UTG 3-9×32 Compact Bug Buster AO RGB Scope Review

In this UTG3-9×32 AO RGB scope review we look at the features of this under $100 scope. I explain what its best features are as well as what customers thou ght were its pros, and its cons. The effective range of this scope is up to 250 yards depending on the user and it’s especially made for shooting at around the 100 yard mark.

Above all see the explanation of the illuminated reticles and how it has been made to be extra stable to recoil, and also tested to make sure.

Features

Sidewheel Colour Illumination

UTG/Leapers were among the first manufacturers to offer switchable illuminated reticles and they have changed the usual large controls for IRs to a small twisting extra turret on the side. This saves on weight and also makes the scope more compact and streamlined. The adjustable brightness allows you to make the crosshairs easily visible and crisp in a variety of lighting conditions which is very handy.

Mil Dot Reticle

One of the main features, there is a unique reticle only found on UTG scopes which is the 21 aiming point Mil-Dot reticle that assists with finer range acquisition above the standard Mil-Dots. There are a total of 9 dots along each fine hair which enables more accurate estimation of range. The converting equations at different zeroed distances come printed along with the scope.

Lockable Turrets

You can lock the turrets after setting your windage/elevation so they don’t inadvertently change when firing or when moving.

¼ MOA per Click adjustments

These are surprisingly small incremental adjustments per click for a scope at this price and this range. It makes zeroing a finer art and more accurate considering that every click moves the desired point ¼ inch horizontal or vertical. The turrets are not loose and take a bit of work to click, which is desirable to make sure you do not over adjust the necessary settings.

True Strength Platform

UTG/Leapers like to point out they have a new way of designing the internal workings of the scope to interact better with the external turrets. It basically leads to more responsive adjustments when you use the windage and elevation turrets as well as making the scope more resistant to recoil so the settings do not change as easy after firing.

Nitrogen Filled – Waterproof and Fogproof

The scope is nitrogen filled and then sealed to make it fogproof and waterproof.

Emerald Crystal Coating

The coating on the lens gives it a greenish tinge and allows for good light transmission to keep the optics bright and easy to use in lower light conditions.

Adjustable Parallax Free View

You can adjust the objective lens to be parallax free out to any amount of yards that you need. This makes the scope easier to use as you don’t have to be dead on in the same position to get a reliable crosshair.

Extreme Testing

These scopes are tested under active conditions and in the lab by UTG to make sure they stand up to the rigors in the field. Most recoil tests are very extreme, taking place on scope killing air rifles and elephant rifles. Many customers report using it on shotguns and not noticing the recoil changing their settings at all.

Battery type

Uses a CR1620 3V Battery and can be used without batteries if you don’t need the illuminated reticles.

Lifetime Warranty

Comes standard with a lifetime warranty, buying it from amazon allows you to have confidence that you can return it if you have any problems whatsoever.

Specifications

• Reticle: Red/Green/Black Adjustable Range Estimating Mil-Dot
• Magnification: 3-9x
• Objective Lens Size: 32mm
• Exit Pupil: 10.6mm@3x – 3.6mm@9x
• Field of View(ft@100 yards): 37.7@3x and 14@9x
• Eye relief: 4.2″@3x – 3.2”@9x
• Elevation and Windage Adjustments per click: ¼ MOA
• Overall Length: 8.1″
• Weight: 13.9 Ounces
• Part Number: SCP-M392AOLWQ

What comes in the Box

• Scope
• 2” Sunshade
• Flip Open Lens Caps
• Quick Detachable Rings

Mounting

The supplied rings should mount easy on standard Picatinny and Weaver rails.

Pros

Solid Clicking Windage and Elevation Adjustment

Tight controls on the w/e turrets makes setting and keeping a zero measurement easy, customers picked up on the accuracy of the clicks, they did indeed measure ¼ inch adjustments per click at 100 yards. You can lock the turrets in position as well and be confident that your chosen settings will hold up to heavy recoil as the testing is very rigorous and some customers have fired thousands of rounds without having to reset their zero.

Mil-Dot Range Finding is Easy

The equation for the using the Mil-Dot for range estimation comes printed with the scope. Customers appreciated having extra aiming points on this Leapers/UTG TRE Mil-Dot, there is a total of 21 aiming points including the tips of the crosshairs compared to 11 on a standard Mil-Dot reticle.

Good Eye Relief

Customers found that there was up to 4.5” of eye relief when they were using it in a hunt, this enabled them to fire with both eyes open for a while which helped them achieve a greater field of view. With the added sun shade installed you will be closer so eye relief is even more important. Even on the highest setting you should find you have at least 3” to work with.

Cons

Single Problem with the rings provided

One customer had a problem with the rings provided, they could clip on one but not the other. I think this had to do with them not using a standard picatinny/weaver rail. It is usually better to buy new rings and have the supplied rings as replacements.

The advantages of using the rings provided are that they are quick release, but if you run into problems you can always return the lot and get a new one sent. This is not a common problem by any means.

Frequently asked questions

What is the effective range of this scope?

It depends on your abilities as a shooter and the effective range of your gun and whether you are adjusting correctly for bullet drop as to what range you can use the scope till. The furthest I have heard anyone shooting this scope out to is about 250 yards, the most common range that this has been used for is between 50-150 yards. So long as you can set the zero properly for the range you want to use this then it will work fine, using the Mil-Dot can help with quick range finding for you to make a shot.

But the effective range is highly dependent on the user, but you should find it useful out to at least 150 yards. You can also adjust it to be parallax free out to any range.

Would this fit on any standard weaver/picatinny rail?

Simple answer, yes. The rings that come with it are specifically quick release for picatinny rails. You can always get a new set of rings for it to mount it for other rails.

Price

For around the $100 mark you get a very versatile and cool looking scope. It functions very much like those in a higher price category, but it is worth trying out if you are shooting up to 150 yards. There is a lot of talk going round about the performance/price ratio you can get from UTG scopes and it definitely isn’t just a rumor after all the satisfied customers have reviewed this many times on amazon.

Summary

Overall this UTG 3-9×32 Compact AO RGB scope offers great versatility and performance for its price point. It contains most of the unique technology from Leapers/UTG such as the added turret stability and 21 aim point Mil-Dot reticle that make it easy to set up and use. It comes with accessories worth up to $50 which allow you to mount it straight out the box. Just be sure to take it to the range first and try it out before going right into the field.