Bushnell is known for their value priced scopes as well as their “Elite” line. The Elite line of scope includes the 3200, 4200, and 6500. The 3200 is the lowest priced Elite and is what I consider to be a great starting place for scoping a value to midrange rifle.
My particular scope came with Rainguard, Bushnell’s fancy name for a hydrophobic coating that beads moisture. Think about the Rainx stuff you use on your car windshield, and you’ve got the idea. This keeps the scope clean most of the time. The scope will still accumulate moisture from your breath on a cold Albertan November day, so you can’t really scope out deer for a super long time unless you control where your breath goes.
Quality
Scopes are one of those places where elitists like to claim that their equipment is superior. Realistically speaking, most people need a scope that:
- Offers the correct eye relief for your rifle and shooting habits.
- Has quality glass that can help you identify the game you’re after and resolve antlers and size if you’re into trophy hunting.
- Will not lose zero when shooting anything up to todays ultra magnums.
- Offers enough light transmission to get you through to the last minute of legal light, even on a cloudy day.
Knocks
What would I change? The eye relief requires a decently close cheek weld, allowing the scope to get close to your eye on lightweight magnum rifles. Every other suggestion I have would increase the unit cost of this scope, which is kind of the allure. Sure, it’d be nice to have a ballistics reticle standard, or a bigger eyepiece, or better than 95% light transmission. In its “budget, but decent” category, it’s hard to beat at just over $200. That’s why I have purchased them in the past and will continue to recommend them when paired with a rifle in the $400-$700 range.
Reliability
The thing I like about the Elite 3200 is that it meets all of these basic requirements. The scope also comes with a limited lifetime waranty, so even if it takes a few years for a factory defect to show up, you’re covered. The lineup has been around for a long time now, so they’ve had time to get the manufacturing process squared away and quality is known.
Reviewed by Adriel Michaud on Oct 25, 2011
The lowest price scope you can get
The thing I like about the Elite 3200 is that it meets all of these basic requirements. The scope also comes with a limited lifetime waranty, so even if it takes a few years for a factory defect to show up, you’re covered. The lineup has been around for a long time now, so they’ve had time to get the manufacturing process squared away and quality is known.
Rating:
