Photo courtesy Bushnell Performance Optics

Bushnell has a new concept in scopes on the market in their Firefly series. Externally the scope is no different than the Elite 3200 with regular crosshairs but internally the crosshairs are nothing like I've ever seen.

The firefly provides an illuminated crosshair much like the glow-in-the-dark watch faces I remeber as a kid. When illumination is needed take a small flashlight, provided with the scope, and shine it in the ocular end for a few moments. This charges the fat part of the reticle and it glows a bright lime green almost like a chem light.

The idea is to charge the reticle a few minutes before dark or daylight and you'll have a visible reticle when the ambient light would otherwise prevent seeing the crosshairs. Bushnell provided the drawing below of the crosshairs but I find they look considerably different in the actual scope at least in the handgun version. Most noticeably they are quite thick. If you're trying to get that bushytail at last light the subtensions are a problem. That's not to say there isn't a use for the feature. I expect this setup would work quite well on large game at close range particularly hunting black bears over a bait or perhaps in the north when dusk can last for a few hours. I did find that the illumination is best utilized when the scope is set on 2 power.

Photo courtesy Bushnell Performance Optics

Firefly not illuminated. Photos by Gary Smith

Firefly illuminated.

As you can see from the photos above the intersection of the vertical and horizontal wires aren't illuminated. In very low light the fine portion is nearly as difficult to see as the standard (non-firefly) reticle, the only real difference being the greater thickness of the center of the reticle in the firefly version.

I'm sure some handgunners will like the firefly scope and it's certainly an alternative to a red-dot scope that many handgunners find appealing. Personally, I prefer optics that have fine reticles, the standard 2x6 Elite 3200 included. The design of the firefly reticle would take some getting used to for me but for the woodland hunter expecting shots to be relatively close this idea might be just the ticket for those aging eyes. The 2x6 Elite 3200 is a variable scope and the eye relief is constant at 20 inches regardless of the power setting. The scope has a reputation for durable quality and the firefly gives the serious handgun hunter one more option from which to choose.

Good Hunting,
Gary

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