Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Optics So how does the Burris E1 compare to the VX3

IN THE FIELD:
So I finally got out to the deer lease yesterday and brought the new FF and my VX3. I wasn't as detailed or scientific in my comparison as I have been in the past with rested looks and minute by minute notes on colors and clarity etc.... This was merely swapping the two rifles between a friend and myself a handful of times for a few looks through each at two dim targets in the fading light of a shadowed valley well past sundown. I kept waiting for the VX3 wow factor I had felt in the past to overtake the E1 as it got later and later but the E1 completely hung with it. Certainly well past legal shooting time. We walked out while there was just enough ambient light to recognize the trail. Well past when vehicle headlights would be required for example. At that time the lit dot trumped any imagined advantage the VX3 might have had to offer. If the VX3 was brighter I could not see it. My scope agnostic friend much preferred the Burris even before it got quite so dark -and liked it even more when I lowered the brightness level. I had a built in bias FOR the VX3 - I mean I paid over $400 for that performance so who wouldn't expect it. If last nights 'testing' proved anything it tells me the Burris is even better than I hoped and if any VX3 advantage in brightness actually does exist it is going to have be aggressively looked for. If, in the future, I discover something different I will pass it along.

Other observations:
Eye relief was another VX3 feature I felt further justified its cost. Again, the Burris is every bit the equal and may even surpass it. The Burris is on a long action and the VX3 a short action - if that matters. The long action is a CZ, a bit meaty for a modern rifle, and the Burris weight ( maybe another 2-3 oz over the Leupold) was absorbed well in to it. Balance remained fine and the eye-box automatic.. I didn't try to actually measure FOV but they seem comparable. I did feel the magnification level seemed higher on the Burris. The power ring on the Leupold is smoother to operate and much easier to read. I have used the Boone & Crockett (recently maligned ballistic reticle) to pretty good effect- the ONE time I needed it. The ability of the Leupold to range guesstimate ( using duplex portion) and the corresponding way to dial it in is a feature not to be dismissed - so kind of nice having THAT, but glass for glass, to me, the two right now seem a wash. The screw on Alumina covers are an added peace of mind. The VX3 also came with the neoprene cover which is pretty nice. The Burris got cheap aftermarket Bikini one piece covers for $12. Most of my shots are 80-150 yds and the true #4 of the Burris felt like a welcome reunion. The posts are not too thick or too thin and stand out well in brush. I enjoy not having a thick upper vertical post.

The feel of the W/E adjustments are VERY similar although I may give a slight edge to the Burris when dialing in. Both could be a little more precise feeling and distinct -but both are repeatable. The Burris caps are much easier to get on and off. I can't recall if the VX 3 has a zero reset. The Burris has a zero reset though it isn't as elegant as pop up turret types. Oh yeah the battery cap was a minor mystery as it is flush but still must be spun to unscrew. Easy once you know and it uses a commonly found CR 2032 and comes with a spare. You don't realize the 1-10 brightness variations until it gets pretty dark. Then I am guessing most will prefer a level in the 1-3 range.

Summary: The Burris appears initially to be an absolute insane steal for $159. I could see myself paying the $330 list price and feeling I got my money's worth. For my hunting the 3p#4 illum. dot is THE coolest, funnest, and most workable reticle out there. I don't know if it is just me but Burris glass seems to just pop!. The Leupold glass is very good. When I got it and tested against other scopes I had I noticed its great color rendition in low light and its fine focus definition. It has great flare control. All features that often get overlooked when people discuss scopes and there is plenty reasons to continue loving it. Sleek and lightweight and a great performer.

I mounted a Fullfield II on my Walmart Vanguard deluxe yesterday. And bore sighted it. It has a very good clear view. Impressed with it for a < 200 dollar scope.

For hunting, you are going to want to go with the 4.5x14. Every variable hunting scope needs a low power setting for closer targets. Even if you intend to hunt wide open spaces, you never know when you are going to end up in some brush and a 6.5x scope will be a handicap there. Even at 400 yards, the 4.5x will get the job done on medium and large game. Certainly the 14x will. This is why 3x9 and 4x12 power scopes are so popular for hunting.
On the brands, I am a fan of both Burris and Leupold. I think the consensus here will be that power ranges aside, the Leupold VX3 is a better scope than the Burris Fullfiled. And I hunt with three Fullfields and think they are very solid scopes.

