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Thoughts on Burris Fullfield II, and 1" vs 30mm

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tpcollins View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote tpcollins Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Topic: Thoughts on Burris Fullfield II, and 1" vs 30mm
    Posted: February/01/2009 at 09:08
I'm looking to switch some scopes around and would like something larger for my Ruger MK77 .243. I really like the Burris Fullfield II 3-9x40mm, especially with the Balistic Plex. They seem to be a quality made scope without the Leupold price tag - just wondering what people really thought of them?
 
Also, Europeans have their 30mm scopes, we have our 1" models.  If the 30mm provides much more light gathering capability, why woudn't we all opt for that? Or is the weight difference that significant with the larger diameter tubes? Thanks.  
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Sandracer Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February/01/2009 at 09:49
I bought one of these last year and it sits on the shelf! Get a 4200 Elite, the optics are better and you don't have to twist the whole eyepiece to change power. Also I found the POI changed with the power change on the Fullfield II, stayed right on with the 4200.
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Tip69 View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Tip69 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February/01/2009 at 10:01
Originally posted by tpcollins tpcollins wrote:

 If the 30mm provides much more light gathering capability.....  
 
That is one of the biggest misconceptions in optics. 30mm does NOT provide any discernable advantage in low light conditions!!!!!   Its benefit's include more adjustment range and a stronger tube.
 
I did not like the FFII I had and I sold it.  As a note, mine was the version that came with a set of bins and I've heard that these scopes might not be the same as the version that does not come with a free item.
take em!
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John Barsness View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote John Barsness Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February/01/2009 at 12:40
I have several FFII 3-9x (along with a 6x and 2-7x) and in general think they are one of the better bargains around. I haven't had any that changed POI with magnification, and the optics are pretty good for the price. I have also had the 2-7x on a .300 Weatherby for quite a while, and it has held up perfectly. I have had far more expensive scopes break much sooner on a rifle of that recoil level.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Shenko Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February/01/2009 at 12:55
John-
Are your FFIIs older (USA) or foreign made, or both?  My old Burris scopes have been great, but I've heard people don't like the newer ones.
 
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John Barsness View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote John Barsness Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February/01/2009 at 13:26

I've got some of both. The 2-7x on the .300 Weatherby is a Phillipine model. I haven't gotten a new one in a couple of years, though.

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John Barsness View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote John Barsness Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February/01/2009 at 13:32
I just remember that I hunted with a .30-06 this fall, while doing a TV show, that had a new FFII 3-9x on it. It worked great, both during sight-in and when killing a bull elk at 250 yards. The other guy on the hunt also used a .30-06 with a FFII, and it worked fine as well. Obviously, I didn't have a chance to compare the optics to some of my own FFII's, but they lookd just fine, even in "black timber."
 
I'll also comment that my main gun store, Capital Sports & Western in Helena, Montana, regularly stcosk FFII's and has for some years. One of the reasons they stock them is that they very rarely get any customer complaints, and that has continued with the Phillipine scopes. That has not been the case with some other scope brands that they've carried, including some that cost a lot more. And a lot of their customers are mounting FFII's on elk rifles chambered for various magnum cartridges.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote shooterpunk Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February/01/2009 at 13:44
How do you think the FFII will hold up to a .338 magnum?
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote amk204 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February/01/2009 at 13:54
i have a 4.5-14 with bl.plex. its ok but i like my nikon @ sightron better. the objects look shrunken with the ff11. sightpitcher is clear and sharp bl.plex works fine.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote rifle looney Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February/01/2009 at 13:56
Originally posted by shooterpunk shooterpunk wrote:

How do you think the FFII will hold up to a .338 magnum?


John B just mentioned it will hold up well to various elk/magnum cartridges?
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote ckk1106 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February/01/2009 at 14:09
I've been happy with the optics of my FFII.  I got the 3-9X40 that came with the free pair of binoculars.  If I had known that I couldn't use the butler creek covers on that scope before I bought it I would have gone with something else, though.  That's the only complaint I've had with the scope.  
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Black n Tan Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February/01/2009 at 14:37
I have a Burris FFII in 4.5x14 with the lighted Ballistic Plex. It sits on a 257 WBY. It has held a zero on my ultra lightweight rifle including throughout the power ranges.
 
