The Professional 5 33 rifle scope is fog proof, waterproof and shockproof scope with a five-power view and 33 mm lens. It has a range finder and a bullet drop compensator adjusted for the 55 grain .223 round for use out to 500 yards. The internal adjustments are 1/8” at 100 yards and the sniper style reticle is etched into the glass to take abuse. Carrying a price tag of about $230 to $250 the scope represents a good value for the features.
The glass is multicoated to fight glare and scratches and help provide a sharp image in both bright and low light. The lit reticle as ten click adjustable settings allowing the crosshairs to glow red under any lighting conditions. The included battery is a commonly available CR2032. The scope has an ample 3” of eye relief. It measures 9 and a half inches long and needs 30 mm rings (a set were included). It weighs just 24 ounces. The scope has the standard focus ring built into the eyepiece.
To zero the bullet drop compensator (BDC) you first bore sight the scope and then shoot at 100 yards with the BDC’s dial set to that range. There after a simple twist of the top mounted turret brings the crosshair into alignment. In use I found that the BDC was pretty close to keeping the shots right in the bullseyes. After a 100 yard zero the shots made at targets set at 200, 250 and 300 yards all dropped just a couple inches low through my 20” barrel using S&B steel cased ammo.
The five-power scope seems to be about the right power for most work. Using a rifle scope scope much above 5x handheld causes the target to shake and dance too much to be of good use. Higher power scopes also have less field of view, which was 25 feet for the Professional. Variable power scopes have more moving parts and can be more fragile because of this. When shooting prone with this sight the 1 minute-of-angle center dot allowed for some very accurate shooting.
The range finder uses sets of two horizontal lines made to range a 3-foot tall target. When I shoot out in the high deserts of California I use 3-foot high surveyor stakes to which I staple 8” paper plates. Walking an old mining access road I placed stakes into the sand at random ranges from 100 out to 300 yards. Using the BDC and the range finder I was able to hit the center of the plates first shot without difficulty. Taking the scope out to the local football field showed the markings were calibrated close enough for social work.
The scope’s sharp reticle has a one-minute of angle center dot with a two-minute of angle gap before the crosshair portions start. The top vertical post is four-minutes of angle, the lower post is 6-minutes. The two horizontal portions have a five-minute of angle section, and two eight-minute of angle sections. Doing the math adding between the sections you can range nearly anything of a known size.
I have only have two complaints in over five years of using the scope. First, to adjust the BDC for range you have to lift your head up above the rifle because the illumination adjustment turret blocks the view of the BDC setting. If it were the other way around you could do the illumination by feel. Secondly, the internal seal of my windage turret managed to stick to and was removed by the windage dust cap. On a positive note the scope’s small size feels right on the rifle. The generous eye relief allows for a comfortable cheek weld. The range finder and BDC are two features normally not found on a scope at this price.
