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Bushnell Elite 4200 scope - which one |
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blacktails
Optics Apprentice Joined: November/18/2008 Location: Washington Status: Offline Points: 76 |
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Posted: April/17/2009 at 17:55 |
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Do to some special circumstances, I have a choice between a 4200 3-9x40 multiplex or a 4200 2.5-10x40 Firefly for approximately the same money. Both are brand new. Originally I was getting the 3-9 Multiplex, but now I can get the 2.5-10 Firefly if I want, for the same excellent price I was originally going to pay for the 3-9. Normally the 2.5-10 Firefly is about $100 more. Besides the slight weight increase (3 oz) and increased length (.9"), are there any negatives or any issues about the 2.5-10 Firefly model that would make the 3-9 the better deal? Which is considered the better scope? The scope is going on a Model 70 Featherweight in 30-06, as a secondary rifle for deer hunting in clearcuts & woods here in the rainy Pacific Northwest, and shots out to 400 yds max.
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RONK
Optics Master Extraordinaire Joined: April/05/2007 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 3199 |
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Your question drives me crazy, because I have been dying to run across a Firefly model to try out, and have never seen one!
I posted a question here about them a long time ago and got little response.
I seem to remember something about the illumination being of shorter duration than touted by the manufacturer, and also that the reticle was somewhat heavier than the ones on non-firefly models. That may not be a negative, but a plus, depending on your intended usage.
The only other issue I can think of is whether Firefly is a wire or an etched-glass reticle.
I have a hunch it is wire, but not sure.
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DAVE44
Optics Journeyman Joined: November/11/2004 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 652 |
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I have one and I am pretty sure it is a wire reticle that is coated with a luminecent coating like the glow in the dark hands on a wrist watch that glow after they absorb light. The outer crosshairs are very very thick then drop down to very thick and then drop down to the center medium thin crosshairs. I like mine for the brush because it really stands out jet black and is really easy to see in low light without ever using the glow in the dark feature which I never have used. The standard plex in the 3-9x40 sometimes tends to fade or turn a silverish bronze color in certain lighting angles that tend to make the reticle look almost transparent or hard to see at times. Still it is very servicable and in legal light is all you need. One thing about the firefly is that the crosshairs stay really black and I actually think they stay darker and just as black as the etched reticle in the Zeiss Conquest which I used to have. Either buy both and return the one you dont like or buy one and if you dont like it send it in to Bushnell for the one year free replacement/refund they offer. When I first got mine I didnt like it but after using it I grew to like it.
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jetwrnch
Optics Apprentice Joined: July/03/2006 Location: Knoxville, TN Status: Offline Points: 294 |
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I've owned both. 2.5-10x40 hands down. The UNLIT firefly is great in low light.
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Urimaginaryfrnd
MODERATOR Resident Redneck Joined: June/20/2005 Location: Iowa Status: Offline Points: 14964 |
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2.5 is better than 3
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"Always do the right thing, just because it is the right thing to do". Bobby Paul Doherty Texas Ranger |
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koshkin
MODERATOR Dark Lord of Optics Joined: June/15/2004 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 13181 |
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2.5-10x40 is a better scope: more range and wider field of view. It is a bit heavier though.
As far as the reticles go, for shooting groups Multi-X is better: it is a bit thinner. For low light shooting, Firefly is better even without the glow-in-the-dark feature. It is very easy to see in questionable lighting. ILya |
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Roy Finn
MODERATOR Steiner Junkie Joined: April/05/2004 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 4856 |
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I would go the FireFly, 2.5-10 for hunting all the way. I own 6 4200's and two of them are FF reticles. I've never used (or needed to use) the illumination feature for hunting cause the reticle is bold enough that it hasn't been necessary. The 2.5-10 will give you more mounting latitude on a long action rifle so that's a plus as well. BTW, the reticle is wire, not etched glass.
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medic52
Optics Professional Joined: October/05/2006 Location: Missouri Status: Offline Points: 893 |
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I have one of the 3x9x50 3200 mounted on a Ruger #1 25-06 and so far I like it, but I too think that the 2.5x10 would be a good choice......
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"The true soldier fights not because he hates what is in front of him, but because he loves what is behind him." G.K. Chesterton
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blacktails
Optics Apprentice Joined: November/18/2008 Location: Washington Status: Offline Points: 76 |
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Well, all of this is really good to hear, since I was leaning towards the 2.5-10 FF because of the great pricing. Just wanted your opinions to see if there was any downside to it. Looks like that's the way I'm going to go. Thanks for the help.
