ranking Bushnell Elite series?

Jahnj0584

Jahnj0584

CGN frequent flyer
Rating - 100%
48   0   0
Location
Halifax NS
Looking for a 1.5-5 or 2-7 scope for a deer hunting muzzleloader. First choice was a VX Freedom 1.5-5 but the seller apparently broke it while packing it up....

What is the tier list of the Bushnell Elites? I heard good things about them! Is the 3500 the same as a VX2? Is the 3200 better or worse then the 3500? What about the 4500?

Would a Vortex Diamondback 2-7 rimfire handle the recoil fine? I had one of those before for $250 and enjoyed it.


Thanks. Trying to keep it under $300 - if enough time passes, I'll just grab a $100 Bushnell Banner 3-9 as I've used one before to get my first deer.
 
Last edited:
I have a few 3200 4200 6500 and they are all great scope for the price, I never had one fail me!
 
I have had the 3200 (3-10x40) elites, 3500 (3-9x40) elites, and 4200 (2.5-10x40) elites. Several of each,(all made in Japan), and never had any issues with any of them. They are great scopes for the price.
I find the 3500 to be a bit clearer than the 3200 series. The only reason I replaced most of them with Leupolds, is because Leupolds are lighter and a bit smaller.
 
The discontinued legendHD line was also very good. Just cause it didn't have elite in the name don't discount them. You may still find some used. I have 3 in 1.75-5x32 on shotguns, they have 5 inches of eye relief and can take a beating. Also has ED glass which the elites didn't have
 
I have owned most all of the Bushnell Elite series along with some Legend and a couple of the Trophy series. All held zero and worked well for hunting.

I also owned the Diamond Back you mentioned and it did not hold zero, nor did it's over the counter replacement. I sold it's replacement new in box as I was done with the frustration and waste of ammo.

I also owned a couple of the Leupold Freedom which seemed like a good deal. They seemed to function fine but to my eye they were no where near as clear as an Elite of any number.

Anyway, with the Elites, I found the 6500s a little over priced and over rated even used. The 3200s have worked awesome for cheap and the 4200 are just a nice scope perfect for hunting.

For a short time Bushnell decided to combine several offerings into a scope labelled with just "Elite" without numbers. I believe it was around 2010 to 2012 IIRC. I am not certain exactly the make up but the ones I have are my favorites. If I were to rate the glass, they are slightly crisper than the 4200 series, a fair step up on the 3200s and every bit as clear as the 6500 series. They never fog up of course and hold zero perfectly. They can often be had in the 3200/3500 price range if you are patient. I have 3 rifles and all are topped with the Elites from that era. I also have a couple of 3200s for spares but doubt I will ever need them.

I have recently read that Bushnell is no longer doing warranty work in Canada.
 
Have a few, several of the 3200 3-9x40, all gloss, bought when Tradex had them for $200, all mounted on old school wood/gloss blue rifles, one sits on a 9.3x62 and no issues.
Couple of the Elite Tactical I think they were called, fixed 10x milldot, basically 3200 series, no issues or complaints.
One 6-24x40 mildot 4200 that came on a 7mm Vanguard for peanuts, sits on a 308 target rifle now, glass is great, adjustment range is minimal though, very reliable, can take that thing out and put 5 into 1/2" any day.
 
I'm sure some may argue with particulars but I think the Chuck Hawks ratings below are pretty good.

https://www.chuckhawks.com/recommended_riflescopes.htm

He shows VX-2 and Elite 3500 and 4500 as being in the same 4 star category. From some comparisons of my own, I agree. I haven't directly compared a VX-2 to an Elite 3500, but I've compared the 3500 with a VX-Freedom which is supposed to have the same glass as the VX-2. I found the Elite to be slightly sharper than the Freedom. The Leupolds are maybe more durable but the Elites are pretty good. From my experience, the finish is tougher on the Leupolds. It's pretty easy to put ring marks on the Japanese Elites, whereas the matte aluminum on more recent Leupolds is pretty resilient.

So, Elite 3500 compared to VX-2 or VX-Freedom: the Bushnell glass is slightly better, but the Leupolds are lighter and tougher. I like both. The old Japanese Elites and the new Korean ones are a bit of a sweet spot. Really good quality and less of a name-brand premium that you're paying for with a Leupold. Overall, I prefer the Leupolds but they cost at least $100 more for comparable scopes.
 
Last edited:
So, I found a VX freedom in 2-7x33 for $300 so I went with that. Thanks everyone. I've had 2 freedoms in front of me before, and that glass is just what I want and need for hunting in NS.
 
vpsalin said:
Where did you get this price?
Click to expand...

I check here and PunGhost about 2-3 a time until I find prices I am ok with paying. In this case I was obviously viewer #4 and the first responder.

I had a VX2 1.5-5 for 300 the week before but the seller somehow damaged it while packing it up and didn't want to show me or take a small price hit. My guess is he secretly had a local seller who offered more.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom