Rifle Scopes bushnell lrts 4.5-18x44 experience?
- Thread starter Boone45
- Start date
I have a 4.5-18 and a 3-12 LRTS. Glass is exceptional at the price point. Tracking is perfect. I tested tracking on 3 of these on a 50 lb tracking test stand. All of them were perfect out to 15 mils. I have used them a lot hunting and have not had any durability problems. When I bought one it had the wrong reticle subtensions. Bushnell replaced the scope immediately and gave me a free laser rangefinder for my trouble. Customer service is excellent. The eye box is tighter on the 4.5-18, but the scope is very good. I prefer the 3-12 model for hunting.
I got one of the batch that had the inverted parallax turret, they took care of it and its been great since. I got mine on sale and with a rebate so for the 900 bucks I spent on it I think it was of enormous value.
Tracking on the ones I have owned has been decent, RTZ has been perfect. the glass is pretty good for the price point. Durability is a loaded question. One that has been problem free for years is going to give the user a different opinion than one that broke right away. The only LRHS I have had to send for warranty had a bent elevation turret. The only ERS's I ever sent in were for jammed up zero stops. I have been cranking the knobs on one 3-12 LRHS for almost 4 years now with no problems. Some how it has missed the scope vortex in my safe, and stuck around. I have a 4.5-18 LRTS in there now, but I haven't used it much. I like the G3 better than the G2H. I like that they went to a 100 spline turret, so my turret cover doesn't end up .1 off half the time when zeroing. I like the locking windage turret instead of capped. All in all I think they took a nice set top and made it nicer.
Going on 4 years with a 3-12. My take:
No durability issues. No need to take it back to Bushnell for repair. I’ve abused the elevation turret “coin slot”, yet it keeps holding up well.
Clicks are repeatable. Same with RTZ.
Glass is fantastic for hunting. I could maybe, possible use a little more at first and last, buy I’m not willing to trade it away searching for that minor improvement.
IMO- the LRHS is a killer scope. Until NForce (or TT) come out with a scope that rivals the LRHS with an equally awesome reticle, etc - I’ll stick to my LRHS.
No durability issues. No need to take it back to Bushnell for repair. I’ve abused the elevation turret “coin slot”, yet it keeps holding up well.
Clicks are repeatable. Same with RTZ.
Glass is fantastic for hunting. I could maybe, possible use a little more at first and last, buy I’m not willing to trade it away searching for that minor improvement.
IMO- the LRHS is a killer scope. Until NForce (or TT) come out with a scope that rivals the LRHS with an equally awesome reticle, etc - I’ll stick to my LRHS.
I had both at the same time. I liked the reticle and the turrets better on the Bushnell. The glass is pretty much the same. The Bushnell paralax was way easier to turn. I sold the SWFA and kept the Bushnell.
The Bushnell glass is not as Good as the SWFA 5-20 HD. I have three SWFA and one Bushnell 4.5-18x44 LRHS. The Bushnell LRHS is a better hunting scope as it’s lighter, smaller, and the reticle is a little more suited to low light shooting. The 5-20is better for everything else.
Thats interesting. My vortex gen 2 3-15x44 is as good if not slightly sharper than my bushnell. I was comparing them all three side by side this past weekend in the dull overcast, misting weather. I was looking at a wellhead about 700 yards away. There was also a small sign beside the wellhead. Al at 15x They were all close but the bushnell seemed to lack slightly behind. They were all very good though.
Concur with all the above on the LRHS glass. It’s good. Really good. It’s not superb, but let’s remember it’s a $1200 scope (easy $850 in the classifieds)
Like I mentioned above - NF or TT (or SWFA) are going to have to drop a legit contender for me to swap out my LRHS. To me, a contender would have to do what the the LRHS already does, plus better glass, plus:
1) Cap the wind
2) 2-10/3-12 power range
3) Hunter friendly reticle
4) 20-24oz.
I simply can’t get in line for a 30-36oz scope on a hunting rifle.
