Ok we have been comparing VX-II, VXII, Elite 3200&4200

[Robert]

I put a VXII and an Elite 3200 side by side today.  Can't even compare the eye relief of the two.  The Leupold blows the Elite out of the water.  I also compared the VXII to the Leupold 'Rifleman' 3-9....couldn't tell much difference side by side..BUT.  How does the Rifleman compare to the Elite for low light?

[TheOpticZone]

Robert,

Did you compare the new VX-II?  I am assuming you did, because they are actually the old Vari-X III's and I would tend to believe that they would be brighter and clearer than the Bushnell Elite 3200.

[Robert]

It was in a local shop that just recently opened.  It wasn't necessarilly the clarity...both were good..but that was just looking out his window...not a feild test....it was the eye relief that was extemely better with the Leopold.  My problem is that I have no way to field test these scopes at dusk...which is when I tend to get most of my game.  I hardly ever see a deer even come out into the open around here until at least sunset, so low-light is very important to me.  I am thinking of just buying a 'Rifleman' and bringing it home to compare to my Elite.  I know the gal at Wally-world..so I don't think I will have a hard time returning it if I do not mount it.  I just want to compare them...so I will know if I need to spend the extra 100 bucks for the VXII or not.  In fact...I am going to go down there right now.  Thanks for the reply.

[Steelhead]

To me, and of course not everyone, EYE RELIEF is a BIG consideration. You can get in some dang funny positions hunting. I get rid of my 3200 because it would hit my shooting glasses at the range, at that was on a 7x57. I decided I didn't want to try it in the hunting fields.

I also submit that any of the scopes you mentioned will provide enough light for 1/2 hour before, 1/2 hour after hunting in the good old USA.  The only thing that may go out is the crosshairs. Unfortunately Leupold will not change them on the Rifleman serious, but will on the VX-I series and up. Personnally I like the VX-1's, but the current VX-II's are Vari-X III's with VX-II prices. Can't go wrong there.

You can get the VX-1 for Gloss 3-9 for about $199 and matte for $219.

[Robert]

I looked at the 3-9 and the 2-7.  Couldn't even read the signs at Wallmart either at 30 yds or the entire length of the store.  Had to screw them way back almost off of the threads to get them to focus.  The girl kept giving me dirty looks as if she thought I was trying to break them. 3x worked fine, but turn up the power and the eye relief is gone.  I will say that about the 3200....the eye relief stays about the same whether 3 or 9 power.  I went down there with 300 bucks in my hand ready to buy....problem is...they don't have any top end scopes available....if they did.....they would probably sell a lot of them...people try the cheaper ones and aren't happy, so they try the VXII and VXII etc..and they will buy it.  Very poor marketing on Wallmart's behalf.

[Buckfever]

Take a look at this scope.  Great optics for a reasonable price and a fast focus.  I have it on a T3 Tikka and I can't say anthing bad about it.  $199.00  See if it works for you.  Leave a post as to what you think.

Buckfever

[Mac11700]

I went shopping last week for a better scope for my 257 Weatherby mag...i had a Simmons WTE 4x12 AO on another and moved it over when I sold the gun. I Had purchased a new Leupold VX 1 3x9 last month and hadn't taken it out of the box...so I was going to use it to "trade" up...I have a very good store to purchase guns and supplies here and the have an extensive line up of scopes to choose from...$75.....$2500... and just about everybrand you can want to look thru...and put on a try stock...and I did...this stock is set up to compare 2 scopes at once.
I looked thru these scopes in the bright store light and also outside at dusk... all of them were either a 3x9... 3.5 x10...3x12... 4 x12... 4x16...so I actually got a great chance to see how all of high end scopes stack up...I tested several Swarovski's...Kahles...Zeiss...Leupold...Weaver...Burris..Nikon..Busnell... Redfeild...Smith & Wesson..and a few others...


