BARRETT
While Barrett is known for its 50-caliber Rifles, it also markets an optic that helps shooters hit at long range. The Barrett Optical Ranging System – BORS – is a sight attachment, a 13-ounce device you pair with a scope. It incorporates a small ranging computer powered by a CR-123 lithium battery. There’s a liquid crystal display with a four-button keypad. Factory-installed cartridge tables tailored to your loads enable the computer to deliver precise holds for long-distance shooting. The BORS includes an elevation knob and a knob adapter. A set of steel rings mounts the unit to any M1913 rail and are secured with hex nuts that endure the beating from Barrett Rifles in .50 BMG. Press the 6-o’clock power button, and you’re ready to engineer a shot. The screen shows your zero or sight-in range and indicates any cant (tipping of the rifle), which at long range can cause you to miss. To determine range, you specify target size, then move the horizontal wire of your reticle from top to bottom on the target. The range appears in yards or meters. Now you can use the elevation knob to dial the range. The BORS unit must know your load, of course. You provided that data earlier; the unit stores it as a ballistics table. It can hold up to 100 tables for instant access. At the end of this process – which takes longer to explain than to do – you can hold dead-on at any range. The BORS automatically compensates for vertical shot angles. You can adjust the scope for up to 90 degrees of inclination and declination, in increments of 2 degrees. Temperature and barometric pressure come on-screen when you press the 9-o’clock button. If the battery dies, you can use the scope as if the electronics were not there. Paired with a Leupold Mark 4 LR/Tactical 4.5-14x50 scope, the BORS unit on my Barrett Rifle shrugs off the .50’s blast and recoil. (Barrettrifles.com.)
Oldie but goodie: This Swarovski Habicht variable complements an Ultra Light rifle in .30-06.
BURRIS
When variables started to gain traction with hunters, the 3-9x became the logical leader. Not only did 3x afford fast sighting; 9x was all you needed for any big game – and even coyotes at long range. The three-times power range seemed adequate. As shooters chased power, though, four-times magnifi cation appeared, in 3-12x and 4-16x 30mm scopes. Burris was among the first with six-times magnifi cation. Its 2-12x scope is surely versatile! Like the Euro Diamond and Black Diamond lines, both Six Series sights (40mm and 50mm up front) feature 30mm tubes and 4 inches of eye relief. Signature Select and Fullfi eld II models have 1-inch tubes. The Fullfield II 6x40 and 3-9x40 have impressed me as fi ne values – also the 2-7x35. Burris Ballisic Plex and Ballistic Mil-Dot reticles are available in the Euro Diamond and Black Diamond scopes, and the Signature Select and Fullfield II lines. Illuminated reticles defi ne the Fullfi eld II LRS scopes, which have fl at battery housings on the turret. Fullfield 30s (3-9x40 and 3.5-10x50) feature 30mm tubes at affordable prices. The biggest news at Burris in 2010 is the Eliminator, a programmable laser range-finding scope. You enter the ballistic path of your cartridge (drop fi gures at 500 yards, with a 100- or 200-yard zero) to get instant reads for correct hold when you see game. The sight (at its core a 4-12x42 LaserScope) tells you the exact distance. You get accurate data to 800 yards on refl ective objects, 550 on deer and elk. At 26 ounces, the Eliminator is heavy, but not burdensome.
In thickets, you want low magnification. Author has a 1.5-5x Leupold on this Montana Rifle.
If long shooting isn’t a priority, compact scopes should be. Burris’ 1-inch Timberline series, from 4x20 to 4.5-14x32 AO, fills this slot. The firm recently improved its 1.6-ounce reflex-style red dot sight: FastFire II is now waterproof. Battery-saver mode extends the life of the lithium CR2032 battery to five years. FastFire mounts fit popular lever rifles; a mounting plate slipped between receiver and buttstock on repeating shotguns gives you Speed-Bead. I tried this sight on a Remington 1100; the clay targets suffered that day! The company also lists a 1x, 5-ounce tube-style red dot sight, the 135. Like many optics firms, Burris has grown its tactical line. Fullfi eld II Tactical scopes and Fullfield TAC30 variables (3-9x40, 3.5-10x50 and 4.5-14x42) have been joined by a 3x AR-332 prism sight, and an AR-Tripler, which you place on a pivot mount behind a red dot sight for extra magnifi cation. Binoculars and spotting scopes complete the extensive Burris line. (Burrisoptics.com.)
