Optics Spotlight – Bushnell AR 4.5-18x40mm

Last updated on October 1st, 2023

My first ever centerfire rifle scope was the Bushnell AR 4.5-18x40mm. Needing an optic for a budget .233 bolt gun the AR ticked all the right boxes at the time. Good magnification range, simple reticle, lifetime warranty, not too heavy and just the right price.

Made in South Korea the Bushnell AR brings a lot of features the .223 shooter needs. With that being said a budget minded optic does cut some features to keep the price down and the Bushnell AR doesn’t come with any flip up scope covers and to make it even more affordable there is also a variant with no illuminated reticle.

The scope is well made for the price point and the 1″ maintube houses the versatile 4.5-18 magnification range and 40mm objective lens. Weighing in at 19.4oz/549g its lightweight enough to take out hunting. Another interesting feature is folding magnification throw lever to make changes in magnification a little easier.

The Bushnell AR shares the same qualities with many Vortex optics in the way it provides good glass quality at the price point. There is also a good amount of eye relief with 3.6″ available.

Built for the 50m to 600m range, the Bushnell AR uses the Drop Zone .223 BDC reticle.
The reticle’s ballistic dots work on a 55-62 gr .223 with the muzzle velocity around 2875
sighted in at 100 yards which covers a lot of factory ammo that’s available.  

The turrets have 50 MOA of elevation and windage adjustment which provides a good amount for short to medium range. The left turret also houses the parallax adjustment which focuses down to a minimum of 10 yards out to infinity.

The Bushnell AR offers a good magnification range for the .223 caliber matched with decent glass quality at a reasonable price point. There are also a number of other LPVO variants available in the AR range.

Bushnell AR 4.5-18×40

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