Like I mentioned above - NF or TT (or SWFA) are going to have to drop a legit contender for me to swap out my LRHS. To me, a contender would have to do what the the LRHS already does, plus better glass, plus:
1) Cap the wind
2) 2-10/3-12 power range
3) Hunter friendly reticle
4) 20-24oz.
I simply can’t get in line for a 30-36oz scope on a hunting rifle.
You’re the first person who has said the gen 2 has better glass, forums make everything more confusing lol
Just remember everyone’s eyes are diff. And glass varies even within the same scope line.
I've owned three of the 4.5-18x44 LRHSs - one MOA, the other two mil versions. Have had no issues with any of them. Put all three on light/medium custom 6XCs built on M700 actions in Manners T3 stocks, with bbls 23"-24" bought off Krieger inventory list that were kind of an oddball contour, just a little lighter than a Rem varmint. Reason I've built three is that customers looked at the first two and wanted to buy them. Kind of keeping the 3rd one under wraps, as I'd kind of like to keep it.
I really like the reticle design with the medium/heavy circle around the aiming point - you can have the power backed down to 4.5x, and still have a very distinct aiming point that the circle draws your eye to instantly. I built these rifles with coyote hunting/calling in mind, and when things get exciting with multiple dogs coming in to a call, I like this reticle. Doubt I'll ever change this LRHS out for anything else.
I really like the reticle design with the medium/heavy circle around the aiming point - you can have the power backed down to 4.5x, and still have a very distinct aiming point that the circle draws your eye to instantly. I built these rifles with coyote hunting/calling in mind, and when things get exciting with multiple dogs coming in to a call, I like this reticle. Doubt I'll ever change this LRHS out for anything else.
I've found that when comparing scopes with the same glass and coatings (IE: Same manufacturer and product line), the one with the lower magnification range typically looks better, at least slightly. I've had the same experience with the Bushnell DMR2 Pro and XRS2, but I'm not giving up my XRS2s any time soon.
I have owned 3 of the LRHS over 4 years. All for hunting rifles, but I stretch them long for fun at times on steel.
For hunting, I really like the bigger diameter elevation turret that still sits low on these scopes. The edges on it aren’t as sharp, and so they don’t hang up when moving around a big jacket, backpack, or hunting stand.
The reticle works well for me and glass is excellent. I like the thick circle for acquisition, and have never needed holdover so far that it got in the way of the shot. When they upgraded and added illumination that really sealed the deal for me.
Initially, I felt the price point was high but then got the glass and changed my mind. Especially since I got it used but clean on the optics forum. I think an LRHSi 4.5-18 can be had for $1000 easy, and maybe as low as $800-900 if you watch for it.
Sorry for sounding like so much of a fanboy, but these really do work well when fitted for hunting as the application.
One final note- the 3-12 is definitely easier to get behind and has a more generous eye box. The 4.5-18 is great and I love the extra magnification, but I rarely crank it past 10x because of circumstances where I hunt and the rifle underneath.
For hunting, I really like the bigger diameter elevation turret that still sits low on these scopes. The edges on it aren’t as sharp, and so they don’t hang up when moving around a big jacket, backpack, or hunting stand.
The reticle works well for me and glass is excellent. I like the thick circle for acquisition, and have never needed holdover so far that it got in the way of the shot. When they upgraded and added illumination that really sealed the deal for me.
Initially, I felt the price point was high but then got the glass and changed my mind. Especially since I got it used but clean on the optics forum. I think an LRHSi 4.5-18 can be had for $1000 easy, and maybe as low as $800-900 if you watch for it.
Sorry for sounding like so much of a fanboy, but these really do work well when fitted for hunting as the application.
One final note- the 3-12 is definitely easier to get behind and has a more generous eye box. The 4.5-18 is great and I love the extra magnification, but I rarely crank it past 10x because of circumstances where I hunt and the rifle underneath.
Been very happy with mine. replaced a 25 yr old M1 -10x Leopold Mark 4.
Glass (to me) is clear
tracking (100 yd box test) was spot on.
Love the lower profile turrets and the clicks.
