Let me start by saying that we finally have a scope truly designed to maximise your effective muzzleloader shooting distance in a 1x optic. Thank you, Western Optics!
This past week I found out about these new optics and was able to get an order in on the LR Dial-Up Edition and handle one for a few minutes. While I'm waiting for this version to ship to me, I was able to get my hands on the standard 1x BDC version to test and take it to the range.
I am told that both versions have the same BDC reticle. The Dial-Up version has an exposed turret with crisp clicks and a solid zero stop, at least on the preproduction one I had a few minutes to look at.
I want to mount up the scope on my new Endura that I just received, but I'm working on getting it shooting accurately with a Vortex Strike Eagle 4-24x50 before I mount up this 1x scope.
Information for another article, but my 105 Gr BH209, 285 ELR Powerbelt load does not shoot well in my Endura. I have gone down to 98 Gr and it is grouping "better", in the 2.5 to 5-inch group size, but going up to 112 Gr has really tightened up the groups with a 3/4" 3-shot group. I believe the bore diameter is a little larger than the Paramount bore's diameter and I need more pressure to get the bullet to expand and engage into the rifling. I did pull a plastic skirt off one of the Powerbelt 285 ELR bullets and placed the bullet in the muzzle and it free-fell to the bottom. I think I am going to switch to Arrowhead bullets and test them before I mount up the MuzzlePro 1x scope. Hopefully I have my load figured out and ready for when the Dial-Up Edition gets shipped to me.
I digress; back to the Western Optic MuzzlePro 1x scope. :)
Initial MuzzlePro 1x Scope Thoughts
- These scopes have a clear view when the diopter is turned down and a very fine, crisp reticle designed not to cover up your intended target like most other 1x muzzleloader scopes. The reticle is somewhere close to 1 MOA in thickness as compared to other 1x muzzleloader scopes with 3-4 MOA thick reticles
- I'm not sure of the physics behind it, but the diopter adjustment on all 1x scopes will not only help you get a clear view of the reticle and target, but it also ever so slightly changes the magnification, from just a smidge lower to a smidge higher than what our naked eye sees. I have found this to be the case on all 1x scopes (not red dots). With this said, if the diopter happens to be set with a smidge of magnification, the outer half of the field of view is not as clear and crisp as the center half of your field of view. However, the field of view is huge, so I don't see this as a clarity issue over a huge area around the target I am looking at. So with my eyes, I can get a smidge of "magnification" and still have a clear field of view to see my target.
- I will be testing the max distance out soon. Based on what I found looking at targets at 300 yards with this scope, 300+ yards is definitely a possibility for being able to shoot deer and elk-sized targets. (see 300 yard reticle images on this page)
- Eye relief, listed at 4", is generous, keeping the scope away from smacking my forehead and the field of view looks great through the 30mm tube
- My first thought when looking through the scope is low-light issues and not being able to see the reticle. An illuminated reticle could be nice but so far, looking through the scope, I have been able to see the reticle quite well and doubt it would be an issue except at very first/last legal shooting light
- The turret caps use microscopic hex nuts, like Leupold uses... I dislike these tiny hex bolts and prefer a larger, non-microscopic size like Vortex uses.
- I am not sure about the durability, but they look sound and feel solid. I plan on using this scope through the fall of 2026 and will have a better idea of how durable these scopes are.
- I'm also leaning toward having just a clean reticle on the Dial-Up Edition instead of the BDC just to keep the view just as fine and clean as possible for longer shots
- I'm working on rough numbers for shooting distances with the 3 BDC hold-overs but with the velocities my Endura is spitting out, the hold-overs look to be somewhere around 250, 350 and 450 yards
- While I haven't had much time with this scope, its ultra-fine reticle and dial-up, zero-stop turret have me bumping it to the top of my favorite 1x muzzleloader scopes
Western Optic 1x MuzzlePro Reticle on a 300 Yard Target
Related Articles
- See more info on the top choices for our muzzleloaders in this article: Best 1x Muzzleloader Scopes.
- What 300 yards looks like with Primary Arms 1x MicroPrism scopes
- What 300 yards looks like with a Leupold RDS 1x muzzleloader red dot scope
- What 300 yards looks like with the Muzzle-Loaders Genesis and Vortex Crossfire II 1x scopes