When you need a high-quality, well-built monocular with an offset reticle, look no further than the Vortex Recce Pro HD.
The key word here is “Recce”. It is pronounced “recky” and is derived from the terms reconnaissance and reconnoiter. For the curious, check out this Wikipedia article about Recce.
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Contents
What Optical Features Make the Vortex Recce Worthwhile?
Vortex seems to have spared little to no expense in creating the glass used in the Recce Pro monocular. It has their proprietary XR™ fully multi-coated lenses and high density (HD) glass.
The multi-coated lenses give you the best light transmission through the tube that is currently available. Vortex also added anti-reflective coatings to the exterior lens surfaces. This ensures that, instead of being reflected off those outer lenses, the light passes into the monocular where it will do you more good.
The HD, extra-low dispersion (ED) glass in the Recce Pro gives you awesome resolution and color accuracy. In other words, what you want to see is really what you’ll get.
If you want to use the Recce Pro for hunting, you’ll be happy to know that it has an offset ranging reticle inside. It uses MRAD-based subtension lines so you can adjust for the range, holdover, and windage corrections.
What Construction Features Make the Vortex Recce Worthwhile?
With O-ring seals at the seams, the Recce Pro is completely waterproof. Moisture, dust, and debris will not be able to get inside the tube. You can use this Vortex monocular in virtually any environment.
This monocular is also fogproof, thanks to being filled with argon gas. Many optics are nitrogen-purged, but argon can work even better and likely at a wider range of temperatures.
The 32 millimeter objective lens is on the small side, but at least you should be able to hold it in your hand for a significant amount of time without fatigue.
On the outside, Vortex uses their ArmorTek coating to help prevent scratches from marring the lens surfaces. It also repels substances like oils and dirt. A dirty, smudged, or scratched lens won’t let you see that target very well.
Rubber armoring on the tube itself gives you a non-slip grip and protects the monocular from physical damage. Dropping the Recce Pro on the ground shouldn’t render it useless.

Also on the outside is a utility clip that is handy for attaching your Vortex Recce Pro to your pocket, vest, or other equipment.
What Are the Recce Pro’s Specifications?
The significant specs you need to know about the Recce Pro HD are listed in the table below.
Spec | Measurement |
Eye Relief | 14.5 millimeters |
Field of View (FOV) | 400 feet at 1000 yards |
Close Focus | 5 feet |
Length | 6.18 inches |
Width | 2 inches |
Weight | 11 ounces |
The eye relief is okay, but if you have glasses, you might encounter some difficulties using the Recce while wearing them.
The FOV is very good at 400 feet. You should be able to spot and track your target easily.
With a close focus of 5 feet, you won’t want to use this Vortex monocular for watching insects, but that’s probably not what you bought it for anyway.
As with most monoculars, the Recce Pro is short and lightweight. You might be able to hide it in the palm of your hand.
Watch this demo of the Vortex Recce Pro to get a better idea of how well it works.
Conclusions about the Recce Pro HD
Many potential buyers of the Recce Pro are interested in how it compares to another popular Vortex monocular, the Solo R/T. Here is what one owner has to contribute to this discussion.
“The Solo R/T is still available and this is an additional model to it. The RECCE Pro uses a more advanced optical system to give you better optical quality with HD lenses and very high quality coatings. It has a few other features like a helical focus wheel that is easier to access and different style lens covers that are tethered.”
Reviews are nearly universally positive about the Recce.
“Very clear optics with good range for shooting range and other uses like bird watching.”
So if you want the Vortex, click the button below.
It’s hard to top the Vortex Recce, but if you think this monocular just isn’t for you, check out several others in this article. There most likely will be one there more to your liking.