Author Topic: Frank candid comments on two Bushnell Elite 6500s (Read 2670 times)

Ironworker · « **on:** May 07, 2009, 06:52:42 PM »

I have both 2.5x16x50 and 4.5x30x50MM. These scopes are "Bad to the Bone"

Graybeard · « **Reply #1 on:** May 08, 2009, 01:45:04 AM »

Yup just wish I could afford them.

Swampman · « **Reply #2 on:** May 08, 2009, 02:46:50 AM »

Me too.......for that kind of money, I'd probably buy a scope with a better resale value.

I'm a huge 3200 Elite fan.

dw06 · « **Reply #3 on:** May 08, 2009, 01:05:18 PM »

Quote from: Swampman on May 08, 2009, 02:46:50 AM

Me too.......for that kind of money, I'd probably buy a scope with a better resale value.

I'm a huge 3200 Elite fan.

I bought my first 3200 Elite three weeks ago, why I waited so long I don't know. I'm a fan also. I'm afraid to look at the 4200 as I know it would follow me home. Didn't mean to hijack your thread Ironworker, so give more reports on the Elite 6500s when you get the chance.

saltydog · « **Reply #4 on:** May 29, 2009, 05:23:50 AM »

Great scopes - for a general all around use scope under 1K they can not be beat as a top of the line optic. The 4200 series is also a significent value if you don't need the extra magnificaton. For my hard core price is not an issue scope I still find the Leupold MK IV's the best value.

Ironworker · « **Reply #5 on:** November 14, 2009, 03:15:25 PM »

Now that I've had the 6500s for a while. I think if you bump them they'll need to be sighted in again. Glass is great But a Zeiss Conquest is better.

Oldshooter · « **Reply #6 on:** November 14, 2009, 03:39:32 PM »

Help me out here, am i naive, is it wrong to expect to bump a rifle with a scope and still expect it to be on?

Not a cheapy but a good scope in the 200 to 300 dollar range. I know it is prudent to check one after some rough handling or a rough atv ride but shouldnt they hold! Are they that fragile?

myarmor · « **Reply #7 on:** November 14, 2009, 04:22:21 PM »

All I can say is if you pay the $$ for a 6500 series scope and it goes bunk.... I am sure you can, and should get your $$ back or an exact replacement or better! We would hold a maker no less to thier word, especally one as highly reguarded as Bushnell

-Aaron

NYH1 · « **Reply #8 on:** November 15, 2009, 07:02:04 AM »

What type of warranty does the 6500 series have? The only thing I found was "No Questions Asked" one- year replacement (U.S. only).

Brithunter · « **Reply #9 on:** November 15, 2009, 08:31:57 AM »

Quote from: Oldshooter on November 14, 2009, 03:39:32 PM

Help me out here, am i naive, is it wrong to expect to bump a rifle with a scope and still expect it to be on?

Not a cheapy but a good scope in the 200 to 300 dollar range. I know it is prudent to check one after some rough handling or a rough atv ride but shouldnt they hold! Are they that fragile?

Hmmm they, or the scopes I have

, are not that fragile. I have to check an old budget 6x40 as it looks like it might be playing up

but I need to put it on a rifle of known accuracy shooting a known accurate load to test it for sure. This scope is about 20 years old and was brought used by my nephew and I somehow ended up with it.

However I have other scopes that have suffered rough handling like a Transatlantic flight followed by the "baggage handlers" who not only unloaded the plane but then put it on the next plane for the final leg of my journey. As I do'n't trust ANY BAGGAGE HANDLERS I put the scope in my hand luggage. The rifle was zeroed on Bisley Camps Short Siberia elevation unknown? and then the scope was put back on after 20 odd hours of traveling including a hairy landing at Cinncinatti airport during a November storm including snow flurries. When the scope and rifle was re-unitied in Sullivan County Mo, elevation? but I very doubt it was the same as it was zeroed at, and test shot for zero no adjustment was required. How many bumps and knocks my bag took during that trip I don't know but the return trip was much the same as when I got home and went back to the range again no adjustments were required.

Unless I change the ammo soem fo rifles don't get touched scope adjustment wise for many years. If a scope needs constant adjustment even after a slight bump I would be very suspect of that scope.

Oldshooter · « **Reply #10 on:** November 15, 2009, 10:22:39 AM »

Quote from: Brithunter on November 15, 2009, 08:31:57 AM

Quote from: Oldshooter on November 14, 2009, 03:39:32 PM
Help me out here, am i naive, is it wrong to expect to bump a rifle with a scope and still expect it to be on?