Love the G3 reticle
Glass (to me) is clear
tracking (100 yd box test) was spot on.
Love the lower profile turrets and the clicks.
Love the G3 reticle
FYI the LRTS non illuminated has a .03Mil center reticle where as the LRTSi has a .06Mil center. It’s not advertised and Bushnell tech will half the tome tell you they’re the same G3 reticle but they are very much not. I’ve nevet used illumination on a hunt and the LRTS 4.5-18 has lived through 500+ rounds on an 8.5 lb 338 Norma Improved for over a year with zero complaints. Really like that optic.... better glass than NXS or Gen 1 Razor at last light as well.
It's much the same on the DMR2 and XRS2. The thicker center helps with illumination.
Yeah, it's why I went non-illuminated on both of my XRS2s. I am eventually going to pick up something with illumination on principle, just not sure when. When I do, it's probably going to be an LRTSi.
The next time bushnell has one of their 20-30% off rebates I’m going to buy 2 of these to replace my niece & nephews pst2 scopes & a dmr2 pro for myself. The lrts & dmr2 pro are hard to beat for the $$ & liberty optics has very good prices on them. I just got another nephew an athlon etr, so I’m going to compare the etr to my friends lrts, dmr2 pro, xrs2, & my pmii & mk5hd. Some people in the etr threads are saying it’s close to the Cronus btr & razor gen 2 or even better. I haven’t had a lot of time with the etr but my 1st impression was it was closer to a pst2 than a razor gen ii. If the etr doesn’t perform it will go back & be replaced with the lrts. I have my doubts that the Chinese etr will be as good as it’s being made out to be in their threads but I ordered one anyway & will check it out. The only thing with the etr is the turrets are glued on & come loose & some of them don’t line up. Out the 12 etr scopes sold at my uncles gun shop 2 turrets came loose & 2 didn’t line up. Apparently athlon has said this is common with the turrets so if I get a bad one I will return it till I get a good one. Does anyone else own an etr & lrts & compared the 2?
Exactly. Out of dozen LRHS, a couple LRTS, a couple DMRII, About a dozen ERS, a couple DMR, and 6 or 7 Burrix XTRII. You can find some significant variation in the same line. All the nitpicking glass in the world doesn't make a mole hill, to choosing a reticle, mag range/FOV, and feature set that works for you. Given the reticle and turrets match, and it doesn't say IOR or Quigley on it, your 1k will get you something pretty good.
Hell, anymore you can pretty much just choose the one you think looks or sounds the most tactical. ?
? Really thought, they are all pretty good.
when you are spending $1000-3000 on a scope you want to get the best scope you can & that means testing & comparing. Some people are shooting competitions, hunting, or just shooting a lot so having the right scope can make a difference. The glass is only one part but there’s also more importantly tracking & reliability. For the the average shooter it might not matter but the guy shooting competition who spends hours prepping their brass for perfect concentricity & least runout to wring out every last bit of accuracy, it does.Exactly. Out of dozen LRHS, a couple LRTS, a couple DMRII, About a dozen ERS, a couple DMR, and 6 or 7 Burrix XTRII. You can find some significant variation in the same line. All the nitpicking glass in the world doesn't make a mole hill, to choosing a reticle, mag range/FOV, and feature set that works for you. Given the reticle and turrets match, and it doesn't say IOR or Quigley on it, your 1k will get you something pretty good.
Hell, anymore you can pretty much just choose the one you think looks or sounds the most tactical. ?
Really thought, they are all pretty good.
This "testing and comparing" is just like a jack off competition, everyone who is happy at the end, wins, and everyone likes looking a something different during.....
?Everything you are worried about pretty much comes down to a unit by unit basis at 1k. Did you get a good one or a bad one. Every brand makes both. Most all of them take care of the bad ones very well at 1K also. This coming from using most all of their warranty service departments.
