Rifle Scopes Burris xtr II opinions.....

[KOPFJÄGER13]

Hey guys, a buddy just suggested this scope in 5-25x50 for a 338lm used for 1k-1.76k shooting.... before i posted this i saw a thread about a burris xtr III coming out...... whats your opinion on the II for this application? And is the III available yet?!

 

[Gohring65]

The XTR 2 will hold up to any 338 lapua. I have a 4-20 on a 338 lapua for about a year now. Not even a hint of suspicion as far as a fault in mechanics are concerned. The glass is good enough. Have I seen better glass? Yes! Can I make hits way out there? Yep. Can a achieve a mile hit with this 1000$ optic, and dial it back to zero several times a year? Yep!
Sub 1000$ optic that’s built good enough to drop off the bench, handle a 338 lapua and has very good tracking with good enough glass... It’s a pretty nice scope.

 

[Birddog6424]

I have the 5-25 on my 300 Norma Mag.

1000 to 1200 yards is pretty simple. It's a killer at a mile, I've spotted my hits and misses at that distance. I've gotten multiple hits at 2000 and 2100 yards.

The optic is up to the task.

 

[KOPFJÄGER13]

I have the 5-25 on my 300 Norma Mag.

1000 to 1200 yards is pretty simple. It's a killer at a mile, I've spotted my hits and misses at that distance. I've gotten multiple hits at 2000 and 2100 yards.

The optic is up to the task.

It gets good reveiws, i dont undrrstand why more people dont use it for ELR....

 

[KOPFJÄGER13]

Hey birddog, how much MOA ya got in your base?

 

[MarinePMI]

It gets good reveiws, i dont undrrstand why more people dont use it for ELR....

I'd suspect it is because the reputation of the glass quality on the early models was tainted (lot of negative feedback), so for ELR and it's requirement for high resolution/clarity, I think most wrote it off.

With the reported improvements in the XTR II it may be completely serviceable for ELR (I haven't looked through the newer ones...yet).

I'll probably send my first gen XTR II in under warranty this spring, to check for the excessive CA issue, and see what they do.

 

[KOPFJÄGER13]

CA ? Chromatic Aberation im assuming...

 

[Birddog6424]

Hey birddog, how much MOA ya got in your base?

I have 30 MoA. I have a Defiance Deviant action that came with a 20 MoA integrated rail. I wanted just a hair more, so I used the Burris Signature Series rings and added another 10 MoA.

To answer your original question, the XTR III in 3.3-18x50 will be going out to vendors in the next few weeks.

The 5.5-30x56 will be available a little more down the road. I'm afraid I dont have a more specific date. I'll try to find out more at Shot Show.

 

[KOPFJÄGER13]

I have 30 MoA. I have a Defiance Deviant action that came with a 20 MoA integrated rail. I wanted just a hair more, so I used the Burris Signature Series rings and added another 10 MoA.

To answer your original question, the XTR III in 3.3-18x50 will be going out to vendors in the next few weeks.

The 5.5-30x56 will be available a little more down the road. I'm afraid I dont have a more specific date. I'll try to find out more at Shot Show.

Do you think ya could get the 3.3 in a month ?

 

[QuarterHorse]

I e been considering one as well and for every positive thing I hear it seems there is a contradictory to it. I passed on two used ones because I’m just nervous about buying a poor scope for the dollar spent.

 

[hk dave]

I'd suspect it is because the reputation of the glass quality on the early models was tainted (lot of negative feedback), so for ELR and it's requirement for high resolution/clarity, I think most wrote it off.

With the reported improvements in the XTR II it may be completely serviceable for ELR (I haven't looked through the newer ones...yet).

I'll probably send my first gen XTR II in under warranty this spring, to check for the excessive CA issue, and see what they do.

I bet this could be the case.

 

[JaoeyP]

I owned a 4-20x50. My thoughts were the turrets and feel of clicks were very nice, no complaints there. I REALLY liked the SCR reticle. Glass on the higher end of magnification could get cloudy and had a fair amount of chromatic aberration to deal with. Not terrible for the money, but by no means perfect. I'd be hesitant to recommend the 5-25x just because the optical shortcomings were already starting to show on mine around 17-18x, that's not going to get any better at 25x.

My personal opinion is if you're going to be in the sub $1000 category for LR shooting, try and stay at 16X or less; the optics are much more forgiving at the lower magnification levels.

 

[MtnCreek]

...
I'll probably send my first gen XTR II in under warranty this spring, to check for the excessive CA issue, and see what they do.

I'd be interested to hear what happens.

 

[D_TROS]

IIRC, the second place finisher at the most recent King of 2 Mile SHoot (look it up if you don't know) was using a 5-25 XTR2.

