XTR III Illuminated in my hands

beetroot said:

Are race dials and throw levers readily available for these?

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They are the same ones used on the non-illuminated XTRIII.

Throw levers shouldn't be hard to get. I think they smoothed out the wrinkles that existed in that supply chain. Maybe they just started cracking them out in house. It seemed like the Race Dials have always been a little intermittent in their availability. I dont know if that continues to be the case currently or if that also has improved.

I lucked out, when they handed a new scope to me during my facility tour in April, the brand manager had a Race Dial sitting on his desk. He handed that to me also

Thanks for the pics @cajunaero




cough....cough....matching newer version knurl uncapped windage knob availability....cough....cough

my87csx481 said:

Thanks for the pics @cajunaero




cough....cough....matching newer version knurl uncapped windage knob availability....cough....cough

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I'm not sure what they are going to do there. I speculated elsewhere that eliminating the optional exposed turret helped them get the cost down. I dont know if they will ever offer it aftermarket.

It's entirely possible though that a Want To Buy post in the PX will turn one up. The exposed turret from the XTR Pro and the non-illuminated XTRIII will fit. I already tested it myself. And the very large majority of folks seem to run capped.

Birddog6424 said:

I'm not sure what they are going to do there. I speculated elsewhere that eliminating the optional exposed turret helped them get the cost down. I dont know if they will ever offer it aftermarket.

It's entirely possible though that a Want To Buy post in the PX will turn one up. The exposed turret from the XTR Pro and the non-illuminated XTRIII will fit. I already tested it myself. And the very large majority of folks seem to run capped.

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Not a deal breaker for me and I would have gladly payed the extra for having a exposed turret included in the box since I will most likely loose the damn cap anyway..

I’ve got a Pro and a III.

What’s one of these do dads worth to you fellas?

bill_van said:

When I started this thread, I was sure someone would say "I've got one" but to no avail at this point. Let's keep calling Burris and asking, maybe they'll reconsider. It's should be a simple supply chain item since it fits the XTR 3 non illuminated, the illuminated, and the Pro.....

Birddog, can you influence anybody?

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I can give feedback directly to the decision makers. The guy who handed mine to me is very high up in the company. They're good dudes..

RFutch said:

I’ve got a Pro and a III.

What’s one of these do dads worth to you fellas?

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I knew there would be a fella or two with a turret to spare

bill_van said:

I opened a CS case asking/begging for one. All of Texas will be indebted to you if you just happened to mention it next time the chance comes up!

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I'll be sure to do that..

I might have a couple of the exposed windage turrets as well. Will check tonight to make sure I didn’t throw them away with the boxes.

Hkmiller said:

How does your xtr compare to the arken? My 6x24 arken not very sharp at 400.

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You're right, I took the Arken 6x24 to the 600 yd range - it was not sharp , it's was useable in a pinch I guess - compared to the Burris - there is really no comparison - even the parallax on the Burris is much better than the Arken - for 50yds it was just under 50, mark. on the Arken it was around 150 -200. Hands down the XTR III is far superior - Arken can't compete - then again I wouldn't expect a 450 scope to hang with a 1200.00 scope regardless..

adubeau said:

You're right, I took the Arken 6x24 to the 600 yd range - it was not sharp , it's was useable in a pinch I guess - compared to the Burris - there is really no comparison - even the parallax on the Burris is much better than the Arken - for 50yds it was just under 50, mark. on the Arken it was around 150 -200. Hands down the XTR III is far superior - Arken can't compete - then again I wouldn't expect a 450 scope to hang with a 1200.00 scope regardles

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Thanks for the follow-up.
I think I will be buying the xtr 5.5-30 non-pro when in stock.

Not sure if this has come up before but the throw lever I ordered back in February when I backordered my XTR3i didn’t fit. I had contacted Burris and they quickly put a new one in the mail to me. As you can see from the pics below, the tabs wouldn’t fit between the knurling on the magnification ring. The new one Burris sent out has had the tabs machined off. Fits nicely, even though it moves very easily without it.

Hkmiller said:

Thanks for the follow-up.
I think I will be buying the xtr 5.5-30 non-pro when in

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Hkmiller said:

Thanks for the follow-up.
I think I will be buying the xtr 5.5-30 non-pro when in stock.

