I backordered this scope around the end of January and just received it yesterday. I haven't had time to mount it and use it on a rifle, so these are simply my first impressions from playing around with it and looking at stuff at distances from 1 yard to 800 yards.
Optics: Excellent for the price. I should state that I have always found 1x-_x low magnification variables a bit squirrely when looking at fixed objects to evaluate the optics - the only one I've ever used and been completely happy with is the Leupold Mark 6. Even the Vortex Razor 1-6x was, to me, not great in resolution and clarity at 6x. I also have the SWFA SS 1-4x and 1-6x, two of the Weaver Dangerous Game 1-5x24mm, a Leupold VX-6 1-6x, and in the past owned the Razor and the Burris FF TAC30 1-4x. I have not used the Swarovski or Kahles 1-6x options. With that intro, what I see with the Burris XTRII is this:
1x - a true 1x, mostly very good but the outermost 5-10% of the field of view shows some distortion. I'm not sure if it would be called pincushion or fisheye. It is slight and only those who look through a lot of scopes would notice it. It has no impact on the intended use of the 1x setting, but I note it as one of the (few) ways this scope isn't equal to the Mark 6 or Razor.
4x - backing off maximum magnification, there are no significant optical issues at 4x. Not as sensitive to eye position as at 5x.
5x - excellent, but somewhat sensitive to eye position - there is excellent optical clarity if your eye is perfectly centered, but if your eye is off-center any amount then suddenly there is apparent chromatic aberration. I have seen this in a lot of scopes and assume it is an unavoidable engineering issue with the wider magnification range scopes.
Comparing the optics, I would say the Mark 6 is clearly better at both ends; the Razor is better at 1x, but I see better clarity at 5x in the XTR than I remember at either 5x or 6x in the Razor (I sold it). Compared to the SWFA 1-6x I think the XTR may have better clarity, but the SS has no distortion I've noticed at 1x, vs. the slight ring in the XTR. Since the XTR sells for $799 or less, I think its glass is very good for the price.
I have not tried to measure the field of view, but it looks like the claimed FOV (108' at 1x and 21' at 5x). I did not notice any tunneling.
Reticle - I ordered the "Ballistic CQ Mil". It's a simple mil scale, glass etched reticle. The reticle is sharp and precise and appears to be properly vertical. It's pretty small, but with the illumination should be perfect.
Illumination - the center dot and horseshoe of the reticle are illuminated, controlled by a rotary knob. Settings 1 and 2 are very dim, for dark adapted eyes or maybe night vision use. Settings 3-5 are appropriate for dusk or moderate light. Settings 6-7 are significantly brighter and where I'll be using it in most bright daylight conditions. Settings 8-11 are VERY bright, fully at bright Aimpoint/EOTech levels. At #11 I was still able to see the illumination when looking at a glowing sun-illuminated cloud a half hour before sunset, looking just a few degrees away from the sun itself. There is no lighting condition you are likely to find where #11 would not be bright enough, including a glacier at noon. Even at bright settings there is no significant blooming within the reticle. There's also very little (but some) illumination coming out the front of the scope - less than most conventionally illuminated scopes, and at settings 7 or below not likely to be visible more than a few feet away. The illumination reminds me a lot of the Leupold Mark 6 illumination, which I believe is some newer technology. My Mark 6 has a very narrow eye position where you get full illumination, while this XTR has a somewhat broader eye position. With the extreme brightness range and lack of blooming, I don't see a thing to complain about. I am very impressed with the illumination.
Illumination control - one design choice that I question. The knob itself works fine, but the knob is also the battery case, and unlike most other illuminated scopes on the market, the ridged knob that you grasp to change illumination settings is the same one piece as the battery cap. It works, but I would prefer the cap and knob be independent.
Illumination control time-out - I thought my scope had an issue but RTFM fixed it. The intermediate off positions on the control dial are not fully off, and there is an internal time-out function that turns off the illumination after some length of time (my manual says "XX" hours, I assume they hadn't decided at press time, though I suppose they could mean 20 in Roman numerals). So, adjust the knob as you like, but when storing the scope rotate it to one or the other extreme to be really off. If you don't, you'll have to when you come back to the scope, as apparently the time-out has timed out if left at an intermediate off position.
Turrets - since the scope isn't mounted I can't comment on accuracy. The feel is excellent. It's impressive to get a zero stop and a rotation-limited windage knob on a scope in this price range.
Zoom - smooth, reasonable effort.
Size, weight: seems to be as specified. Not the lightest, not nearly the heaviest.
Overall quality impression: as only a first impression, this seems to be made to big league quality standards. If it didn't have the made-in-Philippines sticker, you could easily think it came from LOW Japan or even from Europe (like maybe a little south or east of Germany). Some people had harsh comments about this being made in the Philippines, but so far I can't see anything that's been given up.
Extras: the scope came with a battery (wrapped in multiple layers of mylar), and Butler Creek-style flip caps front and rear, which work very well and seem better than actual Butler Creek caps. Somewhat like Leupold caps, and worlds better than the junk caps that Sightron ships with their SIII's. Also an allen wrench for adjusting the knobs.
