Channel fans and family, this one is a look back to SHOT Show 2023 (video published January 27, 2023), when I literally stumbled onto the Hi-Lux Optics booth and found a scope I knew a lot of you would care about: the brand new Hi-Lux PR5 5-25×56 first focal plane rifle scope. Christopher from Hi-Lux walked me through it, and on paper it checked pretty much every box you want on a precision scope without going into “sell a kidney” territory.
We’ve been spoiled the last few years with good, affordable FFP options for anybody getting into long range, and the PR5 looked like Hi-Lux, a company a lot of people know for vintage-style scopes, throwing its hat into that ring.
Quick note: this was a booth first look at SHOT Show 2023, not a SlavGuns range test and evaluation. Launch pricing from the show is left out on purpose. Check Hi-Lux for current details.
TL;DR
- What it is: a 5-25×56 first focal plane scope on a 34mm tube.
- Turrets: 0.1 mil clicks, push-pull locking turrets, and a pin zero stop that lets you dial about one mil below zero.
- Travel: 110 MOA of internal elevation, which is about 32 mils.
- Glass and guts: Japanese ED lenses and stainless steel internals for crisp, repeatable clicks.
- Close focus: parallax down to 10 yards, which is big for air gun and NRL22 / PRS 22 shooters.
- Reticle: a mil Christmas tree reticle (Hi-Lux calls it TRACR) with 20 mils of holds in the tree, illuminated with push buttons instead of a rheostat knob.
- In the box: sunshade, throw lever and flip covers.
The feature checklist
Here is what Christopher went through at the booth:
- Magnification and tube: 5-25x, first focal plane, 34mm tube.
- Adjustments: 0.1 mil clicks with 110 MOA of internal travel, so roughly 30 plus mils to work with.
- Stainless steel internals: the point here is crisp, positive, repeatable clicks.
- Locking turrets: push-pull, so you don’t bump your dope off in the truck.
- Zero stop: a pin style system that still allows you to dial one mil below the zero stop.
- Japanese ED glass: Hi-Lux says the objective is an APO triplet using Japanese ED elements.
- Parallax: 10 yards to infinity.
Hi-Lux’s current product page lists the PR5 at 16 inches long and 40 ounces, with 3.5 inches of eye relief and a 7075-T6 aluminum body. That’s a full-size precision scope, so it belongs on a bench, bag or tripod rifle more than on a light hunting rig.
Why the 10 yard focus and the travel matter
This is the part I got excited about. With ammo prices going up, a lot of us started taking our 22 rimfires out and seeing how far we could stretch them. For a 22, those are extreme distances, but for centerfire they’re not. You don’t need a four-figure-plus alpha scope for that, but you do need plenty of internal elevation, and you need a scope that will actually focus up close for NRL22 and PRS 22 style stages.
The PR5 has both. Ten yard parallax and around 32 mils of elevation is a combo that works for rimfire and air gun matches, and then you can throw the same scope on a centerfire precision rifle without running out of dial.
The illumination
Unlike a lot of scopes with a rheostat knob, the PR5 uses a digital push button control for illumination. A couple of details I liked:
- It remembers your last brightness setting.
- It turns itself off automatically after a couple of hours, which is a lifesaver for those of us who always forget.
- Christopher put battery life at roughly 200 hours.
Reticle options
At launch, the PR5 was mil only: mil reticle, mil adjustments. Christopher said MOA reticles were planned as well, so if you’re an MOA shooter, check Hi-Lux for what’s actually available now before you buy.
Where to buy it and the warranty
At SHOT Show, Hi-Lux said you could buy the PR5 directly from them, and also from retailers like OpticsPlanet and MidwayUSA. The warranty is a full lifetime warranty, and from our conversation it’s not just for the original owner. Buy it, hand it down to your kids, and it’s still covered. Confirm the current terms with Hi-Lux before you buy.
Who it’s for
- New precision shooters who want a real feature set (FFP, zero stop, locking turrets, illumination) without alpha glass money.
- NRL22, PRS 22 and air gun shooters who need that 10 yard focus.
- Anybody building a budget centerfire precision rifle who wants lots of internal elevation.
Not ideal for: a lightweight hunting rifle. At 40 ounces, this is a heavy scope.
Our take
At the booth, the PR5 looked like it checked off all the boxes: zero stop, locking turrets, ED glass, 10 yard parallax, a usable Christmas tree reticle, and illumination that doesn’t kill its own battery. The glass looked good under show lighting, but show lighting isn’t a range, and this was a first look, not a review. If you want more context on what’s out there for budget FFP glass, check out our Vector Optics Continental 4-24×56 FFP article, and for more from the same show, our Accurate-Mag AM725 SHOT Show 2023 look back.
Where to find it
- Hi-Lux PR5 at OpticsPlanet
- Full PR5 specs and manual: Hi-Lux Optics
- Precision rifle upgrades: Anarchy Outdoors
- Everything else I run: SlavGuns Amazon storefront
- Support the channel: join the Squat Squad on YouTube
Does the PR5 check off all of your features for a precision scope, or is there something missing? Let me know in the comments. Thanks for reading, and keep on squatting!
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