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You’re welcome

cajunaero said:

Not sure if this has come up before but the throw lever I ordered back in February when I backordered my XTR3i didn’t fit. I had contacted Burris and they quickly put a new one in the mail to me. As you can see from the pics below, the tabs wouldn’t fit between the knurling on the magnification ring. The new one Burris sent out has had the tabs machined off. Fits nicely, even though it moves very easily without it.

View attachment 7922359View attachment 7922361View attachment 7922360

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I had the same issue. They just grind those nubs off on the inside by the looks of it.

More reticle pics please…
(All reticle types would be great)

bill_van said:

Curious, did they just send you a new one or did you return your original for proper milling?

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They sent me a new one. I still have the unmodified one.

Birddog6424 said:

Ok fellas, here we go...

This is my very first XTRIII 5.5-30 that I got 3 years ago, and my XTRIII illuminated 5.5-30 that I got in April.

Non-illuminated at 5.5x


Illuminated at 5.5x


Non-illuminated at 16x


Illuminated at 16x


Non-illuminated at 30x


Illuminated at 30x


My apologies for the crappy cell phone pics, it's all I have. With the naked eye the difference is pretty obvious, and these reticles are far more defined. At 5.5x the reticle in the Illuminated model is perfectly usable. Ideally it's more around 8x for the non-illuminated.

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Did we ever find out if the 3.3-18 version had a thicker reticle than the 5.5-30?
Don't suppose you have any pictures of the reticle in the illuminated 3.3-18 to compare?

If the reticle is thicker in the 3.3 then I'll buy one of those, if not I may as well get a 5.5-30.
Atleast to begin with....

Has anyone directly compared the XTR3 glass to the XTR3i glass in a 5.5-30 version?

I’m contemplating upgrading a scr XTR3 to a scr2 XTR3i that can also serve as a hunting scope, if glass quality doesn’t drop off.

I just received mine. So far the glass looks really good and the controls are very nice. Like others, I think the reticle looks a bit thinner in person than I was expecting (needing more of an SPR scope than a PRS scope, was hoping this would fit the bill for both).

Regarding illumination, is anyone else very underwhelmed by it? I certainly wasn't expecting Aimpoint or Vortex Razor illumination out of this, but even in overcast daylight at max brightness, I cannot even tell that it's on. At a setting of 5 with maximum magnification in a pitch black room with the objective cap closed, I cannot see the illumination at all. I'd certainly expect that from the first couple settings for NV use, but I'd figure that 5 would be at least visible in pitch black conditions. Is this common? I have tried a couple different brand new batteries to make sure that's the issue. Please don't take this as a complaint, just an inquiry. I'm just thinking that between the real world thinness of the reticle and the less than I was hoping for illumination, it may be even less appropriate as an SPR scope than I was hoping it would be.

My xtr pro at max brightness you can’t tell if it’s on in daylight. I never use illumination so haven’t really tested it in low light to see how it works

StevethePirate said:

I just received mine. So far the glass looks really good and the controls are very nice. Like others, I think the reticle looks a bit thinner in person than I was expecting (needing more of an SPR scope than a PRS scope, was hoping this would fit the bill for both).

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I am assuming you have the 3.3-18, I have the US version and felt the reticle was too thin for my old(er) eyes for SPR type use, I know a lot of users have worked with it just fine for hunting in low light, but the reticle got lost with busy backgrounds and I thought it could benefit from illumination.

StevethePirate said:

Regarding illumination, is anyone else very underwhelmed by it? I certainly wasn't expecting Aimpoint or Vortex Razor illumination out of this, but even in overcast daylight at max brightness, I cannot even tell that it's on. At a setting of 5 with maximum magnification in a pitch black room with the objective cap closed, I cannot see the illumination at all.

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Well that doesn't sound right, if you can't see illumination in pitch black then it appears it is not working.

StevethePirate said:

I'd certainly expect that from the first couple settings for NV use, but I'd figure that 5 would be at least visible in pitch black conditions.

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I agree, seems something is wrong.

StevethePirate said:

Is this common? I have tried a couple different brand new batteries to make sure that's the issue. Please don't take this as a complaint, just an inquiry. I'm just thinking that between the real world thinness of the reticle and the less than I was hoping for illumination, it may be even less appropriate as an SPR scope than I was hoping it would be.

