2022 Optic Of The Year: Crimson Trace Brushline Pro 4-16x42 mm BDC

American Rifleman is pleased to announce the 2022 Optic Of The Year Award goes to Crimson Trace.

by
posted on June 20, 2022
** When you buy products through the links on our site, we may earn a commission that supports NRA's mission to protect, preserve and defend the Second Amendment. **
Crimson Trace Brushline Pro 4-16x42 mm BDC

Now in their 20th year, the Golden Bullseye Awards are chosen annually to recognize the firearm industry’s best new offerings. Here is this year’s winner as selected by the editors of “The World’s Oldest And Largest Firearm Authority.”

Crimson Trace Brushline Pro 4-16x 42 mm BDC riflescope optic review magazine article illustration text

Best known for essentially creating the firearm-mounted laser sight industry back in 1994, Crimson Trace has nonetheless steadily branched out in recent years, adding both red-dots and variable-power riflescopes to its catalog a few years ago. And 2021 was a big year for the company in this regard, as it introduced four new scope lines—the tactically oriented Hardline and Hardline Pro and the hunting-focused Brushline and Brushline Pro. Our staff was able to evaluate the latter in its 4-16X 42 mm BDC guise in the “Dope Bag” section of the magazine, and we determined the scope offered a lot of performance given its reasonable price tag.

Features on the second-focal-plane Brushline Pro include a tool-less zero-reset, the company’s proprietary scratch-resistant Maximum Optical Clarity multicoating and an eyepiece with very effective purchase-enhancing grooves. Our testing found the scope was able to shrug off considerable recoil, was waterproof, offered consistent adjustments and that, “in side-by-side tests, its optical quality was equal to—if not better than—scopes from other long-established brands.” For providing a quality, feature-rich new optic option that doesn’t break the bank, we felt Crimson Trace’s Brushline Pro 4-16X 42 mm BDC earned its place as Optic Of The Year. crimsontrace.com


About the Golden Bullseye Award:
The Golden Bullseye Awards were created two decades ago to recognize quality, innovation and value within the firearm industry, with the editors of the NRA Publications Division convening annually to nominate and select the standout performers from the previous year’s crop of new products. The discussions can get animated at times—as each year there are always more new guns, ammunition, optics and accessories worthy of accolade than we could possibly call out—but consensus eventually results in winners being selected, with the passionate back and forth serving as evidence of the firearm industry’s health and innovative spirit.

Latest

AR on table with target
AR on table with target

Skills Check: Rifle Standard Delta 2

Carbine performance is all about maintaining control. The Rifle Standard Delta 2 is a drill that pressures recoil control, visual discipline and cadence as distance decreases and time compresses.

Gun Sales Up for the 7th Month in a Row in 2026

The National Shooting Sports Foundation’s (NSSF) estimate of last month’s gun sales was up 2.2 percent compared to August 2025.

Caring For & Feeding Your Cap-and-Ball Revolvers

Compared to pistoleros of the 19th century, today’s handgunners have it easy. It's not enough just to get an old-school, cap-and-ball revolver. You also need to acquire everything to shoot and clean it.

Lighter & Better: Savage’s Updated Ultralite Series of Rifles

Savage Arms kicked off 2026 by announcing a new generation of Model 110 bolt-action rifles, and now, the company has also introduced an updated series of Ultralite rifles.

Gun of the Week: Franchi Momentum Elite MULE

One of the latest entrants into the general-utility rifle market is Franchi with its Momentum Utility Lite Elite bolt-action rifle, also known as the MULE.

The Armed Citizen® Sept. 11, 2026

Read today's "The Armed Citizen" entry for real stories of law-abiding citizens, past and present, who used their firearms to save lives.

Interests



Get the best of American Rifleman delivered to your inbox.