6-18x40 sf nikon buckmaster vs 7-21x40 ao bushnell elite 3200

[crawford769]

i'm sure this has been discussed before, but how do these scopes compare to each other  when they can be had for about the same price.     yes, i would rather have a leupold vx-ll  6-18x40 but i just dont have the money, unless someone wants to sell me theirs for $300.

[Graybeard]

I reckon I've owned at least one of every scope in the Elite 3200 line and several of the 7x21s as it is one of my favorites. The only thing I'd change about it is to add side focus to replace the AO. I do like SF scopes.

Still the E3200 7-21 is a personal favorite and much used by me. I can't prove it but it seems to be to be just a touch better than the rest of the E3200 line and that's saying quite a bit as I am sold on E3200s and E4200s both.

I'd take the 7-21 over either of the other scopes you mention.

[crawford769]

you must really like it to take it over the vx-ll.   yeah, the sf would be a nice addition to it.    is the 7-21 good through the whole zoom range?

[Graybeard]

Yup. I've used it on all powers and it's fine all the way from end to end. On PDs hunts I've used one every time I've gone and while I used it from 12X to 21X more often on the real close shots I've zoomed it down and have done so on my shooting range as well.

I have two favorites for the PD shoots one is a Remington Model Seven in .17 Fireball and it wears the E3200 7x21 and the other is my Remington Model 700 SPS Varmint in .22-250. It wears an Elite 4200 6-24SF. In fact I think all my varmint rigs have Bushnell Elites on them.

[Lloyd Smale]

I too am a fan of 3200 and 4200 bushnells. There in my opinion the best bang for the buck on a scope anywhere. Im not a fan of nikon buckmasters. There decent scopes but not great scopes. In a perfect world id have vx2s and vx3s on everything but just have to many guns and not enough money. I try to buck up and buy them for the guns i use the most but sure arent ashamed to have an elite on a gun.

[crawford769]

so what would be a good price on the 5-15 or the 7-21  used?

[hotrunner]

I wouldn't bother buying used when you can buy those 3200s at closeout prices! www.natchezss.com for example.
I have both the 7-21 Bushnell and the 6-18 Buckmaster; personally, I prefer the Nikon for its side focus, 1/8" adjustments, and the extra turret caps and sunshade you get "free". Glass is about equal, but if one has an edge, I'd say the BM but that may be the Rainguard coating I'm looking through. The (now) lower price of the Elites levels the field a bit, though.

[Graybeard]

so what would be a good price on the 5-15 or the 7-21  used?

I've never bought one used. I seem to recall paying about $300 or so for the last 7-21 I bought. The 5-15s are less but I've not bought a scope of any kind in over a year perhaps closer to two years I'm not sure so I'm a little out of touch on prices right now.

Unlike some here I have a lot more scopes than rifles and have scopes laying around all over the place waiting for a rifle to wear them. Rat now funds are too tight to buy any new guns so the scopes sit lonely and forlorn that I've not found a playmate for them yet.

[Lloyd Smale]

midway has 3200s closeouts right now to for cheap.

[crawford769]

natchez had the 5-15 for $230 so i got one of those, midway was quite a bit more for the 5-15, but the 7-21s were about the same at $290.   if the $30 off from midway wouldnt have just expired i was going to get the 7-21 from them.

[ecgate]

I just got a bushnell elite 4200 6-24 and i am not afraid to say it is as clear as any leupold I have looked through. Very impressed for the money (Midway Closeout).

[helotaxi]

I just got a bushnell elite 4200 6-24 and i am not afraid to say it is as clear as any leupold I have looked through. Very impressed for the money (Midway Closeout).

Ditto that.  Just bought 4 4200s on closeout from Natchez.  One each of the FFP illum. mildot tacticals (6-24 and 3-12), one of the SFP 6-24x50 tactical mildots and a 6-24x40 with a target dot.  Brings my total of 4200s up to 8.  I've yet to pay full price for a 4200 and I've yet to give a Leupold the time of day.  I looked at them and compared them side by side with just about everything in the case.  Optical clarity on the 4200 was very good, at least as good as any of the Leupolds, and the brightness was excellent, on par with the German glass.  The Swarovski and Zeiss glass has better clarity, but not 3x better

[sscoyote]

I have the Nikon BM on an XP-100 17 FB that i use for prairie dog shooting, and love it. I've come to appreciate the side parallax these days for PD shooting more and more. I was seriously considering the 7-21x Bushy for quite a while as it was advertised in the catalog of having a length of 14.5" which was the shortest 20x optic around. Turns out that was a misprint so i went with the 6-18 instead. I was considering both of these optics as the mil-dot is calibrated for a power lower than the highest, and i like to apply the MD reticle for small targets at a smaller subtension between dots and the dot itself appears smaller too at the optic's highest power. I'm not sure if the Bushy has a target turret system like the Nikon has. Be nice to know that. I have made some 1st shot connections with this rig at ~500 yds. in some light winds. I apply turret for elevation and reticle for windage, and it is very rewarding to make a good wind call with the reticle for these longer ranges on 1st shots with the "lowly" 17's--