Not a ton of reviews out there on these. I know there is a decent one on here which I have read. Looking to hear from anyone else who has used one. Probably buying one of these today, but kind of looking at a couple others as well. Mainly looking to hear about the XTR 3 though.
Rifle Scopes Talk me into or out of XTR 3
- Thread starter DTOM1977
- Start date
Do you have any links to the new scopes or news of the new scopes?
I was in the same boat, debating between many of the scopes in this price range and based upon the in-depth review within this thread and the actual XTR III thread itself, I am about to pull the trigger on the 3-18, only reason I have not is I am trying to talk myself out of spending the extra money for the larger mag. What pushed me over on this scope was the outstanding reviews, warranty, and features packed into this price point.
Seems to be a good thang' so far. I believe the Dark Lord of Optics said they are pretty nice but he can speak on that Im just reiterating what I think ive read about them here somewhere else.
-Reagan
-Reagan
this is just my assumption, since geniii 1-10 is out, i would expect other variation would come out soon, maybe 6 month or next year.
On paper Burris may have the same warranty as vortex-, but in practice they were nothing the same. Vortex was great and burris was..... well, I'll never buy another burris. Something to consider.
*this was on a XTR2... not the 3.
*this was on a XTR2... not the 3.
I would like to hear more about how Burris did you wrong as well. Having dealt with Burris, Vortex, and Bushnell, I haven't seen much difference between the three. If there was a problem they fixed to replaced it.
Many xtr2's had disappointing glass-- Mine was unacceptable, 15 power was unusable. I explained the problem to them and they said that they didn't think they could do anything because it wasn't "broken, and the warranty only covers broken scopes." I sent it to them anyway with a detailed note of the problem. The scope showed back up with the notes of what the technician inspected and it said- "tested tracking- worked correct, scope is correctly sealed." They didn't even look at the glass.
I passed the scope around to all my friends and people I shoot with, and everyone agreed that it was a lemon. So I boxed it back up and paid to ship it to them a second time (vortex sent me a prepaid shipping label when I had to get a new o-ring in a viper) with a note that I knew it tracked correctly just look at the glass. I received a email that said they had checked it in- and 1 minute later I received another saying it "met their standards and was being returned".
I called and talked to the smuggest person ever.... He told me that I didn't know how to use the scope- and that I needed to use the "focus" on the left side of the scope to get a clear image,- and he didn't even know that it was a parallax adjustment or what parallax was.
I traded the scope (told the guy I wasn't happy with the glass). He looked through it and said- Wow, that is bad.... They'll fix it- I've had great experience with them. I left it at that- and don't know what happened.
I passed the scope around to all my friends and people I shoot with, and everyone agreed that it was a lemon. So I boxed it back up and paid to ship it to them a second time (vortex sent me a prepaid shipping label when I had to get a new o-ring in a viper) with a note that I knew it tracked correctly just look at the glass. I received a email that said they had checked it in- and 1 minute later I received another saying it "met their standards and was being returned".
I called and talked to the smuggest person ever.... He told me that I didn't know how to use the scope- and that I needed to use the "focus" on the left side of the scope to get a clear image,- and he didn't even know that it was a parallax adjustment or what parallax was.
I traded the scope (told the guy I wasn't happy with the glass). He looked through it and said- Wow, that is bad.... They'll fix it- I've had great experience with them. I left it at that- and don't know what happened.
I'll be the first to admit that Vortex has great CS. Not perfect, no one is, but they have raised the bar for the rest of the industry.
Everyone can tell customer service horror stories about every brand. I've gotten rooked by Bushnell, a brand I'm very fond of, as well as Vortex. But I still respect the brands, I still own their products. I have 3 Razor products as we speak and several Bushy scopes.
Start a thread about CS issues and every manufacturer will get named.
Everyone can tell customer service horror stories about every brand. I've gotten rooked by Bushnell, a brand I'm very fond of, as well as Vortex. But I still respect the brands, I still own their products. I have 3 Razor products as we speak and several Bushy scopes.
Start a thread about CS issues and every manufacturer will get named.
