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Zeroing a non-magnified red dot at 50 yards is tough when you can’t see where your hits land. A flip-to-side magnifier fixes that.
I bought the UTG 3X magnifier with an integral QD flip-to-side mount to help zero my Holosun open reflex sights. Here’s the unboxing, the install, and the good and the bad.
- Clear view of the dot and circle out of the box
- QD lever makes it quick to remove
- Flips to the side when you don’t need it
- Robust-feeling housing
- My unit had a lot of play when locked upright
- Pulling it back against the spring is not easy
- Magnification felt a bit under 3X
▶ Watch the full review on YouTube
Why add a magnifier to a red dot
My Holosun open reflex sights are awesome, but they have no magnification, which is what you’d expect. For close quarters or personal defense, that’s fine.
But when you’re zeroing, you want to know exactly where you’re hitting. Even at 50 yards, seeing your hits without magnification is really difficult.
What’s in the box
It comes with a small and a large hex key (the large one looks like it’s for windage and elevation), plus a tethered rubber cover that wraps around the base.
The Picatinny base has a quick-release lever. To flip it, you pull the magnifier back against a lot of spring tension, swing it to the side, and pull back again to snap it upright.
Build quality
It’s a pretty big housing with the logo on the side, and it feels really robust. The front lens appears to have an anti-glare coating, and the ocular is serrated for fine focus adjustment.
Installed: the good and the bad
Installing it is just tightening it down, and the QD lever makes it quick to remove. In the down (flipped) position it’s super sturdy.
Locked upright, though, mine had a lot more play than I’d like, side to side and even a little up and down. I think I may have gotten a dud, so I plan to ask for another one.
How it looks through the glass
Right out of the box, I could see my 65 MOA circle and 2 MOA dot clearly and in nice focus, and I hadn’t even touched the diopter. The dot danced a bit because of the wobble in the mount.
Is it truly 3X? From eyeballing it, I’d say somewhere between 2X and 3X; I’d used a 4X at the range and this felt less magnified. Still, it’s going to make getting the circle on the holes you’re punching a lot easier.
FAQ
Can you flip the UTG magnifier to the side?
Yes. Pull it back against the spring and swing it over; pull back again to return it upright.
Is it really 3X?
It looked between 2X and 3X to me.
Does it need a separate mount?
No. It has an integral Picatinny QD flip-to-side mount.
Any problems?
My unit had too much play when locked upright, which I think was a defect.
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