Testing Bushnell's PRS Optics

Match Pro ED 5-30x56 Riflescope

Bushnell’s latest entry into the budget-friendly tier of precision riflescopes is the Match Pro ED 5-30x56. Priced at $750, it has the critical bells and whistles I would want on a precision riflescope: great glass, tree-style mil-based reticle, reliable tracking, and a revolution indicator.

The 34mm maintube buys you 30 mils of elevation travel and 14.5 mils of windage travel. That is plenty for today’s competition cartridge shooting out to 1,500 yards. 

One of my pet peeves with scopes in this price range is that too many omit revolution indicators on the turrets. When you are dialing up and down during a stage in a competition, it is easy to forget to re-zero the scope after a stage. The Match Pro ED does it right with a red pin that sits flush with the elevation cap when at 0 mils and pops up as you turn the elevation turret. At 10 mils, you will see the red cap; at 20 mils, you will see the metal body.

The reticle is a Bushnell designed Deploy Mil 2 reticle. The center is a floating dot, and the lower field is a tree-style reticle. A floating dot obscures the target image less than a center crosshair. The tree style provides wind markers when holding over for elevation. The reticle has .2 mil subtensions on its vertical and horizontal stadia.

I tested the scope against a $1,000 competitor, and the Match Pro ED beat it in image quality, feel, and features. Another good sign of quality is that the turrets tracked 100 percent over 20 mils of travel. This is an impressive scope that you may never outgrow. 

Match Pro ED 15x56 Binoculars

The Match Pro ED 15x56 has features that make spotting impacts and determining accurate corrections easier. The Match Pro ED 15x56 binoculars are built on Bushnell’s popular Forge 15x56 binoculars. The ED in the name represents the extra-low dispersion glass that is used for the lenses, a higher resolution glass than high-definition glass. To boost light transmission, Bushnell coated the lenses with their Ultra Wide Band coating.  

Aside from the impressive optical quality, Match Pro EDs include a built-in Shot-Call reticle in the right eyepiece. The reticle is 20 mils on each side. At the center of the reticle is a 6 mil grid that subtends to .2 mils. The Shot-Call reticle is leveled to the horizon via a dial on the right eyepiece.

Other useful features include dual diopter adjustment, height-adjustable eye cups, and two 1/4-20 accessory mounts. Also included is the BridgeSet IPD stabilizer. This is an adjustable wedge that allows the eyepieces to be set to your eye pupil distance. 

The Match Pro ED 15x56 binoculars offer a high enough magnification to see small targets and impacts even with .22LR. The reticle will help you make more accurate wind calls and adjustments.

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