I agree... I have had perfect CS experiences with Leupold and Vortex- but I know people who would tell you otherwise. But Burris sticks out to me because I have only had two interactions with them- and they were both disappointing.
First one was on a cheap little drop tine scope for a 223. Opened it up and it had a hair or bubble in the reticle-- they told me to pay to ship it to them and they would look at it. That bothered me because I had had the scope for 4 hrs, so I took it back to the store I bought it from and they said they would tell them it was a demo and they gave me a different scope. I should have learned...
First one was on a cheap little drop tine scope for a 223. Opened it up and it had a hair or bubble in the reticle-- they told me to pay to ship it to them and they would look at it. That bothered me because I had had the scope for 4 hrs, so I took it back to the store I bought it from and they said they would tell them it was a demo and they gave me a different scope. I should have learned...
My friend had an amg. I didn't like the reticle. He sent it in twice for turret issues also. If I buy another Vortex it will be another Razor gen ii. Not trying to be an ass, but these conversations always end up this way. Down the same rabbit hole of you should just buy this or that. That is why I asked specifically for experience with the XTR3. It is what I am curious about. Sorry if that comes across negative. If I don't buy a xtr3 I have a couple others already in mind and there is plenty of info out there on them.
No negative seen here, I've looked through both XTR3 and AMG at a match and I favored the AMG more. But if the reticle is your preference than go that route.
I've compared a couple different XTR3s to a couple different AMGs. You can call it bias and I wont hold it against you, I am a Burris guy here on the Hide. But I thought from a glass and ease of use perspective, the XTR3 was every bit the scope the AMG was. The eyebox looks better on the Burris, and glass was a pretty dead heat.
If I were buying as a target scope I would go the 30x XTR3 without a doubt. The AMG has a couple more items in the Pro column if you are looking for a crossover.
I agree. I have owned two Burris scopes, still have one. The second one had issues and they wouldn’t acknowledge and correct. It went in the trash and was replaced by a vortex.
I’ll never buy another Burris simply due to how I was treated.
I have an XTR III but it is the 5-30. I also have the AMG. The glass in my Burris is different than the AMG. I actually think I like the brightness and color better. More than one person has commented that the resolution is good, but it is not close to the AMG and I agree. The resolution and CA control in the AMG is very good.
That said, I like the xtr III and the scr2 reticle. I have not had any mechanical issues with the xtr III or the xtr ii I own. I have helped friends take care of issues with xtr ii a few years ago. I had some very good experiences with Burris customer service and one that mirrored the guy complaining in this thread. I believe it was a probably an issue with the employee's attitude vs the company philosophy. That said, I have regrettably had many great customer service experiences with Vortex. I would prefer that their products had no issues, but I have been taken care of exceptionally well by their cs whenever I have had an issue. Before anyone piles on for bitching about Vortex cheap Chinese scopes, I don't own any Chinese made Vortex scopes, and I've had no issues with the one I own that is made in the Philippines.
Any high use optic is eventually going to have an issue of some sort. It is nice to trust in the cs of the companies you do business with. That said, I had no reservations about the quality of Burris cs.
That said, I like the xtr III and the scr2 reticle. I have not had any mechanical issues with the xtr III or the xtr ii I own. I have helped friends take care of issues with xtr ii a few years ago. I had some very good experiences with Burris customer service and one that mirrored the guy complaining in this thread. I believe it was a probably an issue with the employee's attitude vs the company philosophy. That said, I have regrettably had many great customer service experiences with Vortex. I would prefer that their products had no issues, but I have been taken care of exceptionally well by their cs whenever I have had an issue. Before anyone piles on for bitching about Vortex cheap Chinese scopes, I don't own any Chinese made Vortex scopes, and I've had no issues with the one I own that is made in the Philippines.
Any high use optic is eventually going to have an issue of some sort. It is nice to trust in the cs of the companies you do business with. That said, I had no reservations about the quality of Burris cs.
Thank you, MakeSawdust! I'm also seriously interested in hearing more actual owner impressions of the XTR III scopes.
I had an XTR 2. was not amazing... tracked well but glass was noticably below the average.
