# Which scope?



## bigpapacow (Nov 15, 2007)

I am looking to put a scope on my new 243 primarily for varmint purposes. I am looking at a Burris Fullfield II 4.5-14x40, a Bushnell Elite 3200 5-15x40, or a Nikon Buckmasters 4.5-14x40 or 6-18x40, or a Vortex Viper 6.5-20x44. I like the ballistic reticle in the Burris, Vortex, and Nikon. Out of the four brands, I have never used a burris product and don't really know much about them. So, what opinion does anyone have on these scopes or brands? Let me know the good and the bad.


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## Gee LeDouche (Sep 21, 2007)

out of those scopes I would recommend a Nikon. I have one of the Nikon BDC's on a 30-06 and it is incredible. the Bushnell Elite I hear is an excellent scope also. but I would still go with my Nikon over a Bushnell personally..


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## threshershark (Sep 7, 2007)

I have two of the Elites, a 3200 4-12x on my .223 Bushmaster Varminter and a 4200 4-16 AO on my Winchester Coyote Lite .22-250. Both have been oustanding and I'd recommend either. Nikon makes great stuff too, I like the Monarch series.


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## Al Hansen (Sep 7, 2007)

I love my Nikons. The Buckmaster 4.5-14X40 can be had right now on ebay from a dealer that I have bought from 5 times for an incredible $228.99. The Bushnell Elites 4200 have a great reputation. I own a high end Leupold that I really don't care for and compared to the Nikons, it just doesn't match up (IMHO). The Nikon Buckmaster 6-18x40 make for a great P-dog scope that I bought from this same ebay store for $280.00. My personal favorite is the 6-24x50 Side Focus Nikon Monarch. I have that mounted on the Savage LRPV in .204 that can really reach out there. I also hear great things about the Burris scopes. And of course the Zeiss and Swaros are also top notch if you can afford them (you may have to sell a child :lol: ). After you buy and dial in , give us a report.


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## reb8600 (Sep 8, 2007)

I have 2 of the bushnell elite 3200, 1 nikon and 2 burris FFII with ballistic plex. They are all great scopes but I really like the burris. I am going to buy another for my 7 mm. They have excellent clarity. I think they are clearer than my bushnells.


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## sawsman (Sep 13, 2007)

All of the brands you have mentioned are great, you cant go wrong with any of them. I own them all and if I had to choose between them I would pick the Bushnell.

My favorite scope is a Luepold VXIII.

For my next scope I've been considering a Swarovski or a Zeiss, but I'm not so sure they are worth the extra $$$. :?: 

sawsman


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## Frisco Pete (Sep 22, 2007)

I think that the Burris is your best bet. I have a couple of the 3-9x FFIIs with the Ballistic Plex and absolutely love them. I would replace some of my other, older scopes with them if I could. BTW, I also have the top-end Nikon Monarch and Leupolds to compare them with as well. Burris is built VERY tough in Colorado and had internal features that make for a scope with superior dependability. At the price the Burris FFII runs, coupled with the extras in the package deal package, you can't lose. If you ever need warranty work, Burris is much easier to deal with than Nikon.



> For my next scope I've been considering a Swarovski or a Zeiss, but I'm not so sure they are worth the extra $$$


At some point, improvements in optical quality become difficult to detect. Not all eyes are sensitive enough to see subtle differences, and if you can't see it, why pay for it? And how much of this is really necessary anyway? Money being no object, we'd all buy the best. But when money is an object, we must compromise. I begin that compromise by recognizing that a scope is a glorified front sight. As long as it has solid adjustments and keeps its reticle where the barrel prints bullets, shot after shot, season after season, I can live with slightly less optical quality than required to observe the moons of Neptune.
If you are a hunter, you might want to reserve the big optical cash for high quality top-line binoculars and/or spotting scopes first. That's what finds the game. A decent scope with great real-world clarity, good glass, fully multi-coated optical qualities, plus reliability, rain or shine, year in and year out, even with 300 Magnum recoil, can easily be found in the $200 to $400 range.


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## bigpapacow (Nov 15, 2007)

I went with the Nikon Buckmaster 4.5-14x40 with the side focus and the mildot reticle. Now I just need to go out and shoot it. It was a tough call between the nikon and the burris fullfileld II 4.5-14x40, but the nikon just seemed a bit sturdier and I liked the finish more. I really could have gone either way. Maybe I will try the burris on the next rifle I get lined up. Thanks for all the advice.


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## Al Hansen (Sep 7, 2007)

Either would do well. Now all we need is a range report. Good luck.


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## Surfer Coyote (Jan 14, 2008)

I have at least one of each of those scopes except the Vortex (I am curious about them, however). I have had great luck with all of them. All three carry lifetime warranty, but I have never had to take any of them up on it. All the Burris I own have the ballistic plex reticle, and I do have a Nikon with the BDC reticle. This is a feature that I have really grown to appreciate in my scopes. I was apprehensive about getting a Bushnell Elite because I was less than satisfied with some of their other lines, but the Elite series is a winner. I have the firefly reticle in one Bushnell Elite 3200, and I have liked having an illuminated reticle available without the need of batteries.


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