I recently purchased a used Burris Fullfield II riflescope. Once I received it, I liked it so much that I sold my Leupold and bought another Burris Fullfield II. Now I have these Burris scopes on my 2 main rifles. They were really impressing to make me sale my Leupold for one. I still didn't appreciate their quality and performance untill this week. Monday Opened our Rifle buck season. I have been amazed with this scope in the outdoors. Clarity is unrivaled. Detail can be made out at longer distances than most scopes I have had could see. I have never in my life owned or looked through a scope any better! These are honestly the very best scopes and optics for that matter that I have ever used. I have had Leupolds, Kahles, Nikons and all the more common affordable scopes and this Burris blows them all away. I look forward to going hunting just to look through the Burris scope. As I feel today, I will try to put a Burris on any other firearms I acquire. Thanks Burris. Now I hope their warranty is as good as Leupolds if it is ever needed. Thanks guys. Just wanted to share that for someone who is looking right now.

Bearbuck

Wait until you get one of those Fullfields into a true lowlight situation. They will make you miss your Leupolds.

No they won't. The FFII is awesome in low light compared to much higher priced scopes. My VXII 2-7x32 can't even come close to keeping up with my buddy's FFII 3-9x40.

I'm glad you had good luck with your Burris. I recently tried a Fullfield II that I could not even get sighted in. The adjustments were not reliable for me.

I'll forever spend the extra for the Leupold VX3 or even used Vari-XIII's before I'll try another Burris. I've never had a Leupy that wasn't dead on on the adjustments (and I've had a lot of them!).

Yeah, they will. I saw firsthand what the FFII's are all about last year in northern Alberta (Nampa/Peace River). That was easily one of the worst scopes I've ever owned, and I couldn't even make out a cutblock 150 yards from my position about an hour before sundown. I've never had that problem with any Leupold I've owned. My 2-7X33 VX-II is heads and shoulders above those things, and it isn't even the best scope in my collection.

I guess this is why some people drive Fords and others Chevy's. I don't have a Burris scope so I can't really comment on their quality. I have Pentax and Sightron and 1 Alpen scope. Work for me (So far..lol)

I wasn't impressed.I put one on my T3 and took it off without sighting it in.Eye relief left much to be desired.No comparison to Lupys in that regard.I'm glad you like it.Different strokes for different folks.

I guess you are right on it being relative to the eye looking through it. I had the fullfield about a week before I sold my Leupold. I compared them at every light and temperature change possible. From, bright to regular to low light to dim to completely dark and for a week I checked them back and forth and have to say again that to my eye, the Burris Fullfield II beat my Leupold in every situation!!! I am by nature a very picky, precise kind of guy to and the Burris won. Thats why I wanted to be positively sure. I did not want to sale a Leupold if I was not positive. After about a week of comparing in different situaions, I was convinced. Thanks guys and for those looking, please take a look at the Burris Fullfield and consider. I believe it will put a smile on your face the same way it has mine.

i would have a hard time giving up a scope that is made in the u.s. (or at least assembled) for something that is made entirely in the phillipines.i dont have a particular favorite brand but. i try to buy u.s. german or at least made in japan brands.i really like the new sightron big sky models. good luck with your burris.

Bearbuck,

Wasn't your Leupold a VX-I? Also when you mention Nikon are you talking Pro Staff, old pre-multicoat Buckmasters, new Buckmasters, or Monarch? I have a good bit of experience with a 3-9x40 Monarch (of the vintage where the eyepiece focus/lock was Leupold style) and the FF-II doesn't beat that one for sure.

mathman

The view and adjustments never bothered me with the Burris. I hate that eyepiece/power ring design though, and don't like the euro-focus on the back.

Their customer service sucks, and you need a pipewrench to adjust the power in cold weather.

When comparing two scopes that occupy the same general quality stratum (moderate to middle price, fully multicoated) wouldn't it be reasonable to expect the one with about 56% greater objective lens area to be better in low light?

And the congregation said, "AMEN".

