BUSHNELL FORGE 2.5-15X 50MM

A RIFLEMAN’S OPTICS

- John Haviland

Bushnell has included a host of features in its three new Forge scopes and offers several reticles to fit every shooting need. Forge scopes include a 3-18x 50mm, 4.5-27x 50mm and 2.5-15x 50mm.

Bushnell says its High Definition Optical System is a balance of lenses, coatings and construction that provides good resolution and contrast in all environments. Bushnell has always been big on lens coatings, and all lenses in Forge scopes are fully multi-coated with the company’s Ultra Wide Band Coating that provides brightness and true color in every lighting condition. Exterior lens surfaces are coated with EXO Barrier coating technology that molecularly bonds to the lens and fills the microscopic pores in the glass, resulting in a slick shell that will not fade over time and repels water, oil, fog, dust and about everything else except bad luck. To quickly use these features, Forge scopes contain a side parallax correction dial with yardage numbers toward the eye, and a fast focus eyepiece.

I’ve used a Forge 2.5-15x 50mm clamped on a Savage Prairie Hunter rifle chambered in .224 Valkyrie for the last few months. During that time the rifle has fired at least 400 rounds and the scope’s reticle has never wandered. A 2.5inch sunshade comes with the Forge, but even when shooting during bright days it wasn’t really needed. One afternoon sunlight shined on the objective lens, but targets were in the shade 100 yards away. The strong light did not produce any flare in the scope and the .5-inch wide aiming squares appeared clear.

Forge scopes feature T-Lok windage and elevation turrets. Lifting up the turrets allows rotating them to make reticle adjustments. Each turn of a turret provides an audible “click” and visual adjustment on the turret knob. After adjustments are made, pushing down the turret locks it in place.