Very good scope overall - Bushnell 4.5-30x50 Argon Elite Rifle Scope MilDot

This is a very good high quality scope overall, and I definitely do recommend it. Here is my review...

First the pro's:
the glass is very good quality - bright, clear, brings out color very well. I am very happy with the quality, it compares with glass in much higher priced scopes.
Eye relief is generous - makes it easy to view through the scope without seeing black around the edges.
The turrets tracking is smooth and precise. You can tell the turrets are high quality as you click through the adjustments; they feel very solid and well built. Though there is no way to lock the turrets, they will not move without you turning them - they are stiff enough to stay in place yet very smooth when you turn them. Bushnell did a good job with the turret tracking.
Magnification range - this is a great feature 4.5x30; a huge zoom range! At 4.5x you have a large field of view and a very clear viewing. At 30x it's up close and personal. The zoom range is the best feature of this scope in my opinion; I wasn't able to find any other scope with this much range for under $3k, and even then there weren't many options.
The scope is also very short for such a large zoom range; only 13.1 inches long - a few inches shorter than any others with this much magnification. Not a huge bonus, but a nice extra.
Side focus knob is very smooth and easy to adjust. It requires very little effort to turn it, allowing you to focus quickly and precisely.
Scope comes with a 3" long sun shade, and lens covers. The shade is nice, the scope covers are cheap; they are the kind that are connected by bungy string so you have to completely remove them to uncover the lenses, flip up covers would be much better.

Now for the cons:
The turrets are too high, even though they are very solid I wish they didn't stick up so high - makes it difficult to fit two scoped rifles in my rifle case b/c they take up too much space. (it does make them easy to grab and make quick adjustments, but I prefer lower turrets that stay out of the way.)
The zoom ring is very stiff making it difficult to make quick zoom adjustments. My scope is only a few weeks old so this may loosen up, but as of now, it is still very stiff.
The only option is a mil-dot reticle, a few other options would be nice (mil-dot bar perhaps??). Mil-dot only seems limited.
Only 90 MOA elevation adjustments - though 90 is more than a lot of other scopes offer, I still don't think it's enough. 100+ would be a nice improvement.
A zero stop feature would be nice, seeing that the turrets are so smooth, I found myself flying right past my zero when making quick adjustments. The smooth turrets are a very nice feature, don't get me wrong, but a zero stop option would be a nice.

All in all I am very happy with this scope and am glad I bought it. It's a great scope for the money and offers the best zoom range of any scope in its price range. This is definitely a scope to consider if you are looking to buy.





Pros: Clear glass, very wide zoom range, very well built, smooth tracking
Cons: Stiff zoom ring, turrets too high, slightly blurry full magnification

This review was written in the old system and had content requirements that are different than reviews written today.