Rifle Scopes Crimson Trace?
- Thread starter BLJ
- Start date
I picked up the 3-Series 1-5x that were on sale for $349 and it turned out to be a good buy. Still haven't mounted it, but the glass looks good, the knows rotate well, and the illumination is daylight useable.
I took a hard look at the other ones that are being clearance and found several bad reviews about the overall optic. Yes, that glass is supposed to be good, after that things like the knobs, illumination, and the style of the reticle gave them bad reviews. Basically most people think it is an okay optic but even at the clearance prices there are better options at that price point.
One feature they have that might make sense for a .22lr trainer is they focus down to 10 yards.
I took a hard look at the other ones that are being clearance and found several bad reviews about the overall optic. Yes, that glass is supposed to be good, after that things like the knobs, illumination, and the style of the reticle gave them bad reviews. Basically most people think it is an okay optic but even at the clearance prices there are better options at that price point.
One feature they have that might make sense for a .22lr trainer is they focus down to 10 yards.
I'm reviewing their new Hardline Pro 4-16 right now and so far I like it. It's FFP, illuminated, mil/mil, zero stop, etc...with 30 mils internal adjustment both ways. Their reticle isn't going to appeal to everyone because it's not thin and it's not a Christmas tree type. It does have .2 mil subtensions on the windage and in a lot of ways it's like the Burris SCR reticle. It does well in lowlight and in daytime the reticle is useable down on 4X. Clicks feel great and overall all the turny bits are smooth. Lastly, it's made in the Philippines.
I believe the Series 2 were made in Japan.
I bought a 2 series 1-4 and quickly returned it. The glass was good. I did not get to the clicks. The illumination on my model was trash. Non-functional on a couple of settings. then 10 and 11 totally flooded the optic with red haze making it unusable and annoying. I wanted to like it, but i can see why they trashed the line quickly. I bought a burris mtac to replace it. I have no brand loyalty, but i am always looking for a good price to performance deal. This was not it.
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Crimson Trace scopes are completely revamped this year. I have been looking at a few of their products: a couple of red dots and a simple Brushline Pro 3-9x50 hunting scope. I like what I see so far. I will likely look at one of the Hardline scopes a little later in the year as I get through my current backlog.
ILya
ILya
Crimson Trace 3-Series Tactical Rifle Scope 34mm Tube 5-25x 56mm
Somebody posted the Midway USA link that had these on clearance for $499. Looked too good to pass up for a Japanese built scope...love my LOW built Cronus's.....Croni (plural)....which I have 2. Hopefully JOL would make an equally impressive scope. Took my Cronus BTR 4.5-29x in Geissele 20 moa...
www.snipershide.com 
I'm curious, have you had a chance to look at the hardline pro series yet? I'm looking into the 4-16x50 ffp moa version but the more of 849 is steep for a little known optic. And I can't find the max adjustable range anywhere
I reviewed the Hardline Pro 4-16 with the FFP mil reticle and there was about 30 mils of internal adjustment. I was pretty impressed with the optic because overall it had very good performance both optically and mechanically. The only thing I could really dock it for was the zero stop, it's a clutch system that bottoms out on the elevation assembly instead of against a pin or abutment. On my scope this created a "soft click" as it bottomed out at zero, compared to the very audible and tactile clicks you gwt otherwise. The work around is to set the zero stop past the actual zero and then everything is hunky dory.
Interesting, thank you for your reply. Your experience is priceless in this field. I thought the optical quality was decent in Crimson traces previous 4-16x50 (Japanese) optics but it didn't have zero stop and the turrets, though good looking were spongy so I'm considering this new line for .223 range gun
The turrets on the Hardline Pro that I had were anything but mushy, other than that soft click at the zero stop, the click feel was rather snappy. The reticle thickness for the mil reticle is on the thick side but I don't mind that, to me it makes the reticle more useful, especially at the lower magnification ranges. I would say the Hardline Pro 4-16 compares favorably to my 2009 vintage NF 3.5-15X50 F1 and may even edge it out in terms of color and clarity but the biggest surprise was how well it compared to my NF ATACR 4-16. Looking at the same objects at the same time the color, contrast, and resolution were really very close and even in low light the CT did very well up to about 20 minutes or so past sunset. Much past that and I noticed that even on the 1 setting the illumination was getting to be a bit bright and wash out the target behind it. I tested the CT on a spare AR that I had and it didn't look too out of place.
Are the new CT scopes related to the most recent Nikon scopes? The specs on my Nikon M-Tactical lined up perfectly with a new 4-16x42 SFP CT scope.
Regarding the Japanese CT scopes, I've been very happy with mine. The turret wobble complaints may have been turret's slightly misaligned when the set screws were tightened.
Edit: the turrets on my 5 series were a little more crisp than those on my 3 series.
Regarding the Japanese CT scopes, I've been very happy with mine. The turret wobble complaints may have been turret's slightly misaligned when the set screws were tightened.
Edit: the turrets on my 5 series were a little more crisp than those on my 3 series.
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The ATACR 4-16 looks amazing so that's a hell of a vote for the CT. I like to swap my optics around on different caliber rifles so this 4-16 will live on a precision 22lr and an AR setup
If anyone wants a deal on a 4-16 FFP mil IL hit me up. ANIB ~$660 TYD
I have the 5 series 3-18 and 3 series 5-25 both with same reticle. It’s the one similar to the Burris/Steiner SCR or Sig MRAD reticle. I like them for the closeout prices. The 5 series is on my gasser 6.5 CM, which is for fun comps at local range and 308 bolt gun range toy. Neither serious or hard use. They do the job, but both have some cons.
5 Series : My biggest complaint is the turrets they are mushy enough that compared to my bushy elites, Vortex Razr’s or PST’s, or Burris/Steiners are noticeable. The other thing I noticed on the 5 series is the hash marks will get misaligned easily. That is why I don’t use for anything but local comps at my range that only go to 600 yds. The glass is equivalent to my Bushy Elites (DMR’s & XRS’s), Older NF NXS, Basically LOW scopes. I like the reticle. Also my 5 series the zero stop has acted funny a couple of times. The 3 series I actually prefer more because the turrets are much better feeling and don’t misalign easily and glass is the same but no zero stop. That is my only complaint. For avg used Street price of 500-600 for the 5 series and 400ish for the 3 series that I’ve seen are a great value.
5 Series : My biggest complaint is the turrets they are mushy enough that compared to my bushy elites, Vortex Razr’s or PST’s, or Burris/Steiners are noticeable. The other thing I noticed on the 5 series is the hash marks will get misaligned easily. That is why I don’t use for anything but local comps at my range that only go to 600 yds. The glass is equivalent to my Bushy Elites (DMR’s & XRS’s), Older NF NXS, Basically LOW scopes. I like the reticle. Also my 5 series the zero stop has acted funny a couple of times. The 3 series I actually prefer more because the turrets are much better feeling and don’t misalign easily and glass is the same but no zero stop. That is my only complaint. For avg used Street price of 500-600 for the 5 series and 400ish for the 3 series that I’ve seen are a great value.
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