Not a cheapy but a good scope in the 200 to 300 dollar range. I know it is prudent to check one after some rough handling or a rough atv ride but shouldnt they hold! Are they that fragile?

Hmmm they, or the scopes I have , are not that fragile. I have to check an old budget 6x40 as it looks like it might be playing up but I need to put it on a rifle of known accuracy shooting a known accurate load to test it for sure. This scope is about 20 years old and was brought used by my nephew and I somehow ended up with it.

However I have other scopes that have suffered rough handling like a Transatlantic flight followed by the "baggage handlers" who not only unloaded the plane but then put it on the next plane for the final leg of my journey. As I do'n't trust ANY BAGGAGE HANDLERS I put the scope in my hand luggage. The rifle was zeroed on Bisley Camps Short Siberia elevation unknown? and then the scope was put back on after 20 odd hours of traveling including a hairy landing at Cinncinatti airport during a November storm including snow flurries. When the scope and rifle was re-unitied in Sullivan County Mo, elevation? but I very doubt it was the same as it was zeroed at, and test shot for zero no adjustment was required. How many bumps and knocks my bag took during that trip I don't know but the return trip was much the same as when I got home and went back to the range again no adjustments were required.

Unless I change the ammo soem fo rifles don't get touched scope adjustment wise for many years. If a scope needs constant adjustment even after a slight bump I would be very suspect of that scope.

Thats what i was thinking! Cause if that were so everytime you shot a 300 win mag you'd have to check it for zero! Now I did see that Leupold has an african scope for big guns with little magnification and a bunch of eye relief for those big recoil guns.

Swampman · « **Reply #11 on:** November 15, 2009, 10:39:18 AM »

The Nikons have a ton of eye relief and full replacement warranty forever even if you're not the original owner. I prefer the Bushnells over the Leupolds and they are optically better than Zeiss IMO. The only problem with the Bushnell 3200/4200s is the eye relief. The problem with the 6500 is that it isn't worth what it cost.

pastorp · « **Reply #12 on:** November 15, 2009, 01:36:14 PM »

I guess peoples eyes are different, but come on swampman bushnell optically better than zeiss.

Bushnell IMO are cheap scopes at best, granted they are now making some expensive cheap scopes but cheap is cheap. As far as their warrinty my only experience with them on that resulted in me selling or giving away the 7-8 scopes of their brand that I owned at the time.

My experience is not only are their scopes cheaply made their warrinty is worthless as well.

JME

Regards

Brithunter · « **Reply #13 on:** November 15, 2009, 02:55:12 PM »

Quote

I prefer the Bushnells over the Leupolds and they are optically better than Zeiss IMO.

Oh I needed a laugh. Thank you swampman

thank you.

At least we know it's blind loyalty to Remington in the true sense

for to make a statement like that you must really be blind

Swampman · « **Reply #14 on:** November 15, 2009, 03:14:29 PM »

I can only speak from several side by side comparisons in the store and in the field. Your mileage may vary.

wfeher · « **Reply #15 on:** November 15, 2009, 05:16:49 PM »

Pastorp i quess you must be blind or dumb if you think bushnells 4200 and 6500 scopes are cheap. if their junk i would hate to see what kind of crap your using. Gimme a break you must not no much about scopes of any kind to make a statement like that Pastorp

pastorp · « **Reply #16 on:** November 15, 2009, 05:52:42 PM »

wfeher, I had a bad experience with bushnells waranty so I'll never own another of their products. It's true I've never looked through a 6500 but I have owned the 3200 series in the past. I did not say all their scopes were inexpensive to buy but I stand by them being cheaply made. Maybe you had good service from their products, I did not. That has nothing to do with intelegence. JMO

I use mostly Leupolds but I do have a couple of IOR scopes made in romania but campare favorably with Zeiss.

Regards,

Graybeard · « **Reply #17 on:** November 15, 2009, 06:06:05 PM »

wfeher you are new here and perhaps are used to sites that allow the kinda comments you just made. This site DOES NOT. So read the rules and learn how we do things here or your stay will be REAL SHORT.

wfeher · « **Reply #18 on:** November 15, 2009, 07:36:43 PM »

I apoligize pastorp, it kinda didnt come out write, i didnt mean to sound so rude. somethings just dont come out as intended, and Graybeard i been following your site for years and posting only recently, i really enjoy your site and hope to be a long term member. also the bushnell 4200 for the price and quality are probably one of the best scopes on earth in that price range. never heard anything bad except for shorter eye relief, i must own at least 7 4200 and 2 6500 and i also own just about every other scope just about made, and i can say that the bushey elites can hang with the very best. when you buy a schmidt and bender for $3000 you cant say that there is 6 scopes or 6 times better viewing through the bender, yea there is a difference but not $2500. all i can say is the bushnell elite series are awesome scopes. my friend bought a new 5-25 schmidt bender and had many problems with it and had to send it back several times. the moral is any scope no matter of price can be bad no matter what quality controls are maintained.

