Bushnell Custom Gold 3-10x44 review

[Newtosavage]

Saw these on the Natchez Shooters Supply website and immediately thought they were rebranded Weaver 40/44 series scopes at an absurd price (cheap!).

Good news is they are. They come with Weaver warranty info, and are nearly identical to my Weaver 6x38. Same turrets and caps and all.

The image quality is quite good right up to about 8x. 9x is okay and 10x gets a bit cloudy but still, for the money it's very good. At 6x, I cannot tell the difference between my fixed 6x38 Weaver (made in Japan) and this 3-10x44 "Bushnell" made in the Phillipines, which IMO is pretty remarkable considering how good that 6x38 is.

On that note, if it had been made in China I would have passed. I won't buy any optics from China anymore.

I love the ballistic-X reticle. The reticle is somewhat thick, like some commenters complain about, but for a hunting scope it will be fine. Better than fine in low light actually.

I will take it to the range on Saturday and report back. Actually I bought two of them (at that price, I couldn't pass them up) and put one on my .280 and another on my .17 HMR

They are very light BTW. Only 3 oz. heavier than my super lightweight 6x38 Weaver, which is quite remarkable for a variable power with a 6mm larger objective lens.

 

[WelshShooter]

I have a Simmons WTC 1.5-5x20 scope which was made in the Philippines many years ago. The clarity on this glass is superb, I paid around $100 for this a few years ago (came with the original packaging, manual and bikini covers) and I love using it on my smallbore firearms.

 

[LoonWulf]

Thanks for the review! Its a little larger than i want but the price is good, and they sound like a pretty solid scope!

 

[Newtosavage]

Should give it a test at the range this afternoon. We'll see how the clarity holds up at 300 yards. But on the surface, I can recommend this scope. I'd pay $150+ for it and feel like I got a deal, so at half that price it's a very very good deal IMO. I was glad to see Bushnell make this move because the Phillipine-made Bushnell branded Weaver scopes are quite a bit better than the new Chinese-made Banners. And that's a shame because the Banners were always a solid investment, until they moved production to China.

 

[LoonWulf]

Yeah ive got a couple of the chinese made ultra hds, and so far they have been really good for the money. I was nervous buying them as i usually buy korean or Philippines made scopes, but these atleast seem solid.

My only scope to be bad from the factory was a recently purchased xlt muzzle loader scope from china.

 

[Newtosavage]

Range test today went well. Shot some of the best groups ever from my .280 with this scope guiding the way. View at 10x leaves something to be desired, but not surprising at this price. View at 3-7x is superb, albeit narrower than I am used to. At around 8x it starts to get a touch cloudy and by 9x it is sure-enough cloudy, but of course still very useable.

Tracking was spot-on, as I've always experienced with Weaver scopes. IMO tracking is better in this scope than my Leupy VX-1's.

I think you'd have to spend at least 2x as much money to get a better scope.

 

[Newtosavage]

Pictures I promised...



Took the time to compare the view to my 2-7 Leupold VX-1 and my Weaver Classic 6x38. The Bushnell held up very well until I got past about 8x. I did make a focus bell adjustment afterward and the 10x image improved a little. Certainly useable, but of course not Leupold quality. However, at 30% the price of a Leupold with the LR reticle, I'm not going to complain.

Of the three scopes, I love the light weight and view of the 2-7 Leupy and the Weaver both. For the money, they are outstanding scopes, with a nod going the way of the Weaver 6x38 for overall best value IMO. It's incredibly bright and sharp and excellent in low light (so is the Leupy though) and if it featured a ballistic reticle, it would probably remain on my .280 for it's lifetime. The fact that the Weaver weighs only 10 oz. is just amazing to me.

I don't think there is any disputing that this "Bushnell" is in fact a rebranded Weaver 44/40 series scope, and that's one reason I bought it. I like Weaver products.

 

[Newtosavage]

Here's the view at 3, 7 and 10x. Again, I refocused the bell at 10x and it got slightly better. The electrical panel is 200 yards away.

 

[Newtosavage]

Now the Leupold 2-7 VX-1 at 3 and 7 power for comparison. This is still one of my favorite hunting scopes of all time.

 

[Newtosavage]

You can see the rebranded weaver/bushnell holds its own very well up to 7x. Slightly narrow FOV, but the edges of the wider FOV on the Leupold are not razor sharp either.

 

[Newtosavage]

Finally, the 6x38 Weaver view. Great scope. 10 oz. is hard to believe.

 

[LoonWulf]

Nice, yeah little fuzzy at 10x but not horrible better than any sub 100scope ive seen.