I got an AMG it is very light and very good! I had a discount so it's was easy upgrade. Ya I will never sell the AMG. THE BURRIS will go on a 22 . Hope this was helpful.
The XTRIII is a completely different scope from the XTRII. The glass wasnt the strong suit of the II, but it is one of the most reliable scopes on the market at any price. Which makes it quite popular out there amongst the rank and file shooters. And even won some folks over here on the Hide.
The XTRIII has a very solid offering in glass quality. As good or better than anything you will find in the sub $2k price point. And the features are geared towards the competitive shooter. I see a lot of folks who like it better than the MK5. I know several guys who have switched from the MK5 and like the Burris better, and I know quite a few guys who liked the Burris in side by side comparisons. So I think it's a solid option versus its competitors. Not for everyone, especially here on the Hide. But I think it's going to be a good scope for folks.
A newly added review..
www.snipershide.com
Rifle Scopes - Burris 5.5-30X56 XTR III Review
So my Burris 5.5-30 review got posted so I thought I'd share it here like I did my Bergara B-14R review. I've also included some comments from another thread that expound on some FOV comparisons with the 5-25 ATACR that I mentioned in the article but didn't expand on as a way to consolidate my...
www.snipershide.com 
I had an XTR II, it was built like a tank, but man that glass was horrible. I don't know maybe some people are less picky than others, but from my usage ->
XTR II < Athlon Ares BTR < Vortex PST II < Athlon Ares ETR < Athlon Cronus <> Razor Gen II <> Tract Toric
When you say that the XTR III is the best in the sub 2K price range, that puts it in comparing with the Razor Gen II, Tract, Cronus, and Vortex AMG. If the glass is better than all those 3, then I do believe in the ruggedness of the XTR III which would certainly make it a good buy.
I dont pay terrible close attention to the pricing on everything. But what tidbits I've picked up, the Gen II Razor can be had at a similar price to the XTR3 if you buy it used. I'm not sure what they go for new these days. I would think the same thing for the AMG. I've always thought of those optics as just north of 2k brand new.. Not taking any special discounts into consideration, just the average MAP that is commonly used.
Having said that, the XTR3 still compares strongly to those optics. When comparing glass to those Vortex optics, to my eye they look subtly different. The Razor has a little better color control, but the XTR3 is brighter. Same for the AMG.
I saw where another poster posted the same thoughts, but he believed the resolution was a little better on the AMG, but not that I could see. The ability to see very fine detail looks very close to me. So close I personally cant tell the difference. It would take a more discriminating eye than I have. The CA is controlled very well on three out of 4 of my XTR3s. You have to look very hard to try to see any. My 4th one is a little more noticeable on a bright white target at 30x. A very slight purplish effect. But all in all it's well done.
I definitely like the XTR3 over the Cronus. For multiple reasons. Although I think the glass is good in the Athlon, I've never cared for the turrets. And the eyebox is much better in the Burris. The Cronus seems "tunnelish" to me, like the MK5 does after I've become used to the XTR3.
I'm afraid I've never even seen a Tract scope before. But I've heard good things about it.
Here's a quote from WJM308 from his review of the 3.3-18 XTR3.
""Other $2k class scopes I have used would be the Leupold Mark 5HD 3.6-18x44 which had better turrets and similar DOF/Parallax; however, my copy did not do that great in overall IQ and the sweet spot of the NF NX8 and Burris XTR III was quite a bit better than the Leupold. I've had the Steiner T5Xi's and their CA was so bad they were immediately returned. The Bushnell LRTS 4.5-18x44 and Tract Toric 4-20x50 are lower priced and suffer from heavier CA; however, they do have impressive IQ for the price. It is my personal opinion that the Burris XTR III 3.3-18x50 is the best overall scope in its class ($1500 - $2000) and offers a great value for its price. I have used the Bushnell ET 2.5-21x50 DMR II and was quite impressed, but optically it would not stand against the XTR III, Bushnell also has their new DMR II Pro which may compare IQ wise but suffers in FOV and is 5 oz heavier and has no illumination offering.""
Here's Bill's entire review if you wish to read it. It's incredibly detailed and pulls no punches.
