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Rifle Scopes Any better option for 3-18 at $1k than XTR3?

Got my tracking info this morning. Super stoked!
 
Ordered a XTR3i from cameraland on Friday. It was already back ordered. They’re saying next batch will ship in march, hopefully that holds up.
 
I also get a kick out of the Arken guys 😉
Watch out there! Say that name three times and you-know-who is likely to appear and hijack this thread! 👹:LOL:

Back on topic, I've had the opportunity to look thru the XTR III and handle it for a while, and I think it's pretty impressive in just about every way. You have to pay a lot more to get anything that's significantly better, particularly at Camera Land's close-out pricing.
 
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I also received an e-mail -- Should be delivered later this week
 
Mine is scheduled for delivery today. As far as 3-18 vs 5-30 I think it comes down to personal preference and intended use. Mine is going on a hunting rifle so the 3-18 is my ideal range. The 30x is just too much for what I need.
 
I assume the glass and overall quality are essentially the same -- But I have not owned either model yet.

I ordered the 3-18.
 
Are there reasons to go with the 3-18 vs 5-30 at the same price?

@Birddog6424
Pretty much just depends on your needs.

As a crossover hunting optic, I really like the 18x. I absolutely love the 18x on my competition rimfire rifle. The clarity and field of view is amazing.

My centerfire comp rifles all have the 30x.
 
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Pretty much just depends on your needs.

As a crossover hunting optic, I really like the 18x. I absolutely love the 18x on my competition rimfire rifle. The clarity and field of view is amazing.

My centerfire comp rifles all have the 30x.
I already have a 30x on a 300PRC and it's great. looking at something for a 6.5PRC build. It will be a do all including some PRS matches. just wondering if there's any reason to go with 18x other than a few Oz and being 2" shorter?
 
Not that I can think of. The only reason I bought an 18 was for the extra mils in elevation for rimfire, otherwise I prefer the 30.
 
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I already have a 30x on a 300PRC and it's great. looking at something for a 6.5PRC build. It will be a do all including some PRS matches. just wondering if there's any reason to go with 18x other than a few Oz and being 2" shorter?
Yeh, I would slap a 30x on that rifle..
 
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Scope arrived. I’m on shift til tomorrow morning but will update when I get hands on and have it mounted.
 
Pretty much just depends on your needs.

As a crossover hunting optic, I really like the 18x. I absolutely love the 18x on my competition rimfire rifle. The clarity and field of view is amazing.

My centerfire comp rifles all have the 30x.
Are most of you planning on using this Burris XTR3 3-18 FFP scope for hunting or target shooting ?
Will the Special Competition Reticle (SCR) 2 MIL reticle that features a gridded “Christmas tree” design be visible/usable/beneficial at 3 power ?
 
The MOA reticle looks like it would be good for hunting -- much thicker
 
Are most of you planning on using this Burris XTR3 3-18 FFP scope for hunting or target shooting ?
Will the Special Competition Reticle (SCR) 2 MIL reticle that features a gridded “Christmas tree” design be visible/usable/beneficial at 3 power ?
It's a crosshair at 3x. And it's usable, just not ideal. I've shot a lot of whistle pigs with mine.
 
Mine came in today, 3.3-18. I do wish it said made in the USA somewhere, anywhere. Not sure how we’ll tell the difference in the future between these and Philippine versions? I do like it a lot so far.
 
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Mine came in today, 3.3-18. I do wish it said made in the USA somewhere, anywhere. Not sure how we’ll tell the difference in the future between these and Philippine versions? I do like it a lot so far.
Mine too but they forgot to put the rings in the box lol. They took care of me but I was looking forward to getting it mounted. Should be good to go in a couple days though.
 
Mine came in today, 3.3-18. I do wish it said made in the USA somewhere, anywhere. Not sure how we’ll tell the difference in the future between these and Philippine versions? I do like it a lot so far.
USA made = no illumination
Phillipines made= all illuminated
 
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I was wondering why the prices for the illuminated models are lower -- Made in the Philippines explains it.

Excited to receive my non-illuminated 3-18
 
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About to order one of these from CL- but then I remembered Ilyas' comments on Brownells' 3-18 MPO-
Any thoughts from anyone who might have both ?
 
Got my rings in today and scope mounted… hopefully I’ll get out next week and sight it in. Super happy with it though and just getting to mess around with the scope on my back porch I’m happy with the quality. Clicks could be a little better and holy hell the turrets are stiff!!! BUT I’m not too worried about that…. Clicks can still be heard / felt and I’d rather turrets that are a little tighter rather than too lose.
 