I've had 5 3-12 LRHS which have all gone back for warranty because you couldn't zero the turret correctly, only in 0.2 mil increments. They were all replaced with 3-12 LRTSis which have been nothing but great. I have one on my .22 and one on a M14 (that I've made hits on a 2/3 IPSC plate at 830 yards with), I sold 1 and the other (that are inbound) are going on a 6.5 creed AR-10 and a lighter weight Rem 700 in .308. Great scopes for the money, especially with Bushnell's frequent 20-30% off promotions.
Yeah they do pretty good at or around the $1k level but not near as good as the $1500-3k level. This year my uncles shop has returned quite a few fx1000, pst2, & etr scopes vs mk5hd, nf atacr, razor or pmii which none have had any problems so far, not that they don’t fail from time to time. So there’s a much greater chance if you are putting high volume rounds on $1k Chinese or Philippines made scopes to fail vs USA-German-Japanese made scopes. My uncle has been selling optics & guns over 30 years & that was his opinionThis "testing and comparing" is just like a jack off competition, everyone who is happy at the end, wins, and everyone likes looking a something different during.....
Everything you are worried about pretty much comes down to a unit by unit basis at 1k. Did you get a good one or a bad one. Every brand makes both. Most all of them take care of the bad ones very well at 1K also. This coming from using most all of their warranty service departments.
Glass quality - Amazing for under $1000
Tracking - mine did well on a box test
Durability - didn't have it for very long at all
I sold mine due to hating the reticle lines (too thick)- GREAT for hunting, not so much for PRS or target shooting.
It's an excellent scope. Mine had a somewhat stiff parallax knob, but overall it was a great scope. Glass was amazing for the price.
I'm a just picky with reticles.
Tracking - mine did well on a box test
Durability - didn't have it for very long at all
I sold mine due to hating the reticle lines (too thick)- GREAT for hunting, not so much for PRS or target shooting.
It's an excellent scope. Mine had a somewhat stiff parallax knob, but overall it was a great scope. Glass was amazing for the price.
I'm a just picky with reticles.
It’s a personal preference thing, people have won in competition with the msr reticle which is one of the thickest reticles. Christmas tree reticles with really thin lines seems to what’s popular now
I’m doing the same thing getting rid of my nephew & nieces pst2 5-25 scopes for the 18x lrts. I agree the pst2 is good but the lrts is nicer. I got another nephew an athlon ETR so that will be fun to compare
Have two LRTSI’s and a LRHSI. All track perfectly, are durable, easy to get behind.
Great glass for the price range.
Don’t think the reticle is too big. Easy to center up on 1 moa targets. Regular hit 5x7 target at 776 yards.
Just upgraded to a DMRII PRO for my match gun, all the same attributes on steroids. Struggling to decide which one to sell. Don’t need four scopes?
Great glass for the price range.
Don’t think the reticle is too big. Easy to center up on 1 moa targets. Regular hit 5x7 target at 776 yards.
Just upgraded to a DMRII PRO for my match gun, all the same attributes on steroids. Struggling to decide which one to sell. Don’t need four scopes?
The dmr2 pro is one of the best scopes for the $$ out there. Liberty optics has good prices on them & ive seen several other sites have them around $1400-1500. My neighbor got one during the 20% off rebate & ended up being just under $1200, I should have got one too. The pro will be the next scope I get as soon as there’s another rebate or sale. I was shooting with a friend who has the pro & I had my mk5hd & pmii & the dmr2 pro was impressive, really close in performance with my scopes
Hi,
YAY another copy and paster posing as if they have information/knowledge.
Ironically I am pretty sure the guy you just copy/pasted is a member here lol.
Sincerely,
Theis
ballisticxlr 
| Posted: 5/17/2017 11:57:15 AM EDT
I thought it was pretty darned good in my admittedly short look through and it was upside tons of other high end and mid-range optics on the show-n-tell table. It's definitely not in the class of the really high end $2k and up scopes but among scopes with comparable buy-ins I'd have one in a New York minute and never give it a second thought. I really like the turrets. Good grabbin' size, nice click feel and pretty low profile compared to the rest of the Elite line. |
Please remind me to not get on your bad side...Hi,
YAY another copy and paster posing as if they have information/knowledge.