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I would agree, but let's let some of those with working illumination see if they can help out before having to ship back to Burris for warranty. Good news is Burris has a really good warranty and pretty good turn around time - well actually, that was for the US version which was assembled and repaired up in Greeley, Ja do you know if Greeley will still manage repairs on the new XTR IIIi or are these going somewhere else? I would think Burris would handle all repair/warranty claims in Greeley in lieu of past history but a little backup on that with someone in the know would be good

Does anyone with an XTR IIIi also have the XTR III Pro and can you verify if illumination works the same on both models? It's possible Burris is using a different (better) illumination module on the USA built Pro model than they are on the Philippine model but again some verification from someone in the know would be good.

Birddog6424 said:

I'm not sure what they are going to do there. I speculated elsewhere that eliminating the optional exposed turret helped them get the cost down. I dont know if they will ever offer it aftermarket.

It's entirely possible though that a Want To Buy post in the PX will turn one up. The exposed turret from the XTR Pro and the non-illuminated XTRIII will fit. I already tested it myself. And the very large majority of folks seem to run capped.

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Just want to make sure I'm understanding this correctly, the new XTR IIIi is not capped but has the threading for a cap on the windage turret?

StevethePirate said:

I just received mine. So far the glass looks really good and the controls are very nice. Like others, I think the reticle looks a bit thinner in person than I was expecting (needing more of an SPR scope than a PRS scope, was hoping this would fit the bill for both).

Regarding illumination, is anyone else very underwhelmed by it? I certainly wasn't expecting Aimpoint or Vortex Razor illumination out of this, but even in overcast daylight at max brightness, I cannot even tell that it's on. At a setting of 5 with maximum magnification in a pitch black room with the objective cap closed, I cannot see the illumination at all. I'd certainly expect that from the first couple settings for NV use, but I'd figure that 5 would be at least visible in pitch black conditions. Is this common? I have tried a couple different brand new batteries to make sure that's the issue. Please don't take this as a complaint, just an inquiry. I'm just thinking that between the real world thinness of the reticle and the less than I was hoping for illumination, it may be even less appropriate as an SPR scope than I was hoping it would be.

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If you're not able to see setting 5 in pitch black something is wrong. I can see my setting 5 in a room with some natural light coming in. Maybe send an email to Burris and see what they say?

Hickswr said:

Has anyone directly compared the XTR3 glass to the XTR3i glass in a 5.5-30 version?

I’m contemplating upgrading a scr XTR3 to a scr2 XTR3i that can also serve as a hunting scope, if glass quality doesn’t drop off.

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I own both in the 30x. On my model there is no discernable difference in glass quality. It's the same glass from the same source as the American version. They just have to properly execute the build in the Phillipines.

StevethePirate said:

I just received mine. So far the glass looks really good and the controls are very nice. Like others, I think the reticle looks a bit thinner in person than I was expecting (needing more of an SPR scope than a PRS scope, was hoping this would fit the bill for both).

Regarding illumination, is anyone else very underwhelmed by it? I certainly wasn't expecting Aimpoint or Vortex Razor illumination out of this, but even in overcast daylight at max brightness, I cannot even tell that it's on. At a setting of 5 with maximum magnification in a pitch black room with the objective cap closed, I cannot see the illumination at all. I'd certainly expect that from the first couple settings for NV use, but I'd figure that 5 would be at least visible in pitch black conditions. Is this common? I have tried a couple different brand new batteries to make sure that's the issue. Please don't take this as a complaint, just an inquiry. I'm just thinking that between the real world thinness of the reticle and the less than I was hoping for illumination, it may be even less appropriate as an SPR scope than I was hoping it would be.

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I would reach out to Burris. They will take care of you. Mine is faintly discernable at 2, easy to see at 3 with the objective cap closed. The Pro is identical. Yours isn't working as intended brother..

Glassaholic said:

Just want to make sure I'm understanding this correctly, the new XTR IIIi is not capped but has the threading for a cap on the windage turret?

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You got it bass ackwards Bill

Windage is capped. But its the same turret. So if you can get your hands on the exposed windage turret that came on the non illuminated XTRIII or on the Pro, you can take off the cap and put on the exposed windage turret.

Birddog6424 said:

You got it bass ackwards Bill

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That's my middle name

Birddog6424 said:

Windage is capped. But its the same turret. So if you can get your hands on the exposed windage turret that came on the non illuminated XTRIII or on the Pro, you can take off the cap and put on the exposed windage turret.

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That makes more sense Ja, thanks for clarifying.

Birddog, are you able to make out the illumination outdoors? I'm certainly not expecting "daylight bright" but I'd hope for it to be at least visible in daylight settings where it's overcast or looking into darker woodlines.

