Bushnell TRS-25 Review: Trophy Red Dot Sight

Bushnell is a great premium name in scopes, sights, binoculars and other optics and outdoor gear.

It comes as no surprise that they would design and manufacture a nice little red dot sight.

Bushnell did exactly that with the TRS-25 Trophy Sight. Let’s look at the pros and cons in this Bushnell TRS-25 review.

*Review Updated 2018

The TRS-25 Product Stats

This sight is 1 x 25 power and it is both light weight and small. It has 11 brightness levels which work fantastically. The unit weighs less than a quarter of a pound and it isn’t quite two and a half inches in length. This makes it small enough to use with either a rifle or a handgun.

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It has a picatinny weaver rail built in to it.

It is battery powered and comes with the battery when it is purchased. Bushnell advertise it to have 3000+ hours of battery life, which is quite a lot. It also has a rainguard and is available in both black and camo.

Bushnell TRS-25 Camo
Bushnell TRS-25 in Camo

Impressions of the Bushnell TRS-25

I have already mentioned that it is light weight and small, but it is hard to really impress how lightweight and small it is without actually seeing or using one. With the sight being so little, my concern was that it wouldn’t be very sturdy or well-manufactured, despite the Bushnell name. I needn’t have worried about that in the slightest. The TRS-25 is surprisingly well built for how little it is. I’m quite impressed by the craftsmanship and the fact that it doesn’t add appreciable weight to the firearm it is used with.

It should be noted that this is a 3 MOA red dot sight and it compares well to sights that are many times more expensive. For many people, it will be the very reasonable price that will be one of the largest selling points. In the case of this Bushnell sight, a low price definitely does not mean that it is of poor or shoddy craftsmanship. If a person didn’t know the price and compared it to one of the sights that cost so much more, they probably wouldn’t see an appreciable difference in the quality or durability. Thus, when they find out how little this sight costs, they are often understandably eager to purchase it.

It also has a low profile, which is important to me. I don’t want a sight that is going to be snagging on anything that is sticking out. For that matter, it is simple to remove it and to reattach it as the need arises. It takes little time to remove it if you need to use open sights or want to give the sight more protection during transport.

I should mention that the TRS-25 probably wouldn’t have many difficulties if it wasn’t removed for transport and I see no reason to do so, however I’m aware that some people might want to and this doesn’t take much time or effort. This is a durably made device.

It is a breeze to set up and to zero in, too. The mounts hold snugly. The optics are great and give a clear, crisp view. There also isn’t any difficulty at all with using the red dot as it is very bright and well defined. The TRS-25 works well on overcast days, as well as in other low-light conditions such as in the dawn and dusk hours when many other sights normally have problems. Yet, the micro red dot also works great when the lighting conditions are bright. The sight has 11 settings for this and they are set so they are easy to change, but actually click in so they aren’t apt to be changed just by bumping the dial.

bushnell TRS-25 Review
Bushnell TRS-25 in Black

This little Bushnell sight doesn’t even take much time to adjust when you are on the go. The turrets are easy to get to and they are well marked. You can also zero the TRS-25 in by simply turning the sighting turret.

There are some shortcomings, though, since nothing is perfect. First of all, while the TRS-25 can be used on rifles and carbines, my opinion is that it is really best used on a handgun. I would personally prefer using a regular scope on a long rifle. For a pistol, though, the TRS-25 is hard to beat.

The second issue is a minor one, too. Bushnell is a US company that has been around for over 60 years. Though they are quite well known in the US as well as overseas, the TRS-25 doesn’t and can’t have the “Made in the US” label. Though the company is based in the US, this sight is actually produced and assembled in China.

This could be a major negative, except that it is apparent that Bushnell Corporation is quite pro-active when it comes to making sure that this sight is made with quality in mind. They seem to be very much on top of ensuring that the TRS-25 is made according to their exacting specifications. This eliminates a lot of the negative that could be attached to something that was made outside of the US.

Although this is a consideration when writing this TRS-25 review, it is tempered by how good this scope is. Purely from the aspect of quality, I don’t see how this sight would be any better if it was made in the USA, all other things being equal.

Watch video below to hear Guns & Accessories thoughts on the Bushnell TRS-25…

Bushnell TRS-25 Review Summary

The Good:

[yes_list]

  • This sight is very light weight
  • It is fast and easy to mount and to zero in
  • It is also simple to remove the sight when you want to change to open sights
  • The sight is well made and durable
  • Long battery life at 3000+ plus hours, close to 125 days
  • The optics are clear and the red dot is easy to see from low-light to bright-light conditions
  • The sight is waterproof. In fact, it also works well regardless of the temperature, as well
  • The expense is extremely low for how good this sight is

[/yes_list]

The Not So Good:

[yes_list]

  • For normal use, it is a little small and light for use with rifles – it is best when used on a pistol (a regular scope might be a better option for a rifle)
  • The sight isn’t made in the USA, though Bushnell is an American company

[/yes_list]

All things considered, I find that the Bushnell TRS-25 Trophy Red Dot Sight to be an excellent value for the price. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it to friends and family. When compared to sights that are far more expensive, this sight meets or exceeds the capabilities of the other sights, despite the substantially lower price. In a head to head comparison, the TRS-25 wins easily.

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If you enjoyed this Bushnell TRS-25 Review, we’d love a share or let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.

2 thoughts on “Bushnell TRS-25 Review: Trophy Red Dot Sight”

  1. Hello,
    I want to mount this on a Mosin Nagant 91/30 as a scout setup.
    I don’t want to drill and tap, or bend the bolt.
    I will mount it on a Medium Picatinny Rail.
    Do you have any thoughts on this aggangement?
    Thank you so much for your input.
    Wayne

    1. Wayne, I’ve not specifically tried it on a Mosin 91/30, however I don’t see any reason that this sight would have any problem with the bolt arrangement on that rifle. Keep in mind that this isn’t a very large sight, though. It will work on rifles and it is a quality device, but it is really more suited for hand guns, in my opinion.

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