Brithunter · « **Reply #19 on:** November 16, 2009, 12:41:07 AM »

Hi All,

Quote

also the bushnell 4200 for the price and quality are probably one of the best scopes on earth in that price range. never heard anything bad except for shorter eye relief, i must own at least 7 4200 and 2 6500 and i also own just about every other scope just about made, and i can say that the bushey elites can hang with the very best. when you buy a schmidt and bender for $3000 you cant say that there is 6 scopes or 6 times better viewing through the bender, yea there is a difference but not $2500.

Hmmmm the prices must be really inflated in the US on the S&B then and I thought it was expensive here in the UK and not in the US $:-\$ I have just looked up the prices in Gunmart a monthly shooting magazine. I know of one place that stocks and advertises the Elites and their prices are:-

Bausch & Lomb/Bushnell
3200 5-15 x40 Firefly ......... £435 ($678:60 US)
4200 8-32 x40 .................. £565 ($881:40 US)
6500 4.5-30 x50 Mil dot ...... £699 ($1090:44 US)

Schmidt & Bender
6x42 (1" tube) .................... £444 ($692:64 US)
Zenith 3-12 x50 .................. £1021 ($1582:76 US)
PM11 4-16 X50 Ill ret/Para adj £1734 ($2705:04 US)

Now the Schmidt & Benders have recently climbed in price as the 6x42 used to be under £400

I have one one one of my stalking rifles and I paid around £300 for it back in 2003. However as you can see the S & B scopes are about double the price of the Bushnell not five times the price. The Swaroski's are about the same price as the Schmidt's.

As I can rarely afford such scopes new I search out good used ones. I recently brought a Zeiss Diatal 3x32 rail mounted scope in a leather Akah case that still has the claws on it. I have to send this one for a service as the elevation adjustment is siezed. I expect from the spacings it came off a double rifle so once zeroed was not adjusted and so it's siezed up however this is not the usual case. Buying good used it how I have come to have 3x Pecar Berlin scopes, 1 Lisenfeld 3-9x42, a Zeiss Jena ZF4/N, and a Carl Zeiss Jena marked ZF6/N, 2 Meopta's, a Leupold M8 compact 4x scope and an old Bushnell Scopechief 3x. Then there is the Tasco titan 3-9x42 that came on a used rifle and a Leupold Vari X111 2.5-8 that came on another rifle which I no longer have but kept the scope. none of these scopes are what you would call fragile as they have and can take some knocks.

pastorp · « **Reply #20 on:** November 16, 2009, 04:50:16 AM »

Whefer, No problem from me. Glad to see your posting, keep it up.

We all start with that first post.

And we all have different opinions & life experiences that shape our viewpoints. Your right about one thing, any mfg. products can fail. To me the difference is how they handle the warrenty. IME bushnell droped the ball there with me. I believe thats why Leupold has such a strong following. They do stand behind their product.

Regards,

Swampman · « **Reply #21 on:** November 16, 2009, 05:02:11 AM »

When you pay twice what something's worth it doesn't hurt them to give a scope away now and then.

pastorp · « **Reply #22 on:** November 16, 2009, 08:54:09 AM »

Swampy, it dosen't look like those bushnells are exactly cheap.

Talk about twice what their worth.

Regards,

wfeher · « **Reply #23 on:** November 16, 2009, 04:34:23 PM »

Brithunter, you have the money value misunderstood, in the usa here i paid around $500 for each bushnell elite 4200's in 6-24 power and if you buy 6 of them that would put ya in the $3000 range. thats what my buddy paid for his Bender. i mean dont get me wrong Schmidt Bender are the cats meow but my friend even said i cant believe that your bushey was that clear compared to my Bender , and then he looked through my sightron Slll and he said Dam i would of thought you paid $2000 + for that Slll. he couldn't believe how good the glass was in my scope, comparing both scopes the bender was the winner but the Slll was not lacking by much and believe me my buddy even was amazed and said i would of never believed you of how awesome the glass was in your Slll if i didn't look through it myself. Sorry to get of subject but i quess my fingers needed a little workout

Swampman · « **Reply #24 on:** November 16, 2009, 04:41:33 PM »

My favorite Bushnell (Banner 1.5-4.5X32) cost about $65.00. I never pay more than $199.00 for a 3200 or $250.00 for a 4200 usually less. Shop eBay for the best scope prices.

Leupolds and all the European scopes are poor values IMO.

I'll take a Nikon or a Bushnell any day.

pastorp · « **Reply #25 on:** November 16, 2009, 05:36:13 PM »

I usually buy my Leupolds used as well.

But the warnaty never goes away, unlike bushnell.

Of course if your buying banners then I guess you can throw one away and buy another and still be money ahead.

Regards,

Brithunter · « **Reply #26 on:** November 16, 2009, 09:17:28 PM »

Quote from: wfeher on November 16, 2009, 04:34:23 PM

Brithunter, you have the money value misunderstood, in the usa here i paid around $500 for each bushnell elite 4200's in 6-24 power and if you buy 6 of them that would put ya in the $3000 range. thats what my buddy paid for his Bender. i mean dont get me wrong Schmidt Bender are the cats meow but my friend even said i cant believe that your bushey was that clear compared to my Bender , and then he looked through my sightron Slll and he said Dam i would of thought you paid $2000 + for that Slll. he couldn't believe how good the glass was in my scope, comparing both scopes the bender was the winner but the Slll was not lacking by much and believe me my buddy even was amazed and said i would of never believed you of how awesome the glass was in your Slll if i didn't look through it myself. Sorry to get of subject but i quess my fingers needed a little workout

Ahh No I didn't

you see we have noticed if something costs $500 in the US by the time they get shipping it here, pay the tax on it and the darned greedy importer get through whacking their 100%+ profit on it it costs the same here but in GBP regardless it seems of exchange rate

. The shipping cost is a crock to as it's as far if not further a lot of time to Hawaii yet although US stuff can cost a little more there it ain't nowhere near what we get ripped for

. This ain't even somethin new it was the same with pistols

if a S & W 585 cost $275 the that pistol here cost just over £275 and that was decades ago now.

However I was shocked at the price of the Schmidts, the only one that comes close to$3k is the tactical PM11 and bearing our inflated prices I would really expect it to be cheaper in the US. We have a small crowd at the gunclub that are "wanna be snipers

" with the tatical sniper rifles and all the tactical scopes costing a fortune. The Sako TRG is the baby for them it seems with a huge Nightforce of Schmidt PM11 or some such scope, they have to travel to other ranges to play though as our club home range is only 75 metres beign a rebuilt RAF test firing butt.

As for lens and scope quality, once you get to a certainpoint every % improvement seems to cost a LOT more.

Swampman · « **Reply #27 on:** November 16, 2009, 11:47:17 PM »

Quote from: pastorp on November 16, 2009, 05:36:13 PM

I usually buy my Leupolds used as well. But the warnaty never goes away, unlike bushnell.

Of course if your buying banners then I guess you can throw one away and buy another and still be money ahead.

Regards,

I prefer the Bushnells & Nikons because of the brightness & clarity. I've never had one fail.

Ironworker · « **Reply #28 on:** November 18, 2009, 09:24:06 AM »

Well I took my Elite 6500 ( 2.5x16x50MM)out in to Nevada desert Monday. That dang scope performed flawlessly,help me blow a big hole through a 50 LB coyote mounted on my AR-15. Also after I wiped the lens clean it was impressive compared to my buddies 25 year old Leupold 3.5x10x40MM . Now my 4.5x30x50MM 6500 its fuzzy above 25 power. I wonder if I could send that back.

Graybeard · « **Reply #29 on:** November 18, 2009, 10:37:23 AM »

Quote

Now my 4.5x30x50MM 6500 its fuzzy above 25 power. I wonder if I could send that back.

If you've had it less than a year you can take advantage of their money back refund program. If more than a year just accept the fact that it's merely the tiny exit pupil at fault. It's a short coming of such high magnification scopes. At 25X your exit pupil is only 2mm and as you go higher it gets even smaller. Such tiny exit pupils are really not gonna make you all that happy except on bright sunny days. Get it in shadows or late when the sun is low and image quality goes to pot. It does it on all optics not just yours. It's why I have never bothered with a scope with more than 24X max. Heck even my 20-60x 80mm objective spotting scope starts to fuzz out when you get way up there in magnification for the same reason in spite of that honking huge 80mm objective lens.