After a hiatus of many years, Colt is making optics again. They have already won some Canadian military contracts and shortly thereafter brought out a range of scopes for the consumer market. The VMR 3-18x44 is the intermediate member of that family, and over the last few months I've been trying it out. Let's see how it fared.Reviews @ TFB: TFB Review: March Scopes FX 1.5-15x42 Dual Focal Plane Scope TFB Review: DNT Optics TheOne 7-35x56 MRAD Scope TFB Review: Kahles K18i-2 - Maximum Field of View for Dynamic Shooting TFB Review: Pulsar Thermion 2 XL50 LRF - HD Thermal Riflescope TFB Review: Nightforce 4.5x Competition Service Rifle ScopeDisclosures: Colt loaned me the optic for this review. Background & FeaturesColt Optics’ initial line of commercial market scopes is the VMR family. Colt’s best-known optic is probably the 4x scope that mounted to the carry handle of the M16. That was a simple little optic of a different era, though. The new VMR series is a departure, and reflects more the current state of optics. As of writing, there are three models in the VMR series available to the public. A 1-8x28 LPVO, the 3-18x44 that is the subject of this review, and a higher magnification 4.5-27x56. Here are the full specifications for this scope: SpecificationsLength: 11.9”Weight: 33.5 ozEye Relief: 3.78”Tube Diameter: 34mmParallax Adjustment: 15 yards to infinityFOV @ 1000 yards: 37.7 - 6.3’Elevation Travel: 35 MRADWindage Travel: 17 MRADMSRP: $1,869This set of features hits a very popular market segment. A 3x low end offers a wide field of view for close work or surveying a large area. 18x on the top end is plenty of magnification for most shooting situations, particularly on the kind of guns this scope would be found on. Moving up to the 6-36x big brother would be a reasonable choice for the big magnums or a dedicated precision rig where weight and size are less of a concern. Colt fits this scope with the HXT-58 reticle in the VMR-3-18x44. It has the same general layout as most scopes in this market segment, with a Christmas tree of aiming points below the horizontal crosshair. It features illumination HTX-58 reticle diagram. Image from Colt Optics These images show the view through the scope half an hour before legal sunrise. The image and light gathering were good in these dim conditions. As should go without saying, taking pictures through scopes does not provide a perfect representation of how the scope looks to the eye. But it does give a decent idea of how it feels to be behind the scope, and short of sending out review samples to every reader, this is the best way to share that experience.The turret system is very similar to that of the Meprolight MVO that I reviewed previously. The elevation turret is a locking Target Style with clearly marked numbers. When the turret is unlocked, it reveals a larger set of hash marks underneath. Resetting the turret requires loosening two screws, spinning the turret back to zero, and retightening. The windage turret is capped. A locked elevation turret and capped windage is the optimal setup for a scope in this magnification range. With that overview, let’s get to the range. Elevation turret in the locked position Elevation turret in the unlocked position On The RangeFor most of this review, I had the VMR mounted on a Savage 110 Ultralite Predator in 6.5 Creedmoor. That gun caught my eye at SHOT Show 2026 as a rifle that looked like an out-of-the-box NRL Hunter rig. As soon as it showed up for review, I threw on the Colt VMR, a Precision Armament TiTrex silencer, and got it zeroed. Just a few days later, it was off to the Hornady Precision Hunter match in Price, Utah.This match was a perfect opportunity to put the scope through a tough test in a wide range of situations. Over the two days of competition, the VMR enjoyed hiking, dust, wind, heat, rough handling, and lots and lots of dialing in elevation. One of the low points of the match was a stage where my shots were sailing wide in a way that did not make sense. I realized, with a sinking feeling, that the scope was moving at the end of the stage. The scope base was the ultimate culprit; it had worked loose. The scope and rings were both functioning properly. Once the base was resecured, the gun was still on, and I was able to get back into the game. The eye relief and eye box are both generous. I had no issues with getting a good view through the scope, even in the sort of field-expedient positions common in NRL Hunter matches. I never found myself craning my neck or struggling to get my head into position. The included flip-up scope caps survived all of that shooting, transportation, and handling, which is not something I can say for some of the scope caps I have seen provided on review scopes.Some of the targets were very tough to find. But if I was able to glass them up with binoculars and identify where they were in the hills and the brush, it was no problem to find them in the scope. The combination of good field of view and glass quality made that possible.The elevation turret got a serious workout during the match. I dialed on every stage. The adjustments tracked, and it returned to zero each time. And so long as I remembered to lock the elevation turret after the stage, it did not move. Counting clicks was easy, and they were tactile enough that adding a click or two while still on the glass was still consistent. My primary (and really only) gripe with the 3-18x44 VMR is the hollow circles used in the main crosshairs. Alternating between hollow dots and standard hash marks is not my preference. Open circles are also used on the elevation turret to mark each whole MRAD position. I would prefer a regular hash mark in those applications as well.Moving away from the NRL match, I also put the VMR 3-18x44 on a CVA Cascade XT in .35 Whelen. I have been putting a lot of rounds through that gun for the review. The recoil is not punishing, but it is substantially more than the 6.5 Creedmoor, moving a 250-grain bullet. The extra recoil did not cause any problems like slippage in the turrets, and the tracking stayed accurate. ConclusionColt has a great product in its initial optics offering. The VMR 3-18x44 is a solid pick for an intermediate caliber rifle or DMR. It has enough magnification to make longer shots without making the gun bulky. If the VMR series is any indication of the types of products Colt Optics will be selling, there is a bright future for the company.