Thanks for the responses!

StevethePirate said:

Birddog, are you able to make out the illumination outdoors? I'm certainly not expecting "daylight bright" but I'd hope for it to be at least visible in daylight settings where it's overcast or looking into darker woodlines.

Thanks for the responses!

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I can kinda see it outside. It's definitely not daylight bright. But it's discernable depending on conditions and what you're looking at. I'm kinda of the school that if it's so bright outside you can't see your illumination, you probably don't need it.

I compared it to a 5-25 XTRII that I've had on a hunting rifle for years. The brightness looks about the same. I only used the XTRII illumination one time as I'm not really an illuminated reticle guy. The sun wasn't up yet, but it was close, so it was getting light outside. Enough so that we spotted a black bear with the naked eye at distance. I was trying to track a him as he walked through heavy timber at about 500 yards. I reached up and flicked on the illumination and it made the reticle more visible.

So I know it works in a lowlight hunting scenario. Or at least it worked in that one.

Great, thanks for the explanation. I agree with the use case for illumination. I think for me, I was hoping for a bit more usability as an SPR scope where a lower magnification or SFP scope might really be more appropriate, or at the very least a scope like this with an offset red dot for closer shots. Thank you very much for your help, you've been incredibly helpful in several threads.

StevethePirate said:

Great, thanks for the explanation. I agree with the use case for illumination. I think for me, I was hoping for a bit more usability as an SPR scope where a lower magnification or SFP scope might really be more appropriate, or at the very least a scope like this with an offset red dot for closer shots. Thank you very much for your help, you've been incredibly helpful in several threads.

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You're welcome.

I ran a 4-20 with an offset red dot on my 308 in Heavy Metal division 3 gun. It was a ball!

No drop gun needed for long stuff. 100 yards and in I used the red dot, 100 to 900 yards I used the scope. It was SO much easier engaging 300 to 500 yard targets on 12 to 15x.

Wasn't sure where to put this, so thought it best to post here where there are a lot of XTR IIIi owners. Earlier in this thread (or maybe another) it was mentioned that the new XTR IIIi only has a capped windage but that the exposed turret from the original XTR III would work. Well guess what... I just found, my old "extra" turret from my old XTR III 3.3-18 (mrad version) as well as my backup 50mm sunshade.

Here's the deal, I am willing to offer these for free, that's right FREE, I won't charge you a dime, in fact I will ship it to you for FREE, consider it my pay it forward gift. There is however one thing I ask, guessing that a few of you would like this unicorn part, so here's the deal, if you are interested I would like you reply here and tell me why you need this exposed turret so desperately, after a few days I will choose which story I like best - share your your sob story, or your funny story or heck, any story at all... If we get at least 3 stories by Wednesday 09/14 I'll choose which story I like best and PM you for your address and off it goes with nothing else from you

Glassaholic said:

Wasn't sure where to put this, so thought it best to post here where there are a lot of XTR IIIi owners. Earlier in this thread (or maybe another) it was mentioned that the new XTR IIIi only has a capped windage but that the exposed turret from the original XTR III would work. Well guess what... I just found, my old "extra" turret from my old XTR III 3.3-18 (mrad version) as well as my backup 50mm sunshade.

Here's the deal, I am willing to offer these for free, that's right FREE, I won't charge you a dime, in fact I will ship it to you for FREE, consider it my pay it forward gift. There is however one thing I ask, guessing that a few of you would like this unicorn part, so here's the deal, if you are interested I would like you reply here and tell me why you need this exposed turret so desperately, after a few days I will choose which story I like best - share your your sob story, or your funny story or heck, any story at all... If we get at least 3 stories by Wednesday 09/14 I'll choose which story I like best and PM you for your address and off it goes with nothing else from you

View attachment 7953587

View attachment 7953588

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If you get no stories posted I would sure could use it, I been crying like a little bitch for buying the IIIi with out the windage cap, and one day I will do like you and pay it forward to another here on SH...

adubeau said:

If you get no stories posted I would sure could use it, I been crying like a little bitch for buying the IIIi with out the windage cap, and one day I will do like you and pay it forward to another here on SH...

