Burris, Redfield or Leupold. Which one?

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kgpcr

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I have narrowed it down to one of three scopes all are 3x9x40. they are the Burris FFII, Redfield Revolution, Leupold VX-1. I am going to put it on top of a Savage 220 slug gun. What scope would you put on it and why? Thanks for your help!
 
^ same mfg not the same scope. I own 20 Leupolds, buy once well. Own one Redfield will be changed out for a Leupold. Couple extra bucks gets ya the vx-2 line,worth the step up. Opticsplanet.com has great prices free shipping.
 
Leupold VX-2 is much better than VX-1.
Argon filled, much better lenses.

Of course the VX-1 is still much better than a Buckmaster.

Redfield makes good products too, they are trying to make a name for themselves. They are selling very good products very reasonable.

I would try a VX-1 on anything, I would bet on a VX-2 everytime.
 
I heard that Leupold upgrade the VX line of scopes last year . So that the VX-1 of today , is the VX-2 of yesterday .

I have a older VX-2 , 2-7x33 & a Redfield Revolution 2-7x33 . I can't tell much difference in them . I use the gun more that has the Redfield on it . Last year I could see a deer through the Redfield when it was to dark to see it with my eyes at about 50 yards away .

When I bought my Redfield ( IMO ) it was a better scope than the older VX-1 with the friction turn adjustment knobs , not even considering it was about $50 cheaper when it first came out . I paid $150 for mine .

I would pick the lower price one of the two . Either will be a good scope and you will get top rate customer service from Leupold ( from my experience ) .

I have the same gun with the older VX-2 on it .
 
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The step up from a VX-1 to a VX-2 is good for optical quality, but you're giving up the shorter range parallax of the shotgun scopes, unless you go the custom shop route.

Also, because of that, I would probably look at the Burris Droptine Sabot rather than the Fullfield II.

They're all pretty decent scopes. I would probably go with the Leupold because of their warranty and service, but I don't think you'll be disappointed with the others.
 
I have all three and love all three of them. I would say the Leupold is slightly clearer. If I recall, the Leupold has friction turrets and the others are clicks.
 
birdshooter said:
I have all three and love all three of them. I would say the Leupold is slightly clearer. If I recall, the Leupold has friction turrets and the others are clicks.
Click to expand...
The older VX-1 has the friction ring . The current models are click ring .
 
I have that Redfield and that Leupold. I'd give the nod to the Leupold, but only slightly. The Redfield is very good for the price. Leupold owns Redfield.

Jeff
 
I have a burris FFII and a redfield revolution. I don't remember the names of the reticles but I got both with the drop compensating/range finding style reticle. I think I like the burris reticle with its multiple hash marks better than the redfield which has a circle in it, but both work fine. In terms of clarity I can't really see a difference between the two. I would probably go with redfield and support the american company, and go with a standard duplex reticle if I was putting it on a slug gun.
 
I have a Redfield Revolution 3-9x40 and a Burris Fullfield II 4.5-14x42. I've had the Redfield for a couple years or so and had been happy with it, thought it was a good scope, especially for the money. Then recently I conducted a systematic evaluation of all my scopes using an optical resolution target at 135 yards. I created a chart to grade each scope on resolution, clarity and brightness. At any power up to the 9x max of the Redfield, the Burris is very substantially better. I still like the Redfield, but this test was an eye-opener. I already had two of the Burris scopes, but following the test I've purchased two more. I also like the reticle in the Burris. http://www.burrisoptics.com/ballplex.html
 
I have had 4 various models of the Fullfield II as well as a few Leupolds. I have had nothing but great service out of them. Very clear. For the money the Burris can't be beat. On top of that, they are built very stout/tough. For your slug gun application the Fullfield II would be great. Look at their 2-7x35mm model. I think it was actually designed for shotguns.

Mark in GA
 
One other thing. I am pretty sure the lower end Leupolds (nor the Redfields) like you are looking at are no longer made in the US, so don't expect buying Leupold to give you that advantage.

Mark in GA
 
Redfield has 2 or 3 lines of scopes at the moment. The revolution series appears to still be made in the USA. The revenge series (which runs a little cheaper) is not.
 