APPLAUSE!!!!

Don't knock the Euro focus- I suspect there are still a lot of trophy animals alive becuase when some hunter tried to find aformentioned trophy in the scope, he discovered that his Euro focus scope had rubbed on his jacket and thereby focused for about 3 .776 inches when he tried to shoot said animal.

Royce

The euro focus does tend to move on its own, especially when you have to grab the whole rear of the scope, like on the Burris. I have looked through scopes while hunting that had the euro focus, and the reticle and image was blur. I fixed that problem with some electrical tape, but I shouldn't have to rig a scope, just to hunt with it.

Geez!

I like the FFII's, one of my nominees for best scope for the price. I ran some brightness tests a few years ago, at night using a 100-watt bulb to light an optics chart 25 yards away, and the FFII essentially tied with a Euro-scope that cost several times as much.

I generally don't change my scope magnifications much. If using a FFII for big game I leave it on 6x, and for varmints 9x. So can't comment on how hard the X-ring is to turn in the cold.I have hunted a lot with FFII's and not had the focus ring turn inadvertently on me either, though anything is possible.

I have also had very good luck with FFII's on hard-kicking rifles, which has not always been the case with some other scopes costing more money.

I am getting to be an old curmudgeon-the less twisty things on a scope, the better I like it. My favorite setups now mostly have fixed power scopes, no parallax adjustments.
Varmit guns are different- there I don't mind variables with parallax adjustments.

Yeah, I know what you mean. There is a FFII fixed 6x that is a very fine scope. I have hunted with it a lot and never had any problem with the Euro-focus, but maybe I am just weird.

When predator hunting, I am constantly changing my power, depending on the cover.

That being said, I still see no advantage to a euro focus. Once the reticle is focused, why is there a need to mess with it? I like that you lock it down with Loopy, Sightron, and Weaver, and forget about it.

I tend to agree with you--but I also talk to an awful lot of shooters in order to understand other people's problems. A lot of older shooters (50+) tend to like Euro-focus because their own eyes don't change focus as readily as when younger, so they can do with with the scope easily if the view needs tweaking.

This may or may not be the reason more scope makes are featuring the Euro-focus. The "baby boom" generation is still the biggest buying market in Ameria, and even the youngest ones are now nearly 50.

That's interesting. I LIVE in Alberta, so it's the same lighting that we're comparing here. I am still able to pick out a milk jug at 655 yards 45 minutes AFTER sunset with the FFII set on 9x. Maybe I just have better eyes than you do.

My experience has been totally congruent with Mule Deer's report above.

hmmm. I've never had trouble with the power adjustment, and I use mine in some pretty cold weather.

Jordan,

Without calling you a liar, I had every hunting iron I owned with me last winter when I was moving to the lower 48 from Alaska. My four primary hunting optics while I was on my trip were:

Zeiss Conquest 3.5-10X44
Leupold VX-III 2.5-8X36
Leupold VX-II 2-7X33
Burris FFII 3-9X40

As I said before, the one day I had the Burris in the field I could hardly make out deer in front of the wooded cutblock which was roughly 150 yards from were I was positioned about an hour before sunset.

In the instances of using the others, I was able to make out antler points well after dark. Obviously, the Zeiss and VX-III were heads and shoulders above the rest, but the Burris was pretty well given away after I got to the lower 48. I wasn't going to allow that scope to leave me hanging again.

I don't doubt your experience. Maybe you got a lemon? I've heard a lot of different people rant about how bright the FFII's are for the price. Based on my experience, I agree with them.

I just bought a FFII and have not "shot" it yet. It's on a 30.06. I will not get to take it out until Monday morning. So far it seems very clear campared to my Leupolds, even in low light conditions. At age 66 I'm liking this euro focus thing. This the reason I bought it. It has the ballistic plex reticle and I think I'll like that too.

If you think the FFII is good, you should try the Signature series.