Glass aside, if you want a scope that tracking will nvr be an issue, Look here. 99% of shooting conditions you cant see the shitty aspects of cheaper glass anyways. Not only that, at ELR you arnt really spotting impacts with your rifle optic so the point it almost moot.



GL!
DT

 

[JaoeyP]

99% of shooting conditions you cant see the shitty aspects of cheaper glass anyways.

I would respectfully disagree with this statement. The XTR II I owned had enough CA that I felt like a drunk pirate looking through a 1700's telescope trying to spot holes in white paper with black rings on a black target backer. At the time I owned one I was shooting at a friends place and had a set up to ring a plate at 380 yards and if it was anything but a the clearest of skies I would have some difficulty picking up the steel in the sight picture.

I think a lot of people don't notice it if they don't know any better.

 

[patriot07]

I owned a 4-20x50. My thoughts were the turrets and feel of clicks were very nice, no complaints there. I REALLY liked the SCR reticle. Glass on the higher end of magnification could get cloudy and had a fair amount of chromatic aberration to deal with. Not terrible for the money, but by no means perfect. I'd be hesitant to recommend the 5-25x just because the optical shortcomings were already starting to show on mine around 17-18x, that's not going to get any better at 25x.

My personal opinion is if you're going to be in the sub $1000 category for LR shooting, try and stay at 16X or less; the optics are much more forgiving at the lower magnification levels.

In using the 5-25 on a couple on other people's guns, my experience is identical to this. Fine at lower mag, love the reticle, but glass at higher mag leaves A LOT to be desired - easily the worst glass I've seen in the price range.

But they are built tough and have good reticles and good turrets, and there are folks using them for ELR with good success, so maybe the glass is more of a personal thing than an actual universal hindrance. One of the ones I looked through is several years old, but the other one was bought about a year ago, so I'm not sure when the "newer" ones start, but if it was before that, then I think they're still grossly overpriced at $1k for the 5-25, especially when you can get something like an SWFA 5-20 HD for the same money, which has fantastic glass. I like the mil-quad, but if SWFA would put an SCR reticle in their 5-20 HD, I'd never need anything else short of a TT 5-25 Gen3XR.

 

[D_TROS]

I would respectfully disagree with this statement. The XTR II I owned had enough CA that I felt like a drunk pirate looking through a 1700's telescope trying to spot holes in white paper with black rings on a black target backer. At the time I owned one I was shooting at a friends place and had a set up to ring a plate at 380 yards and if it was anything but a the clearest of skies I would have some difficulty picking up the steel in the sight picture.

I think a lot of people don't notice it if they don't know any better.

Agreed that's obviously a problem. I guess I got lucky and have nvr had that problem in any of my XTR2's and Ive used them since day one of release (primarily as the Burris factory is close to me and I was excited they were making a competitive scope). Ive used literally every scope available and there is a reason I am exclusively XTR now in this price range.

In using the 5-25 on a couple on other people's guns, my experience is identical to this. Fine at lower mag, love the reticle, but glass at higher mag leaves A LOT to be desired - easily the worst glass I've seen in the price range.

But they are built tough and have good reticles and good turrets, and there are folks using them for ELR with good success, so maybe the glass is more of a personal thing than an actual universal hindrance. One of the ones I looked through is several years old, but the other one was bought about a year ago, so I'm not sure when the "newer" ones start, but if it was before that, then I think they're still grossly overpriced at $1k for the 5-25, especially when you can get something like an SWFA 5-20 HD for the same money, which has fantastic glass. I like the mil-quad, but if SWFA would put an SCR reticle in their 5-20 HD, I'd never need anything else short of a TT 5-25 Gen3XR.

I liked my 5-20 HD SWFA, but it had sub par glass to my XTR2 so I sold it. ALso it had worse knobs and I didn't like the retc. Tracked great. Won a lot of rimfire matches with it. The deciding factor for me was the glass & retc and the SWFA got sold.



It soulds like some really bad glass ones got out, but I think its fewer than it feels like. Sqeeky wheel gets the grase kind of thing. Im glad I nvr got one. Id be pist to. I prefer the 4-20 over the 5-25 for FOV, eye box, and I feel the glass is better so that's what I have been using on my match rifles. I admittingly have way more experience with the 4-20 than the 5-25 so that's why maybe I got lucky and nvr got a lemon. Ive had 2 5-25 and current only my rimfire has one. BUT I don't think I would have had the best year shooting in my life if I was looking through a drunk pirate scope haha...

Am I expecting S&B glass for $1k? No, but Im not paying for it either. I am paying for rock solid tracking and good glass in sunny conditions. Check mark.

