During a recent trip to Texas, I got my hands on one of the new Brushline Pro series optics from Crimson Trace.  Our staff had access to a variety of these optics, and I ended up with the 4-16×50 BDC.  Designed with the hunter in mind, I mounted this scope atop a RISE Armament 1121XR chambered in 308 and headed out to the range at Mellon Creek Outfitters.

Full Disclosure: This Texas event was sponsored by both Crimson Trace and ATN Corp.

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HANDS-ON: Crimson Trace Brushline Pro 4-16×50 BDC

Below is the product description from Crimson Trace for the BrushLine Pro BDC.

The Crimson Trace Brushline Pro optics are designed with the experienced hunter in mind and have been purposefully built from the ground up. The line includes options for pistols, muzzleloaders, shotguns, and hunting rifles. All of the reticles have been calibrated for the firearms platform that they will be placed on. The line features aerospace grade 1” and 30mm tubes that are extremely lightweight. The scopes are fully multi-coated and have exceptional light transmission and glass quality. All Crimson Trace scopes are covered under the LIFETIME protection guaranteed warranty and backed by our award-winning customer service team.

As I mentioned earlier, this optic was mounted atop a fellow writer’s RISE Armament 1121XR chambered in .308 Winchester.  This rifle would be the perfect match for this 308 BDC reticle and proved to be an incredibly accurate and consistent host.

The Brushline Pro 4-16×50 uses a European rubber focus knob at the rear of the optic.  The rubber texturing made it easy to find your focus after getting behind the rifle.  The texturing on magnification adjustment was aluminum and a little more aggressive.  Not that it removed any skin, but you wouldn’t want to rub your hand across it all day.

A feature I liked on this optic was the parallax adjustment setup in yards.  This started down at 50 yards and made adjusting at each specific distance much easier.

Like many parallax adjustments, the Brushline Pro will adjust out to infinity (and maybe beyond).  It does have markings out to 1000 yards, and that’s more than enough for an optic atop a 308 rifle.

Both the windage and elevation turrets were capped on the Brushline Pro, so you’ll want to make sure you verify your zero at 100 yards before you try to stretch the legs on your rifle.  Each click for both windage and elevation adjusts in 1/4 MOA increments.

Range Time

After zeroing the rifle at 100 yards, I headed over to the tower at Mellon Creek Outfitters to see if I could land some longer shots with this optic.  With the help of an expert spotter, this would also test if the scope was tracking at distance.

For ammunition, I’d be using 178gr BTHP Hornady Match.  With the help of a Magnetospeed Chronograph, we verified the muzzle velocity before going for more distance.

The range here was the perfect course of fire for this optic.  With steel targets going well past the bottom subtension of 600 yards, and an expert marksman I quickly ran the scope from the 100-yard target all the way out to the 600-yard steel.  With a light 7-8 MPH crosswind I was forced to favor some of the longer shots to get a quick follow-up hit, but overall the optic tracked perfectly.

Final Thoughts

With an MSRP of $779.99, the Crimson Trace Brushline Pro BDC is a great addition to the market.  BDC reticles aren’t the best choice for every application, but I do like to see more of these available on the market for rifles set up for a specific type of ammunition.  Overall the glass quality was good for an optic at this price point, but I would like to see a model without capped windage and elevation.

 

While this was a BDC reticle, it was not what you might expect a BDC reticle to look like.  The diamond-shaped subtensions aren’t uniform in size, and it certainly takes some practice to remember where exactly you need to hold at a specific distance.  This system does work, but it does take some getting used to.

More information on the Crimson Trace Brushline Pro 4-16×50 BDC can be found below, or by visiting the product page here.  Special thank you again to Crimson Trace and ATN Corp for sponsoring this trip.

Product Specs

• MAGNIFICATION: 4-16X
• RETICLE: CT CUSTOM BDC PRO
• FOCAL PLANE: 2ND
• MATERIAL: AEROSPACE ALUMINUM
• EYE RELIEF (IN): 3.36-3.57 IN
• OBJECTIVE LENS DIAMETER: 50
• TUBE DIAMETER: 30MM
• CLICK VALUE: 1/4 MOA
• TURRETS: CAPPED
• ILLUMINATION: NO
• LIGHT TRANSMITTANCE (%): 90
• DIMENSIONS (W X H X L): 2.8 IN X 2.4 IN X 14.7 IN
• PRODUCT WEIGHT (OZ): 22.93 OZ
• LENS COATING: GREEN MULTI COATED
• REAR MOUNTING LENGTH (IN): 2.1
• FRONT MOUNTING LENGTH (IN): 2.2
• WINDAGE RANGE: 90 MOA
• ELEVATION RANGE: 90 MOA
• SIDE PARALLAX: ADJUSTABLE
• ZERO STOP: NO
• FOV MAXIMUM: 28.5 FT
• FOV MINIMUM: 7.2 FT
• SKU: 01-01340
• MSRP: $779.99

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