This high magnification, variable power scope was specifically designed for military and law enforcement applications that require very long range shooting (sniping). However, for those of you who love the AR platform, this is a scope you might consider if you are into stretching the capability of the rifle and its cartridge to the max. As is now common with the riflescopes that carry Lou Riley's lifetime warranty (see "BSA Tactical Riflescopes: The Contender 4-16x40mm and Tactical Weapon TW2.5-8x36mm"), we found the optics of our test scope clear with no apparent distortion throughout the entire range of magnification.

The TW223 scope comes with a mil-dot reticle, which is normal for most tactical scopes, but with a major innovation. There are two interchangeable elevation turret caps supplied with the scope.

In F-Class target shooting, we have a ballistics chart next to us to adjust the elevation turret for drop as we change our shooting distance to the target. Military and law enforcement personnel don't have that luxury, so they have to use a rangefinder and the marks on the mil-dot reticle to adjust their aiming point. With the BSA turret cap, there is no guessing about how much drop your bullets will experience at various distances. The .223 cap is calibrated for three different bullet weights, color coded for quick reference: 55 grain, 62 grain and 69 grain.

(This seems to be a more generic equivalent of the very cartridge/bullet/load specific CDS interchangeable elevation turret system pioneered by Leupold a year or so ago for their VX-6 riflescopes. See the G&S Online "Leupold VX-6 3-18x44mm CDS Riflescope" review for details. -Editor)

We mounted this new BSA scope on our tactical 223 rifle and headed to the range. We used factory ammunition for our tests: Hornady 55 grain FMJ/BT and Fiocchi 62 grain FMJ/BT.

We sighted our rifle in with the 55 grain Hornady load at 100 yards, made the appropriate adjustment on the turret and fired groups at 200 yards. The compensation was perfect, we were right on target. We then adjusted the turret for the 62 grain Fiocchi cartridges for 100 yards and fired, again right on target. Same story after adjusting turret for the 200 yard distance with the Fiocchi load.

The adjustments on the .223 turret go out to 500 yards, but our local rifle range is limited to 200 yards. The range adjustments on the turret were compiled from factory ballistics tables and should be just as valid for the longer ranges. (Given the wind drift of .22 bullets in even a light breeze, shooting a .223 at 500 yards in the field would be mostly a matter of "wind doping" and luck, regardless of any drop compensating turret system. -Editor) For certain, dialing the distance to compensate for drop is far easier than trying to remember where to hold a mil-dot reticle.

We don't have a .300 ACC (Blackout) rifle, but feel confident that the turret for that caliber and bullet weights (115 grain to 400 yards, 125 grain to 400 yards and 220 grain to 200 yards) are probably just as accurate as those for the .223 Remington.

Features and Specifications

�        Mil-Dot Reticle

�        6-18x variable power

�        2 sets of interchangeable turret caps

�        CAP (1) .223 cal.

�         3 different color coded bullet weights

�         55 gr., 62 gr., 69 gr.������

�        CAP (2) .300 AAC BLACKOUT

�         3 different color coded bullet weights

�         115 gr., 125 gr., 220 gr.��

�        3.5� Eye Relief

�        Parallax settings (yards): 10,15, 20, 25, 30, 40, 50, 75, 100, infinity

�        Objective Lens Diameter: 40mm

�        Fast Focus ring

�        Fully Coated Optics

�        Aluminum two-piece body

�        Haze Filters

�        Water-Proof, Shock-Proof and Fog-Proof

�        Limited Lifetime Warranty

�        2014 MSRP:� $139.95

This scope is overdue. It is now possible for military, law enforcement and sport shooters to "dial-in" elevation adjustments similar to bench rest and F-class shooters, rather than trying to hold on a dot/bar below the primary horizontal bar on the reticle.

In addition, if the 6.5mm Grendel and/or 6.8mm SPC continue to gain in popularity for AR platform rifles, it will be an easy task for BSA to produce turret caps for those calibers. All said and done, the BSA TW223 6-18x40mm AOCP is a useful riflescope and it is now permanently mounted on our .223 tactical rifle.