 I did do a comparison between the Bushnell 3200 and the 4200...and the 4200 is much brighter and clearer...but the ...to me the 3200...don't even come close to the Weaver or Leupolds   I would rate the 4200 about the same as the Vari x 2...but I wouldn't rate the 3200 anywhere close to them...


Of the really awsome scopes I looked thru...I picked  a Weaver Grand Slam 4x12...while the eye relief isn't a great as the Leupolds...it was just as bright and clear edge to edge without any visable distortion...as scopes costing 6 times as much...I guess if I put it on some kind of machine that measures the light waves and analyizes it.... the more expensive scopes might win...but to my eyes...I couldn't see spending anymore than what I did...


Mac

[ercjr2001]

I call Bull on Mac (117?). :lol:
Please take this as constructive critisisom.

The 4200 is Brighter and has better resolution than the Leupold you mentioned. That is a fact Jack.

I have compared everything out there and have viewed many of these sites for info.
The 4200 has very fiew equals.
I am sure the majority of viewers feel the same.

The 4200 is in my opinion every bit as brite and clear as the swarovski and Ziess products for a fraction of the cost.
The Japs are building the same quality for a fraction of the cost as the Germans and Austrians.
The Leupold VX III is probably close in this race but I don't believe it is any better.

EYE RELIEF.
It has been my experience that if you properly mount the scope and you use correct form (get behind the rifle correctly) it can not bite you.
If you get cut and take a beating from any cartridge 300 Ultra/ 300 Weatherby and under then you are not correctly positioned.

Swarovski PH series have 3.1 inches of eye relief and this is a common scope on many dangerous game rifles.
My point is that 3inches is plenty and 4 is even better but not a cure all.
I have a buddy that let a 30-06 with a leupold Vari X II cut him.
He was scared to shoot this gun and was not behind his rifle properly.
I have tought him how to shoot a heavy recoiling rifle off the bench since then.
If a 7X57 cut you then remount your scope properly if necessary and get behind the rifle properly.

[Mac11700]

You can call it anything you like pardner,but we all are intitialed to our on opinions...fact is the Bushnell scopes I looked thru didn't really impress me at all...nor to the other fine folks who where there and looking thru them......and I have seen and looked thru dozens of different scopes this past week...each scope is subjective to the person who is looking thru it.. and to that paticular individuals eyes...just as no 2 guns are a-like...niether are 2 different sets of eyes...please read  what I said again...that is why I said..." to me."...as far as the 4200 having no equals...that to me just isn't the case...granted The Ones I looked thru were ok....but they did one thing very noticably..(they) all the Bushnells... lost a great deal of lite when the power ring was turned to it's highest level...all of them did...more than most of the other brands I compared...and I looked at 4 each of the 3200 and the 4200,because I thought it was a fluke after reading how great they are....this wasn't just holding them up in the store ...this was on a dual try stock...doing a true comparison between scopes being held at the same time...looking thru the stores lite and natural dimming lite outside... one other distraction on the Bushnells...the distances they had marked for the AO didn't jive when testing for parallex...2 of the 4200 did...2 didn't and none of the 3200 did...1 being off by 50-60 yards....which may not mean a great deal to some...but to me if it's marked...it should be dead on it...and I shouldn't have to guess...I use a lazer range finder to know the exact distance ...their scopes should be made to reflect this...


I truely wanted to see how good these were after reading how good they were...but the ones I looked at didn't cut it with me...I want a scope that among the basics of keeping true and not leak... will track true...and stay bright at all power settings,and to be accurate...the scope I chose hopefully will do all of that...a lot of the more expensive scopeswould too...but,I 'm not a Rockerfeller...and I'm not into spending big bucks on a name...if I were I probably would have come home with one of  the Kahles,they were extreamly nice...but my wallet would have a lot lighter:wink:


Like I said...you probably could put them on an optical testing machine and one might be better than the other...but...to my eyes..they weren't...and if I can't see the difference...I'm not going to buy it...but to each their own in that regaurd,and I agree with you with the quality of scopes Japan is producing.. since this is were my Grand Slam is produced.

