Purchased my Bushnell Elite Tactical SMRS in January of this year. It has been absolutely great to me, however I'm looking to move towards an Aimpoint for this particular rifle.
The glass is outstanding and provides excellent clarity, and about 9.5 cm of eye relief made the optic very comfortable on my Tavor. It has been mounted in Warne Maxima AR-15 Rings (Model A617M, .850" height, non-QD) since the day I purchased it. Not out of preference, just immediate availability.
No exterior or internal imperfections, the finish and lenses are still impeccable and it has performed exactly as I have desired for every single round I've placed with it. The illumination features 'offs' between each setting, and a very solid red that easily handles daytime shooting. 11 (2 NV) settings light up both the (approximately) 6 mil/20 moa ring, as well as the .3 mil/1 moa dot of the BTR-1 reticle. Bullet drops are calculated for 5.56/.223 with a 100m zero, I preferred to reassign them as best I could and zero at a greater distance, but have read and watched reviews where the drop markers received praise with the intended zeroing.
My reasoning behind acquiring this optic in the SECOND focal plane is that, if I'm using the drop indicators, I'm likely going to want full 6.5x magnification anyways. In my opinion the FFP reticle gets too small at 1x, and is much more useful at full size.
I had read that it was intended for the ring to shrink to a 4-5 moa "dot" of sorts at 1x on the FFP model, but it didn't really look suitable when I saw it, especially with illumination.
Some..
PROS
-Optic looks durable and quality upon first glance
-Glass clarity and color are both outstanding
-Comfortable eye relief from 1x to 6.5x (9.5cm/3.75" at 6.5)
-Illuminated reticle (11 settings including 2 NV, with an off between each setting) with 20moa/6mil ring, 1moa/.3mil dot makes for quick and accurate target acquisition, and is suitable for daylight.
-Magnification adjustment is smooth, comfortable, and precise, with a true 1x
-Lightweight and compact
-Distinct adjustments on locking turrets with 0.1 mil elevation/windage adjustment increments (mil adjustment may be a negative to some.)
and...
CONS
-Reticle includes bullet drop compensator markings calculated for 5.56/.223 rather than just a mil based reticle (this may be a pro to some?)
-For me, the optic needed to be mounted far enough back that it prevented the mounting of BUIS as a fallback. A friend later pointed out the iron sights integrated into my rail and I had a bit of a laugh.
-Second focal plane will only provide accurate drop compensation at 6.5x
-Turrets are a plastic material, some have said it feels weak (I do not concur).
Honestly, as I hit enter between that last line and this one, I took a moment to investigate and realized that I purchased my scope within Bushnell's Money Back Guarantee promotion (purchase within Jan 2012-Dec 2013, return within one year with your proof of purchase for a full refund.) I had been writing this in the equipment exchange, which is why the pros and cons have been written to this specific configuration of the SMRS. I don't think anyone here wants to pay me exactly what I paid seven months and several hundred rounds ago, so I figure I'll just post this as a little packet of info for prospective buyers rather than wasting my words.
All in all, I would never hesitate to recommend this optic to anybody looking for one of these compact, 1 to X magnification units. It has been reliable, accurate (and has consistently retained that status
), comfy on my rifle, and a joy to look through. IMO, the fact that Bushnell is confident in offering a year in which you can get a full refund if you are dissatisfied, should build you some confidence in their products if you ever decide to purchase this or any of their higher tier optics.
I'm gonna load you up with some pics and send you on your way. If anybody IS looking into this optic specifically, there are plenty of reviews that totally sold me on it. One in specific is located on YouTube, a bit longer than 10 mins, maybe a bit less than 20, and was very helpful.
So first off, a nice reticle shot:
Focusing on the magnification adjustment, but also showing off the illumination knob a bit:
Lens cover and turret caps, and a more complete view of the optic:
Turret caps removed to show off the turrets:
Finally, a quick diagram of the reticle:
And to close, some specs, pulled from a review on www.shootingillustrated.com:
Magnification: 1-6.5X
Objective Lens Diameter: 24 mm
Adjustability: 23 mils/80 MOA elevation and 31 mils/106 MOA windage in .1-mil clicks (as tested)
Reticles: BTR-1 5.56 ballistic and BTR-2 mil-based (tested)
Illumination: 1-MOA 1FP dot and 20-MOA semi-circle
Field of View: 106 feet (1X)/16.3 feet (6.5X) at 100 yards
Eye Relief: 3.75 inches (6.5X)
Tube Diameter: 30 mm
Length: 10.6 inches
Weight: 18.5 ounces
MSRP: $1,399.99 (1FP), $1,299.99 (2FP)
If anybody desires more information or a picture of any specific part of the optic, I will gladly hook you up! Can follow up with a shot with illumination depicted as well, if there is interest.
