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Pros - Fully-illuminated reticles - Integrated sunshade - Highly durable Cons - Reticle too thick for accurate long-range shooting - Brightness settings a bit too bright - Narrow field of view

Welcome to our review of the BARSKA 4×32 IR Contour Riflescope. This is an illuminated riflescope with red or green illumination choices, and a glass-etched reticle. It is designed for hunting will all sorts of weapons, including crossbows, pistols, rifles, and shotguns. How well does it perform, though? Let’s take a look!

What Are the Scope’s Dimensions?

This scope is 9″ long, and weighs 10.4 ounces. It is fairly lightweight, and does not take as much space on the rail as some of the competition does. It fits nicely into my rifle case when mounted on my rifle, as well as in my crossbow case when I’m using it with my crossbow.

How Much Magnification Do I Get From the BARSKA 4×32 IR Contour Riflescope?

This scope provides 4X magnification; it’s a low-power riflescope designed for close- to medium-range shooting. The resolution is very good, and the images maintain crispness and clarity even at a hundred yards.

How is the Optics Quality on the Riflescope?

The optics are fully-coated for excellent resistance to glare and reflection. There is also a built-in sunshade to help cast a shadow and reduce glare in bright sunlight.

The reticle is an IR black, red and green Mil Dot reticle, with yardage compensation markers for shooting at a variety of distances. The objective lens is a 32mm lens, and the barrel is nitrogen-charged to make the lenses fogproof.

Bear in mind, though, that this scope is designed for short- to medium-range shooting, not for long range shooting. The reticles are too thick for shooting beyond 100 yards with any sort of precision.

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

This scope has very good light gathering capability, and maintains a very crisp, contrasted image even in low light conditions. If you’re in a thick forest, you can easily make out details in the shadows of the trees with this scope, which is terrific for hunting in poor weather or obscured light conditions.

Unfortunately, the lowest brightness setting on the illuminated reticle is just a bit bright for low-light conditions, causing a halo effect to surround the reticle. I noticed this with both red and green illumination; the lighting is just too bright for use at extremely low light conditions. Under certain lighting, the brightness is just right, but when I tried to get a shot during the early morning hours I had to pass on the shot because the reticles were just too bright to be sure I got off a clean shot.

How Wide is the Field of View?

Field of view for this scope is 31.5′ at 100 yards. This is pretty narrow, compared to the competition, and I found the scope was difficult to use at 100 yards for anything that was on the move. I finally mastered it, though, and found the scope to be adequate for tracking deer from 80-100 yards. It just takes some getting used to, but I still wish the scope had a slightly wider field of view.

How Easy is the Scope to Mount?

The BARSKA 4×32 IR Contour Riflescope comes with a set of 7/8″ Picatinny/Weaver style rings, and the scope mounts in seconds. The rings sit a bit low, however, which makes it difficult to get a good cheek weld and still be able to see the full image in the scope.

Any Tricks or Tips About Mounting the Scope?

To improve on the problem with seeing clearly and fully through the scope, I ended up getting a set of higher scope rings than those that came with the scope. Once I’d swapped out the rings, I could get a solid cheek weld on my AR-15 and get the full image through the scope. Please note that you might not need the higher scope rings for all weapons; try the scope rings out first and then decide if you need higher rings. The included rings worked fine for my crossbow and my pistol; it was only when I went to use the scope on my AR that I noticed any problems.

How Easy is the BARSKA 4×32 IR Contour Riflescope to Sight In?

This scope has lockable windage and elevation control knobs, which is very nice when you’re using the scope with a recoil-heavy gun like a shotgun. The scope sights in extremely quickly and easily, especially if you use a laser bore sighting tool first. I used my laser bore sighter, and had the scope on paper within seconds. When I got out to the range, it only took 10 shots before I was shooting 1″ groupings from 50 yards.

Once sighted in, the lockable windage and elevation controls make the scope capable of staying zeroed in forever, or until you move the scope from one weapon to another. This makes for a very reliable scope.

How Durable is the Riflescope?

BARSKA has made this scope to last. It has an extra rigid shockproof construction, which can handle the recoil of pistols, shotguns, and high-caliber rifles. The scope is constructed of aircraft-grade aluminum with a black matte finish, and is very well made. The barrel is nitrogen-filled and the lenses are backed by O-Rings, making the scope both fogproof and waterproof. This is a scope that will take a beating and keep on providing fantastic images and accurate shooting.