Looking for Leupold options for set/forget scopes.

Whats the skinny on the Bushnell Elite series - 3500/4500/6500? Do they hold zero? I really like their DOA 600 reticle.

Thanks.

I had a 3200 for several yrs. Scope performed really well. A few yrs ago it started fogging. I sent it back to Bushnell and they replaced the Elite due to the 3200 being discontinued.

This Elite stayed on my 280 for several more yrs and just like the 3200 it done really well. Low light was decent as well as clarity. Never had any problems with either "holding zero"..My only issue, to my eyes it "felt" like I was looking through a tunnel, if that makes sense.

I sold the Elite a couple weeks ago due to wanting something different.

I have an LRHS and it doesn't seem that way to me. I've been impressed with the LRHS and was hoping the regular Elite series carried over. The other thing I notice about the elite series is that they aren't flyweight - 17 oz for the 3500.

I’ve had the 4200, plain elite (4200 glass), and the 6500.

They have clear, bright glass and are built like a tank.

I have two elites now. I think they (along with the old conquests) are the best value EVER in scopes.

You can spend more, but it won’t be worth it.

i have the 3000, 3200 and 4200. great scopes for the money. especially the 4200. watch the classifieds here and you can pick them up for <$200

I have three Elites and would have given them a positive report until recently, but last week I reinstalled one and when boresighting it I noticed no movement as I cranked the elevation adjustment. Then, I decided to switch to the windage adjustment and when I twisted it the crosshairs dropped a whole lot in the vertical direction. That's put me off the Elites.

I sold my Leupold LR scopes and replaced them with the BN 3200 3-9x40 w/ Ballistic reticle (tree-style) on our 270s for deer hunting. I can see the glass-etched reticle easily at last light and this year my son hit a spray paint can at 440 yards with his first shot when we were checking zeros for deer season. Hard to argue with that! They're usually very reasonable when you find them for sale but finding one is the trick!

I now have the LRHS 3-12 and 4.5-18 as well so if anyone's looking for an Elite 6500 moa-mil 2-16x42 mil-dot and/or a Weaver Tactical mil-mil 3.5-15x50 Illuminated EMDR - both in excellent condition - for $525/ea shipped.

I’ve had a 4200 a long time on a .270 and have felt no need to upgrade it.

I don't know Bushnell's at all. The LRHS I have is the first in a very long time.

What is the difference between the 4200 and the Elite 4500? It appears the 3500/4500/6500 are all the same except magnfication. Any other differences, especially between the older Elite series and the newer Elites?

I dont think there is any difference between the 4200/4500.

The 3500 is similar to the old 3200.

Basically same scope except newer coatings and I believe they now have taller resettable turrets.

I don’t think 3200 glass is as good as 4200, not in my handling them. 6500 glass may be better than 4200, although pretty close.

I find 4200 glass to be equivalent to VX-3 glass, VX-6 glass better than 4200 or 6500.

IMO.

DF

Here's something from my optics comparison pages.
Speaking of Leupolds: I bought a VX-6 4-24X52 for $1,347. A very nice optics. I compared it to my Bushnell 6500 4 1/2-30X50 for $750 and the Swarovski z5 5-25X52 for $1,500. Whatever I could see on the military optics chart 127 yards away with the VX-6 and z5 I could see the same thing on one power lower setting with the 6500. I called all three companies to check how accurate their settings are. All claim they are spot on. The VX-6, the 6500, and the Swarovski z5 go down at the same time on my low light test.

I sold the four z5's and the VX-6 and kept the three Bushnell 6500s. They, unlike the z5's, move the correct amount when sighting them in. None have changed since they were sighted in. I used the VX-6 for one whole season on several hunts without trouble. But since it was not better than the 6500's and I could get $1,250 on the used market I did.

I have a Bushnell 4200 4-16X40 on my .375. Trouble free since installation.

I have owned several of the Bushnell Elite series 3200/3500 in 3-9x40 and 2-7x32 models and found them to be outstanding optics for the money, I think they compare well with Leupold VX3 scopes though the VX3 scopes do have better eye relief if your mounting the scope on a hard kicker..If I were in the market for a solid, low cost scope I would certainly buy another Bushnell......Hb

I recently put a 3500 3-9x, with DOA 600, on a 700 in 7mm-08. Shot great yesterday, out to 500 yards using the reticle. First time out with the new scope, load, and G-Boe stock.

I had to measure the reticle subtensions since I couldn't find them published by Bushnell. No big deal. Strelok has the reticle in their app, but the picket subtension was way off. Mine is 15 MOA, and gives me a 650 yard hold. The other dotz are spot on for 200, 300, 400, and 500.

Was still able to hit rocks at 625 and 685. It was a hoot, and I normally twist turrets.

Jason

FYI - Bushnell has a new app, but I haven't messed with it.

I own two 4200's, one "Elite" and a 6500 Tactical Elite. All great scopes. Can't say enough good things about them.

Dan

Couple 3500 3-9's and a 6500 4-16. DOA 600 and mil-dot. Great scopes and reticles work well...especially with Strelok + app on phone.

I have he strelok app and have played with it on various scopes. Some times it's pretty close, sometime snot so.much. I plan to call Bushnell to discuss their Elite series.

I have a couple 3200s and a 4200. They have been great scopes. I think they are about all anybody needs for a set and forget scope.

Had a 3200 3-9 for a bit; was decent and Rainguard works. Eye relief was short compared to Leupod, but there was enough tube to mount it properly for me on a Mauser.

Had a B&L 4200 1.6-6x44 (I think). Liked that one a lot.

Only current Bushy's are a couple of Trophy XLTs. Haven't run any tests, but there have been no issues or surprises in use or while sighting them in. The 4-12AO is going on my new SS 455 when my rings get here.