Chris
The glass is outstanding and provides excellent clarity, and about 9.5 cm of eye relief made the optic very comfortable on my Tavor. It has been mounted in Warne Maxima AR-15 Rings (Model A617M, .850" height, non-QD) since the day I purchased it. Not out of preference, just immediate availability.
No exterior or internal imperfections, the finish and lenses are still impeccable and it has performed exactly as I have desired for every single round I've placed with it. The illumination features 'offs' between each setting, and a very solid red that easily handles daytime shooting. 11 (2 NV) settings light up both the (approximately) 6 mil/20 moa ring, as well as the .3 mil/1 moa dot of the BTR-1 reticle. Bullet drops are calculated for 5.56/.223 with a 100m zero, I preferred to reassign them as best I could and zero at a greater distance, but have read and watched reviews where the drop markers received praise with the intended zeroing.
My reasoning behind acquiring this optic in the SECOND focal plane is that, if I'm using the drop indicators, I'm likely going to want full 6.5x magnification anyways. In my opinion the FFP reticle gets too small at 1x, and is much more useful at full size.
I had read that it was intended for the ring to shrink to a 4-5 moa "dot" of sorts at 1x on the FFP model, but it didn't really look suitable when I saw it, especially with illumination.
Some..
PROS
-Optic looks durable and quality upon first glance
-Glass clarity and color are both outstanding
-Comfortable eye relief from 1x to 6.5x (9.5cm/3.75" at 6.5)
-Illuminated reticle (11 settings including 2 NV, with an off between each setting) with 20moa/6mil ring, 1moa/.3mil dot makes for quick and accurate target acquisition, and is suitable for daylight.
-Magnification adjustment is smooth, comfortable, and precise, with a true 1x
-Lightweight and compact
-Distinct adjustments on locking turrets with 0.1 mil elevation/windage adjustment increments (mil adjustment may be a negative to some.)
and...
CONS
-Reticle includes bullet drop compensator markings calculated for 5.56/.223 rather than just a mil based reticle (this may be a pro to some?)
-For me, the optic needed to be mounted far enough back that it prevented the mounting of BUIS as a fallback. A friend later pointed out the iron sights integrated into my rail and I had a bit of a laugh.
-Second focal plane will only provide accurate drop compensation at 6.5x
-Turrets are a plastic material, some have said it feels weak (I do not concur).
Honestly, as I hit enter between that last line and this one, I took a moment to investigate and realized that I purchased my scope within Bushnell's Money Back Guarantee promotion (purchase within Jan 2012-Dec 2013, return within one year with your proof of purchase for a full refund.) I had been writing this in the equipment exchange, which is why the pros and cons have been written to this specific configuration of the SMRS. I don't think anyone here wants to pay me exactly what I paid seven months and several hundred rounds ago, so I figure I'll just post this as a little packet of info for prospective buyers rather than wasting my words.
All in all, I would never hesitate to recommend this optic to anybody looking for one of these compact, 1 to X magnification units. It has been reliable, accurate (and has consistently retained that status
), comfy on my rifle, and a joy to look through. IMO, the fact that Bushnell is confident in offering a year in which you can get a full refund if you are dissatisfied, should build you some confidence in their products if you ever decide to purchase this or any of their higher tier optics. I'm gonna load you up with some pics and send you on your way. If anybody IS looking into this optic specifically, there are plenty of reviews that totally sold me on it. One in specific is located on YouTube, a bit longer than 10 mins, maybe a bit less than 20, and was very helpful.
So first off, a nice reticle shot:
Focusing on the magnification adjustment, but also showing off the illumination knob a bit:
Lens cover and turret caps, and a more complete view of the optic:
Turret caps removed to show off the turrets:
Finally, a quick diagram of the reticle:
And to close, some specs, pulled from a review on www.shootingillustrated.com:
Magnification: 1-6.5X
Objective Lens Diameter: 24 mm
Adjustability: 23 mils/80 MOA elevation and 31 mils/106 MOA windage in .1-mil clicks (as tested)
Reticles: BTR-1 5.56 ballistic and BTR-2 mil-based (tested)
Illumination: 1-MOA 1FP dot and 20-MOA semi-circle
Field of View: 106 feet (1X)/16.3 feet (6.5X) at 100 yards
Eye Relief: 3.75 inches (6.5X)
Tube Diameter: 30 mm
Length: 10.6 inches
Weight: 18.5 ounces
MSRP: $1,399.99 (1FP), $1,299.99 (2FP)
If anybody desires more information or a picture of any specific part of the optic, I will gladly hook you up! Can follow up with a shot with illumination depicted as well, if there is interest.
Chris