Rifle Scopes - Burris XTR III 3.3-18x50 mini review and comparison to Nightforce NX8 2.5-20x50
Backstory The Burris XTR II has been the top of the line offering from the Greeley, CO sport optics company for many years now. Initial manufacture of these scopes had some issues optically, but Burris was able to rectify those over time and the latest XTR II is a pretty well refined scope for...
www.snipershide.com I dont pay terrible close attention to the pricing on everything. But what tidbits I've picked up, the Gen II Razor can be had at a similar price to the XTR3 if you buy it used. I'm not sure what they go for new these days. I would think the same thing for the AMG. I've always thought of those optics as just north of 2k brand new.. Not taking any special discounts into consideration, just the average MAP that is commonly used.
Having said that, the XTR3 still compares strongly to those optics. When comparing glass to those Vortex optics, to my eye they look subtly different. The Razor has a little better color control, but the XTR3 is brighter. Same for the AMG.
I saw where another poster posted the same thoughts, but he believed the resolution was a little better on the AMG, but not that I could see. The ability to see very fine detail looks very close to me. So close I personally cant tell the difference. It would take a more discriminating eye than I have. The CA is controlled very well on three out of 4 of my XTR3s. You have to look very hard to try to see any. My 4th one is a little more noticeable on a bright white target at 30x. A very slight purplish effect. But all in all it's well done.
I definitely like the XTR3 over the Cronus. For multiple reasons. Although I think the glass is good in the Athlon, I've never cared for the turrets. And the eyebox is much better in the Burris. The Cronus seems "tunnelish" to me, like the MK5 does after I've become used to the XTR3.
I'm afraid I've never even seen a Tract scope before. But I've heard good things about it.
Here's a quote from WJM308 from his review of the 3.3-18 XTR3.
""Other $2k class scopes I have used would be the Leupold Mark 5HD 3.6-18x44 which had better turrets and similar DOF/Parallax; however, my copy did not do that great in overall IQ and the sweet spot of the NF NX8 and Burris XTR III was quite a bit better than the Leupold. I've had the Steiner T5Xi's and their CA was so bad they were immediately returned. The Bushnell LRTS 4.5-18x44 and Tract Toric 4-20x50 are lower priced and suffer from heavier CA; however, they do have impressive IQ for the price. It is my personal opinion that the Burris XTR III 3.3-18x50 is the best overall scope in its class ($1500 - $2000) and offers a great value for its price. I have used the Bushnell ET 2.5-21x50 DMR II and was quite impressed, but optically it would not stand against the XTR III, Bushnell also has their new DMR II Pro which may compare IQ wise but suffers in FOV and is 5 oz heavier and has no illumination offering.""
Here's Bill's entire review if you wish to read it. It's incredibly detailed and pulls no punches.
Rifle Scopes - Burris XTR III 3.3-18x50 mini review and comparison to Nightforce NX8 2.5-20x50
Backstory The Burris XTR II has been the top of the line offering from the Greeley, CO sport optics company for many years now. Initial manufacture of these scopes had some issues optically, but Burris was able to rectify those over time and the latest XTR II is a pretty well refined scope for...
Thanks for the reply. I also agree on the Cronus/ETR ETR about the eyebox and that's one of the reasons about wanting to go to the XTR III. For me, at the $1700 ish price range it'll be between the XTR III and the new Tract Toric 4.5-30x.
I am glad to hear all of this. I ordered mine last week after I sold my Cronus BTR. I really liked the Cronus very much, but as BirdDog6424 said about I didn't care for the turrets. Though the scope tracked awesome. I didn't have any issues with eyebox on my Cronus at all, in fact I thought it was very forgiving. If the glass on the XTR3 is close to the Cronus and the reticle is as nice as it looks, I am sure I will be satisfied because the xtr3 turrets look pretty awesome in comparison to the Cronus. I am excited to get the XTR3 here in a couple of weeks
I quite like the XTR III. If you're interested in a 3-18x, I've got a bunch read at reaaal nice prices 
SCR2 MIL reticles.
SCR2 MIL reticles.