One other thing. I am pretty sure the lower end Leupolds (nor the Redfields) like you are looking at are no longer made in the US, so don't expect buying Leupold to give you that advantage.
Click to expand...

All Leupold scopes are USA made. Many, maybe most of their binoculars are not. The Redfield Revolution is USA made, none of the others are.

It is a pretty close call. The Burris might be the toughest and would be a strong contender on a slug gun. While many do not like the power adjustment system it is part of what makes Burris one of the tougher scopes. One less seal to go bad inside the scope. The difference is small, but I also find the Burris to be a bit clearer.

Leupold is the lightest if a consideration, also the most expensive.

Redfield is about the same as a VX-1, but less expensive
 
Maybe the Leupold is assembled here still. I think I read somewhere about their lenses and internals being of china origin now on the lower end of their product line. I hope I'm wrong, because I would much rather Leupold keep EVERYTHING here. If they are still USA made and USA parts that would be an advantage in my mind.

Mark in GA
 
Mark in GA said:
Maybe the Leupold is assembled here still. I think I read somewhere about their lenses and internals being of china origin now on the lower end of their product line. I hope I'm wrong, because I would much rather Leupold keep EVERYTHING here. If they are still USA made and USA parts that would be an advantage in my mind.
Click to expand...
Leupold gets their lenses from whomever can meet their demands for quality and quantity. There are very few lens makers in the US, and I'm not sure if any can keep up with the quantity Leupold needs produced. I don't believe they stick to any one particular vendor. The lenses are built to their exact specifications, and they test them to make sure they meet those specs. But that's why they say "assembled in the USA" rather than "made in the USA."

For what it's worth, Leupold is very open about this fact. They're probably one of the few that goes to the trouble to say it, though nearly all of them get their lenses (or the whole thing) overseas. http://www.leupold.com/about-us/americas-optics-authority/

I believe US Optics makes their own lenses here in the US, if you have to get one 100% US made.
 
I have had all 3 scopes and currently own both the VX-1 and Burris FFII and the Burris is quite a bit better than the other two. The glass is better, the turrets are better and more precise, and the scope has held up better. My VX-1 has been in for repair twice, and I owned a second one which also failed on me. I ended up selling that one once I got it back. IMO while I don't think the others are horrible, the Burris is easily the way I'd go. The only downside to the Burris is the rotation eye piece for the magnification. This is a pain if you want to use flip up covers, otherwise it's not a big problem. If you go with the E1 model it eliminates this problem though.
 
I've had Leupold, Weaver, Redfield, Burris, Nikon, Bushnell, and Tasco. I have used my brother's Zeiss, Weatherby, and Pecar. The best are in this order: Pecar (now owned by Zeiss), Zeiss, Leupold, Weatherby, Nikon, Bushnell, Burris, Redfield, Weaver, Tasco. The only scopes I have gotten rid of because they did not function well and the manufacturers would not fix them were Redfield and Weaver, but this was long ago, maybe 35 years ands their warranties have improved. I threw the Tasco away. I currently own several Leupolds, a Nikon, and 3 Bushnells. I'll buy a Zeiss for my nexty new rifle.
 
Don't over look the Japanese made Weaver V Classics.
A very well made scope for a good price.
I caught a 2.5x7x32 on sale at Midway $154.
Scope in slightly less than 11 inches in length and weigh 9.7 ounces by our digital scale.
 
I agree with most but will say I used to be an depredation agent for N.J. fish and game and shot deer 2-3 nights a week with a pinned 870 slug gun using a FFII 3-9 with the electro-dot and it held up for 8 years I was part of the program (moved out of state). I had to document the sex, age, date and quantities of deer killed on each farm I was assigned to for that time period and neither the gun or the scope ever had a problem. I typically shot 60+ deer a year (notice I don't call it hunting because it was anything but) which were donated to food pantries and needy families that put requests in for meat. My total number of shots just in this time period would likely equate to a lifetime of hunting for most folks and I can whole heartedly recommend the Burris line. I am sure there are better and worse options out there but FFII worked fine and is still functioning today. FWIW, I used Winchester partition gold sabot slugs due to the performance out of my 870.
 
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