New “bushnell elite”

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stovepipe699

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I’m not seeing much chatter about Bushnell 4500 elite scopes anywhere, looks like they are 30 mm tubes? The 4200 elite they inherited from Bausch & Lomb was a very good scope, how do the 4500’s compare? Is bushnell riding the “elite” name with cheaper product? I’ve been using my stash of 4200’s for a while now, not trusting bushnell lol!
 
stovepipe699 said:
I’m not seeing much chatter about Bushnell 4500 elite scopes anywhere, looks like they are 30 mm tubes? The 4200 elite they inherited from Bausch & Lomb was a very good scope, how do the 4500’s compare? Is bushnell riding the “elite” name with cheaper product? I’ve been using my stash of 4200’s for a while now, not trusting bushnell lol!
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I actually picked up one of the 4500 Bushnell's in 2.5-10x40 (30mm tube) & put it on my Tikka T3x.

My initial impressions are good, it has decent eye relief at 4.3" if I recall correctly.

IMG_2272 copy.jpg
 
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My .02 worth...My son has one, his is a 2.5 -10...he loves it! I've got 2 of them, both 4-16's on my rifles! They're awesome scopes for the price ! No issues WSE and hunting in the rain makes no diff with the Rain-guard on them ! Clarity is still there !
 
stovepipe699 said:
I’m not seeing much chatter about Bushnell 4500 elite scopes anywhere, looks like they are 30 mm tubes? The 4200 elite they inherited from Bausch & Lomb was a very good scope, how do the 4500’s compare? Is bushnell riding the “elite” name with cheaper product? I’ve been using my stash of 4200’s for a while now, not trusting bushnell lol!
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The Bushnell Elite was good when it was made by Bausch and Lomb. It hasn't been as good as people here seem to think in a long time, optics have come a long way in 30 years. Good Bushnell scopes start with "Elite Tactical" nowadays.

I'd hang on to your original 4200s and shop around for alternatives if you need something in that price range.
 
mikeyb said:
The Bushnell Elite was good when it was made by Bausch and Lomb. It hasn't been as good as people here seem to think in a long time, optics have come a long way in 30 years. Good Bushnell scopes start with "Elite Tactical" nowadays.

I'd hang on to your original 4200s and shop around for alternatives if you need something in that price range.
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I have a few 4200’s put aside for future rifles. Not sure what else to look at . Leupold VX3 are nice, a bit more money.
 
stovepipe699 said:
I’m not seeing much chatter about Bushnell 4500 elite scopes anywhere, looks like they are 30 mm tubes? The 4200 elite they inherited from Bausch & Lomb was a very good scope, how do the 4500’s compare? Is bushnell riding the “elite” name with cheaper product? I’ve been using my stash of 4200’s for a while now, not trusting bushnell lol!
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When did B&L get bought up?
 
maple_leaf_eh said:
When did B&L get bought up?
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Bushnell Corporation is an American firm that specializes in sporting optics and outdoor products. It is based in Overland Park, Kansas and is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Vista Outdoor. Bushnell makes binoculars, telescopes, spotting scopes, riflescopes, red dot sights, GPS devices, laser rangefinders, game cameras, night-vision devices and other optical equipments.

Company history​

[edit]
The company was founded in 1948 by David P. Bushnell, when he returned to California from his honeymoon in Japan with two crates of binoculars and sold them by mail order.[2] Bushnell made precision binoculars affordable to middle-class Americans for the first time through a strategy of importing from manufacturers in Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Japan, who provided optics to his patented specifications.[2] Bushnell eventually expanded his business to include riflescopes and spotting scopes. In 1971, Bushnell sold his company to Bausch & Lomb. The firm renamed itself Bushnell Performance Optics. Three years later, Bushnell retired as vice-president of Bausch & Lomb.[2]

In 1999, Bausch & Lomb sold Bushnell Performance Optics to the private equity firm Wind Point Partners through a recapitalization of Bushnell's then parent company, Worldwide Sports & Recreation.[3][4][5]

The Serengeti Eyewear brand was acquired by Bushnell in September 2000. Bollé, Cébé and Serengeti Eyewear were part of Vista Outdoor's acquisition of Bushnell in 2013. In July 2018, Vista Outdoor announced it had reached an agreement with a European private equity fund to sell the Bollé, Cébé and Serengeti eyewear brands.[6]

In 2002, Bushnell bought the sporting optics company Tasco. Tasco is a major international distributor of telescopes. The company's line of products mainly target amateur astronomers but has grown to include many products besides telescopes. Tasco's other products include terrestrial spotting scopes, microscopes, binoculars, and telescopic sights and other rifle accessories. Tasco sells through specialty outlets, catalogs, and online vendors.[7]

In 2005, Bushnell acquired Michael’s of Oregon. Michael's sold holsters, scope covers, cleaning kits, and other gun accessories under the brands Hoppe’s, Butler Creek, Stoney Point, and Uncle Mike’s Law Enforcement.[7] At the time of its purchase by Bushnell, Michael's earned about $60 million per year in profit. Michael's of Oregon was based in Oregon City. The deal was closed with debt and cash.[5]

In 2007, Bushnell was acquired by MidOcean Partners, another private equity firm, which acquired it in a leveraged recapitalization.[4] The same year, Bushnell acquired the Final Approach and Kolpin Hunting brands from Facilitator Capital Funds, a Wisconsin-based private equity firm. Both brands are well known among duck hunters.[7]

On Sept. 5, 2013, Alliant Techsystems announced that it had entered into a firm agreement to acquire Bushnell. ATK paid $985 million in cash, subject to customary post-closing adjustments.[8]

After ATK merged with Orbital Sciences in 2015 to form Orbital ATK, it spun off Bushnell and other subsidiaries as Vista Outdoor, a publicly-listed company.[9]
 
kevin g said:
Bushnell Corporation is an American firm that specializes in sporting optics and outdoor products. It is based in Overland Park, Kansas and is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Vista Outdoor. Bushnell makes binoculars, telescopes, spotting scopes, riflescopes, red dot sights, GPS devices, laser rangefinders, game cameras, night-vision devices and other optical equipments.

Company history​

[edit]
The company was founded in 1948 by David P. Bushnell, .... In 1971, Bushnell sold his company to Bausch & Lomb. The firm renamed itself Bushnell Performance Optics. Three years later, Bushnell retired as vice-president of Bausch & Lomb.[2]

In 1999, Bausch & Lomb sold Bushnell Performance Optics to the private equity firm Wind Point Partners through a recapitalization of Bushnell's then parent company, Worldwide Sports & Recreation.[3][4][5]

.....

After ATK merged with Orbital Sciences in 2015 to form Orbital ATK, it spun off Bushnell and other subsidiaries as Vista Outdoor, a publicly-listed company.[9]
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The way the post further up read, Bushnell had some of its scopes made by B&L. The chronology provided has me confused. It looks like the two corporate entities diverged a long time ago, one to eyewear and the other to sporting goods.
 
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B&L hasn't physically made a rifle scope since the 60s in Rochester. They did have their name on a lot though, which isn't that unusual. The rest is just a brand name, marketing and a distributor network.
 
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I have a few of the 3200 4200 series that are fantastic imo, I also have a 6500 2.5-16 that seems to work just fine! All made in Japan though
 
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