Burris scout 2.75x vs Leupold Freedom Scout

[Fyn]

Looking for some advice on choosing a IER or long eye relief scope, mostly looking at these two based on availability.

Anyone have any first hand experience between the two? I've done some searching for reviews but I'm undecided.

Going on a 1895, looking specifically for something with sufficient eye relief just to clear a rear peep while keeping the scope mounted low. Hunting use, planning on a black bear trip (Ontario) this fall.

I like the simplicity and cost of the Burris, but I'm curious on low light performance, whereas the FOV specs make the Leupold attractive to me.

 

[nagol]

Which rifle, rail and peep are you using? Eye relief isn't the same for all scout scopes and can cause issues with the peep and ejection paths as well as may or may not work with the rail you have.

 

[Fyn]

Marlin 1895, XS ghost ring on the receiver with the Lever Scout rail ahead of it. Side ejection so that's a non-issue, and the 6-6.9" eye relief of the Leupold should be sufficient to mount the ocular bell just in front of the rear sight I'd imagine.

 

[Winz]

Marlin 1895, XS ghost ring on the receiver with the Lever Scout rail ahead of it. Side ejection so that's a non-issue, and the 6-6.9" eye relief of the Leupold should be sufficient to mount the ocular bell just in front of the rear sight I'd imagine.

Rear sight clearance will not be of concern if your intent is to have an IER/Scout scope. Your ocular is probably going to be in the range of being where the barrel meets the receiver.

A more direct comparison with the Burris 2.75x (fixed) is the Leupold FX-II 2.5 IER. Some would argue that a variable scout scope is kind of pointless because the FOV with magnification is limited and most end up leaving it ~2.5x anyway, so might as well go for the simpler, lighter FX-II instead of the VX-II.

 

[Fyn]

Rear sight clearance will not be of concern if your intent is to have an IER/Scout scope. Your ocular is probably going to be in the range of being where the barrel meets the receiver.

A more direct comparison with the Burris 2.75x (fixed) is the Leupold FX-II 2.5 IER. Some would argue that a variable scout scope is kind of pointless because the FOV with magnification is limited and most end up leaving it ~2.5x anyway, so might as well go for the simpler, lighter FX-II instead of the VX-II.

I totally agree, however I was mostly comparing these two scopes as they are still being manufactured and are available, whereas the FX-II version has been discontinued.

After posting this I had a member message with a Leupold for sale, looking forward to giving it a try

 

[jjohnwm]

The Burris fixed 2.75X and the Leupold fixed 2.5x are pretty interchangeable in terms of eye relief; they're certainly not handgun scopes (Extended Eye Relief) but their Intermediate Eye Relief is pretty long and allows mounting with the eyepiece around the front of the receiver on a Marlin lever. I actually prefer the Burris because the Leupold offers no eyepiece focus to sharpen the crosshair, but this admittedly isn't a huge concern with these scopes.

The Leupold variable has far less eye relief than those fixed scopes, especially when set to its highest magnification. I like this scope but it isn't really a scout scope IMHO. I find it perfect for mounting on external-hammer guns like levers and single shots, as it can usually be mounted with the objective just in front of the hammer, a sort of "semi-scout" set-up. It has a very long eyepiece, and when combined with the power-change ring it requires the rear ring to be pretty far forward of the objective lens.

There's really no standard when it comes to eye-relief on these scopes. Various makes and models can differ drastically in how much eye relief they offer, how "deep" the eye-box is (i.e. how narrow or wide the range of acceptable positions is), how much the eye relief can change when zooming from high to low power...and of course differences in shooter size, build, arm/neck length, stance, etc. all come into play as well. Finding the perfect match of rifle and scope for each individual can be a PITA and usually involves a bunch of trial and error...lots of error....

 

[Fyn]

Thanks for the response. I'm looking forward to trying the Leupold 1.5-4, I think (atleast on paper) it'll be well suited for what I want. I don't particularly need a longer eye relief, just enough to stay ahead of the rear sight, so hopefully it's my goldilocks solution.