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Bushnell vs Burris

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helo18 View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote helo18 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Topic: Bushnell vs Burris
    Posted: January/29/2008 at 20:15
I got my hands on a Bushnell 3-9x40 Elite 4200 Plex from my dad recently.  I took it out last night and compared it to my Burris 3-9x40 FFII Bal-Plex and a Simmons 3-9x40 Plex.  I looked at how bright and sharp each scope was.  How I like the reticles (size and style).  Ruggedness of the scopes.  Fogging.  And eye relief.  I looked at all of these things in daylight dusk and after dark.  These are my thoughts and opinions on these scopes.
 
Simmons:  Works in the day light.  Not near as bright or as sharp as either the Bushnell or  Burris.  At dusk, it can't even compare.  Overall, clearly the loser.  I considered not even comparing it, but I figure I would throw it in.
 
Burris:  By far the most rugged feeling to me.  Although SWFA lists the weight as the same (13oz), Burris felt heavier than the Bushnell.  Adjustments are harder to make on the Burris, which could be due to the claim that it has double the srings (double the pressure) holding the inner tube in place.  Can be done with the fingers, but is easier with a quarter or screwdriver.  It is easy to hear the clicks.  I like some feature of the ocular peice.  One peice.  Although if you have flip up caps on there, it could get in the way adjusting the power setting because the whole peice rotates.  I personally like that, but for some people they may not.  I really like the bal-plex reticle.  It is a little heavier than the plex which blocks the target a little more at long range or on small game, but that has never presented a problem for me.  Now for the part that I am sure I will get some disagreement on.  The glass.  During the day, there was not much difference to me between the 4200 and FFII.  The Burris was not as bright as the 4200, but to me it was as sharp as, but not more than the 4200.  At dusk, the FFII only fell behind by a couple minutes.  And I litterally mean 2 minutes.  I tested both scopes at 4x and 9x for the night test.  The 4200 won the dual.  After all the hype about the 4200 being so much better, I was pleased to see the FFII perform that well.
 
Bushnell:  I can only say one word.  RAINGAURD.  I love that, and that is the main reason that the 4200 won this comparison.  The FFII fogged up when I did the test.  You could still shoot if you absolutely had too, but not the best idea.  The Bushnell on the other hand, no problem.  When I first took them out of the freezer, you could see some fog on the lense, but you could still very easily see through it.  And it cleared up within seconds (vs minutes with the FFII).  As stated, the glass was brighter, and the scope took the night competition by a little.  I really liked the adjustments as well.  Easy finger adjustable and audible clicks.  The plex reticle is nice, not to heavy, but not too light.  You can loose it in the dark though.  Another great feature is the eye relief.  Much better than the FFII.  If you have a heavy hitter you need a scope for, the 4200 will be a great choice.  It was less forgiving when moving your head around.  You have to keep you head centered more to keep a full sight picture.  Not a big deal for me since i make sure my head is on the stock the same way every time.
 
Overall, the winner is the 4200.  It is the better scope, and worth the extra $80-90 if someone is looking for a good low dollar scope.  I would easily recommend it to anyone.  The raingaurd is one of the best features.  Wish I could get ahold of some to put on all of my scopes.
 
Here is my rankings:
1.  Bushnell 4200 - Raingaurd is all I can say
2.  Burris FFII - Love the bal-plex reticle
3.  Simmons - Forget this one and get one of the other two.
 
Hope this help those looking good cheaper scope.
 
Just as a side note, the 4200 3-9 could not compete with my Burris Black Diamond or XTR.  I would like to compare a Elite 4200 4-16 and a Elite 6500 2.5-16 to the Burris scopes to see how they do.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote medic52 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: January/29/2008 at 20:30
EXCEPTIONAL REPORT and I Totally agree with you the 4200 is the BEST out of your test. I like my 4200 6x24x40.....
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote pyro6999 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: January/29/2008 at 20:45
i wont disagree with any of that, im guessing that the 6500 elite will be a better scope yet
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Big Squeeze Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: January/29/2008 at 20:53
Originally posted by helo18 helo18 wrote:

I got my hands on a Bushnell 3-9x40 Elite 4200 Plex from my dad recently.  I took it out last night and compared it to my Burris 3-9x40 FFII Bal-Plex and a Simmons 3-9x40 Plex.  I looked at how bright and sharp each scope was.  How I like the reticles (size and style).  Ruggedness of the scopes.  Fogging.  And eye relief.  I looked at all of these things in daylight dusk and after dark.  These are my thoughts and opinions on these scopes.
 