I've owned a couple Signatures, and regret getting rid of them. I sold one in order to 'upgrade' to a VXIII, and was sorry that I did it. I sold the other one as I bought it new, but decided that I wanted a higher power and that I actually don't care for the Ballistic Plex reticle. I'm not a fan of any of those types of reticles though. I still have an FFII on my muzzleloader, and I'm keeping an eye out for another for another rifle.

If you have a Pentax, then you have an idea as they are made by Burris.

In fact, except for cosmetic differences, Pentax scopes are Burrises. The Lightseeker line is the same as the Signatures, and at least at the beginning the FFII's were the same as the Whitetails Unlimited Pentax scopes. Dunno what the Pentax is called today.

I don't know about VXIII's but when I compare my VXII's to either my FFII's or my Nikon Buckmasters, the Leupy comes in last. Last in clarity and the fine focus departments. On the other hand the Leupy's have the best," eye box", by far.

YMMV

Last week I did a heads up comparison between a Burris FFII,a Bushnell 3200, and a Leupold VX I.


The Burris was easily the best for clarity with the VX I and 3200 about even.

The VX I had just a hair better eye relief/eye box than the FFII with the 3200 last.

The FFII's I have used in the field have always performed very well and the zeroes have never bobbled.

I think they are a lot of scope for the money.

I will say this for Alberta, though. Hunting there changed alot of things for me:

I will NEVER look at the puny deer we have in the south quite the same.

I will NEVER be able to get used to the idea of hunting deer when it is 50 degrees outside, let alone when it is 75-80 like it was here the first week of this month.

I will ALWAYS love hunting when the mercury is at least below freezing and snow is falling steadily.

All that is exactly why I am planning another hunt up there. Lord willing, I shall make it back. That is one BEAUTIFUL province, north to south and east to west.

Well, if you do make it back to Alberta, and need somebody to share a campfire with, let me know

FYI, the current Pentax "Pioneer" line is the Burris FFII.

Just back from "shooting" my new FFII. As I said in my previous post, it's on a 30.06 of known accuracy. I can see no difference in accuracy. I got several sub one inch 3 shot groups and the only 5 group tried was .7". It seemed as clear as the leupold 3x9 VXII I had with me. At this point only time will tell if it's rugged enough to be a keeper. So far, I'm liking this scope.

Unless you're using Leupy's VX 7, then you'll be "messing" with the euro style focus anyway. The FF II"s that I have are very good, comparing very favorably in low light, clarity, etc with the VX II. Euro focus has never been an issue with me.

Baerbuck, you've hit on a scope that to me is incredibly good.

I just love the Burris FF2 in the 3-9 with the BP in it.

I have hunted them incredibly hard and worked them over really good. 4 me and for my eyes I just don't feel that they can be beat.

They're tough, the clicks are repeatable (which isn't I can say for a good share of the Leupolds especially the ones with turrets on them), they are incredibly clear and super in low light conditions.

And, their eye relief is very forgiving. My test for this is to give the rifle to my wife and have her work with it. She shoots very good and is very careful about her shots. She doesn't like to have to move her head around much at all to "find her spot". And I've noticed over the years that the 3-9 Burris is one scope where she can pretty much always find her spot quickly.

Bottom line, I feel it's a heck of a scope and just can't figure why they sell them for so little.

Oh and the BP system is so stupid simple even a caveman like me can figure it out!

Dober

The biggest bummer on the Burris is that eyepiece power adjust. You cannot put a flip-up scope cover on them, or it will get in the way of the bolt.

I was wondering when Dober would find this thread!

Personally I am not fond of the flip-up scope covers, preferring the Uncle Mike's type (including the old standby innertube) that can be flipped away entirely with one finger. But that's just me.

I bought a Burris with the ballistic plex reticle because it came with a free GPS; I had a buddy who kept getting lost.

I have owned 1 Burris FFII in 3-9 with the ballistic plex reticle. Mounted it on a custom Remington. Loved the scope, just missed the eye relief of the Leupy's. I would buy another in a heartbeat though!!

