+profile+sight+mount) that, in turn, attach to the Picatinney rail of the WW “SRC.” While I can use the rear BUS with the sight in place, a flip of the mounting levers allow the sight to be remove quickly to go strictly to BUS. This type of rail arrangement also allows me to mount a more powerful tactical scope, if needed.

The sight was bore sighted on the WW “SRC” at home using a laser bore sighter and was close enough to warrant only minor adjustments to place the 55-grain .223 bullet’s POI where I wanted it at 25-yards for a 100-yard zero (the range’s limitations and not mine).

Since I prefer the green dot over the red dot, I have set the intensity adjustment to turn on the green dot while rotating the intensity adjustment clockwise (toward the shooter). In doing so, I select the lowest setting for the green dot and the intensity increases as the knob is rotated rearward. This also prevents the battery cover from loosening. The same can be said for the red dot when selected.

The dot is 4 MOA and is crisp. With that said, the dot is somewhat flared due to the astigmatism in my left eye but was still crisp enough to do the job at 25-yards.

The sight has held up well for the WW “SRC”, though I have not tried it under the recoil of the .308 caliber round.

From my evaluation so far, the UTG DS3068 6.4-Inch ITA Red/Green Dot Sight with Integral QD Mount and Flip-open Lens Caps is an excellent value for the money.

UPDATE 09/22/2015:

Aside from being used on the Windham Weaponry “SRC” the UTG DS3068 6.4-Inch ITA Red/Green Dot Sight, additional sights were mounted on a Ruger AR556 and a Beretta CX4 Storm. The existing QD sight mounts were exchanged with a set of Warne High Profile 30mm scope rings, which provided just the right height for the sight to co-witness the mechanical sights. With the Beretta CX4 Storm, the sight was perfect as is and allows a near perfect co-witness with the CX4 Storm’s flip sights.

The sight has also found a place on a Mossberg 20-gauge tactical shotgun after installing the requisite rail. So far, the sight has performed flawlessly even under full recoil from 5/8-ounce slugs. As with the Beretta CX4 Storm, no riser or ring change was necessary.

RESOURCES:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004HIFS8A/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1