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Pros - Fantastic eye relief - 32x magnification - Zero-reset sighting turrets Cons - No horizontal reticle lines, just dots - No illuminated reticles - No scope rings included

Welcome to our review of the Parker Red Hot High Velocity Crossbow Scope. This is a 3x32mm multi-reticle illuminated scope designed for use on crossbows shooting faster than 300 FPS. It features bore sight landing marks on the top of the tube for quick sight in, allowing you to use a laser bore sighter tool with the scope.

What Are the Dimensions of the Scope?

This scope is 8.5′ long, with a 1′ mono tube. It weighs 9.8 ounces, so it won’t add much weight to your crossbow. It fits perfectly in my crossbow case, mounted on my TenPoint Titan.

How Close Will the Parker Red Hot High Velocity Scope Get My Target?

This scope is a 3X magnification scope, which is adequate for crossbow hunting. I wish it was a 4X scope, but the difference between 3X and 4X isn’t all that great. I found the scope to be quite good in the field, and was able to use it to bag several nice deer in the early morning hours.

How is the Optics Quality on the Crossbow Scope?

The optics on this scope are very nice, multi-coated for crisp, clear target with plenty of contrast. The reticle provides a peak of trajectory marking, and gives aim points out to 60+ yards. The fast focus eye piece works flawlessly, allowing quick focus to get your target well bracketed and as crisp and clear as if it was three feet in front of you. The reticle is glass-etched and ready for high performance crossbows.

What’s the Light Gathering Capability Like on the Scope?

This scope gathers light like nobody’s business. The illuminated range markers are especially nice, albeit a bit dim. I would have liked for more powerful illumination capability, but as the scope is I was able to bring down several deer during the first 10-15 minutes of legal hunting time (which equates to quite dark lighting conditions in Ohio!)

What Kind of Batteries Will I Need?

The scope comes with a CR2032 battery, and I used the scope for an entire season without needing to replace the batteries. The power consumption on this scope is quite low, so you should be able to power the scope for a couple of seasons on a single battery, as long as you remember to turn the illumination off when you aren’t using it.

How Wide is the Field of View?

The field of view on this scope is 50.2 feet at a hundred yards, making it an excellent choice for hunting at long range. You get plenty of lead space, and it’s easy to acquire your target and get zeroed in for the kill.

How Easy is the Scope to Mount?

You’ll want to make sure you have a set of 1′ rings to mount the scope, because rings aren’t included. Assuming you have the correct mounting equipment, the scope mounts in minutes and is then ready to sight in.

How Easy is the to Sight In?

This scope has a line printed on the top of it for use with laser bore sighting tools, but I opted not to use it. I sighted in the old fashioned way, and found it very easy to sight in. The windage and elevation adjustment dials are easy to use, and I had the scope fully sighted in within six shots. To make things even easier, for those with a technical bent, Parker provides an arrow drop compensator calculator program that runs on your computer. You sight in the scope to 20 yards, shoot one arrow through a chronograph, and then enter the recorded speed into the program. The program will then provide you with a limb label that tells you the precise yardage for each of your range markers on your scope. Very slick!

How Durable is the Scope?

Nitrogen-filled, the scope is drop-proof, waterproof, fog-proof, and weatherproof. In fact, I did something I almost never do’I dropped my crossbow from the tree stand by accident. The limb of my crossbow broke, but the scope was still in perfect condition after the drop. I don’t recommend testing your own scope that way (I think it would void the warranty), but it’s good to know that the scope is durable.