Bushnell Nitro
4-16X44 Deploy MOA
Second Focal Plane
Side Focus
Test Rifle Springfield M1A Loaded .308
Finally got to do some shooting and comparisons, kidney stones have had me down and out past two weeks.
Out of the box scope impressions: Scope looks really nice, gun metal gray finish, with flat black turrets covers with red accent at the base of the turrets. Scope is heavy at 23 oz.
I can see where the weight could be an issue, but mounted on the M1A which is heavy I don't think the extra weight is a big deal. If you want a light rig this is not the scope
.
Optic quality: I do not own any really High End optic so I compared it to one of my Bushnell 4200 Elites 3-9X40. For comparison I viewed both scopes set at 9X.
The Nitro, to my old tired astigmatism eyes appeared, to have a slight edge. The larger 44mm objective I am sure makes the difference. The ghost ring on the outer edge is negligible, much smaller on the Nitro compared to the 4200. Clarity, sharpness, appeared to have only a slight edge over the 4200. Low light compared to the smaller objective 4200 was noticeably better seeing into the dark shadows.
Turret Adjustments: The Side Focus Paralax calibartions were spot on at the 100 yard setting. Shooting a box test revealed windage adjustmests slightly less than MOA, while elevation adjustments slightly greater than MOA. Click adjustment were strong solid not mushy as I have noticed on some scopes. You can set a zero on elevation and windage turrets.
Eye relief: stated as 3.6" was more than enough to mount on the M1A using a Sadlak scope base, and acquire a solid checkweld.