You'll also find the E1 is tough as woodpecker lips. Mine hasn't moved in 2 years sitting on a kimber montana 308 that's seen some use.

Burris has been blowing leupold outta the water since the 90's.

Burris FF were always as clear or better than the Vari-X III of the days.

The Burris Signatures are no question tougher, clearer, brighter and better than any Leupold.

I still laugh that I can compare a 1990's vintage Burris Sig to any leupold including the newer VX3 models (pre- VX3i) and come away thinking the Burris has better glass.

I have a number of VX3s and bought two Fullfield E1s in the last year, a 3-9x40 and a 4.5-14x 42. I'm neither a self-anointed Internet scope expert or a real scope expert. I don't know what eye relief measures on either scope, but no complaints with either Burris or Leupold in this regard. Both depict clear, vivid images. Adjustments work well on both.

After many years of buying, selling and trading many scopes and reading negative reports on Leupolds, I do know that Leupolds retain a high resale value and are easier to sell than just about anything else.

+1

I looked @ ALL the 1" scopes back in the late 1990's & went with the Signature Select 3-10 x40mm when upgrading the optics on my 270 Winchester. It beat out the Leuplod VX-III 3.5-10 & the Zeiss Conquest in my taste test. Still very happy with it & still mounted up 😎

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Great write up Ken thanks for taking the time!

Ok, I’ll be the dissenter.
I have numerous leupolds, from mid 70s to current.
I have had only a couple Burris scopes, but have looked through quite a few others.
My Burris scopes have been sold and own none today. And I’m still buying Leupolds.
Different strokes.....

I have around 20 Leupold scopes. I like them too. All are VXIII’s

I have one Burris and many Leupolds. The Burris is a Fullfield II 2-7x35. I can find nothing wrong with it's optics or construction except: the magnification adjustment knob was too tight, or too hard to turn. SO I removed a little screw and, thinking that the screw was too long and thus interfering with the knob's rotation, I ground a few thousandths off its length. Well, that made the problem worse. Now the adjustment ring wouldn't turn at all! So I called Burris and explained my problem. They said "Send it in. We'll take care of it. No charge."
Pick the one you want and go with it (magnification exceptions as others said). I think there might not be a dimes difference between either quality-wise.

Ken, have you measured the eye relief on the Burris? That's an intriguing comment you made regarding eye relief, as I have usually found the Burris to be short on eye relief.

On both my E1 and regular FFII 3-9 I get ~3.1 and 4.0 eye relief.

Thanks prm. So on both models, 3.1" at 9x and 4" at 3x?

I'm guessing this is like comparing ford, Chevy, and dodge.

Yes. Measured by shining light in front and measuring where they focus, backed up by measuring as best I could how far from my eyeball image was correct. They have a lot of eye relief.

Whelenman, it is a bit like that comparison except Ford and Chevy and Dodge all cost about the same. I might prefer having two Dodges to one Chevy - ya know>?. The plain truth staring me in the face is, as much as I like the VX3, it is getting harder and harder FOR ME to justify paying for the Leupold premium. The last few 'cheaper' scopes I looked at have impressed me. One a Nikon and now this Burris. Still need to test durability but my last Burris is now my oldest scope and still rockin' strong with more rounds through it than any other. The E1 power ring stiffness is something I would hope loosens up over time but is certainly no show stopper. My older eyes can't read the magnification numbers easily but I know where the bottom and top end are and dial to view anyway. I was going to say it is too bad I couldn't find a Leupold anywhere near the price range with this reticle as the reticle itself is what I was looking for. It isn't even shown on the Burris website- or wasn't when I looked- so I was floored when I saw the ad. If it had been available in a 1" VX-R or even a VX2 I would have been interested BUT those would have still cost more than this Burris and it would be a tall order for them to match the glass.

Hmm I may be wrong and have been before but to me the P3#4 reticle in my new E1 reminds me of the old Leupold G4 with fire fly dot or something like that. Either way I like the reticle and is the main reason I bought mine.
Now I'll find out if it will hold up on my 300wm since I will hunt with that rifle this year and where I hunt I won't need a high magnification scope.

Thanks prm for the additional information.

The old US made Burris scopes were awesome. I owned several 3 9 compacts and a signature 3-9, all super glass and tough. I should have gotten one of the 3 p 4 e1s on sale but have more glass than guns as it is.