Rifle Scopes XTRIII HAS ARRIVED. INITIAL THOUGHTS INSIDE, MORE COMING.

[Tyler Kemp]

Anxious to see how this thing stacks up, a lot of hype that's for sure!

We'll make a lever first then I'll have one up for grabs until we get more in. Will post pics, thoughts, etc. Hoping it arrives tomorrow.

Tyler

 

[D_TROS]

YEYE. looking forward to reviews. What scope do you have to compare it to?


GL
DT

 

[Tyler Kemp]

Athlons, Leupolds, Nikons, Kahles, Sigs, Swaros, Vortexes, Zeisses, etc. We sell most brands, just no one knows it

JUST ARRIVED THIS MORNING:

Initial thoughts with just a few minutes playing with the scope:

1) Really forgiving eyebox. Just holding it up by hand you can tell it's going to be easy to get behind

2) Disappointed in the turret feel. A bit mushy on the elevation IMO, windage is very small under the cap, hard to turn and honestly is rough on your fingers. Probably needs a little wheel made for folks who want to leave it uncapped. Markings on the windage turret are tiny, I can imagine older guys having a lot of trouble reading them. I like a satisfying tactile clunk on turrets. Really impressed with the T5Xi turrets we got in, also like my Kahles quite a bit, the Ares ETR are also solid but a bit cheaper feeling. Kinda a cheap safe door clunk vs a very stout safe door clunk if that makes sense.

3) Smooth mag ring, but will still benefit from a throw lever. No nub or built in lever, although anyone would know that from pictures

4) I like the reticle. I'm not one for crazy complex reticles, can't stand looking through a Horus personally. This one is pretty thin at low mags, but what do you expect from a FFP that isn't crazy thick at max power?

5) Doesn't feel light, doesn't feel overly heavy. Feels solid, but not solid like a Razor Gen II where it's satisfying/saddening depending on whether weight is important for your rig.

That's all for now. Let me know what else you...want to know!

 

[Birddog6424]

Definitely agree on the windage knob. If you run capped, the small knob underneath is well.....small. And the turrets are stiff right out of the box making the small knob a stiff turn. It wont need a little wheel though if you leave it uncapped. It has a larger knob with larger marking that goes on it. I played with it a little, it makes a big difference.

Yours is a little different though if the top turret is mushy. Mine is anything but. Quite stiff when new, better now that its broke in. But really tactile, solid clicks on mine. They feel better after they've seen some use. You definitely know when you've moved.

Agree on the eyebox. Even at 30x I have zero problems getting behind it. Shooting a PRS match on Saturday I saw zero eyebox issues. I basically shot the whole match before realizing that there wasnt a single ocassion where I had to adjust cheek weld to get in it.

Looking forward to you thoughts on the rest of it.

 

[Tyler Kemp]

Definitely agree on the windage knob. If you run capped, the small knob underneath is well.....small. And the turrets are stiff right out of the box making the small knob a stiff turn. It wont need a little wheel though if you leave it uncapped. It has a larger knob with larger marking that goes on it. I played with it a little, it makes a big difference.

Yours is a little different though if the top turret is mushy. Mine is anything but. Quite stiff when new, better now that its broke in. But really tactile, solid clicks on mine. They feel better after they've seen some use. You definitely know when you've moved.

Agree on the eyebox. Even at 30x I have zero problems getting behind it. Shooting a PRS match on Saturday I saw zero eyebox issues. I basically shot the whole match before realizing that there wasnt a single ocassion where I had to adjust cheek weld to get in it.

Looking forward to you thoughts on the rest of it.

Ah, I didn't even see if there was another windage knob in the box. That's a nice thought.

I'll run the elevation back and forth a bunch. This one isn't really stiff, or really soft, but the clicks aren't super solid feeling. Kinda like an Ares BTR or maybe Gen I Viper if I had to give a comparison. Perhaps it'll work in a bit?

All in all, my only "negative" thusfar, and again that may resolve itself. Will definitely do some comparisons looking at a mile between this and other scopes, etc.

