This article was produced in partnership with Bushnell.
Bushnell has been providing reliable high performance optics at an affordable price since 1948. Their new R5 line continues that tradition with a line of optics purpose built for the modern hunter. The R5 line includes three binoculars, a rangefinder, and seven riflescopes, and with gas and groceries sucking the life out of your wallet, you can fully and effectively outfit your hunt with all the necessary optics in the R5 line for less than a grand. Let’s look at a full outfit of R5 optics to see what they offer and let’s start with the binocular because before you can shoot a whitetail buck you gotta find him.
R5 Binoculars
The R5 binocular line includes an 8x42, and 10x42, and a 12x50. All utilize a BAK-4, Dielectric coated roof prism, and they meet IPX7 waterproofing standards, which protect against temporary immersion to a depth of 1 meter. The glass is multi-coated and has the Bushnell EXO Barrier protection which sheds water, oil, and debris. All R5 binoculars also have an OD green finish with black accented adjustments and eye cups, and textured black grip panels.
I tested the R5 10x42 binocular, and like with all R5 binoculars, it came with a soft neoprene strap, and a very well made and configured binocular harness. The harness is very comfortable, fully adjustable and includes a thin tether strap to secure the binoculars in case you drop them. The protective pouch also allows you to attach additional accessories like a pouch for your rangefinder, and on the back, there’s a zippered compartment to store a lens cloth or heart medicine in case you fall to the effects of buck fever.
One thing I really appreciated was the interpupillary distance (IPD) adjustment. This relates to how far apart your pupils are, and the average for men is between 60 and 66 millimeters. My IPD is very narrow, and some binoculars will not adjust small enough and this can lead to eye strain during long glassing sessions. The R5 10x42s have a listed IPD range of 56mm to 72mm and should fit most any adult and many youth hunters. They worked perfectly for me.
Binocular quality has advanced tremendously. The low light and resolution performance gap between very affordable and expensive binoculars is not as wide as it used to be. I found the R5 10x42s to deliver crisp images with good resolution in low light and when looking into dark timber. For 95 percent of the hunting situations you’ll be in, this $250 binocular will allow you to see all you need to. And, once you see what you want to shoot, you need to know the range.
R5 Rangefinder
Bushnell’s new R5 laser rangefinder only weighs 6.4 ounces and has the same OD green and black color scheme as the R5 binoculars. It’s only 4.5 inches long, runs off a 3-volt lithium CR2 battery, has a single control button, and a diopter focus. The unit offers 6X magnification and has a 25mm objective, and according to Bushnell it will provide accurate ranges from between 5 and 2000 yards, to within +/- 1 yard. It also comes with its own case you can attach to your belt or the R5 binocular harness case.
The R5 rangefinder offers Applied Ballistics Ultralite connectivity with the Bushnell Applied Ballistics smartphone APP. This IOS/Android APP allows you to input your ballistic information and then sync that information with the rangefinder. When you range a target, the rangefinder displays the necessary trajectory adjustment in either MILs or MOAs. Because it also senses the angle, it provides an inclination reading and the true horizontal or angle distance, displayed in yards, meters, or feet. You can toggle through adjustments using the single button or—what’s really nice—adjust everything through the free Bushnell APP.
I continue to be amazed at the accuracy and features offered by modern rangefinders, especially one as competitively priced as the $279.95 R5. I tested it on the 450 yard range at my hunting camp, and every reading was within two yards of my listed distances. This is plenty accurate considering the targets were set with a different rangefinder. More importantly, in late evening as the deer moved onto the range to feed, I was able to get accurate readings up to the point where it was too dark to see them.
The R5 also offers a scan mode that updates four times each second, a near and far target mode, and it has an IPX4 waterproof rating. This is a light and compact rangefinder that delivers, and when paired with the Bushnell APP it’s easy to set up for hunting with a bow or your rifle’s load of choice. The APP will give you the correct holdover for Bushnell scope reticles like the LRH800 reticle, and if you prefer to dial in corrections, the rangefinder will give you the ballistic solution.
R5 Riflescopes
To go with their R5 binoculars and rangefinder, Bushnell is offering seven R5 riflescopes, with magnification ranges from 1-6X up to 6-18X. They are all built on aircraft grade aluminum one-inch tubes, have fully multi-coated optics, EXO Barrier lens coatings, and are IPX7 waterproof rated. They’re several reticles to choose from and all but the 1-6X24 version have a side parallax adjustment. Capped and zero resettable turrets are standard, and although the first focal plane (FFP) reticle is trending, for with many hunters, at low magnification and in low light an FFP reticle can almost disappear in darkness and brush. All R5 riflescope reticles are glass etched and set in the second focal plane.
I tested the 3-9X40 R5 riflescope with the illuminated DOA-LRH800 reticle by mounting it to a great shooting Christensen Arms Ridgeline FFT rifle in 6.5 PRC. But before that, the scope survived my standard abuse test, which includes a dunk in the water, overnight in the freezer, and several drops from shoulder height. Afterwards, it performed a box drill to standard, and on the same range I tested the R5 rangefinder, I used the Bushnell APP and managed first round hits on eight-inch targets out to 400 yards using the reticle and by dialing in adjustments.
At only $349.95, this is a lot of scope for the money, and it weighs only 19.5 ounces, and is only 11.5 in inches long with a full 5.25 inches of mounting space. With the R5 3-9x40 you have the choice between the illuminated DOA-LRH800 or Multi-X reticle, and like all R5 riflescopes, it comes with slip-on/flip-up lens covers.
The R5 Warranty
The entire line of R5 optics from Bushnell offer a lot of features and—based on my testing—good reliability for the money. With cash as hard to come by as a 150-class whitetail, the R5 optics line is there to make it easier. And with all this goodness for less than a grand, you’ll probably be surprised to learn that all Bushnell R5 optics come with a “no matter what” lifetime warranty. That means if your binocular, rangefinder, or riflescope is found to have a defect, if your buddy steals it because he likes it so much, or if you’re just so damn clumsy you drop it out of your treestand, Bushnell will make things right. That’s peace of mind for your investment, and with a brand new R7 line coming in 2026, there are a lot of reasons to be looking at Bushnell for your next optics purchase.