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Winner winner chicken dinner. Go figure, either nobody wants to write anymore or not many really need this. Send me a PM with your address and I’ll get it shipped off

I finally got my XTR3i 3.3-18 this weekend. Initial lead time was end of July and that got pushed several times until it just showed up at my door yesterday. Mounted it onto my 6.5 creed PRS rifle and took it out to the range. Illumination is definitely only good for dimly lit conditions. I had to cover my objective to confirm it was on when I had it on 11 looking at stuff in broad daylight. To my eyes, the reticle would still be useable on 3.3 power. I compared the FOV to my SWFA 3-15 just looking at the fence about 25 yards away in my backyard and I could fit 2 more fence slats in the FOV at 3.3x vs the 3x on the SWFA. I took the Burris out to 1000 yards today and tracking seemed to be true as it lined up exactly with my data. I was able to see trace most of the way to the target and impact location (grey dot) on steel at 700 yards. At 1000 yards I could only tell where I hit based on the targets reaction. I did accidentally have the Kestrel set to my 300 win mag for my first couple shots at 1000 yards, so I missed quite low. I did not see the impacts in the berm for 2-3 shots. I feel like I can usually see misses like that with my Gen 2 razor at the same range. Although, the higher magnification of the razor probably helps with that. I am not the greatest judge of glass, but the XTR3 is certainly significantly better optically than my SWFA. I got the XTR3 to replace the SWFA on my 300 win mag, but it arrived after both my deer seasons and in the middle of my elk season. It’ll be on the 300 for bear in the spring to get some in field testing.

3.3 zoom at 100 yards and illumination on 11:

18x at 100 yards and illumination at 11

3.3x at 700 yards looking at a 2/3 IPSC (white object to right of center crosshair)



18x at 700 yards. 2/3 IPSC

I was watching a mule deer feeding on a mountainside yesterday afternoon at 1710 yards.

The glass was good enough for me to get a good look at his antlers and determine that a medium sized 3 point did not justify me wading the Middle Fork of the Boise River and closing the distance for the shot.

Burris has an exposed windage turret available for the illuminated XTRIII if folks wish to have one. The turret for the Pro fits both optics.

Birddog6424 said:

Burris has an exposed windage turret available for the illuminated XTRIII if folks wish to have one. The turret for the Pro fits both optics.

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Excellent! I can now have matching turret knurling.. How/when/where can you get hold of them?

Anzac said:

Excellent! I can now have matching turret knurling.. How/when/where can you get hold of them?

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I dont know the answer to that. Reach out to Burris and hit them up.

Birddog6424 said:

I dont know the answer to that. Reach out to Burris and hit them up.

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Reply fm Burris re XTR Pro exposed windage dial ; “Unfortunately we don’t have any for those. It was something they decided not to do.”

Curious how other people's illumination is working... just got my new 3-18 a couple day ago. The battery cap doesn't put enough pressure on the battery to engage the illumination (I thought it straight up didn't work for a couple day). If I hold the battery down firmly with my fingers (cap off) it turns on. The cross hair lights up well but the Christmas tree is very dim. The milling numbers are unreadable. Just curious mostly about how well others reticle is illuminated.

Jack's Dad said:

Curious how other people's illumination is working... just got my new 3-18 a couple day ago. The battery cap doesn't put enough pressure on the battery to engage the illumination (I thought it straight up didn't work for a couple day). If I hold the battery down firmly with my fingers (cap off) it turns on. The cross hair lights up well but the Christmas tree is very dim. The milling numbers are unreadable. Just curious mostly about how well others reticle is illuminated.

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It doesn't illuminate all that. It's just a cross.

That looks great. At low power mine is only the center cross. At high it bleeds varing brightness throughout the tree. I'd take a photo but it's not working again. I've got a ticket into Burris but they're not very responsive. Obviously I have problems with my on/off feature that needs to be addressed. Thanks for your photo.

Jack's Dad said:

Curious how other people's illumination is working... just got my new 3-18 a couple day ago. The battery cap doesn't put enough pressure on the battery to engage the illumination (I thought it straight up didn't work for a couple day). If I hold the battery down firmly with my fingers (cap off) it turns on. The cross hair lights up well but the Christmas tree is very dim. The milling numbers are unreadable. Just curious mostly about how well others reticle is illuminated.

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I’ve had issues with the battery cap not staying in place when needing illumination. The most recent time was a first light hunting situation with an elk at 180 yards. The battery cap loosened and I wasn’t able to turn the illumination on. Pretty frustrating. After that, I cranked down on the cap pretty hard and it engages just fine. I like the scope, glass is good, but that illumination setup isn’t the most user friendly.