Burris xtr3

[Tx264]

[SDW]

You say "going to...." Not seeing those deals on cameralandny's site right now. And no 3-18x at all.

Nearest thing is this:

https://cameralandny.com/shop/brands/burris/burris-xtr-iii-5-5-30x56-mm-scr-mil/c180eda0-1dbb-0138-8745-00163ecd2826?variation=2226261

Silly question: Are they worth it? I mean, I understand they're US made and all, but how are the mechanisms and glass?

EDIT: I did notice the "Working on a special deal. Stay tuned". That must be what you're talking about. Do you know of a timeframe for that?

[Tx264]

1.yes
2.bombproof
3.right there with mk5 or cronus
4.call them
If you wait till March.europtic will have illuminated version for $1200 with fish heads and rice

[SDW]

Ah. Now I see the deals. Very tempting. Thanks for the heads up. Three flavors of 3.3-18x too. Been reading lots of reviews. The XTR 3 sounds like a noticeable improvement over the XTR 2.

The 5.5-30x is a great deal as well. I can't decide which I'd want. Honestly, from playing around with the Athlon Ares ETR 3-18x I got from CameraLand recently, I can't really see needing magnification any higher than 18x for realistic Grendel distances. ~1000 yds is as far as my targets will ever be.

For the XTR 18x, he's offering both choices of Mil based reticles. Another hard choice.

[Misfit71]

I decided to wait it out myself for the new model of XTR III - checked in with Burris to see if March release is still legit and for the below two models

XTR III Illuminated 3.3-18x50mm model 201203 & 201204

Per Burris

"Current ETA is approximately 3-5 weeks.
Keep in mind this is an approximation because other Global factors could potentially make it longer."

[SDW]

Boy, those new ones sure have a lower retail price than the older ones. Is this a case of a company going to an offshore supplier for cheaper manufacturing and then actually passing on some of the savings to the customer?? That would be rare.

I bought one of the 3.3-18x scopes after all. Very nice glass indeed. Illumination would be nice, I'll admit. Not having it probably saves a few ounces though, and I will only use this scope during daylight hours, probably out in a desert somewhere.

I will say, when I got the scope it had the stiffest controls I've ever felt. LOL Especially the magnification ring. And the texture on the knobs is pretty unforgiving. "Cheese grader" is a description I've read, and it's not wrong. The other turrets, parallax, windage, elevation, have all loosened up a bit and are fine to use. But magnification really needs a cat-tail of some sort in order to be user-friendly. I ordered on of Burris' own cat-tails for this scope. Retail price on those is around $60, but Midway had them last week for just $36, which put in in the ballpark of its competitors, so I grabbed one.

Hopefully the new model will have a lighter touch on magnification.

[StoneHendge]

My divorce with Bushnell "Elite" Tactical has been finalized and is bested only by my divorce with my ex-wife followed by Siri. My 5.5-30x6 XTR iii arrived yesterday and mounted it last night on my 6.5 CM PRS gas gun. I got it in for a zero and a tall target test today. The FOV is quite impressive and will really help with finding targets in practical competition. The glass is as good as the Elite Tactical if not better. The Burris has a bit more glare, perhaps due to its "lesser" coating, but this is actually a strong positive for me since I shoot with special glasses that filter green light to account for my red color vision deficiency. Since antiglare coatings filter blue light, they make shot up steel targets harder to find.

I dialed in on the desert ridgeline beyond the range at 600 yards at and could clearly and distinctly make out all of the needles on the Saguaro's and smaller cacti as well as the leaves on creosote bushes, rocks, etc. The eyebox is very tight at 30x, but if you need to be there, your going to be taking your time settling in anyways. I am also impressed at the detail at 30x of a desert ridgeline about 2 miles from my 3rd floor living room window.

It passed the tall target test with flying colors with groups at 3, 5, 7 and 8 mils exactly where they should be. Meaning the tracking is spot on.

My "Elite" divorce involved 2 scopes, so when I got home, I ordered another 5.5-30x56 for my Grendel which is set up as a practice clone of the CM. A bit of overkill for a Grendel, but with only $100 difference it was no brainier. A clone should be a clone. And when the Grendel barrel is shot out, it will likely be replaced with a 26" 6 ARC Varmint barrel.

The magnification dial is way too stiff to be remotely usable in any practical competition so I'll be ordering throw levers from MK Machining along with Race Dials. A brilliant concept. I can see there being 1 or 2 stages a match where they would be extremely handy.

[Tx264]

SH,thanks for the review.
Over the past few years I've learned a lot from you sir.
PS. Liberty Optics is taking pre orders for xtr3i 3-18s for $1055 shipped.

[SDW]

A bit of overkill for a Grendel, but with only $100 difference it was no brainier. A clone should be a clone. And when the Grendel barrel is shot out, it will likely be replaced with a 26" 6 ARC Varmint barrel.

The magnification dial is way too stiff to be remotely usable in any practical competition so I'll be ordering throw levers from MK Machining along with Race Dials. A brilliant concept. I can see there being 1 or 2 stages a match where they would be extremely handy.

Yeah, that's true. Is only $100 more for more mag and more light coming in. And the 30x is only a few oz heavier too. I wrassle'd with it and just got the 18x. Figured I was still getting enough mag for my Grendel, especially if the glass is as good as everyone says. Anything with longer reach and I would have gone for more mag.

And yes, it's pretty amazing how tight that zoom adjustment is. I installed the Burris 'paddle' throwlever the other day---Set it so the lever is parked at 18x. It does make a huge difference. It's a little stubbier than the MK, but still good enough. Made of aluminum, so zero flex, despite its shape.

[SDW]

I dialed in on the desert ridgeline beyond the range at 600 yards at and could clearly and distinctly make out all of the needles on the Saguaro's and smaller cacti as well as the leaves on creosote bushes, rocks, etc. The eyebox is very tight at 30x, but if you need to be there, your going to be taking your time settling in anyways. I am also impressed at the detail at 30x of a desert ridgeline about 2 miles from my 3rd floor living room window.

Meant to ask, StoneHenge, how do you like the reticle? I assume it's SCR Mil reticle since I believe that's the only option available for the 5.5-30x. I have never had the chance to look through that scope.