Got my rings in today and scope mounted… hopefully I’ll get out next week and sight it in. Super happy with it though and just getting to mess around with the scope on my back porch I’m happy with the quality. Clicks could be a little better and holy hell the turrets are stiff!!! BUT I’m not too worried about that…. Clicks can still be heard / felt and I’d rather turrets that are a little tighter rather than too lose.
The turrets are definitely stiff on the XTRIII. They do get better as they break in though.
 
That’s good to hear
See my post #2105 in the other XTR3 thread. Makes a huge difference in the stiffness of the turret afterwards.

 
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My 3-18 came in yesterday from Camerland. The power ring is really stiff. Is this common and does it break in? What throw levers are guys using for the XTRIII?
 
My 3-18 came in yesterday from Camerland. The power ring is really stiff. Is this common and does it break in? What throw levers are guys using for the XTRIII?

Mine is stiff too, but I really like Burris' throw lever they make specifically for these scopes:

 
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I have had luck on other scopes by using a heat gun to get the grease moving. Have not tried it on my XTR3 yet.
 
Ended up getting a larger than expected tax return and I’m gonna go on and purchase a scope for my hunting rifle. I’m pretty set on the 3-18 range of FFP scopes and I don’t care about illumination. With the Burris XTR3 on sale for $1k is anything else in that price range going to beat it as far as quality of the build and optical clarity? I’m sticking to my budget so please don’t respond with “if you save a little more” lol I’ll end up waaaaay over budget playing that game!
Having hunted on several continents, I can think of just a few instances where no illumination, FFP, AND 3-18X are good hunting choices.

Then again, I am probably doing it wrong.

For a target scope, rock on; for a hunter, good luck taking that low light shot at 50 yards on 3X.

I'm probably doing it wrong.
 
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My 3-18 came in yesterday from Camerland. The power ring is really stiff. Is this common and does it break in? What throw levers are guys using for the XTRIII?

I've had really good luck with the MK Machining Carbon Fiber Nylon lever.





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I just received my XTR3 3.3x18 (non-ilium) scope with SCR2 Mil reticle. After opening the box, I wanted to do a quick post/review on here for anyone wondering about them. Maybe I got lucky and received a good one because from all the posts regarding how stiff the turrets/mag ring were, my turrets and magnification ring are.... well smooth is probably the best way to describe. I do have a throw lever on the way but that's just for convenience. Can definitely use without it. Elevation and windage have very positive clicks and the dragon scales do not bother me when spinning either turrets. I kind of like how the scales look as well. As for glass, I know this is very subjective and differs from user to user but this XTR3 glass is super clean/clear to my eyes. Saw lots of posts about how super thin and hard the reticle is to see. I actually really like it and can see it fine. Even at 3.3 magnification, you definitely can use as a crosshair. It's very visible, well to me that is. FOV and Eyebox is exactly how everyone stated. Very wide and very forgiving. Very glad it was too. Can't wait to get this mounted. Very happy with this purchase. Was seriously on the fence about it too... because when you see scopes on blowout, first thing that comes to mind is "something must be wrong". Not the case for me. I'm guessing I just got a good one? Can't wait to compare this to the XTR PRO.
 
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A couple questions.
First, I was looking to order one of the new Illuminated SCR2 3-18 versions. I deal enough with reduced light that illumination matters to me. However, it gives me a bit of pause if those scopes are going to be Philippine made scopes instead of USA made. Is there anything I should be concerned about?

Second, I was considering the XTR3 as an alternate to my NF NXS 2-10x42 on my 5.56 SPR. I think the reticle and extra magnification may be worth the 10oz weight gain. Has anyone compared the glass between the NXS and the XTR3? Inferring from other comparisons, I'd guess they're similar enough that other features are more important. I guess my other concern would be if the illuminated versions are made overseas, there's no guarantee that the glass will be the same quality, unless someone else knows otherwise.

Any thoughts?
 
A couple questions.
First, I was looking to order one of the new Illuminated SCR2 3-18 versions. I deal enough with reduced light that illumination matters to me. However, it gives me a bit of pause if those scopes are going to be Philippine made scopes instead of USA made. Is there anything I should be concerned about?

Second, I was considering the XTR3 as an alternate to my NF NXS 2-10x42 on my 5.56 SPR. I think the reticle and extra magnification may be worth the 10oz weight gain. Has anyone compared the glass between the NXS and the XTR3? Inferring from other comparisons, I'd guess they're similar enough that other features are more important. I guess my other concern would be if the illuminated versions are made overseas, there's no guarantee that the glass will be the same quality, unless someone else knows otherwise.

Any thoughts?

The only thing we can do is wait and see. Until these scopes are released to the public, we're just guessing. Burris did say they are using the same glass from the same source, so it "should" be just as good as the American made version.
 
Mine is stiff too, but I really like Burris' throw lever they make specifically for these scopes:


Amazon wouldn't ship it to calif? Wierd, anyway there's also an ebay seller that has them, think I paid $31 each for the two I bought.