bushnell 4200?

Awsome scopes, Ive owned a few and just got a 6-24x40. I find you're not paying for the name with the Elites and they hold up just as well as Leupolds.:)
 
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They are heavier than Vari-X 111's and have shorter eye relief but they are hell for strong (screwed and glued reticles) and have great glass. I have had an elite 4000 1.5-6x36 for eleven years and I love it.
 
I've got a 3-9X40 3200 and a 4-16X40 4200. Both are great. Durinig daytime use I don't notice much difference, but at low light the 4200 has a little brighter image.

The vari-x are really nice, as are many of the other high end scopes. I'd love a $2000 scope for all my rifles, but they won't make me shoot that much better. I'm better off to spend the money on ammo for practice.

The biggest bang for your buck is the extra $200 or 300 it will cost to upgrade from a Legend or Trophy to one of the 3200 or 4200 series scopes.
 
The 4000 and 4200 elites are superb scopes in any category you want to measure.

I love the 6X24 mil dot 4200 and this rides on almost all my rifles. The elevation is limited but with Burris rings and/or canted base and using the mil dots, I can take my rifles to the mile.

The new Nikon Buckmaster scopes are also superb and I really like the 4X14 SF mildot version. However, apparent field of view is 'smaller' then the Elites. That seems to be common with every Nikon scope I have looked through. I feel that I am looking down a narrow tube. Awesome glass though.

Since you have mentioned ambitions of LR shooting, consider the mechanical reliability of the scope you plan on buying regardless of the price.

I can tell you that the Elites work. No ifs ands or butts. The adjustments are reliable, repeatable and consistent.

The best buy is the 3200 10X. Optics are not as good as the 4200 series but awesome mechanicals.

The one Nikon Buckmaster I played with also had excellent knobs.

I haven't played with many Leuppies but there are no shortage of stories from the BR/silhouette world speaking of scope shift and sticking adjustments. Obviously, they do work but make sure you test any scope for repeatability and how linear that adjustment is.

I also just saw a very nice Euro scope (either Zeiss or Swarovski) that wouldn't adjust reliably. Huge dollar scope that was mechanically crap - back to the factory for work I am sure.

IOR is building a strong reputation. The Tasco Super Snipers work. Weavers seem to work well from what I hear but their optics may not be as clear as the Elites - don't know for sure. No first hand experience but there are many happy users.

Some of the older Japanese Tasco World Class fixed high mag target scopes and Bushnell Banners had very reliable adjustments for next to nothing in cost. Pretty moderate optics though.

For a no brainer investment, the 4200's are my choice.

Usually when paying bigger dollars, glass resolution and coatings improve, however, mechanical reliability may not. Whatever scope you get, test the hell out of it. You need to know/trust that when you put so many minutes of change into the scope, that is what happens.

Or else LR shooting will be incredibly frustrating.
Jerry
 
Marlin1895gs,
I'll interrupt the Bushnell lovefest to give you my experience with them. They break, at least every last one that I ran on a centerfire did. The 3000 and 3200 series were worse, but the 4000 and 4200 Elites crapped out on me too. One of those was a 6-24 that quit on my Anschutz .22. Another was a 2.5-10 that took a lot of use before it went fuzzy. It's the scope that sold me on the Elites in the first place, enough that I went out and bought a bunch 3200s. I got a bit of a volume discount too. They seemed almost as good for half the money, and I was feeling pretty smug for a little while. When I was telling the Leupold owners (amoung others) just how smart I was, some of them may have rolled their eyes:rolleyes: but I pretended not to notice.;)
The plan fell apart, when the scopes started packing it in. A steady stream of parcels started going from my place to Richmond Hill Ont, and usually around 3 months later they would come back. I always had a scope or two in the mail, and was wearing out the screw heads on my rings trying to keep my rifles running. The total in the end amounted to 11 returns in 2 1/2 years. Some got sold, some traded and a couple ended up in the garbage can out of pure frustration. Somewhere in that mess I had to start buying scopes to have something to go hunting with, and I started the expensive
changeover to Leupold. A Zeiss slipped in the cabinet at the same time. Of course spending good money twice makes a guy bitter, but there really wasn't any choice. What I had was junk.
My luck with scopes is now the exact opposite, zero breakage. That may change someday when the hours and years pile up, but so far so good. I have one 3.5-10 that I put on a .375 H&H last February. It has soaked up well over 1000 rounds of 300 gr ammo since then, in preparation for a trip next month. There was no trouble, but frankly I would have been suprised at anything else.
I know that I can look through a Bushnell and like what I see. I also know that they are likely to track well, and the price seems attractive. I also know that I never buy another one; ever.
I also know that the old saying that "you get what you pay for" is never more true than with optics. Most people just have to learn that one for themselves.
Dogleg
 
Marlin1895gs,
Challenge that 1st line already, then buy whatever you want.:D I crossed that bridge many years ago, but just do my drilling with a calculator now. Hence the boardname.
Dogleg
 
Both the bushnell 3200 and 4200 line of scopes are good in my books :). I have one 3200, with another on the way (thanks Scott). The 3200 I have has been one of the best scopes I have ever had. My dad has the Bushnell 4000 (without rain guard) and he has had that for about 6 years with no problems yet.
 
Marlin1895gs,
I was a brake-weight for PD when they bought Cactus, seems like a long time ago now. 2.5 years might be cutting it a little close, but different people advance at different rates. Wouldn't you fall under that new "Skilled trade" apprenticeship program now? That may influence the timing as well. None of which should stop you buying your scope now though.:D Lifes too short to waste waiting.
Dogleg
 
i was booked for my first line before i quit the double but thats in past now.... 10 out of 15 of us quit after they run the push off for no reason, 4 mts ago.. now i am hopin to work closer to home on these fancy little rigs.. the motorhands are doin the apprenticeship now.. next year derrickhands.. so i hope to be drillin in a year forsure, or else i'll have to sit through a course and get hours..
 
Personally, I wouldn't own a 3200 - the glued on windage and elevation turrets don't appeal to me.

But..... I have a Bushnell 4200 1.5-6X that I am VERY impressed with so far. 300+ rounds on a 340 Weatherby so far. Super optics. The Rainguard works, and the Firefly reticle is interesting too - I wanted it because the reticle is quite corse and easier to pick up at speed or in fading light.

I'd buy another!
 
marlin1895gs said:
anybody have any experience, how does one of these compare to someting like a burris, or a vari x III? heard good things, and they are substantially cheaper, but do they hold up?
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The Bushnell or B&L 4000 / 4200 are very good scopes and generally reliable. Clear optics! If your looking for lighter, Leupold is hard to beat. Resale value of the Leupold is also better.

They are close in quality to the Leupold Vari X III scopes.
 
If the 4200 is better than the 3200 like everyone is saying than I will sure like the 4200 I have coming for my 300 ultra mag. I have a 3200 on my 7mm Ultra mag and it works great.
 
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