Lower end Bushell, Vortex, Leupold ?

Well, there's a difference between a low end Bushnell and a low end Leupold. I have experience with both, and while I've never had a cheap Bushnell fail, the optics are no comparison.
We have 2 deer rifles in the house and both wear what most would consider a lower end Leupold. The .30-06 has a 3-9x40 Rifleman and the .243 has a 3-9x40 VXII.
I am beyond happy with both.

Leupold

The Leupold is the better of the two, (Leupold and Vortex) but even for I, who work in optics, the Vortex Crossfire is fine. Tomorrow I will be helping a friend sight in his .243 Axis that I just mounted a Crossfire on.

Burris Fullfield.

NIGHTLORD40K said:

Burris Fullfield.

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I have a Bushnell Fullfield II on my .450 AR. I think it cost $140. Great for what I use it for and the ballistic reticle just happens to work perfectly with my deer loads.

Fullfield 2 or E1 are my default recommendations.

My experience with the vx-f, is that optically they are ok/good, but the turrets are mushy. I havent had a Bushnell prime, but i was very happy with my Nitro till it broke lol. Id consider a Prime before a Rifleman I think.

Ive yet to see a cheap vortex I liked.

Check local pawnshops and buy the best optic you can for the money...

Bartojc said:

I have zero experience with anything Burris nor do I know anyone that has one. I have a couple friends with Vortex Cross fire, and Diamond backs, I’ve looked through them they’re ok. If I were going to spend $200 on a Vortex I think I’d get the Leupold. I like my VX1 for the money. I assume the Freedoms are similar ? I don’t spin the turrets much anyhow. The only Bushnell I own is an old glossy one that is probably 30 years old so I’m sure any new Bushnell would be better. Bottom line is it doesn’t seem they the extra $150 left in my budget really gets me anything. Guess I could buy powder and brass and be happy .
Jeff

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It can depending on what sales are going one, but from what it SOUNDS like you want, youll probably do fine with rhe 150-200 dollar scopes.

On the sales front, ive seen the vx-3is go for as low as 300-350, and at that price I consider them a good buy. There are Nikon Monarchs available for 200-350 which id likely to buy. Athlons got the Argos btr line on sale right now, but they are heavy and more dedicated tk target work.
Actually you might just call the guys at Cameraland, and tell them what your looking for, see if they cant hook you up with a good deal on something.

Bartojc said:

Re Cameraland... what’s your opinion on this ? Other than the reticle I think it would work. I could live with it.

https://cameralandny.com/shop/bushn...1b8b-0138-86b8-00163ecd2826?variation=2104371

Jeff

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I think @Skylerbone has that exact scope.

The reticles a little busy for me, but as you say its liveable. My nitro is SFP and has the simpler reticle. Glass wise if they are the same, which i assume they are, id say it would be a good option, at a very good price.

Awhile back I picked up a 1-8x Vortex strike eagle with mount from Palmetto for $299 (for the money, with mount, hard to beat, imo). I like it, I wouldn't go as far as saying its better than my 1-4 nightforce nsx and larue mount but it was a LOT cheaper and works fine on the 450 bm I have it on.

LoonWulf said:

I think @Skylerbone has that exact scope.

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Mine is the 5-20x FFP Nitro and I liked that one enough to chance a 3-12x Prime. That lead to 2 more Primes in 1-4x. Good sizes, reasonably good glass, EXO Barrier coating to shed water in the field, and eye relief is somewhere between Leupold and Vortex.

My take, and it’s always been subjective for me:
Burris FFII, never a bad choice.
Leupold VX-2, VX-3, Mark AR, all great value lines with huge eye relief.
Vortex Crossfire II and Diamondback, a step below the others for glass quality and very short eye relief.
Bushnell Nitro & Prime, both impressive glass, solid feel, and deserving of a seat at the table.

I never gave much thought to Bushnell below the Elite line until recently and I buy a healthy number of optics. While I can afford more expensive choices I don’t mind one bit paying less for a scope that offers what I’m looking for.

As a suggestion, I’d say the easy option for me and what I’d choose if I owned a 450BM would be the same model I already own, the Prime 3-12x Multi-Turret. The included turrets range from .17- 450BM giving you a good ballpark (depending on game size) estimate on drop. Adjust side focus, check the yardage marked on it, spin the elevation dial to the number, and shoot. I cannot vouch for the accuracy of the system but again, I’d bet it was tested enough to get you close, needing only verification at the range before your hunt.

I still own a half dozen Leupold, 6-8 Nikons, a pair of Zeiss, and many other riflescopes but the Bushnells offered a bargain solution in hunting grade glass that was hard to beat. I wouldn’t hesitate with any of the above suggestions with the exception of low end Vortex, which gives me pause on the eye relief + 450BM combo.



Nitro, Prime, Prime


3-12 Prime for T/C Encore muzzleloader


Elevation cap for 150gr 3-pellet load under a 250gr sabot


Readable turrets, focus on target, read yardage, adjust elevation, boom

Might have to buy one of those little Primes for the .458 barrel on my RAM build.

Skylerbone how do you like the eye relief in the nitro and Prime.

Ya I would not mind trying a 1-4 Prime.

The Nitro feels as long as a Leupold to me, perhaps a tad shorter, and the Prime trails the Nitro by about the same margin. My T/C is pushing 2,000fps with that 250gr bullet and I don’t fear scope bite. Still need to get to the range with it but the “dry fit” is great.

I have a friend that is a Burris rep. He can get about anything he wants from Burris at cost. He uses FF II. I’ve looked thru them. Looked good, though I haven’t used one in the field.

I have three VX-3’s. Paid a lot more than they are selling for now, and think they are well worth it. If you are hunting, I would strongly suggest a Firedot. They are super clear, excellent low light visibility, and excellent eye relief.

No recent experience with Vortex

I believe that there are now lower end options that are better than much more expensive options from just a few years ago

Fine Figure of a Man said:

I have a Bushnell Fullfield II on my .450 AR. I think it cost $140. Great for what I use it for and the ballistic reticle just happens to work perfectly with my deer loads.

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I think Fullfield is made by Burris

Go with Leupold 1.5-4 of some flavor. Plex reticle.

Most of my scopes are Leupold or Vortex. For the price I really like Vortex and have one on my 450 Bushmaster, a Vortex Viper HS 2.5-10x44.



The 2.5x works nice for close range and when stalking but the 10X is nice all the way out to as far as you would push 450 BM and even further. The reticle has just enough extra features to make long range shots easier. I sighted in for 100 yards and used Strelok to recalculate the BDC hash marks for my load out to nearly 300 yards.

I don't know what kind of hunting you are intending to do but I have shot hogs as close as 10 yards, out of a moving UTV, I don't have optics that can't start out at 1x on the rifles I use in those situations. I'd much rather have an aimpoint on it than something that starts out at 3x or higher, for that job.

Bartojc said:

The upper was bought on a whim. I just cant leave things sit though

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I hear ya, 2 years ago, almost to the day, I went from 1 AR to my oldest daughter finishing up number 9 yesterday.

The Nitro I bought on a whim as well for a future precision AR build. It is big and it is heavy so the Primes were a solution for hunting rifles. My Leupolds are lighter by several ounces but the Bushnells are no heavier than a Nikon or Weaver.

Newest addition to the AR family; Aero M4E1 with BA 16” middy.


The AR group pic minus my Aero 7.5” HD that resides in a bedside locker.