GL
DT

 

[Eoddave27]

I had a 5-25 XTRII and the scope was a great scope for the money. The glass was by no means tier one but it wasn’t that bad either. I really think the dependability of the scope made up for any shortcomings in the glass. I sold the scope with a rifle or I would probably still have the scope. I really didn’t want to sell the scope with the rifle but as the saying goes he made me an offer I couldn’t refuse. I have a 50% off Burris certificate that I had planned to use on a new 4-20 XTRII but with the release of the XTRiii I’m going to hold out for one of those.

 

[KOPFJÄGER13]

I had a 5-25 XTRII and the scope was a great scope for the money. The glass was by no means tier one but it wasn’t that bad either. I really think the dependability of the scope made up for any shortcomings in the glass. I sold the scope with a rifle or I would probably still have the scope. I really didn’t want to sell the scope with the rifle but as the saying goes he made me an offer I couldn’t refuse. I have a 50% off Burris certificate that I had planned to use on a new 4-20 XTRII but with the release of the XTRiii I’m going to hold out for one of those.

The xtr3 is looking pretty badass, but starting to bring a taller dollar too

 

[Eoddave27]

I’m waiting to see what the price will be. With a 1/2 off certificate that just meets I will save that much more money right. At least that is what I will tell my wife. “Look at how much money I saved dear” ?

 

[BCP]

I'm kinda surprised more people don't use the nightforce shv, it's similar money and the ones I checked out at Sportsmans seemed well built with decent glass quality. Didn't seem any different than other NXS scopes to my eyes.

 

[Jason Clark]

I use a 5x25 on my match rifle, rain snow mud hasn't missed a beat!

 

[Broc]

I'm kinda surprised more people don't use the nightforce shv, it's similar money and the ones I checked out at Sportsmans seemed well built with decent glass quality. Didn't seem any different than other NXS scopes to my eyes.

Reticle choices and only one FFP option are probably the biggest factors for many on the hide. If you head over to more hunting based forums you will see it mentioned a lot more.

I agree on the glass though, hard to tell between it and the NXS. I really like my 3-10. Wish they made more options with 50mm obj too.

 

[FishDr]

My XTR II is a 4-20. Glass is good, but turrets and tracking are excellent. I really like the SCR reticle - I think the new SCR with the tree will be even better. My only complaint is that the eye box gets pretty tight up on the high end. I’ve decided to part ways with the XTR II and get something that matches the ergos of my Razor. But I have no complaints about how it functions.

 

[Birddog6424]

Both my 5-25 XTR II's are pretty solid. Especially the one I just got. The glass on it is really quite good.

I have a handful of 4-20's. A couple in the SCR and several with the H591. I've had a couple of my H591 scopes up against pretty much everything in its price point, and they compete quite well. The scope on my 6mm Creedmoor PRS rifle looks better than several more expensive optics I've compared to. I've been pretty pleased with everything I've picked up over the last couple of years.

 

[Eoddave27]

I honestly never had any real complaints about the glass on my XTRii. I only ever had one time that I even noticed the glass wasn’t as good as my higher end optics. It was an overcast, foggy day and the targets were in the trees. Looking through my XTRii and comparing it to my Tract Toric and Tango 6 there was a definite difference but not to the point that I would have missed the shot due to the optic. The picture was just more crisp on the other optics. In full light though I don’t know that there would have been a significant difference.

 

[KOPFJÄGER13]

Seems like this may be a good choice for an ELR rifle that might see 1-200 rounds a year, which is what my 338 will be..... afterall my go to is my trusty 308 ?

 

[shlouf]

I have a 4-20 on my 20" 6.5 and love it. Used it for milk jugs at 1000 and steel out to 1300 and it has always tracked and returned to zero perfectly. Glass is good but like others have said, they're heavy and eye box is a little tight at 20x. For $750-800 on used market, they are hard to beat.

 

[KOPFJÄGER13]

Good looking rifle!

 

[Big Bo]

I have 2 Burris 5-25x50 XTR II`s. One on a 308, the other on a 6.5cm.

 

[KOPFJÄGER13]

I have 2 Burris 5-25x50 XTR II`s. One on a 308, the other on a 6.5cm.

Any problems or issues with them?

 

[Big Bo]

Zero.

 

[laylandad]

Any problems or issues with them?

I have a XTR II 5-25x50 that I just sent back for warranty work. I've had this scope for a while now and never had any issues. It was mounted on my Remington 700 308. The parallax knob got really tight and then really loose while adjusting. Also, my windage adjustments were not precise anymore. I contacted Burris Customer Service and had a service number and label emailed within minutes. I'll let you all know when I get it back if it is repaired or replaced. FYI, I'd buy the same scope again and again.