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hunter12345
Optics Journeyman Joined: November/21/2007 Status: Offline Points: 470 |
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I have both 4200's and like the firefly because of the thicker reticles.Can't go wrong with the 4200.
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RONK
Optics Master Extraordinaire Joined: April/05/2007 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 3199 |
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Care to share your thoughts on your Fireflys illumination qualities in low light?
Easy to charge?, How long does it stay lit well enough to use, etc.
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Mike G
Optics GrassHopper Joined: July/18/2009 Location: Maine Status: Offline Points: 25 |
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Yes I'd like to see others input on their firefly reticle. Took mine out of the gun safe tonite shined a small maglite in the scope for 10 minutes and all I had was some discountious glowing along the center of the horizontal cross hair that quickly disappeared.
Now I know the damn thing glowed after the initial shooting session sighting it in, but I'd say the dark trip in the morning to the hunting grounds, even if you charge it, is not going to give you anything to crow about.
Appears at least my scope needs sunlight to charge it, not moonlite or flashlight.
Anyone have better luck than I?
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hunterco
Optics Apprentice Joined: March/31/2007 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 94 |
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do you want to shoot 50% of the time? firefly gives you major advantages in lowlight/darkness or moonlight. 2.5-10 is superior I have read to 3-9. I read an article somewhere that 3-9x caught on as a cheap 3x magnification in the 70's and its been a hit ever since, but the 2.5-10 has much more to offer % wise in optical advantage.
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DAVE44
Optics Journeyman Joined: November/11/2004 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 652 |
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I have a Firefly reticle 1.5-6x36 and have never used the glowing reticle while charged. I have charged it and can say that you dont want to charge it too long because it will be too bright and make it hard to use. I would use it like this...I would charge it for about 10 seconds with a good bright light right before I left my truck and headed to my stand on foot while it is still pretty dark. The reticle will just appear as a dull lime green color that is neither distracting or invisible in low light. It just needs to be lit enough to see it not light up your whole scope! Once I got to the stand I would only charge it for another 10 seconds and wait for daylight. This reticle is very black and stands out better than a standard wire reticle because the luminecent coating on the wire reticle absorbs the reflection and makes it very black. I know the eye relief on these scopes is a little short, but I dont shoot magnums and I think in low light a shorter eye relief helps because your eye is closer to the eyepiece and your eye isnt affected by the surrounding light as much as it is on a long eye relief scope.
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Mike G
Optics GrassHopper Joined: July/18/2009 Location: Maine Status: Offline Points: 25 |
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Well I fugured out that it depends on which end of the scope you charge with the light. duh
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red state
Optics GrassHopper Joined: September/03/2009 Status: Offline Points: 9 |
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I have used the fire fly reticle several times on an Elite 3200. Here are few random thoughts: As others have said, it is good solid reticle that is easy to see. It is definitely not a fine, precise reticle.
When following the instructions and using a flashlight from the back of the scope to charge the reticle, the illumination does not last very long. Maybe 15 minutes tops.
It is a good reticle, just don't get it strictly because you want the illumination. The Burris LRS or Trijicon Accupoints may be better in that regard.
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CWPINST
Optics Apprentice Joined: August/01/2004 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 113 |
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The firefly is great as a thick, heavy reticle. I would not use it for illumination though. It is too easy to overdo it. It gets very bright for a short period of time and will wash out anything in low light. I have played with illuminated reticles a bit and have come to the conclusion that you are better off with a good scope and a medium to fairly thick reticle without illumination.
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If it ain't accurate at long distance, the fact that it is flat shooting is irrelevant.
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CWPINST
Optics Apprentice Joined: August/01/2004 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 113 |
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Hunterco, a lot of folks make decisions on this site based on peoples experiences. It would be better if you gave opinions based on actual experience instead of postulations and articles that you read in magazines or the internet. |
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If it ain't accurate at long distance, the fact that it is flat shooting is irrelevant.
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supertool73
Optics God Superstool Joined: January/03/2008 Status: Offline Points: 11814 |
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Agreed, how the heck does .5x lower and 1x higher give you a huge advantage anyway. Nothing wrong at all with the 4200 3-9x. Especially for the price difference between the two. |
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Lifetime warranty and excellent customer service don't mean a thing when your gun fails during a zombie attack.
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hunterco
Optics Apprentice Joined: March/31/2007 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 94 |
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Thanks for all the attitude - most people read..before they buy things. I have owned both 3-9 and 2.5-10 and prefer the increased % in magnification and wider field of view at lower power. It is a significant difference - about 25%. Edited by hunterco - September/10/2009 at 12:26 |
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