Elite 6500 vs Leupold

moosehunter

moosehunter

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Getting fed up with messing around with cheap optics. I have a trued m70 action with a 27 1/2" heavy Kreiger barrel in 300 WM on an MPI pillared and bedded stock. The rifle and load/bullet combination is capable of sub moa from one postal code to the next. Yes Nightforce gives me a semi but just dont have that kind of bucks. Looking at a Leupold MK4 LRT 4.5-14 M1 and a Elite 6500 in 2.5-16 which is about 400.00 cheaper than the Leupold. Ive no doubt the Leupold is a better scope but is it 400.00 better? What are the pro's and cons of each? Anyone with experience with both please give your input. Bushnell says the clearest and sharpest optics in the game. BS or no? Got to be able to handle some recoil cause for hunting I take the brake off.
 
i have had a mark 4-4.5-14 TMR and i would get another one for sure. Everybody says this and that about leupold and i can say from my experience it was a perfect scope. I would use it for long range and remove it frequently from my rifle and it tracked great and kept its zero. I have also a bushnell elite 3200. I would say the mark 4 turrets had a better click feel than my bushnell. I have a nightforce right now and i like the warm colours of the mark 4 best. I settled for a nightforce in the end because of the laser etched glass compared to the mark 4 wire reticle. That was really my only factor when getting a new scope or i would've got the mark 4 again in different magnification. I feel the best reticle in the game is the TMR reticle. I have/had the bushnell mil dot, great reticle but thick cross hairs, the nightforce np-2dd reticle great dot but i like the hash mark ranging, the TMR reticle which is my all time favourite and my current reticle is the Np-r1. I would say leupold would be a good way to go and you wouldn't have any complaints. People tend to knock mark 4's for some reason. For 400 bucks more you can get a nightforce and but i can say from experience that my mark 4 was a solid scope and will always consider a mark 4 in my purchases.
 
Another thing to consider if how the warranty on each scope compares? Shouldn't need it but it is still something to think about.
 
Leupold definitely. You will hear guys say Leupold is better than Nightforce because of this, Nightforce is better than Leupold because of that. But at the end of the day they are both better than Busnell.

I do like the Illuminated reticle on the Nightforce better and the Leupold does not turn the eye piece to adjust magnification. I think the Nightforce has a little better coatings to cut down on glare. If you can save up the money for a Nightforce that would be great but I also have 3 Mark IV's and they are very excellent scopes and you will not be disappointed. I Have had numerous Bushnells and always find their clarity to fade out on max magnification. They can not compare with the Leupold and Nightforce in glare reduction either.
 
I know warrentee is a big factor. Leupold is repaired just out of Calgary, Nightforce in Montana says a 10 day turn around. Sent a Bushnell in for repairs a few years ago and it was gone for 8 months. As to Sworovski or Zeiss I figured Sworovski to be out of my price range and have no knowelge of Zeiss but I'll look into them. I know Mystic sells Sightron and likes them a lot but I need a 30 mil tube and dont see any in they're line. My Bushnell 3200 8-32 on my 6.5x284 is true adjustments, repeatable and returns to zero and I can see the holes at 1000 yards and read the fine print on the target, No complaints there.
 
I have no experience with the NF or Swaro.The #1 reason I stick with Leupold is the warranty.Having said that, I do have a 6500 2.5-16 that I use on a 7MM LR rifle.It tracks as good as my Leupolds and is as bright/brighter than my VX3.
 
Had a 6500T and it was a good scope. Tracked well although the clicks were a little mushy, certainly not as positive as Leupold or Nightforce.

I also noticed some image degredation at max magnification but overall it was pretty decent. As for reticle thickness it depends on your intended use. For hunting I would actually prefer the Bushnells reticle to the Nightforce NP-R1 as it will be easier to aquire and still be plenty fine for long-range shots on game.

While I think the Leupold MK IV and Nightforce NXS are superior to the Bushnell in every regard the are also signifigantly more expensive. I tend to learn my lessons the hard way and have owned cheaper scopes in the past only to end up replacing them later on. I suggest you buy exactly what you want the first time even if it takes a little longer to come up with the funds.
 
