“There are no perfect solutions, only tradeoffs. An optic can add value to an everyday carry or duty setup, but it also requires regular maintenance—especially timely battery changes—to ensure it works when you need it.” [Darren A. Britto]
1 January, 2026
We hope everyone had a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!! This will be our inaugural article of what we will call “Range Rants” with tips, suggestions, recommendations along with concerns and considerations on guns, gear, and training.
We have been fielding a lot of questions on handgun optics at Silverback Gun Locker especially over the last half of 2025 so we wanted to put this out especially because it’s the first month of the New Year. In particular we wanted to take the time to address a critical preventive maintenance concern for those who already have and use red dot optics on their handgun.
“So are you really going to trust your life to a watch battery?”
I couldn’t tell you how many people I have posed that question to when I’ve been asked if red dots are “worth it”; a sobering question to the interested but uninitiated.
There are no solutions, only tradeoffs. An optic can be a value added component of your every day carry or duty set up. However, along with the preventive maintenance required to maintain your handgun you will also need to make sure your optic stays in good working order by changing the battery at realistic intervals before the optic stops working when you need it most. What you will need:
– Appropriate battery for the optic you have (use a new, name brand, quality battery)
– Torque Wrench with appropriate bit, adjustable in inch-pounds (if you need to take the optic off in order to change the battery
– *Battery compartment access tool for top / side load battery access; tool comes with optic
– Threadlocker aka “Lock Tight” (Blue for easier removal)
*If the battery can be changed without taking the optic off the slide (top or side load) the zero may have not changed. If you needed to take the optic off the slide to change the battery it is likely that you will have to rezero.
We at Silverback are ‘brand agnostic’ when it comes to guns and gear – it’s all about the right tool for the job and return on investment. A future Range Rant will cover the concerns and considerations for helping you decide if an optic might be worth having and choosing the one for your handgun. Just because a brand isn’t listed doesn’t mean we wouldn’t recommend it. Below is a sample list of some common handgun optics with battery life at optimal setting:
– Aimpoint, Acro 50,000 hours (approx. 5+ years)
– Eotech, EFLX 25,000 hours (approx. 2.5+ years)
– Holosun 40,000 hours (approx. 4.5 years)
– Sig, Romeo 20,000 hours (approx. 2+ years)
– Steiner, MPS 13,000 hours (approx. 1+ years)
– Trijicon, RMR 40,000 hours (approx. 4.5 years)
Just because the specs state that battery life is good for 20,000 hours (approx. 2+ years) at optimal setting doesn’t mean you should wait until the 2 year point. You certainly don’t want to wait until the battery dies which invariably will happen at the most inconvenient moment. A battery change schedule should be scheduled that will prevent ‘failure’ and coincides with the environment and conditions of how you use your set up.
My battery change intervals are shorter because I have several optics I use often. I change the batteries on some in January and some in June (beginning and middle of the year). If you have fewer optics, based on the interval that works for you, you can change the battery within your birthday month, beginning or middle of the year, etc. What works for one person doesn’t necessarily work for another.
How often you carry and conditions you carry in will dictate if it’s every year (or two or three) that you change the battery. Because I have multiple optics and different intervals I use a paint pen to write the month and year on the optic – a notebook works too if you want to keep your optics clean. For the hunters just before the season starts (rifle scopes with illuminated reticles) would be a great time.
We hope you enjoyed this ‘rant’ and maybe learned something new for consideration. No doubt you may have more questions and if so please reach out. Be safe out there and see you at the store and at the range.
Darren A. Britto
Training Division Manager
