Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Optics Bushnell Elite 6500 4.5-30x50

What are your reviews of this scope? How is the light gathering? Positives? Negatives? I found one laying in the closet & was thinking of putting it on my Ruger 6.5x55 Swede for deer & hog hunting & also some long range target shooting.

Ruger270man,

I have one on a varmint rifle. For awhile I had it on a .257 Weatherby. During regular daylight it is better than my Swaorvski z5. By that I mean the Swaro needs one more (1X) magnification setting than my Bushnell. I purchased three and returned three z5's before I decided this is what you get and kept the forth.

It lasted two minutes longer in a side by side test with my Minox 13X56 Big Eyes on an eye chart 127 yards away.

Some here will yip about me comparing binoculars with a scope. I think they do that because the scope won despite have a 50mm objective lens going up against two 56 mm lenses. The Minox is no slough as far a glass goes so I am impressed to own both.

I bought one a few years back and the clarity was abysmal above 18X. Mine was a sample of one but it was unacceptable to me and the scope went back.

Terry

Have one of the 'T' series on my heavy 6.5x55...

somewhat fuzzy on the upper end...usually set at 14-16x

better value in my eyes is the Vortex PST series...

Take a look at the new Vortex HS-T 4-16 coming out soon..

If its going on a hunting rifle...otherwise the PST

I had the same experience with my first one. I sent it in for warranty and when it returned it was crystal clear from about 10X up. I returned it for a full refund and waited for several months till I figured the first run was through the pipeline. The one I have now is crystal clear from 4 1/2-30X. In fact the only scope at the range that has been as clear and bright is a Leupold with the cutout for lower mounting.

Occasionally I read about guys who keep a fuzzy or blurry scope. I won't. It took three 6500's before I kept the one I have and it took four z5's before I kept the one I have.

Have two of them and both are sharp at 30. I can still make out antlers after dark with them, when I can barely make out the deer with the naked eye.

Ruger270man,

I found another test I did. I compared the 6500 with the z5 after sunset. In order to see the antlers on the fence 131 yards away the Swarovski needed to be on 25X and the Bushnell needed 27X. This still gave me a little bit more magnification in the 6500 to take a tinny bit closer look.

Thanks for the info. I played around with it a bit today...seems to get a little milky around 25X. I might as well use it instead of buying a new scope. Going to put it on my 6.5 Swede.

Why not take advantage of their warranty?

Im not familiar w/ their warranty. This scope been laying around for a while. Is it lifetime?

They have a one year satisfaction guarantee. If you still have the receipt you can send it to them and get a full refund. I did that with the first one when it came back and was blurry in the lower magnifications. Otherwise it is lifetime.

Above 25x, you start picking up the humidity in the atmosphere, also, angle of light and the amount of light can affect clarity.
If you happen to be shooting at an angle where the sun is in front of the scope, some scopes gather so much light that it makes the image look milky.

Put on the lens shade and see if it clears up a little.

have one...a tact series...along with two Tact 6-24x50s..

Vortex PST 6-24x50 works better for my eyes...wallet too...

I have one that is one of the first ones out. I do like it. My only complaint is that it doesn't have enough elevation for really long shots.

I shot a coyote at 1300 yards but I had to go around twice.