I have a Sightron SIII, and an older Baush & Lomb Elite 4000. The B&L glass is definitely sharper than the Sightron. It's just a pitty that it is old enought to still be a 1" tube and a simple duplex reticle and limited adjustment range. Great optics though. I wish the Sightron looked so well.
Bushnell 6500 vs Sightron S3
- Thread starter shelby78
- Start date
I've got both a Bushnell 6500 4.5-30x50 Tactical and an SIII 10-50x60.
I enjoy using both scopes and find a better picture through the SIII, that said, I have no complaints with the 6500. The 6500 has more user friendly turrets and parallax adjustment for bush shooting, where the SIII is a better bench scope.
The magnification in the Sightron is unbeatable ( $ for $ ). I find it usable to 40x +, and still very bright.
If all your shooting is from the bench I'd suggest the SIII, but I'm not going to. You're comparing an $80 scope to a $1000 scope, you can't be helped.
how comparing a x50 to x60 will make a faire comparaison it biaised from start.
a little secret that needed to be say even if not making happy some Sightron Owners the both are coming from the same Factory (LOW in Japan) and up to now the rainguard is not used by Sightron if it matters.
all the best.
Phil
It wouldn't matter if the Bushnell had a 100mm objective as it still wouldn't even be close. If the Bushnell and Sightron's are made in the same factory I think they use the glass they swept up off the floor to make the Bushnell's.
Just so you know I bought the elite 6500 brand new. 4.5-30-50 and it was disgusting. I'm no Sightron fanboy but the Sightron I had was double the scope optically the Bushnell I had was. I had the Bushnell one day and it went back to the dealer for a refund.
everybody has or had different experience.
don't say Sightron is good or Bushnell is bad or vice versa but what I told is that they re coming from the same factory, but I d like to see a fair comparaison with the same objective size then we can talk.
In theory a Chevrolet Chevette and a Chevrolet Corvette both come from the same factory also. Hardly the same car though right? Also, objective size to my knowledge has no effect on clarity.
you re right and you re right. on an optic line factory it s a little difference but if you met something wrong with a scope that doesn't mean that all are wrong.
you re going on SIII from what I ve seen on another thread so you re a little biased on your opinion.
the tests made by others about the quality of Bushnell 6500 will surprise you but your eyes and the sample you had didn't make it right that doesn't mean all of 6500 line are not on par with SIII to name it ...
Yes I am going with a Sightron as I know from my own eyes what I can expect from it. Still not as clear as I would like but I don't have $5000 for what my eyes want. I would of tried Nightforce but from helpful reviews here I figure its not worth the extra for the gain. I really wanted the Bushnell to be what I wanted but it didn't work out. I have lots of other low power bushnells that have been great to me. Making a scope that's clear and even medium magnification seems to not be the standard.
I'm not trying to bash Bushnell but after buying what was there top of the line I am very disappointed. I'm sure the lower mag 6500's could be serviceable
I think what is needed here is a good old internet shootout! Someone (with money, i.e. not me) needs to round up all the main contenders in the $1000 range (+/- $200 or so) and mount them all to a 2x4 and have a glass-off. Measure things like waterproofness, shock resistance, dial repeatability, tracking, twilight performance, and of course optical quality. It should be as simple as using a optical test chart at 100 yards. If they are all tested at the same time, under the same lighting conditions, it should be a fair test.
So who can get access to 6-12 different scopes in the $1000 range and spend time to write up a blog?
So who can get access to 6-12 different scopes in the $1000 range and spend time to write up a blog?
We have done this on the firing line more then once, and more then once we have all seen a difference between scopes of the same brand and model and the conclusion that we came up with was that one should look through all of them and buy the one that looks the best to them.
yes yodave everyone has a different eyes and of course vision.
ill try to find some tests but it may not be done by the lastet version of the scopes involved.
Ranger Dave
Regular
I had an old Bushnell Legend 5-15x40. It was a great scope then I thought it crapped out. I wasn't sure. I did have one base loosen over time. I snugged it up but still wasn't certain that all was back to normal. I called Bushnell and they said send it in and they would look it over. Again, I wasn't sure if it was the scope giving me grief or not but for 10 bucks to mail it, it was worth the check over. It had about 2500 rounds through a 30-06 at this point.
Well Bushnell no longer made the Legend model. They told me they would rather just replace it to something current but they had not received the new Legend's from the USA yet. They offered me a new Elite 4-16 for $100. That's the world's greatest deal.
I would have no troubles buying Bushnell. I won't say their glass is the best out there but its far from the worst. I'm a big fan of the new Elites.
Sightron makes decent scopes too. I've never owned one so far but I've looked through a few at the rifle range. At higher magnification I would say their glass is better than the Elite's.
Well Bushnell no longer made the Legend model. They told me they would rather just replace it to something current but they had not received the new Legend's from the USA yet. They offered me a new Elite 4-16 for $100. That's the world's greatest deal.
I would have no troubles buying Bushnell. I won't say their glass is the best out there but its far from the worst. I'm a big fan of the new Elites.
Sightron makes decent scopes too. I've never owned one so far but I've looked through a few at the rifle range. At higher magnification I would say their glass is better than the Elite's.
bearkilr
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Nowhere, ......just past the middle
Like I said earlier and having owned the Bushnell 6500 and owning a Sightron and a Nightforce I will honestly say I will never waste my money on a Bushnell again.
The difference in price between a 6500 and an SIII is only a couple hundred dollars and well worth it in my opinion.
Once you look through a real quality optic you will never want to go back. I don't want to look through my buddy's March or S&B because then my NF and SIII may need to be replaced and I really can't afford the next step up.
It's worth the money, if you go with Bushnell you will just end up selling it and upgrading anyway.
The only way I can see you being happy with the Bushnell is if you never shoot beyond 300yds.
The difference in price between a 6500 and an SIII is only a couple hundred dollars and well worth it in my opinion.
Once you look through a real quality optic you will never want to go back. I don't want to look through my buddy's March or S&B because then my NF and SIII may need to be replaced and I really can't afford the next step up.
It's worth the money, if you go with Bushnell you will just end up selling it and upgrading anyway.
The only way I can see you being happy with the Bushnell is if you never shoot beyond 300yds.
exactly the link I was looking for ...
http://opticsthoughts.com/?page_id=71
just for interest the report of a Bushnell 6500 ...
