Author Topic: Encore scope? (Read 1066 times)

tanoose · « **on:** November 01, 2007, 12:52:30 PM »

Ok i am waiting my encore pistol i got a matte blue 15" 308 Heavy barrel to order from the custom shop , and i want to use this for long range deer shooting. I have my heart set on a Burris 3x12x32 with a blastic plex recticle. I have no experience with burris and am hoping to hear some good words on the company So how will i like the Burris?

kennisondan · « **Reply #1 on:** November 01, 2007, 01:02:47 PM »

congrats on the weapon of choice I concur and await mine as well.. was thinking scope ... but I have to rethink everything now... I was interested in variable powered scopes... I am interestd in the responses you get about the scope, and the powers range as well..
I will watch with enthusiasm...
good luck with your encore and all
dk

tanoose · « **Reply #2 on:** November 01, 2007, 01:18:20 PM »

Thanks i am looking at the burris because of the 3x12 thats avalible , i will be making shots from 200 to 300 yards, and while most will say the 2x7 or 2.5x8 is plenty for those ranges , i myself need higher magnification . With scopes i always felt its a personal preference.And good luck with yours as well Kenn.

jhalcott · « **Reply #3 on:** November 01, 2007, 02:00:35 PM »

I have several brands of scopes on pistol barrels. I do NOT have the 3x12 YET. Burris is a good scope as is Leupold. I use 2x7 or 2x8 mostly and have no trouble hitting deer and ground hogs at 300 yards from a rested position and CORRECT loads for the job. A 2x seems to make the target smaller to me. I have pistols in 6.5jdj, 7tc/u, 7IHMSA and 308 plus others,All of these will take deer sized animals out beyond the 250 yard mark. I know there are guys putting RIFLE scopes on their Encore pistols. I think you give up too much in eye relief and field of view with those. I have not had a 3x12 to see what one has for field of view and eye relief.BUT I don't believe there is any free lunches, you have to make SOME trade offs to get that 12x.

kennisondan · « **Reply #4 on:** November 01, 2007, 02:21:23 PM »

It got my attention too... I had no idea of the 12x out there.... I am only questioning... what are your thoughts on whether the eye releif changing is going to be a problem.. as it changes with the power going higher... other than that ... I have heard naught but good of Burris scopes.. it is definitely the only game in town with that kind of power...
\
I also looked at the baliistic plex feature.. I like that a lot.. the labels for different calibers was great looking. That should allow for even further than 300 yard shots...WOW.

are you hunting big game... or target shooting ? waht is your anticipated use ? I am very curious...

I think the 12x option is outstanding... I am anxious for more info on that option as well..

I will have two barrels that can do long range and have one scope picked out 2-7 bought used.. now : I am wondering about that 12 x.. hope someone chimes in and you add a little of your personal choice criterion that is going into your decision that you made...
I doubt I have ever read a poor review of the burris scope, unless someone did not like the change of eye releif... and I have read many many reviews I assure you...
good luck.. hope to get to follow your usage and results here..
dan kennison

kennisondan · « **Reply #5 on:** November 01, 2007, 02:23:12 PM »

I thought I was the only one who felt the 2x made it look smaller... I feel better now...
dk

Ken ONeill · « **Reply #6 on:** November 01, 2007, 09:12:17 PM »

I'm using the Burris 3-12X Ballistic Plex on a custom barreled Contender in .225 Win., and on a .223 Rem. center grip XP-100. The eye relief aspect works well through the power range on the XP, because the center grip puts the eye piece closer to your eye, With the Contender, the arm must be bent a bit to achieve a full field of view on the highest magnifications. This is no problem with the light recoil of the .225, but could be problematic for some people with a .308 or larger. The Ballistic Plex reticle is worthwhile, but the slash marks are so small that they can be difficult to see against some color backgrounds. They're still a worthwhile addition in my opinion. I also have that reticle in use on a couple of Burris 2-7's.
My own preference on a .308 is the Burris 2-7X. I have them on a center grip XP, and an Encore, and had one on a Savage Striker in that caliber that I once owned. It's lighter than the 3-12, and offers me about all the magnification I can actually use in the hunting fields. A 3-12 allows me to use up to about 9 or 10 power, but the arm bending and scope movement tremors make more magnification un-useable for me. You'd better really be bagged up if you want to use the highest magnifications.
Burris scopes have been dependable for me. On many big game hunting single shots, I also have had very good service from the Bushnell 3200 2-6 Scopes, which are still lighter and more compact than the Burris 2-7's.
My scoped revolvers generally wear the even more compact Leupold 2X or 4X scopes, although a couple have Ultra Dots on them.