Ironically I am pretty sure the guy you just copy/pasted is a member here lol.
Sincerely,
Theis
ballisticxlr
- Joined Jun 2015
- Posts 621
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I thought it was pretty darned good in my admittedly short look through and it was upside tons of other high end and mid-range optics on the show-n-tell table. It's definitely not in the class of the really high end $2k and up scopes but among scopes with comparable buy-ins I'd have one in a New York minute and never give it a second thought. I really like the turrets. Good grabbin' size, nice click feel and pretty low profile compared to the rest of the Elite line.
Got one of these on the way. Hope it's as good as people say. It's going to sit on a browning hells canyon mcmillan edition. If i like it I may grab a LRTS as well.
I've done extensive comparisons between my 4.5-18 LRTSi and the S&B 3-20 Ultra Short and NF ATACR 4-16 I own, this has left me with the impression that the Bushnell is about 85-90% as good as the alpha scopes at a fraction of the cost. At the prices you guys in the US could grab them a few months ago I would have bought a stack. I also have the 3-12x44 LRHS, it too is an outstanding scope. Buy with confidence.
I bought an LRHSi from GAP for $750 and received a 30% rebate from Bushnell. It's a pretty nice scope for $550.
I am SO happy to read the good reviews for this scope B/C I ordered one from Optics Planet and (DANG!) just missed the FED EX delivery guy today. Rescheduled for tomorrow.
My LRTS 4.5 - 18 x 44 goes on a new in Talley matching burnt bronze Cerakote rings with an optional bubble level in the top of the rear ring.
6.5 PRC Browning X-Bolt Pro:
1. stainless barrel and action
2. factory lapped barrel
3. fluted barrel, bolt and bolt handle
4. carbon fiber stock
5. burnt bronze Cerakote on everything including stock and Talley rings.
6. very good 3 lever trigger (I tested it at 2 lbs. 12 oz. average W/my digital trigger pull meter.)
7. 6 lbs. 3 oz. - a mountain rifle for Nevada
My very good experience with the Bushnell ERS 3.5 - 21 x 50 scope W/ H59 reticle for competition convinced me to buy another Elite series scope.
Eric B.
UPDATE:
Now that I've been to the range with my LRTS 4.5 - 18 x 44 scope I gotta say I like that illuminated G3 reticle on overcast days and dark backgrounds. SUCH a good illuminated reticle! I got a good deal on this scope for about $980.
With FFP you tend to "lose" your reticle at low power settings but with illumination the reticle is easily seen on this scope set at 4.5x, its lowest setting. A tall target test showed perfect turret adjustments to 10 mils up and 5 mils horizontal.
This scope is a good match for my X-Bolt rifle and the 6.5 PRC long range cartridge.
My LRTS 4.5 - 18 x 44 goes on a new in Talley matching burnt bronze Cerakote rings with an optional bubble level in the top of the rear ring.
6.5 PRC Browning X-Bolt Pro:
1. stainless barrel and action
2. factory lapped barrel
3. fluted barrel, bolt and bolt handle
4. carbon fiber stock
5. burnt bronze Cerakote on everything including stock and Talley rings.
6. very good 3 lever trigger (I tested it at 2 lbs. 12 oz. average W/my digital trigger pull meter.)
7. 6 lbs. 3 oz. - a mountain rifle for Nevada
My very good experience with the Bushnell ERS 3.5 - 21 x 50 scope W/ H59 reticle for competition convinced me to buy another Elite series scope.
Eric B.
UPDATE:
Now that I've been to the range with my LRTS 4.5 - 18 x 44 scope I gotta say I like that illuminated G3 reticle on overcast days and dark backgrounds. SUCH a good illuminated reticle! I got a good deal on this scope for about $980.
With FFP you tend to "lose" your reticle at low power settings but with illumination the reticle is easily seen on this scope set at 4.5x, its lowest setting. A tall target test showed perfect turret adjustments to 10 mils up and 5 mils horizontal.
This scope is a good match for my X-Bolt rifle and the 6.5 PRC long range cartridge.
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