Three Barska Tactical Mil-Dot scopes

The name Barska is well known in the USA as a quality scope company. They started in 1994 with a commitment in their own words “To deliver value, quality, and new technology in outdoor products that enhance our customers lifestyle” unquote… eeerm, very American style words, but what I know is they have some exciting products at affordable prices.

New to the UK

Barska have a new UK agent and after seeing a few items at IWA last year I for one was keen to see them becoming readily available for British shooters. Their range of Tactical first focal plane (FFP) scopes is of particular interest, as they are still a very rare item over here. Shooters seem to have not cottoned on to the advantages of FFP scopes… or should I say scope manufactures make more money on the cheaper to produce non FFP scopes, so do not offer FFP scopes to the UK shooter.

FFP scopes, for those who do not know, have a reticle whose size appears to the shooter to change on a variable magnification scope as the mag is altered. In fact it remains the same size relative to the image and magnification, so any aiming marks you have using the Mil-Dot’s remain the same no matter what mag you shoot on.

Second focal plane (SFP) scopes have a reticle which remains the same size in the scope no matter what mag you shoot on, this means that if you want to use the Mil-Dots for aiming at differing ranges then you can only do this on the mag you set it up on.  For instance, you would normally use 10X mag on a 3-12X or 6-20X scope and that is the best single mag for hunting, move the mag off 10 mag and the aiming mark for say 20 yards will not be the same. So, FFP scopes have a big advantage over SFP scopes. The only draw back has been that they are more expensive - well until now that is.

Three out of Five

Barska’s range of five Tactical scopes are all FFP models. I got hold of three of them for this review. The small 1.5-4.5X20, the 3-12X40 and the 6-20X50 Illuminated reticle scope. All are fitted with true Mil-Dot reticle, which is another good point. They are made in China, but to a rigid specification for the American based company. All are 25mm bodied with matt black anodized finishes. The fast focus eye bell is the same on all the three scopes on test, with a large range of adjustment to suit all shooter’s eyes, whether you wear spectacles or not. Barska provide the scopes with a set of scope mounts which are made to fit a Weaver rail and are the high “see through” type with a thumb screw/coin slot. An Allen key is supplied to take off the top rings. Scope lens caps and a lens cleaning cloth are also provided. 

The 1.5-4.5X20 Model

The small scope in the range caught my eye when I first saw it’s specification on the internet, so it was the first one I unpacked. As an avid airgun hunter I have been looking for a scope like this for years. The small compact scope is prefect for close range pest control duties with the variable magnification of 1.5X to 4.5X being ideal for rats and feral pigeons in barns. The 20mm objective lens makes the look of the scope somewhat different from the normal wider objective lens scopes. But it does not lose any low light performance due to the low magnification of the scope. The turret caps reveal finger friendly ½ inch adjustments at 100 yards, with their own Accu-Lock system which utilizes coil springs around the erector tube, rather than the more normal leaf springs. This has been made possible due to the advancement in spring manufacturing technology; I know the delicate leaf type springs can wear, as I have had it happen in some of my own scopes. Barska reason that coil springs will lock the tube more securely and last longer than the leaf types.

The Mil-Dot reticle has four dots on each leg of the reticle from the center cross. The real bonus is again the FFP reticle. With a 20 yard zero the Mil-Dot below the main crosshair is used for really close vermin but with a SFP variable mag scope it has to be left on one mag to keep the aiming marks. Coupled with a laser for target acquisition and rangefinding this little beauty is the rest ratter I have ever seen, so much so it that made its way onto my .25 calibre BSA Spitfire. Even on 4X mag the sight picture comes down clear to 5 yards, taken down to 1.5X you can take rats on the end of your barrel, if you are that brave!

The 3-12X40 Model

The second scope is a 3-12X times magnification with a 40mm objective lens. As an HFT (Hunter Field Target) scope it can be used on 8, 10 or even 12 mag with no change in aiming marks. I would be tempted to use the bigger 4-16 model and zero it on 16 mag to see precisely where your pellets are going, then wind down to 10 mag for the actual competition. For precision pest control out to 45 yards with an airgun the scope is second to none in its price range. It would be just as at home on a .22 rimfire for bunny bashing. The scope also has a sidewheel adjustable parallax which goes down to 11yards on full 12X times magnification. The wheel itself is smooth in operation and marked out to infinity; side parallax scopes are much easier to use in the field than a front objective lens parallax - in most cases you do not have to alter your shooting position to focus the image on the intended target, for kneeling or standing shots it can be done very easily.

The 6-20X50 IR Model

The final scope is a belter, a 6-20X magnification spec with a 50mm objective lens and sidewheel parallax adjustment. A nice foxing scope if ever I saw one, with the added bonus of a green illuminated FFP reticle. With a .223 zero at 250 yards, the bullet will be going a Mil-Dot high at 100 yards, but on any magnification you choose.

A full 20X mag for zeroing or long range foxes off a bipod or down on 10X when walking about using a lamp for shooting. This scope too has finger friendly adjustments and ¼ inch at 100 yard increments on the horizontal and vertical turrets. As with the 3-12X it has sidewheel parallax and comes down to 23 yards on full 20X magnification. I prefer a green coloured reticle for dawn/dusk or lamp shooting; it seems faster on the acquisition and less harsh than the normal red colour, the scope has a turret dial on the top of the scope saddle, in front of the vertical adjustment turret. It has 11 brightness settings, running off a single 3volt CR2032 battery (which is provided too), I doubt you will need to use any brightness settings above 5, especially at night. The zero or “off” setting is red in colour, not green which is a bit odd. The reference mark is on the left hand side of the saddle, just above the side wheel.

Conclusions

The whole Barska Tactical range is a breath of fresh air for the UK scope market. I have seen time and time again the advantages of a FFP reticle in a variable magnification scope, and with the value for money prices of these scopes they are set to fly off the selves. The other Barska Tactical FFP scope in the UK is the 4-16X mag with 50mm objective lens and a green illuminated Mil-Dot reticle. I’ll be keen to take a look at the rest of the Barska range of scopes too, if this lot is anything to go by.

PRICE: £95 | £140 | £225