Personally I totally dislike the flip up's but I know that tons of people use and like them. The last set that I had kept pulling off when coming out of the scabbard so my Grandson got to use them as a hockey puck. Finally I found a good use for them...

4 me, the best scope cover is on made by Quake industries (I think just down the street from me. The things are tough to find and they're called "scope boots". You have one for each end and when not in use it's easy to pull towards each other and entertwine (spl? who knows) them.

Dober

Funny how the Burris bashing stopped when Mule Deer put in his positive comments...... I have 2 3x9's and 1 6.5x20 and are pleased with them. Clarity, ease of focus, and flip up covers are not a problem, mine came with little rubber band thingys for covers.

I have Leupolds also, but chooose not to pay for a Leupold for every rifle.....

In case you missed it, Cameraland has the Pentax/Burris FFII on special. The 3x9 matte BP is 129.99 and the 4.5x14 AO matte BP is 159.99 - shipping included! I couldn't resist a few myself!

Personally I love flip-ups. After my first set, I cannot live without them.

I had to play around with the angle of the tab on my butlercreek covers. I got it set so that the bolt works with most of my settings. It is set different on my 4.5x14 than my 3x9. I keep mine set on 6x and usually go up from there. I have only gone down in power to shoot a coyote directly under my stand.

I got two Burris "Made in USA" Short mag 3x9 scopes I bought this past year that I would gladly trade for one Leupold of the same original price.

So is the Pentax Pioneer 4.5-14 x 42 the same as the Fullfield II 4.5-14? Seems like a heck of a deal, if it is my credit card will definitely get to work!

Foxbat-I understand your not liking the short mag scopes, have you compared them to the compact Leo's?

A fair comp is the short mags against the compacts...see what I mean.

Dober

The only compact Leupold I have is a 2.5x M8 scout. Same size but not variable. I have to honestly say I prefer the M8. Not trying to bust on the Burris's, as I was excited when I bought them. Getting the ballistic plex in a compact design seemed like a great thing.

I'm serious that I'd trade both for 1 Leupold. Need to make my way over to the classifieds.

How about a 2-7x33 Vari-XII?

Kinda looking for another 3-9x.

I can state my experience with Burris, it stink's, would'nt have gotten any response except that I was a valuable customer to my dealer and got a call from the district sale's person. will not buy another Burris product , for what's it's worth
Coop

I have a FFII 3-9 BP and a 4.5-15AO BP on two of my rifles and am very impressed with them, especially at the price point.

I also have a 4.5-14AO Short Mag that is a big POS. The scope is so bad as to "eye box" that I think there may be something wrong with it. I felt it might be a good scope for a rimfire 77/17 of mine due to compact size and adjustable AO. 4.5 is fine for hunting, the higher power would be good for playing. Huge disappointment.

The Fullfields are at least as bright as my last generation Vari-X II 3-9, and a bit brighter than my Ultralight VX-II 3-9, but that is to be expected when objective size is taken into account.

Thanks for the tip, picked up one of each. You never know when a new rifle might come into your life.

Thinking I'll put the 3-9 on the Encore ML barrel and see how the vertical lines work out. Current scope has been leaving marks on my nose due to insufficient eye relief. Was looking at a Nikon Omega but will try this first.

Exactly!

I have grown to like and respect the Burris line in general and have 3 FFIIs, two 3-9X40s and a 4.5-14, which is on a SS/SYN Ruger 77 338 that gets used hard, when it gets out. I fell off a mountain in the dark, hunting desert sheep years ago with my old Mdl 70 in 30-06 and a first generation 3X9 FF Burris. I put a good sized dent in the scope, but it then and now worked just fine. One 3X9 FFII is on my antelope rifle, and the other is on my FN/Sako 375 Wby as the second scope, a Burris EuroDiamond being the primary scope.

The EuroDiamond is as good as any scope I've ever owned, and much better, IMO, than many Euro-scopes selling for 3-4 times what it cost.

And, I still like my many Leupolds, so don't think I want to bash the brand.