BUSHNELL
Last year the Elite 6500-series rifle-scopes – 2.5-16x42, 2.5-16x50 and 4.5-30x50 – introduced Bushnell fans to nearly-seven-times magnifi cation, the broadest range in the industry. (I’ve since seen a scope with 10-times magnifi cation. It wasn’t a Bushnell, and at the top third of its range the image was noticeably soft.) The 6500 Elite still impresses me, now with the DOA (Dead On Accurate) reticle. It has the spaced bars common to many reticles. Minute-of-angle dots mark intersections with the bottom wire. DOA can also be ordered on Elite 3200 and Trophy sights. The Elite 4200 employs standard and lighted reticles. In this series, the 3-9x40, 2.5-10x40 and 4-16x40 appeal to me. I’ve found the images sharp and bright; you can also mount these scopes low. Target knobs and side-focus dials appear on selected Elite scopes, like the 6-24x40.
Author takes a bead with a Magnum Research rifle and Greybull-modified Leupold scope.
For hunters on a budget, Bushnell has up-graded the Trophy series. Trophy XLT scopes feature fully multi-coated lenses, fast-focus eyepiece, even fl ip-up lens caps. I like the 2-6x32, but there are alternatives, up to 6-18x50. Bushnell’s 4-12x laser range-finding rifle-scope complements a long line of hand-held laser instruments. For 2010, ED Prime glass and Rain-Guard HD coatings improve Bushnell’s top-end Elite 8x42 and 10x42 binoculars. A step down in price, you’ll find new Legend 8x36 and 10x36 binoculars. At 21 ounces, these roof-prism glasses are an ideal size for the trail. My pick: the 8x36, with its 4 1/2mm exit pupil. It has many Elite features, including ED glass and RainGuard. An Excursion spotting scope, with folded light path, comes in 15-45x60 and 20-60x80 versions. And there’s a new15-45x spotting scope compact enough to slip into a backpack. Dual-speed focus on this Legend HD allows for coarse and fi ne focusing, quickly. Bushnell’s most fi eld-worthy laser range-finder may be the Scout 1000 with ARC, technology that takes shot angle into account so you get corrected distance for accurate shooting at steep vertical angles. Single-button control makes this 6 1/2-ounce range-finder easy to use with one hand. In bow mode, it reads between 5 and 100 yards. Rifle mode sets it for 100 to 800 yards. (Bush-nell.com.)
CABELA’S
Because it does not make riflescopes, Cabela’s markets those from other firms – branded items from Leupold, Nikon, Swarovski, Zeiss and other well-known manufacturers and imported optics – with its own Cabela’s label. Its manufacturers also produce for “name” companies in optics. They own the best of machines and technology and negotiate modest labor costs. Cabela’s enjoys an economy of scale that contributes to low prices, so it’s no surprise that these optics are exceptionally good buys. The Alaska Guide series of rifle-scopes includes fixed-powers as well as eleven variables. Most useful for big game and varmint hunters are the 3-9x, 4-12x AO and 6.5-20x AO scopes, all with 40mm objectives and 1-inch tubes. They list for less than $400. A 4x Cabela’s scope helped me take a mountain goat and a moose in British Columbia. If you’re feeling the cruel pinch of want these days, consider the Pine Ridge line; it’s less expensive still. There’s also a series of Cabela’s tactical scopes with interchangeable turrets and left-side parallax knobs. The 2-7x32, 3-9x40, 3-12x40 and 6-18x40 start at less than $100, with fully multi-coated lenses, fast-focus eyepieces and adjustable objectives. A new Lever-Action scope features a reticle proportioned to help you determine and hold for distances that impose significant bullet drop. Five inches of eye relief help you aim fast. Cost: $100. Cabela’s lists similar scopes for shotguns and muzzleloaders. (Cabelas.com.)