Bushnell AR Optics

These AR Optics from Bushnell are absolutely perfect for the AR 5.56 platform. Whether you get the 1-4, 1-6, or 1-8, you really can't go wrong. Here are my observations. I love the 1x magnification because you can use it as a Red Dot for close-in work, but you can quickly use the lever to quickly unlock the true potential of an AR: reaching out and touching something at 400 yards.On an AR with an A2 front sight (the tall front post), you will be able to cowitness above the A2 sight, but the A2 post disappears as you magnify to 2x, beyond that, the A2 post is not visible beyond 2x magnification as your field of view will be entirely above the A2 post. Most mounts that you can get rest 1.6" to 1.7" above the rifle, so Monstrum or Burris work just fine. I zerod this scope with a bore laser at 50 yards and that was close enough to get me on paper at the range and from there you can fine-tune. A bore laser costs less than $20, so you can buy that or go to the range and use the money to buy a box of ammo and do it the old fashioned way. I like gadgets so I opt for the laser when I can. Also, you don't have to be perfectly level when you use a laser to zero a scope so long as your distances are correct.At 1:1 magnification this scope performs a lot like a red dot. I have the Bushnell TRS25 Red dot. I would say that the TRS25 Red dot is just a hair crisper at 1:1 than this scope. That said, it's not really noticeable and it's perfectly acceptable to use as a red dot and it's a very tiny price to pay to have the power of a scope behind you and be able to quickly jump to 4x or 8x magnification and be able to reach out and touch something at 300 yards. After all, an AR, even a carbine, is a powerful tool capable of accuracy at 600 yards, if you can see that far.At 8x this scope really shines. I placed a small post-it-note 2x2 at about 50yards in the back of my house, just to test it out. It's fairly wooded and well shaded back there. With my bare eyes, I can't really see the post-it, but it was pretty easy to spot with this scope at 8x. Bear in mind that the aperture on this is 24mm, so you're not going to get an expansive field of view and it doesn't collect enough light to be a true hunting scope for dusk or dawn. It's truly a self-defense scope at 1x that enables you to effectively engage targets at distances 100-400 yards. I'd feel comfortable responsibly harvesting smaller deer at 100 yards with this.My recommendation would be to zero it at 50/200 to get a long mpbr window and use it for both home defense and for small game or varmintin under 400 yards. If you have a rifle and not a carbine, you might consider zeroing it at 100 yards and then it's a real ranged weapon. By the way, the notch marks on the BRT1 scope are set for 5.56 62gr FMJ zeroed at 100 yards, so you'll get the most out of this scope if you zero it at 100 yards and use the built in illuminated reticle. Although the description reads BTR2, I have not been able to find this scope in BTR2 so I think that description is a typo. I can only find the BTR2 reticle in Bushnell's Elite line of scopes which are significantly more expensive. Regarding focal plane, this is a SFP scope, so the reticle marks are only relevant at 8x magnification. Regarding the illumination, in bright daylight, you don't need it (of course). As light level drops, I find that having it on 2 or 3 works best. I love that you have an off between the illumination levels (1, off, 2, off, 3, off, etc). On many illuminated scopes you have off and then you have to twist 4-5 times until you get it where you want it from an illumination standpoint. By having an off between every illumination level, you're always one click away from having the illumination you like. I find that Bushnell is very battery efficient. If you don't use it much, your battery will last for a year easily - just replace it once a year and you'll be great.I also like the weather proofness of this scope. It's IP7 so it's pretty much waterproof, but don't take it diving. It also comes with screwed in caps which helps make it waterproof and dustproof -- awesome pro feature there.Should you buy the 1-4, 1-6, 1-8? I have not tested the 1-4 or the 1-6 but I do have those magnification options on this scope and assume the other scopes are similar:- At 4x, this scope really shines. It's bright. It's crisp, even in low light conditions. It's forgiving on the eye relief. I will stick to this magnification when possible to scan.- At 6x, this scope is very nice. It's still very bright but not as bright as on 4x. It's still very crisp, and it's fairly forgiving on the eye relief (I don't have to be perfectly centered on the scope before I can see a clear sight picture)- At 8x, this scope shows you things that you just can't see as clearly at 4x or at 6x, but it comes at a bit of a price. The image is not as sharp or as crisp as it is at 4x or 6x, especially in well shaded woods, but that's to be expected. Also, you don't have as much eye placement flexibility. If you want to get a sight picture, you have to be pretty well centered and at the correct distance to get a sight picture. Also at 8x, the 24mm field of view narrowness is starting to impact you and because you have to be fairly well centered to get a sight picture, it will be harder to hunt for a target when you're in the scope. In bright sunlight, the drawbacks I mention in this bullet are nonissues. In bright light, the scope is bright and crisp at 8x, but you do have to be pretty well centered to get a sight picture.That said, I am very happy to have purchased the 8x scope, because I can really see detail that I couldn't at 4x. If hunting, I will certainly scan at 4x or with binoculars, and then zoom in for making a shot farther than 50 yards. If the eye relief on the 1x4 scope is the same as this scope, then that's definitely an option, and can save you some money, if you are not going to be shooting beyond 50 yards.Is this an upgrade from a Red Dot TRS25? Heck yes!! Every day of the week. If you want to use your AR as a rifle (the way it was intended) and more than just point blank tactical home defense tool, get this scope. You will be happy you did and if I had to do it again, I would have gone straight to this scope; although, the TRS25 is a spectacular Red Dot and likely the very best red dot for the money out there. Also, if you are only going to be using your AR for true tactical short-range work, then just get a Red Dot and save yourself the money and the weight. There's no use having a scope on a rifle if you're not going to be using it, and it does make your rifle heavier, by about 1.5lbs by the time you're done with the scope and the mount.Would I get this for an AR10? No. I think that once you're into the .308, you are truly dealing with a powerful weapon that is intended to reach out and engage targets outside of home defense and short range tactical combat ranges. For an AR10, I'd get a more powerful scope that unlocks the true potential of that platform, and you can use that to hunt pretty much anything in North America (where legal). Also the BTR1 reticle markings in this scope are set for 223/5.56, so they won't be of much use to you. Bushnell offers some great scopes suitable for the more powerful longer-range 308/7.62 caliber if that's what you're looking for.

Purchased this scope to transform a multipurpose AR I built into a hunting rifle. This AR has had a Burris MTAC 1-4×24 scope on it for mid range, it has also worn a Sightmark ghost sight for close range. I decided to try my share at deer hunting with this rifle since it has an 18" barrel. I immediately started looking at options in the $150-$350 price range. The Vortex Diamondback tactical was very tempting at the high end. But I stumbled across this Bushnell AR optics 4.5-18x40. Watched a few videos on it and it had good reviews over all. I like the fact it is 1" because it keeps the weight down. I caught it on sale for $168. Paired it with Monstrum cantilever scope mount and flip up scope caps. Im very pleased with this scope for the price. I spent around $200 for the scope, mount, and caps. The Diamondback alone was $350. The clarity is great. Build is of typical Bushnell quality, I love the throw lever. If you are on the fence, just buy it. You won't be disappointed. There is a great video on YT that shows how to sight in and use the extra turrets. Dont forget, Bushnell has an ironclad warranty. I could ramble on and on about this scope. It is comparable to my Bushnell Forge for 1/4 the price! See Pic for how the Monstrum mount and caps compliment this scope, they are of great quality too.

Solid construction. I have an AR Pistol 10.5” barrel. I thought it’d be perfect for 10yds-150yds. I haven’t had the chance to shoot it yet to see if it holds it’s zero. But I did use a bore laser and it was easy to dial in. I’m in IN and it’s cold. I’m curious to see how it does in the cold. I’ll shoot and report back. But, otherwise, it fits an AR Pistol 10.5” barrel well. The zoom-lever works great. Very smooth. SUPER clear glass. Does not illuminate, but I dig the crosshairs. Perfect thickness and millilidot design. In my opinion, looks great too. It is a 30mm tube, not 1”. For the price and a 30 year warranty from Bushnell. Kind of a no brainer. GET IT! You won’t be sorry. The ONLY negative report would be, compared to a red-dot, it’s heavy. But worth the weight. It makes the gun so much more capable. It also comes with tools, cloth and lens caps. I’ll shoot 90-150 5.56 rounds and get back to you if it goes bad. I really like this scope so let’s hope it goes well!

The scope is an excellent purchase. It is made in Korea, instead of China (as is typical for offerings in this price range). The body is well-made and of decently heavy construction. All controls are very tight and well-made, and feel good while manipulating. The coating on the scope seems durable.The adjustments are positive with good audible and tactile clicks. The focus and zoom rings turn smoothly, but are quite stiff at first. The illumination knob is on the outer edge of the parallax knob, which does add some width to the body.The body is a 1 inch housing, and all adjustment is in mils. A very nice plus is the pre-measured BDC elevation knobs (4) included. They are calculated for 6.5 Creedmore, 5.56, .308 and .224 Valkyrie, with specific bullet weights.The only reason for four instead of five stars are a few smaller issues. First, the field of view is narrow, and the glass is not super bright at max magnification. The recticle is a little clunky - it uses both mil hashes and mil dots, but only on windage. The illuminated center crosshair is very fine and very nice, however.Overall, an excellent scope, especially discounted at $213.