Olav · « **Reply #7 on:** November 02, 2007, 12:00:52 AM »

I have some trouble with my Burris 2-7x32. After about 700 rounds with my .44, the reticle has began to turn clockwise innside the tube. The ring for adjusting the magnification also turns clockwise during the shooting. Starting at 4x, after six rounds its almost on the 5x mark. But the scope is clear and crisp.

Mikey · « **Reply #8 on:** November 02, 2007, 01:32:59 AM »

tanoose: Thompson makes a scope just for their handgun and advertise it as shock proof. I think I have one on one of my rifles. Works just fine and gives good clarity and magnification. Mikey.

Redhawk1 · « **Reply #9 on:** November 02, 2007, 01:47:03 AM »

tanoose: the Burris 3x12x32 in my opinion is more of a target scope. I personally would not get one. You may want to do some research, field of view is very impotent in handgun hunting.

I know it is not a Burris 3X12, but I had a Burris 2X8 and I did not like it at all. The eye relief was too short for a handgun scope, and it was prone to black out if you held your hear wrong.

But good luck and let us know how it works out for you.

EdK · « **Reply #10 on:** November 02, 2007, 01:54:36 AM »

It has been said already there is no free lunch. The Burris 3-12x is a great scope from a solid rest. For 95% of big game hunting a 2-6/7/8x is a better choice. The extra 4x or so buys you nothing unless your rest is rock solid and eye relief becomes more critical.

Not that it can't be done but you're probably getting ahead of yourself by jumping straight to this scope from a fixed 2x or 4x without even trying a mid-range variable first.

obxmike · « **Reply #11 on:** November 02, 2007, 10:20:32 AM »

I have never looked thru a handgun scope with THAT much magnification..........I do know my Leupold 2.5x8 can be beyond frustrating at the higher magnifications. For hunting purposes (offhand, improvised rest) about 4x to 5x is about all I can hold on target. At the bench, I can run all the way up to 8x, but I still gotta squint a bit and concentrate real hard to keep from blacking out the sight picture. I agree with previous posters that it is probably un-needed overkill in the magnification department. But, then again, I do tend to lean to the practical side of things..........

irold · « **Reply #12 on:** November 02, 2007, 12:56:55 PM »

Couple of the other guys hit briefly on my thoughts...OMO....Unless your hunting from a little shed with a sort of bench rest...or tree stand with a rest....forget the high power stuff on a handgun. Personally a 4x is about my limit on a "hunt"....that being stalking and shooting from improvised rests...trees, stumps, etc The 2x and 4x in either Burris or Leo is a fine choice....or the 2-6x Bushnell isa great choice. Its hard to beat for the money. Lets be honest, 2-300 yards with a handgun is a long way. I believe we ought to think ethics here also, again....OMO Good luck, and good shooting !

Redhawk1 · « **Reply #13 on:** November 02, 2007, 02:03:50 PM »

irold, I don't think ethics is a issue here. Ethics is a personal thing as I see it. Myself with my 460 Mag, a 200 yard shot off a good rest is a ethical shot, because I know what my gun and I can do.

jhalcott · « **Reply #14 on:** November 02, 2007, 04:24:59 PM »

