Last year I purchased two 3x9x40MM scopes. The first scope I purchased was the Burris FFII Ballistic Plex, and the second was the Buckmaster 3x9x40MM with BDC. I like both scopes, and the truth be told I have only had a few days exposer to them.
I purchased the Buckmaster because it is slightly longer and fits a long action rifle the FFII would not fit without changing rings. A second real unscientific reason is that I think/thought the clarity of the Buckmaster is better. The clarity of the Buckmaster is such that I would buy another. The click/adjustment is very positive. I did not hunt with the rifle that has the Buckmaster on it this past season so I did not get to test it in changing environment when the rifle goes out of a heated pickup into sub freezing temperatures
The FFII held up very good under those conditions. I had it out in heat, rain, and snow and it did not falter.
Rifle with the FFII mounted on it in the field.
I am giving you this background information so you know I have a reason for my recommendation.
I had mounted the Buckmaster on a rifle using the in place base mounts. I had taken a fall with that rifle put a slight dent in the scope. I felt it was a good excuse to replace the scope and the time had come to do it. I put new Weaver rings on the Buckmaster and fired about twenty rounds. As I have stated earlier the clarity of the image is outstanding. The adjustments were very positive, and when I used the BDC feature at the same range the change in bullet impact seemed to be correct.
Hopefully I will get the opportunity in 2008 to use the rifle. I made a mistake when installing the scope on the old base mounts. Knowing I had take a hard fall with the rifle and it dented the old scope I should have pulled the old mounts and replaced the mount screws. After an excellent sight in period the rear mount sheared off and the scope slide forward in the front mount. The rifle went to the gunsmith to get the broke screw removed and the mount re-installed. Because of my mistake my favorite long range .270 was out of service for the season. The reason for pointing this out is the Buckmaster has found a home on “the” favorite long-range rifle. The BDC feature in the Buckmaster is idea for my needs.
The slightly longer tube of the Buckmaster is an advantage when it comes to mounting the scope. The user has a little more room to move the scope in the mounts to take full advantage of long eye relief.
There are a lot of good scopes in that price range now days. I had promised myself that I would hunt with my Dad’s old rifle in 2007. I had installed a Weaver V9 classic on it. It has a clear image, and passed the cold weather test when going from a heated pickup into -15° temperatures without a problem. The only thing this glass does not have is BDC/Ballistic Plex. It is this setup I was using when I killed my buck this year.
I have a couple of older Bushnell Banners with the BDC feature. Bushnell approaches the need in a little different manner and you turn the turret to the appropriate distant. The Bushnell turret has a pre-calculated insert for given ranges. The scopes are a good value, but I prefer the Nikon Buckmaster approach. At first I thought it would clutter the image, the eye adjusted and the image does not interfere with the target.
The image in the Buckmaster stayed clear after the sun dropped behind a ridge and earlier evening shadows filled the landscape. A little footnote on this is that I have spent a lot of years in the outdoors and I thought I had a handle on range estimation. Years back I would use a 7.5 minute topo to estimate range when hunting certain areas. I would do this in the pre-planning mode. Years ago I installed a Weaver Scope with a second crosshair in it. I can remember spotting a late season buck at long range and shooting over it. The problem was inexperience and over estimation of the range. My wife gave me a Nikon 800 rangefinder a couple of years ago. I have found it to be a good glass and works great on deer. The BDC feature is only as good as the users ability to estimate the range. As the range extends beyond 200 yards my margin of error become greater. This was highlighted after I received the rangefinder.