Bye the Bye...I've only been cut 1 time...and that was because I creeped up on the stock of a  12 gauge NEF Ultra Slug Hunter sporting a Nikon Monarch 3x9x40...I got a nasty cut...but also  the buck


Mac

[Dogshooter]

I have several VXIII's and one Elite 4200. Bought the B&L at a friend's insistance that they are better than the Leupold's. Nyet. Still like the Leupold III's much better. Can't really put my finger on the "why". Just like the leo's better.

[Robert]

I have posted this subject a few times.....still aint any closer.  I think I will have to buy the Leupold just because I dont have one yet...then I can do all the testing myself.

[Graybeard]

Folks with proper testing facilities can measure the light transmission of scopes to the tenth of a percentage and tell us which should be brightest and for the most part have. But that still doesn't remove the human factor of what looks right to each of us. And it ain't always gonna be the same one to each of us. We all have small little things we're looking for even tho we ourselves may not know how to explain just what they are.

Way too many folks don't even understand how the various features of scopes work or are supposed to work and that some times causes one to think a scope isn't doing what it is supposed to when in fact it is.

Getting hit by a scope is really the shooter's fault almost every time. Either you didn't mount it correctly or you crawled the stock or used poor shooting form. Long eye relief helps avoid this IF you are prone to such but is no cure. I just recently read an article by Boddington (gad I hate reading that guy's stuff). He was using a .375 Whby., certainly a heavy kicker but not nearly so much so as a lot of the rifles he shoots. He had mounted a Leupold Vari-X III 1.5-5 which has about the longest eye relief of any scope made. It cut him three times on a single safari before he finally took the scope off and finished the hunt with iron sights. He admitted it was totally his fault as he is a stock crawler AND had mounted it in a base/ring combination that held it a bit further back than it should be. Those are the kinda factors pretty much always at fault when the scope cuts you.

BTW some brands have rubber on the eye piece and if you're prone to getting hit I'd mount one of those so the blow is softer and you don't get cut.  :-D  

GB

[oldelkhunter]

The 4200 is in my opinion every bit as brite and clear as the swarovski and Ziess products for a fraction of the cost.
The Japs are building the same quality for a fraction of the cost as the Germans and Austrians.
The Leupold VX III is probably close in this race but I don't believe it is any better.

  No it only beats the Germans in cost that is it.. Look at eye relief, OAL and weight and then tell me how equal they are. Granted optically the difference is slight but it is still there.  After the 3 german/austrian brands then comes Leupold VX-III and then you throw in the 4200/Nikon Monarch. I could start another thread altogether on the Nikon Gold Series which is a great scope and optical equals of most German/Austrian 30mm scopes.

[Zachary]

I have an Elite 4200 4x-16x-50mm AO mounted on my 7mm Ultra Mag.  Boy does that gun kick - and sharp too - like a Cobra!

Anyway, the scope has an advertised 3.6" of eye relief, which I thought might be too little.  Anyway, I shot about a box of ammo and the scope never even touched me.  Is it my shooting form?  Is it that 3.6" is plenty?  Well, probably both, but the bottom line is the scope never touched me.

Don't get me wrong - I tend to LOVE long eye relief.  But after shooting this scope on such a sharp kicker, I've learned that there are other variables (such as shooting position, etc.) that are just as, if not more, important, than eye relief.

Eye relief aside, though, the Elite 4200s have some of the best glass I have seen - regardless of price.  Yes, the Swarovski's are better - but not by much, and certainly not at 3 or 4 times the cost.  Believe me, I don't mind spending money on good optics, but, despite all those TV shows on the outdoor channel where it seems that every African Hunter "MUST" use a Swarovski, I really don't see the need for it.  And since they have the least amount of eye relief, I just can't justify the price.

Zachary