A recent trip that the TFB crew took out to Southeast Texas involved a lot of optics. Thanks to a sponsorship by both ATN Corp and Crimson Trace, the TFB crew was able to mount a bunch of different optics, light, and laser options on a variety of rifles and pistols to test out and get the full experience of the lineup of products the two companies had to offer. Most of you here know that I’m very interested in rimfire firearms and products and one item that immediately stood out to me was the Crimson Trace Brushline Pro BDC-Rimfire optic. This tiny 2-7×32 variable power optic didn’t seem too impressive to me at first since I am used to running much larger 56mm objective lens optics but after a couple of days of tinkering around with the optic, I think there is a case to be made for this being used on a large variety of different rimfire firearms if you’re looking for a budget mid-range power rimfire scope.

Crimson Trace @ TFB:

• SCCY Announces Sub-$350 Crimson Trace CPX Red Dot Pistols
• New Optics Available from Crimson Trace
• Crimson Trace’s New Rifle Scopes Now Shipping
• Crimson Trace Introduce Laserguard for S&W M&P Shield EZ
• Crimson Trace’s LG-442 Series Laser Aiming Devices For Sig P365

TFB Review: Crimson Trace Brushline Pro 2-7×32 BDC-Rimfire Scope

Crimson Trace Brushline Pro 2-7×32 BCD-Rimfire Specifications

• Magnification: 2-7X
• Reticle: CT Custom BDC Rimfire
• Focal Plane: 2nd
• Material: Aerospace Aluminum
• Eye Relief: 3.5-inches
• Objective Lens Diameter: 32mm
• Tube Diameter: 1-inch
• Click Value: 1/4-MOA
• Turrets: Capped
• Illuminiaton: No
• Light Transmittance: 90%
• Weight: 16.08 oz
• Lens Coating: Green Multi Coated
• Windage Range: 90 MOA
• Elevation Range: 90 MOA
• Side Parallax: 50-Yards
• Zero Stop: No
• FOV Maximum: 44.5 Ft
• FOV Minimum: 12.8 Ft

Subtension accuracy

Crimson Trace BDC Rimfire Reticle Subtensions and Values:

Subtensions for yardages were calculated using the following variables. Note: all subtensions are calculated at MAX magnification.

• Caliber .22LR
• Muzzle Velocity (fps) 1235
• Bullet Wt (gn) 36
• Ballistic Coefficient G1 0.126
• Zero Range (yd) 50
• Temp (Fahrenheit) 59
• Altitude (feet) 2500
• Scope Height over bore (in) 1.50

Rifle as Configured: Ruger Precision Rimfire, CT Brushline Pro BCD-Rimfire, Dead Air Mask, UTG Bipod

Subtensions (in yards)

• A: 60
• B: 70
• C: 80
• D: 90
• E: 100
• F: 110

In total I was able to toy around with two different Brushline Pros for the week, one of which I mounted on my personally owned Ruger Precision Rimfire rifle and another was mounted on a T&E version of the Savage A22 Precision (review on that soon in an upcoming Rimfire Report article). Although the Crimson Trace Brushline Pro is marketed for use with rimfire rifles, the spec sheet for the Brushline says that it is entirely capable of handling high caliber recoil for the lifetime of the product all while retaining its zero. The view adjustment dial was both easily adjusted but held its spot without the need for a throw lever although you may want to add an aftermarket one if you plan on using this optic for competition use.

The biggest standout to me here is the subtensions mentioned for the optic. Since it is specifically geared towards rimfire rifles, I wanted to see how well that panned out on the range in “average” conditions. The day I tested out the BDC I had zeroed the optic in the morning and then took it to a tower where I had access to longer-range targets. As advertised in the BDC-Rimfire reticle documentation, I used some 36-grain CCI mini mags for this portion of the testing and took some shots out to 100-yards and beyond.

Optimistic shooting on a windy day

Truth be told this wasn’t a very good test of the long-range capabilities and accuracy of the BDC reticle since we had a very strong direct crosswind that was really messing with these shots. However, after being zeroed at 50 yards, the optic’s listed subtensions seemed to pan out very well with what was advertised. I was even able to land a hit at 200-yards using some Kentucky windage based on the subtensions established on the BCD-Rimfire reticle.

The only complaint I have here is that I wish there was some other way of knowing what each dot and hash meant when it comes to the holdover lines. The last thing I want to do during a course of fire or when engaging small game at greater distances is to have to reference a manual or struggle to remember what dot or hash means. I think the Brushline Pro Rimfire could be further improved by including some sort of internal referencing on the recipe, although, there may not be enough lens real estate to make this happen without making it seem cluttered.

Final Thoughts

There are things that I like and that I don’t like about the Crimson Trace Brushline BDC-Rimfire optic. Keeping in mind that this is a budget option, I like that it does feature holdovers and I won’t go into any more depth about the BDC reticle – they are there and they work. A short box test revealed that the Brushline Pro does track and dial accurately and the clicks on the windage and elevation dials were nice and crisp and didn’t feel “muddy” or nebulous. I do wish that there was a zero stop on the optic as I think it would add a lot of additional value to those who would want to use this for a Rimfire PRS match, however, that might not be the best application for this optic.

The optic does feature a limited amount of magnification and at 100-yards my hits on a paper target were barely visible to my own eye. While I like second focal plane scopes, I feel that it wasn’t needed on the Brushline Pro and this is a case where both the lack of subtension yardage markings and a first focal plane reticle work perfectly – there just isn’t really any need to magnify the reticle in my opinion. Finally, I felt that the glass quality and light transmission from the 32mm objective lens were more than adequate for the conditions I was shooting in.

If I had to guess at what the Crimson Trace Brusline Pro BDC-Rimfire optic would be best at, It would be varmint hunting. Another recent trip out to Wyoming had me hunting a lot of prairie dogs with rimfire rifles and this optic I think would work perfectly for that application. While the Brushline Pro lacks a lot of the creature comforts I am used to with more expensive optics, the scope still has just enough magnification to get you out to 100-yards and beyond and is also lightweight and compact enough to work well within the confines of an ATV or other offroad vehicle.

If you’d like to check out the Crimson Trace Brushline Pro or Crimson Trace’s other list of optics, lasers, and lights you can visit www.crimsontrace.com. I want to extend a personal thanks once again to the folks at Bridle Iron South for hosting the TFB crew, and of course ATN Corp and Crimson Trace for sponsoring the event and providing the optic used for this review.