I've killed a lot of deer and ground hogs with a 4x scope and at ranges from 3 feet to 300 yards. What ever scope you decide on ,YOU must practice with it a bunch before taking it hunting. A target scope is NOT a hunting scope, even if you use it for that. I don't have any Ballistic plex reticle scopes I shoot the gun enough to use the cross hairs as rangeing devices. By putting a white 2' square card board with 1" black stripes across the face at different ranges, i get to "Know" how much distance is between the cross hair elements. When a deers back to brisket is covered by an amount of cross hair,I can pretty well tell how far it is from me. A variable scope works very well when doing this.
One very important thing to remember. A cheap scope will cost you more than a quality one in the long run!!

jamie · « **Reply #15 on:** November 03, 2007, 03:17:23 AM »

DO NOT GET THE 3x12!! It works great for target work or shooting at prairie poodles from a rest. I have one on a 6.5-284 barrel and I can't effectively use the 12x setting. At that magnification the eye alignment is extremely critical and extremely hard to get. I usually only go up to 10x.

For hunting and a 308 barrel, you can't do much better than the Bushnell Elite 3200 2x6. Eye relief is great and eye alignment is a snap. You will not need more than 6x for a 300 yrd shot at a deer. I shot 1.25" groups all day at 200 yrds with that 2x6 scope.

irold · « **Reply #16 on:** November 03, 2007, 10:17:17 AM »

Redhawk, Maybe I wasn't clear in my meaning....I believe we're thinking the same. ( scary , huh) As you said "a 200 yard shot off a good rest is ethical"......I agree completely ! If your accustomed to shooting 300 yards with your rig and can make consistent hits, I'd call that ethical. But to suggest to a new comer in the world of handgun hunting to make 200-300 yard shots....that I believe is not ethical. Perhaps he is one of those guys that is a natural at hand gunning.....maybe, but most of us have spent a lot of time at our local ranges. I guess to wrap it up, perhaps at the time of " the shot " one has to decide if he can make a clean kill given the situation he's in......Good shooting, Mike

Dave R · « **Reply #17 on:** November 03, 2007, 11:22:31 AM »

+1 on the Bushnell 3200 3-6. The eye relief seems constant and it is easy to pick up the target.

Dusty Miller · « **Reply #18 on:** November 04, 2007, 02:53:16 AM »

My Encore 25-06 sports a B&L 2-6 scope that is just jim dandy for sitting at the range in the bright of day but from a hunting blind after the sun sets its next to worthless. Oh well, I "only paid" $200 for it so now I can go pony up $300-$400 for a scope that'll do the job. I'm also going to get some hunting sticks, 'cuz holding that heavy gun and trying to stay on target is an iffy proposition.

Slufoot · « **Reply #19 on:** November 04, 2007, 03:59:12 AM »

Quote from: jhalcott on November 02, 2007, 04:24:59 PM

One very important thing to remember. A cheap scope will cost you more than a quality one in the long run!!

Amen to that jhalcott!

I have owned 2 Burris handgun scopes, a 2.5-7 and a 10x. Both of these scopes have had to go back to the factory. The 2.5-7 had what looked like several specs of black paint that you could see while looking through the scope. After each shot the specs would move around inside the scope. This happened after about a year on a 7-30 Waters Contender. I sent the scope back, they cleaned the inside and sent it back. It was fine after that.
The 10x became very blurry and you couldn't adjust it out with the adjustable objective. It's mounted on a 223 Rem Contender. I sent it back and it's OK now.
I sold the 2.5-7 and still have the 10x. It's the only Burris handgun scope I own now.
I've got a 2x Leupold, two 4x Leupold's and two 2.5-8 Leupold's. I have never had any trouble with the Leupold's. I've got one of the variables mounted on a 308 Win, Competitor pistol and the other is mounted on a 338 JDJ#2 Contender barrel. These scopes aren't cheap but remember what jhalcott said at the top of this post.

Dusty Miller · « **Reply #20 on:** November 05, 2007, 03:29:55 PM »

I have a 2X Leupold scope on an FA '83 that went back to the shop three times back in the days when I was shooting real heavy loads. However, they fixed it quickly and got it back to me within a week to ten days, no charge so I'm not complaining. That's probably what I'll go to on my 25-06 Encore.