Bullet holes or manholes? ;)


moosehunter said:
I know warrentee is a big factor. Leupold is repaired just out of Calgary, Nightforce in Montana says a 10 day turn around. Sent a Bushnell in for repairs a few years ago and it was gone for 8 months. As to Sworovski or Zeiss I figured Sworovski to be out of my price range and have no knowelge of Zeiss but I'll look into them. I know Mystic sells Sightron and likes them a lot but I need a 30 mil tube and dont see any in they're line. My Bushnell 3200 8-32 on my 6.5x284 is true adjustments, repeatable and returns to zero and I can see the holes at 1000 yards and read the fine print on the target, No complaints there.
Click to expand...
 
I have had both and still have the mark 4. Mark 4 was brighter and more clear when compared side by side. When I put a bore sighter in the barrel of the rifle with th bushnell and cranked the power up and down the "zero" moved around. I guess that might not be a problem if you always use the same setting though but it was
Enough for me to get rid of it
 
If I were to spend the over $500 mark, it sure wouldn't be a Bushnell. Here would be a great test for those willing to play. Take your favorite scope and zero at 100.
Click up any amount you wish to stay within the target. Go around the block with the same
clicks and see what scope ends up at bullseye.
That would be the true test of adjustment.
Ziess I believe would guarantee this at least on the Conquest.
 
You owe it to yourself to look through all the scopes that may interest you. Nobody knows what is going to work for your eyes, and everyone is going to suggest the scope they own, including me.
I needed a scope for a rifle that gets carried daily, tossed in and out of my truck often in a hurry.
It took some time but I found a shop that carried two of the scopes I had my eye on, and better yet allowed me to take them outside, where it counts. They set up a small table and put two scopes on it for me, a Leupold and a 6500. I really wanted to have a Leupold on my rifle, but my opinion was based on internet research..
My first thought was that the Leupold had a "brownish" hue compared to the 6500, not uncomfortable, and not likely noticeable without both scopes side by side.
I zoomed the 6500 all the way out and it had a tiny bit of distortion on the outside edges, when I tried the same with the Leupold the zoom ring was frozen solid, wouldn't budge. The clerk says "but they have a great warranty" and kinda rolled his eyes.
For my dedicated work/coyote rifle I went with the 6500, clarity issues aside Leupold couldn't touch the numbers on the 6500. I ended up with a scope with a 2.5x optics that could zoom to 16x, didn't exist in Leupold's vocabulary, especially in a 30mm tube.
I went as far as to call Leopold to see what their thoughts were, they actually had very good things to say about the 6500, my decision was made.
Nobody can decide what your eyes like but you.
 
Pyd...Northern troutfitters in PG had no problem with me taking both outside. I did find the 6500 had color distortion at the high end, especially the 30x. Both seemed crisp and clear, Which is totally repeatable in the box test, which is going to take getting banged a bit and hod zero, which is going to have the best and fastest warrentee service. I liked the clicks on both. Hard to find a Leupold MK4 4.5-16 under a grand, Optics Planet has the 6500 2.5-16 for 6 and change. Ive had several Bushnells before and other than sending one back for warentee had no problem even after blowing up a rifle and finding the old 3-9 banner bout 75 feet away. Clamped it on another rifle and it still held zero.
 
Coyote hunting last winter, I unloaded and leaned my rifle against a tree on a rock pile, I was sure it was stable..:rolleyes: When I got to my decoy to make an adjustment I heard the awful sound of my rifle falling scope first on to the rock pile (farmers field stones) and then sliding to the bottom. I packed up and left knowing my zero would have been shifted.
A couple good dings, and a few scratches the scope did not come off zero at all once I got it to the range. I gained a lot of faith for that thing that day.
Bushnell is not known for outstanding warranty service, but I think you will find that the high end scopes are treated on a different level than the others once they make it there. I have never had to return one for service, but I do pick them up at yard sales and various other places. I drive them right to Bushnell and they send me home with a new "in the box" scope in minutes, regardless of the condition of what I bring in to them.
 
Thats a sweet deal there pyd. also having them within driving distance. A few more reticle choices would be nice too. Im a fan of the hash marks rather than mil dots. They cover to much on the out there shots. Useless for ranging anyway thats why Ive got the laser but I like to use the hashes for hold over.
 
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