So, in my experience, their scopes, even the mid-range ones, have worked fine thus far. On the other hand, three examples of one model of red dot were crap, and service was slow and frustrating.

Were the others anywhere near 1.4, 3.4, 6.2, 9.6 MOA?

Sounds about right, but I don't have my notes in front of me. I can confirm later today, in terms of what I measured thru the scope.

I installed the Bushnell/A.B. app, and it has the DOA reticle. Your values match what I see in their app. Strelok is close, but not quite the same. And the Bushnell app doesn't show a subtension for the picket.

J

As usual with ballistic reticles, I think it's best to measure thru the scope as best as possible, and shoot at known distances to confirm.

I just called their customer service and talked to a lovely young lady - who didn't know anything. I asked the weight of the Elite 3500 in 3-9x40. Website says 17.2 oz, several vendors say 13. She said it weighed 144 oz "or something like that".

Not a good first impression. I'll call back later and hopefully get someone that knows what they are talking about.

I have a couple 4200s.Good glass but eye relieve sucks so they are on low recoil rifles.I recently bought a Nikon Monarch 5 and it has the best glass I have ever used,plus 4" eye relief .

I've been using Bushnell Elites for about 10 years, (2) 2-7x32, (1) 3-9x40, (1) 3-9x50, and (3) 6-24x40. In 2017, I purchased a third 2-7 and a second 3-9x40 and felt that the optical quality and light transmission was not as good as the earlier scopes. During deer season last November, right at dusk, I lined up my new 3-9 on a doe and could not see it. Asked my wife to hand me her rifle with the same old scope and could see it fine.

I don't know much about scopes, but the 3500's that I bought in 2017 have been taken off my rifles and I'm currently wondering what to do with them. I also purchased (2) more 6-24x40's (4500) in 2017 and the quality was just as good as before. I know that the LRHS and Tactical Models are extremely high quality and wouldn't hesitate to use them.

The DOA600 reticle works better than most of the other simple BDC reticles I've used. The circles are 2MOA and even for target work you can get pretty good groups.

I once had a 4.5-30x50 Elite 6500.

I have no idea why I run Swaro's now. Guess I like to waste money. That Elite was awesome.

The second 6500 4 1/2-30X50 is not as good as the other two for low light. The second two match my Swarovski z5 5-25X52 in low light comparisons.



I switched from Swaro to 6500 after having them side by side for a couple seasons.

Yep, can't get past the short eye relief. I no longer have any Elites for this reason.

My 6500s, Swarovski z5, and Leupold VX-6 were within 1/8" of each other.

I bought a NIB 4500 2.5-10x40 a couple days ago for $251 shipped to my house. We'll see...........

I think the Elite series 4500 and 6500 are very nice scopes. I only have 2 questions about them.

a. why are the same reticles not being offered in both 4500 and 6500
b. Why has Bushnell not offered a #4 or 4A reticle in the 50mm 6500 scopes? I guess they just don't want to sell more of them .

Oldelkhunter,

Bushnell is a billion dollar company. Sometimes I think these companies don't have staff checking the market. They make something and hope it sells.

Bushnell is a brand owned by Vista Outdoors. Vista Outdoors also owns:

American Eagle
Blazer
CCI
Estate Cartridge
Federal Premium Ammunition
Force on Force
Fusion
Independence Ammunition
Savage Arms
Savage Range Systems
Speer
Stevens
Alliant Powder
Bee
Stinger
BLACKHAWK!
Bollé
Bushnell
Butler Creek
CamelBak
Cébé
Champion Target
Eagle
Final Approach
Gold Tip
GunMate
Gunslick Pro
Hoppe's
Jimmy Styks
M-Pro 7
Millett
Night Optics
Outers
Primos
RCBS
Redfield
Serengeti
Simmons
Stoney Point
Tasco
Uncle Mike's
Weaver


According to Vista Outdoors 2016 Annual Report they grossed $2.27 Billion.

I do wish they would offer a 4a reticle on the 6500 model.

Have not owned a 6500 series scope. Maybe they have better eye relief than all of the old 3200 and 4200 scopes had. I doubt any of them had more than 3" or actual eye relief. I would be good hear that Bushnell may have addressed the problem. I will give them a 2nd look.

I have looked thru a 6500 and it had very nice eye relief. I just didn't think the reticle would hold up in lowlight. If they made a 4a...I would buy a few and if it were illuminated would be even better

I'm going to send the 4500 back - unless someone wants it for what I paid ($251) plus shipping to your location. It has the DOA 600 reticle.

What didn't you like about it?

bushnell has been horse traded by various private equity companies. the company is now worth a fraction of what it used to be. its really sad to see. Their retail space has been almost totally displaced by vortex. The only bushnell stuff you can find in stores is their cheap chinese stuff. from the outside it looks to me like bushnell is in somewhat the shape we see remington in. every past company sodomized the good that was left of the company and now it looks like vista can't find a seat when the music has stopped in musical chairs. Further look at all the other companies vista owns. the only ones I think that are doing well are the ammunition parts of the company. look at all the brands that have been essentially killed off. millet and tasco? heck even weaver, no store major store sells them that I know of. everyone is tired if crappy butler creek scope caps, you don't see them for sale in big box stores much. Heck even savage IMO isn't what it was 10 years ago. Vista outdoors where brands go to die. Will bushnell become the next weaver? or millet? who knows at this rate they will. I love their elite series scopes, they are some of my favorites. big private equity companies have been terrible for whatever gun related industry they have dabbled into. remington, bushmaster, and DPMS are also dieing.

I have not bought any new Bushnells, but I have three older elites that have been real good scopes. I would buy another one without question, but there are other scopes that I want to try, before buying another Bushnell!