OP, it sounds like you may have got a bum DMR IIi based on what I've read through this thread. I think the Hide has given you some good advice, first, check with Bushnell, their warranty is one of the best in the business. I had the original DMR and similar to your story that is what got me into the custom rifle gig, it sat atop a Surgeon with a Bartlein chambered in 7WSM, at the time it was the best scope I could afford (or so I thought) and I paid $1250 for it. Is the DMR IIi worth more than the original, well the new one has illumination, it has 10 mil turrets, the turrets are a tad lower profile and the glass has better multicoating. The reticle, the feel of the turrets, the performance of the illumination is all subjective and we all have our differing opinions. Sounds like you bought the scope for its magnification range and short length and hoped the glass would be as good as Nightforce ATACR and Vortex Razor Gen II but that is simply not the case. In general, you get what you pay for in the optics world and often times we have to make compromises based on our budget and needs. The fact that you bought a scope hoping it would be something more is not surprising, that has happened to me multiple times. I bought the Steiner T5Xi 5-25x56 when it was first announced being bedazzled by the marketing hype of "German precision made in the USA" I had very high expectations and was sorely disappointed. I agree with many others on the forum, with such strong feelings with your first impressions I don't think you'll ever be happy with this scope. I understand the dealer you bought it from has a high restocking fee, but you'll still get more than trying to sell it as used is my guess. I would contact your dealer and ask them if you return it and buy another scope from them would they consider refunding the restocking fee, or just cut your losses and get your money back minus the restocking fee and then buy from a Hide vendor as I can just about guarantee every Hide vendor would have sold you the DMR IIi for less than $1600 (PM me if you'd like some references). If you want "short" there are not that many options with scopes over 16x magnification, the best of course is the Schmidt & Bender Ultra Short series, but you'll have to save up more coin for those, but they are the best. I would also join the many others who have recommended the Vortex Razor AMG, I also own one of those and can tell you the glass is definitely better on the AMG over the DMR IIi, the reticle is superior, it has locking turrets and locking illumination, the turret clicks are nicer and eye box is better, but it is a longer scope and has a higher low end magnification, but don't always go by the magnification rating, take a look at the Field Of View (FOV) specs and you might be surprised that not all scopes are created equal, I tend to lean towards scopes that have greater FOV at the bottom end. My type of shooting involves, paper, steel and hunting and its the latter that controls the minimum FOV because I like hunting Elk and I've decided that 20' FOV at the bottom end is my comfortable limit, the Vortex AMG comes in at 20.4' even though it is 6x magnification (better than some manufacturer's 5x scopes). I reviewed a bunch of these scopes earlier this year -
https://www.snipershide.com/shootin...t-low-light-tactical-scope-evaluation-part-ii and while I felt the Bushnell DMR IIi was a definite improvement over the original, I also felt no other scope compares at this price range and magnification range and length (that being said, I think $1600 for a DMRIIi is overpriced). Frank disagrees and says there are other scopes in this price range that are "better" but he is unwilling to say which ones, though I have to wonder if they have the same magnification range and are just as short because that is the reason why a lot of shooters choose the DMR II, are there scopes with better glass, certainly, are there scopes with better reticles, I think so, but I don't know of any other scope under $2000 that offers all that in one short package. Good luck with your journey, I share your frustration with hoping you'll get what you expected but sometimes that's not the case. My final thought is to once again reiterate that your next scope purchase should be from a reputable Snipers Hide vendor, they are awesome to deal with and can give some great advice and most of them will work with you to make sure you are happy.