Simmons:  Works in the day light.  Not near as bright or as sharp as either the Bushnell or  Burris.  At dusk, it can't even compare.  Overall, clearly the loser.  I considered not even comparing it, but I figure I would throw it in.
 
Burris:  By far the most rugged feeling to me.  Although SWFA lists the weight as the same (13oz), Burris felt heavier than the Bushnell.  Adjustments are harder to make on the Burris, which could be due to the claim that it has double the srings (double the pressure) holding the inner tube in place.  Can be done with the fingers, but is easier with a quarter or screwdriver.  It is easy to hear the clicks.  I like some feature of the ocular peice.  One peice.  Although if you have flip up caps on there, it could get in the way adjusting the power setting because the whole peice rotates.  I personally like that, but for some people they may not.  I really like the bal-plex reticle.  It is a little heavier than the plex which blocks the target a little more at long range or on small game, but that has never presented a problem for me.  Now for the part that I am sure I will get some disagreement on.  The glass.  During the day, there was not much difference to me between the 4200 and FFII.  The Burris was not as bright as the 4200, but to me it was as sharp as, but not more than the 4200.  At dusk, the FFII only fell behind by a couple minutes.  And I litterally mean 2 minutes.  I tested both scopes at 4x and 9x for the night test.  The 4200 won the dual.  After all the hype about the 4200 being so much better, I was pleased to see the FFII perform that well.
 
Bushnell:  I can only say one word.  RAINGAURD.  I love that, and that is the main reason that the 4200 won this comparison.  The FFII fogged up when I did the test.  You could still shoot if you absolutely had too, but not the best idea.  The Bushnell on the other hand, no problem.  When I first took them out of the freezer, you could see some fog on the lense, but you could still very easily see through it.  And it cleared up within seconds (vs minutes with the FFII).  As stated, the glass was brighter, and the scope took the night competition by a little.  I really liked the adjustments as well.  Easy finger adjustable and audible clicks.  The plex reticle is nice, not to heavy, but not too light.  You can loose it in the dark though.  Another great feature is the eye relief.  Much better than the FFII.  If you have a heavy hitter you need a scope for, the 4200 will be a great choice.  It was less forgiving when moving your head around.  You have to keep you head centered more to keep a full sight picture.  Not a big deal for me since i make sure my head is on the stock the same way every time.
 
Overall, the winner is the 4200.  It is the better scope, and worth the extra $80-90 if someone is looking for a good low dollar scope.  I would easily recommend it to anyone.  The raingaurd is one of the best features.  Wish I could get ahold of some to put on all of my scopes.
 
Here is my rankings:
1.  Bushnell 4200 - Raingaurd is all I can say
2.  Burris FFII - Love the bal-plex reticle
3.  Simmons - Forget this one and get one of the other two.
 
Hope this help those looking good cheaper scope.
 
Just as a side note, the 4200 3-9 could not compete with my Burris Black Diamond or XTR.  I would like to compare a Elite 4200 4-16 and a Elite 6500 2.5-16 to the Burris scopes to see how they do.
........................................................................Your assessment does not surprise me when comparing the FF2 to the Elite 4200! Since the Burris Black Diamond has a minimum price of $598, over $300 more, its not hard to understand its superiority over the 4200. At $300 more than the Elite, I hope that the Burris Black Diamond would be superior!.........................My biggest complaint with Bushnell is not the 3x9 4200 which I own, it is their lack of variable and reticle selection in their 4200 line!! No 2x7`s, no 1.5x4`s, 5`s or 6`s in the 1" straight tubing or with bells on both ends and no scout scopes either! While the new 6500`s serve a purpose for greater variable ranges, Bushnell for this year, neglected to offer more in their 4200 line! Unless your a varmiter, the 6500`s offer no practicality as all-around carrying variable hunting scopes. Too heavy and too much magnification on the high end...........In the future, I hope that Bushnell will concentrate on further offerings or modifications for their 4200`s.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote tahqua Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: January/29/2008 at 22:01
Excellent report, Helo!
No surprises with the Burris. The Signature is probably a better match up to the 4200, at least for the ones I have, both 4200 and Signature..................
That is so good to hear about the FF. I have a few of them, also. I'll have to do a comparo and see for my self.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote ckk1106 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: January/29/2008 at 22:51
The bushnell  has better eye relief than the ff2?
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote helo18 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: January/29/2008 at 23:16
It does. I didn't measure it, but the way I had to hold it, it does.  The specs at SWFA also say it is less, but I felt it had more.  At least the 4200 does, I don't know about the 3200.  The Bushnell also has better fov.  I forgot to mention that.  Not too noticable at 9x but you can tell a difference on the low end.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote helo18 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: January/29/2008 at 23:28
Originally posted by Big Squeeze Big Squeeze wrote:

........................................................................Your assessment does not surprise me when comparing the FF2 to the Elite 4200! Since the Burris Black Diamond has a minimum price of $598, over $300 more, its not hard to understand its superiority over the 4200. At $300 more than the Elite, I hope that the Burris Black Diamond would be superior!.........................My biggest complaint with Bushnell is not the 3x9 4200 which I own, it is their lack of variable and reticle selection in their 4200 line!! No 2x7`s, no 1.5x4`s, 5`s or 6`s in the 1" straight tubing or with bells on both ends and no scout scopes either! While the new 6500`s serve a purpose for greater variable ranges, Bushnell for this year, neglected to offer more in their 4200 line! Unless your a varmiter, the 6500`s offer no practicality as all-around carrying variable hunting scopes. Too heavy and too much magnification on the high end...........In the future, I hope that Bushnell will concentrate on further offerings or modifications for their 4200`s.
 
I totally agree with you on the reticle selection.  Hopefully in the future, they will improve that.  I don't do enough brush hunting to need the lower power selection, but Bushnell could sell alot more scope if they offered them.  I am interested in hearing a report on the 6500s.  I like the prices of the Bushnell scopes for the most part.  You tend to pay more for Burris it seems (Black Diamond, XTR), but I am very happy with all of my Burris scopes.  Been happy so far with my Bushnell products as well (Elite 1500 Rangefinder and now 3-9x40 Elite 4200).  Once I am out of flight school, I will add a kahles and zeiss to the mess.  Can't wait.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote dunagan15 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: January/30/2008 at 00:28
Great repot Helo
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote dunagan15 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: January/30/2008 at 00:29
*report
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote cheaptrick Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: January/30/2008 at 03:42
Thanks for your review, helo.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote cyborg Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: January/30/2008 at 06:36
ExcellentExcellentExcellentExcellentExcellentExcellentExcellentExcellentExcellentExcellentExcellentExcellentExcellentExcellentExcellent Well done sir!!!!!!!
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote 8shots Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: January/30/2008 at 06:47
Nice report! Thanks for the Heads UpSuper
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote martin3175 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: January/30/2008 at 08:45

Good Stuff ...Thanks...I have both the 4200 and FFII and concur..

A while back  I was given  a 3x9x40 3200 Elite and I lined  it up against my 3x9x40 FFII and found them virtually identical in optical clarity at dawn ,daytime, and dusk. Being priced about the same, I gave the nod there to the 3200 for the Rainguard . Although I gotta admit, the FFII does "feel" a little more rugged ,however, I've never had any problems with any elite scope.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Focus Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: January/30/2008 at 09:09
Excellent concise comparison, worth a lot more than pages of marketing hype. The rainguard really makes the difference don't it? When I got my first one and tested it against other makes I couldn't believe the difference! Truly a feature to be considered when scope choosing, hope the rest of the makers get on the stick and start offering it as a standard feature. Got a 3x9x40 elite 4200 coming right now and your comparison makes me feel I made a good choice indeed. Well done!

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Big Squeeze Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: January/30/2008 at 14:58
Originally posted by Focus Focus wrote:

Excellent concise comparison, worth a lot more than pages of marketing hype. The rainguard really makes the difference don't it? When I got my first one and tested it against other makes I couldn't believe the difference! Truly a feature to be considered when scope choosing, hope the rest of the makers get on the stick and start offering it as a standard feature. Got a 3x9x40 elite 4200 coming right now and your comparison makes me feel I made a good choice indeed. Well done!

   Focus
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote 3_tens Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: January/30/2008 at 17:00
I am glad to see your report. I have been very impressed with both of my FF II in the 4.5-14 B-plex. The b-plex is the best balistics out there if you shoot .223 or 30-06, it is right on out to 400 yds. I have had better luck with the Burris on my 700 than my Leopuld VX-III varmint. The Balistics on the Leupold Varmint rectile better match my 22-250 or .243.
the lines are a lot faster than screwing the knobs on shots out to 500 yds.
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