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Pros - Illumination is spot-on Cons - Poor focus - Difficult to sight in - Lens pops out easily

Welcome to our review of the Barnett Illuminated Riflescope. This 3×32 multi-reticle crosshair scope is a rifle scope that can also be used on a crossbow. Barnett is mostly known for the crossbow industry, so let’s see how this scope holds up to rifle use.

What Are the Scope’s Dimensions?

The Barnett illuminated riflescope is 9′ long and weighs 7.2 ounces. It takes up a bit more room in your rifle case or crossbow case than most of the competition, but it isn’t bulky enough to cause a problem in most cases.

How Much Magnification Do I Get From the Barnett Illuminated Riflescope?

This scope is a 3X scope, which is a bit underpowered for most rifle uses. I’m a bit bewildered that Barnett released a ‘rifle’ scope with just 3X magnification, but the fact that they advertise the scope as also being crossbow-compatible shows where their business is’the crossbow market.

How is the Optics Quality on the Riflescope?

The first thing I noticed when I looked through this scope was how blurry it was. I tried turning the focus ring, and the focus just didn’t get any better. I contacted Barnett, and obtained a warranty replacement, and the replacement scope had the same problem.

The optics are multi-coated, and are fogproof, waterproof, and weather proof. You get illuminated reticles, in red and green, but I still can’t get past how blurry the picture was. Contrast is really good, but I could never get a crisp, clear image of the target (and yes, my eyes are corrected to 20/20 vision).

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

This scope has above average light gathering capability. The illuminated reticles are fairly close to perfect, which is the only good thing I’ve noticed about this scope so far.

How Wide is the Field of View?

Barnett doesn’t advertise what the field of view is, but I estimated it to be approximately 45 feet at a hundred yards. This is narrower than most of the competition in the 3X market, but it’s still a decent field of view.

How Easy is the Scope to Mount?

Barnett ships the scope with a set of rings, so you should be able to mount the scope to any 7/8′ dovetail base in seconds. Once you have it mounted, you can move on to sighting the scope in.

Any Tricks or Tips About Mounting the Scope?

If you have problems getting the scope to drop onto the rails, move the bracket so the bolts drop into the slots on the rail. You shouldn’t have to do that to a scope, but it was the only way I found to actually get the scope onto the rail.

How Easy is the Barnett Illuminated Rifle Scope to Sight In?

The scope sights in pretty easily, once you get used to the blurriness and I was able to use a laser bore sighting tool to get the scope on paper before I started sighting it in all the way. Trying to bull’s eye a blurry target is difficult, but I was able to pull it off and had the scope zeroed in within a few shots.

How Durable is the Riflescope?

At first glance, this looks like it should be a very durable scope. It’s made of what appears to be aircraft-grade aluminum, and is built very much like other scopes that have stood the test of time for me. Looks can be deceiving, unfortunately, and this scope began to fall apart after just a few days of target practice. The lens broke from its housing, even though the scope was babied and never dropped.