It seems to be ok in terms of a sight picture on the lower power settings. The detail in what you are looking at just isnt there. If I want to make something out at home looking across the hayfield at 600 yards, I have to use my old Leupold. It is brighter than the Vari-X III, but just doesnt have the detail. About 7X is the upper limit for this scope, after that it begins to get cloudy or dull looking as well as very sensitive to eye placement. Mine is three years old.
 
Seems to be built like a tank, but has the weight and balance of one also. I looked at a 30mm for a while, but see no advantage other than windage and elevation. The weight is a turn off for me.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote helo18 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February/01/2009 at 14:50
I like my FFII sat on my 270 for years.  Had a horse roll on it, and never did anything to that scope.  Then I had it on my 300 WM till I got a Black Diamond for it. The one I have I believe is an older one.  It seems close optically to the 4200, but the 4200 edges it slightly.  Never have had a POI change with it either.

John, I have bought several items (fishing, camping, and gear) from Capital.  Great people up there, but the best price and service for optics has always been SWFA for me, and I will keep going back.  For guns and gear, Capital is a great place though. Thunbs Up
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote helo18 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February/01/2009 at 15:46
I forgot to mention that I use the Butler Creek flip up caps on my ffII.  Might get in the way for some people, but I make do ok with them.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote John Barsness Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February/01/2009 at 16:18
shooterpunk,
 
My guess is that a FFII would work on a .338, but that is only an educated guess. The evidence is that they're pretty darned tough.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote John Barsness Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February/01/2009 at 16:55
In general, when looking for scopes bigger than around 3-9x, you should spend more money. Optical performance above 10x is what suffers first in cheaper scopes. (There are exceptions to this, but not many, at least in my experience.)
 
However, up to 3-9x the optics are usually pretty good, partly because scope manufacturers sell more scopes in that size range than any other, so tend to spend a little more time on the optics.
 
On a more specific level, I have had a 3-9x FFII on a Ruger No. 1B in .22 Hornet for years now, and have used it to take hundreds of prairie dogs at ranges out to 350 yards or so. That's about the limit for the Hornet, even when using 40-grain Ballistic Tips at 3100 fps. Out to that range I've had no difficulty aiming at prairie dogs at 9x--and I have even shot one at 427. Of course, priarie dog shooting takes place in good light, but so far I haven't felt any desire to replace this scope.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Sandracer Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February/01/2009 at 17:35
Well I hope John is right and the FF2 is good. Maybe I should put the scope on another rifle and give it another try! It went on a 270 win that shot all bullets touching at 100 till I changed the power ring from 9 to 6 power. This is where it went all to hell. Three inches lower and wouldn't group any better than 2 inches. Thinking the gun may be at fault, I installed the 4200 3-9x40. All touching again no matter where I set the power!  
 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote John Barsness Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February/01/2009 at 19:31
All I am saying is that the FFII's I have tried (maybe 6-8) have been good. Your results indicate a bad scope--which can happen now and then with anybody (though in more expensive scopes the results tend to be good--until they fall apart). I would have sent that one back to Burris in a hurry.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote shooterpunk Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February/01/2009 at 21:03
Thanks John!
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Urimaginaryfrnd Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February/01/2009 at 21:39
I hate to be the one to throw cold water on this but I have bought several Burris scopes in the last several years two of which I was really unhappy with and ultimately got rid of.  I was in a gun store about a year or so ago and the owner of the store just raves about how good the fulfield II is and was showing me one - aparently it was the first one he had ever gotten that was really not right internally and I handed it back to him and told him there was something wrong with it the lenses looked very cloudy and wouldnt focus.  It went back to the manufacturer -- quality control issue.  I think there is a difference in the ones that are not US made. I think the old ones are real good and most of the foreign made ones are good but I do not think the quality control is what it was a few years back.  If you get one check it our and if its not right send it back without delay. 
 
I would be more inclined to go with the Nikon Team Primos or a Bushnell 4200.


Edited by Urimaginaryfrnd - February/01/2009 at 21:42

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