Rifle Scopes Bushnell Elite Tactical SMRS 1-8.5x24mm Vs Burris XTR II 1-8x24 ?

[jcollins0001]

Bushnell Elite Tactical SMRS 1-8.5x24mm - Illuminated BTR-2
$680
Vs
Burris XTR II 1-8x24 - Ballistic Circle Dot Illuminated
SKU
201018
$750

Anyone do a side by side comparison of these two ?

 

[Glassaholic]

Check out ILya's review here - http://opticsthoughts.com/?p=2050

Based on his review alone I would lean toward the XTR II; this particular model is made by LOW in Japan which alone raises an eyebrow for the price.

 

[lou400a]

I believe they're both made by LOW. Pick the reticle that works for you and go with it. I use the SFP XTR II 1-8 and I'm happy with it

 

[erwos]

Check out ILya's review here - http://opticsthoughts.com/?p=2050

Based on his review alone I would lean toward the XTR II; this particular model is made by LOW in Japan which alone raises an eyebrow for the price.

Ilya's review is excellent as always, but I want to point out that it seems like he used it on a 5.56 rifle, which is the optimal platform for the XTR II's BDC. I wound up going with the SMRS because it's going on my Aero M5 308, and the XTR II's BDC won't work well on that according to Strelok Pro. Being $70 cheaper and more easy to dial didn't hurt, either. Quality seemed about the same on both scopes; they're both from LOW as far as I can tell.

 

[Glassaholic]

One other thing to point out with BDC's, they are great for what they are designed for - specific cartridge, specific rifle/barrel and specific atmospherics, if you're shooting under 500 yards and your targets are larger than prairie dogs then it may not make a huge difference, but I've known shooters who think the BDC is magic and they'll hit whatever they put their crosshair on regardless. This is where mil/mil and moa/moa turret/reticle combos really shine.

 

[erwos]

Yeah, you always should be confirming your BDCs using real velocity measurements, your chosen load, and something like Strelok. Too many people see "7.62 NATO BDC!" and never bother to investigate whether their ammo's BC and velocity match up. For example, I've got a BDC scope that's eerily spot-on with 175gr FGMM with a 24" barrel, but is trash with a 16" barrel due to velocity difference. I have no beef with BDC, and do think it's appropriate for some use cases, but I'm a lot more uptight these days about it. Maybe we'll eventually have electronic reticles that can be individually configured on a per rifle/load/zero basis and have perfect BDCs.

 

[LawnMM]

Have both, I think they both have their strengths.

The Bushy has a very unobtrusive reticle on 1x, very reminiscent of an EoTech.

The XTR2 has horizontal stadia that help draw your eye to center on 1x.

I think the Bushy turrets are better, and they lock.

I think the XTR2 reticle at 8x is better for wind adjustments since it's graduated in MILs on the horizontal stadia, the Bushy isnt.

They're both pretty nice honestly I don't see how you go wrong with either choice.