Summary: so far, I am very impressed, with one little doubt about the illumination control. Even if that is an issue, this would still be the apparent best value for a 1-5x type scope.
Optics: Excellent for the price. I should state that I have always found 1x-_x low magnification variables a bit squirrely when looking at fixed objects to evaluate the optics - the only one I've ever used and been completely happy with is the Leupold Mark 6. Even the Vortex Razor 1-6x was, to me, not great in resolution and clarity at 6x. I also have the SWFA SS 1-4x and 1-6x, two of the Weaver Dangerous Game 1-5x24mm, a Leupold VX-6 1-6x, and in the past owned the Razor and the Burris FF TAC30 1-4x. I have not used the Swarovski or Kahles 1-6x options. With that intro, what I see with the Burris XTRII is this:
1x - a true 1x, mostly very good but the outermost 5-10% of the field of view shows some distortion. I'm not sure if it would be called pincushion or fisheye. It is slight and only those who look through a lot of scopes would notice it. It has no impact on the intended use of the 1x setting, but I note it as one of the (few) ways this scope isn't equal to the Mark 6 or Razor.
4x - backing off maximum magnification, there are no significant optical issues at 4x. Not as sensitive to eye position as at 5x.
5x - excellent, but somewhat sensitive to eye position - there is excellent optical clarity if your eye is perfectly centered, but if your eye is off-center any amount then suddenly there is apparent chromatic aberration. I have seen this in a lot of scopes and assume it is an unavoidable engineering issue with the wider magnification range scopes.
Comparing the optics, I would say the Mark 6 is clearly better at both ends; the Razor is better at 1x, but I see better clarity at 5x in the XTR than I remember at either 5x or 6x in the Razor (I sold it). Compared to the SWFA 1-6x I think the XTR may have better clarity, but the SS has no distortion I've noticed at 1x, vs. the slight ring in the XTR. Since the XTR sells for $799 or less, I think its glass is very good for the price.
I have not tried to measure the field of view, but it looks like the claimed FOV (108' at 1x and 21' at 5x). I did not notice any tunneling.
Reticle - I ordered the "Ballistic CQ Mil". It's a simple mil scale, glass etched reticle. The reticle is sharp and precise and appears to be properly vertical. It's pretty small, but with the illumination should be perfect.
Illumination - the center dot and horseshoe of the reticle are illuminated, controlled by a rotary knob. Settings 1 and 2 are very dim, for dark adapted eyes or maybe night vision use. Settings 3-5 are appropriate for dusk or moderate light. Settings 6-7 are significantly brighter and where I'll be using it in most bright daylight conditions. Settings 8-11 are VERY bright, fully at bright Aimpoint/EOTech levels. At #11 I was still able to see the illumination when looking at a glowing sun-illuminated cloud a half hour before sunset, looking just a few degrees away from the sun itself. There is no lighting condition you are likely to find where #11 would not be bright enough, including a glacier at noon. Even at bright settings there is no significant blooming within the reticle. There's also very little (but some) illumination coming out the front of the scope - less than most conventionally illuminated scopes, and at settings 7 or below not likely to be visible more than a few feet away. The illumination reminds me a lot of the Leupold Mark 6 illumination, which I believe is some newer technology. My Mark 6 has a very narrow eye position where you get full illumination, while this XTR has a somewhat broader eye position. With the extreme brightness range and lack of blooming, I don't see a thing to complain about. I am very impressed with the illumination.
Illumination control - one design choice that I question. The knob itself works fine, but the knob is also the battery case, and unlike most other illuminated scopes on the market, the ridged knob that you grasp to change illumination settings is the same one piece as the battery cap. It works, but I would prefer the cap and knob be independent.
Illumination control time-out - I thought my scope had an issue but RTFM fixed it. The intermediate off positions on the control dial are not fully off, and there is an internal time-out function that turns off the illumination after some length of time (my manual says "XX" hours, I assume they hadn't decided at press time, though I suppose they could mean 20 in Roman numerals). So, adjust the knob as you like, but when storing the scope rotate it to one or the other extreme to be really off. If you don't, you'll have to when you come back to the scope, as apparently the time-out has timed out if left at an intermediate off position.
Turrets - since the scope isn't mounted I can't comment on accuracy. The feel is excellent. It's impressive to get a zero stop and a rotation-limited windage knob on a scope in this price range.
Zoom - smooth, reasonable effort.
Size, weight: seems to be as specified. Not the lightest, not nearly the heaviest.
Overall quality impression: as only a first impression, this seems to be made to big league quality standards. If it didn't have the made-in-Philippines sticker, you could easily think it came from LOW Japan or even from Europe (like maybe a little south or east of Germany). Some people had harsh comments about this being made in the Philippines, but so far I can't see anything that's been given up.
Extras: the scope came with a battery (wrapped in multiple layers of mylar), and Butler Creek-style flip caps front and rear, which work very well and seem better than actual Butler Creek caps. Somewhat like Leupold caps, and worlds better than the junk caps that Sightron ships with their SIII's. Also an allen wrench for adjusting the knobs.
Summary: so far, I am very impressed, with one little doubt about the illumination control. Even if that is an issue, this would still be the apparent best value for a 1-5x type scope.
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