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.

Good choice for an AR style firearm. The power ring lever is a great feature. The optics are clear and precise. It's a good scope for the price.

This is perfect fits right on my ar15

I put this scope on an elderly Ruger 10-22 that's kept handy for utility use on the farm. So far, it has held zero despite some rough rides in its ATV rack, and the clarity is perfectly adequate for my purposes. I particularly like the design of the flip-up power lever to easily go from 1x to 4x and used the upper range to smack running rats from the tractor seat while I brush hogged. For the price, I'd bump it to 5 stars. While I have a variety of AR scopes on ARs, (Nikon P223, Burris, etc.), I wouldn't hesitate to mount one of these on a general-use AR carbine where exquisite clarity at long ranges isn't needed.

Mounted and bore sighted. Scope was pretty much dead on with very little effort.

Listen, I’m not a gear junkie that has the latest and the greatest. Nor do I go to the range frequently enough to justify paying 500 plus for a scope.For the price this was a great purchase. It holds zero after multiple range days, surprisingly accurate and it won’t break the bank!

Perfect match for an AR holds zero, clear optics and easy to zero .

Zoom, windage and hight adjustments are smooth and accurate. Put the 3-9x on my AR and within 5 shots I had it sighted in at 400 yards. Was 1 mil off at 50 yards and dead on all the way back. Perfect scope for medium game varmints. Provides clarity in the dark when shining for coyotes. Has taken a beating as it is on one of my cheeper rifles so it gets thrown around in the truck a lot. Has stayed dead on since sighting in and never once have I needed to re sight. Windage and hight are dead on 1 click is 1/4”. Had this thing in a sled at 100yds and it was right on. The lever folding mechanism is awesome. Only thing I regret is not buying it sooner.