 

[Mordamer]

I just go one in today. My thoughts compared to a NF 7-35:

Turrets: Very good turrets. Only complaint is they are a bit hard to turn. The nightforce are easier to turn and are just about right. The clicks on the XTR III are crisp and they line up dead nuts. Zero stop works perfect. I tested tracking briefly only on the elevation turret and it was right on. I love what they did with the windage turret. I actually like how they provided the options for capped windage or uncapped. I think the Burris version with the 2 separate turrets and cap is actually a better design than the nightforce cap and beauty ring.

Glass:
The eyebox is very good on the Burris. The field of view is huge. The parallax worked nicely and the numbers lined up at the short distances I just looked at. I was expecting the glass to be closer to the nightforce, but as soon as I started looking at my tracking test board I could tell a pretty obvious difference in glass quality. There was a lot more CA than I expected. The resolution was good, but not as good as the Nightforce. The difference is noticeable.

My overall impression is very good. My main requirement with a scope is that the turrets don't let me down. I like good glass, but after a certain point it is a dimenishing return.

I'm going to shoot out to about 1,200 yards this evening with both scopes to see what I think after that. I'll also have a Vortex AMG and Leupold Mark 5 to compare it to this evening.

 

[Texaslongshot]

thanks for info guys. Can we get some pics of these mounted up!!

 

[Yoteski]

Had a buddy who just got one. Haven't got to tinker with it yet, but his initial impressions were that the windage turret was not good at all; said it took him two hands to turn it. He's been running a MK5, as do I, and his initial opinion was don't get rid of your MK5 for one. However, I have already sold one of my MK5's to try one of these out, might have to rethink that. Like most products, the initial release might have some kinks, and so I might be waiting until they're worked out. I'll get to play with his tomorrow and so I'll have a good first hand review instead of just passing along his opinion.
Burris is taking on a crowded market with the Razor Gen II, Leupold MK5, etc. in the same price range, and they need to get this right.

 

[Tyler Kemp]

After running the turrets back and forth while dealing with a salty customer on the phone (if you order the wrong lever, shocker, it won't fit) it feels way better. It is tactile, the right stiffness for me, and I actually really like the turrets now.

Already have a lever made for it, will go up on the site soon along with some other new products.

 

[LawnMM]

 

[Birddog6424]

After running the turrets back and forth while dealing with a salty customer on the phone (if you order the wrong lever, shocker, it won't fit) it feels way better. It is tactile, the right stiffness for me, and I actually really like the turrets now.

Already have a lever made for it, will go up on the site soon along with some other new products.

I went through the same process. Right out of the box I was thinking holy hell these turrets are stiff!!

They feel fantastic now that they are broke in. Especially the elevation turret that has seen a fair share of usage. I dont dial much windage. Mine is capped.

 

[Birddog6424]

Had a buddy who just got one. Haven't got to tinker with it yet, but his initial impressions were that the windage turret was not good at all; said it took him two hands to turn it.

I dont even know how you would get two hands on it. It's just a little guy under there.

 

[Mordamer]

I shot with the XTR III in low light last night and in bright sunlight this morning. Tracking was perfect. Glass was very good. My friend and I compared the XTR III to the Leupold MK 5, Vortex AMG, and ATACR multiple times switching between rifles. The Burris competes with these optics very well and it was hard to tell a difference in resolution. We shot until it was completely dark. The Burris was incredibly bright. It was brighter than the Nightforce 7-35. The problem was once the light was really low I couldn't see the reticle in the Burris below about 13 power. In the nightforce I could see the reticle better and I could turn on illumination. If I zoomed in to 20x I could see the target much better with the Burris.

In bright daylight I could see a decent amount of CA in the Burris at higher power. The Nightforce looked better and I could see detail a little better in bright light with the Nightforce. The difference was not much.

The XTR III has noticeably more field of view than the other scopes when set to the same magnification. This is one of the most outstanding features of the scope.

I see the XTR III competing very well against the Razor Gen II and the Bushnell XRS II.

 

[Birddog6424]

Thanks for the feedback Mordamer..

It mirrors pretty closely what mine has looked like, but luckily I'm not seeing any CA in mine. The brightness of this glass is definitely turning out to be one of its strengths. I've compared to a couple Razors now, and they are really close. The Burris is just a hair brighter.

I can definitely see the difficulty in picking up the reticle in low light. It's very thin. I think illumination will be a must have for people who find themselves in low light scenarios.