My review of the Burris MTAC 3.5-10 x 42 scope

swift one

New member
Well, I finally got my scope on my rifle and had a chance to run it through the paces with about 150rds of ammo. Here it is:

I am writing this review of the following scope because when I tried to research it on the internet, I found it hardly had any reviews. I am hoping this review will help others that cannot afford a top end scope but are looking for something more than what the Bushnell 3200 10x40/ SWFA SS 10x class of scopes can give (these are great scopes also). I tested this scope in the following areas (maximum of 5 stars for highest rating):

1. Clarity/ brightness
2. Mildot spacing/ size
3. Turret tracking and return to zero
4. POI shift at different magnifications.
5. Low light observation.
6. Durbaility

Clarity/ brightness: It is a very bright scope. The ADJ OBJ will bring the reticle and target into a crystal clear picture at any range with clarity from edge to edge of the FOV. It is also very bright. I tested it against a Bushnell 3200 10 x 40 Mil dot (a clear bright scope in itself) at 10X in low light at 100yds and at mid day at a target that was 500yds away. The Burris was more clear and bright. Not by a land slide- but an obvious amount. It was a tad more clear and bright than the SWFA SS 10x also. This field I will give 5 stars considering the price class of the scope. It’s not a USO, NF, or S&B- remember that for you folks that run the ultra high end scopes.

Mildot spacing/ size: I took a B27 target and drew a big crosshair on the back of it and made correct size mildots 3.6” apart from center to center. Each mildot was .72” in diameter. I set up the target at 100yds and went back took a look through the scope on 10X. The first thing I noticed was that Burris’ dots are something in between the Army circle and the Marine oval style. But, it matched my Mildot target close enough that I couldn’t tell the difference other than the VERY SLIGHT oval shape of the dots. Each dot on the scope looked to be right at .72” and the dots seemed to be properly spaced at 3.6” apart from CTC. This field I will give 5 stars.

Turret tracking and return to zero: Those that like the gigantic turrets on their scopes will not like these. They are bigger than regular sized non- target/non- tactical scope turrets but they are not the super fat and tall ones like you see on the Bushnell tactical models and other brand scopes. The turrets can be “zero/ zeroed” after you achieve your zero setting at the range. The turrets are held in place by the classic three allen screws. I do prefer the top screw style but, the three screw deal on this scope isn’t engineered sloppy and they don’t slip. The turrets are a little “squishy” when you rotate them. They don’t have an audible reaction to them but they do have a tactile reaction to them. The size of the turrets and the slight “squishy” feeling to them might make them a little cumbersome with insulated gloves on. The turrets turn very smooth and the fact that the scope comes with screw off turret covers is a good thing because you may accidentally rotate the turrets if the rifle is riding on your back or in a scabbard without the turret caps on. I performed a number of box tests and dialing tests with the turrets and they seem to track at the advertised 1/10 MRAD. It was in perfect sync with the mil reticle and my mil target every time I did it. The scope did in fact return to zero on every dialing test I performed on the scope. On my target I was able to dial up over one complete rotation of the turrets, So I was able to really dial the ELEV and WND to see if it would return to zero. I did not however put it through the torture test of maxing out the ELEV and WND both ways to see if it would return to zero. This can damage scopes and I did pay for this out of pocket, LOL. The pillars are made of metal and the turrets are also metal. For the squishy feeling turrets, but the fact that it did return to zero, and tracked correctly, I give this field 4 stars.

POI shift at different magnifications: I had no issues with POI shift on any of the magnifications. This field gets 5 stars.

Low light observation: The Burris beat the Bushnell 3200 10x40 Mildot by a fair amount in Lowlight conditions. It was alos more bright than the SWFA. The Burris on 3.5x was very bright in low light. This field gets 5 stars.

Durability: This scope is riding on a Savage M10 .308 20” barrel rifle shooting 168gr SMKs. By no means a rifle that will punish subpar scopes, but I had no issues. It has a flat black finish. The numbers on the mag ring and OBJ ring are OD green. The ADJ OBJ was a little stiff when I first rotated it, but it has loosened up a little now and is quite tolerable. Same with the Magnification ring. Do I think it’s a scope that will survive the battle field? IDK, but I would want to be safe and go with a high end. LOL. But I think it will give several years of service to the 3 gun match shooter, the LR hunter, and the LR steel/ paper shooter. For my applications of LR hunting and LR Steel shooting I would give it 4.5 stars in this field.

Overall, this scope appears to be a very good scope for the price. No, it’s not a $2500 scope, but I think it’s a hec of a lot more than other $450 scopes.

Here is a pic of it on top of my rig. Savage M10 .308 20" barrel with a Warne 20MOA base and Burris medium tactcal rings.

MTAC_zps064d1912.jpg


 
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Great review!! I have the swfa SS 6x on my HMR and really was impressed with the glass for the $ I paid... How does the Burris compare to the Swfa SS??
 
I have looked through two SS 10X scope and they are very clear glass. I did however think the Burris was a touch better in lowlight and mid day. Not by a land slide, but there was a difference IMO.
 
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S1
Thanks for sharing the results of your testing.
No way I'm likely to cough up for a NF etc. so it's nice to see a review of the more affordable models.
 
Originally Posted By: pdhunterHave you seen or use the Burris 6.5-20x50 with the e1 mv retical ?
If so how do the 2 compare ?

This is my first Burris that I have used, so unfortunatley, I cannot give a comparison.
 
I am bringing this thread back to life for a minute to share some testing that I recently had to do with this scope.

I have had this scope for a while now. I am using the Burris XTR rings with this scope. Initially I was dialing elevation and holding wind and was having excellent return to zero with the scope. Then I noticed over a period of time that my 100yd zero was off- some times as much as 1.5". Being that this scope did not have much reviews on the net- I was beggining to have doubts about the turret tracking accuracy. Even with the initial success I had. I figured that maybe things were starting to fail after repeated use and dialing. So, I was going to send it back to Burris for repair.

That's when I noticed it. The scope slipped a little in the rings. I tightened down the rings, applied witness marks on each side of the rings on the scope and fired 50rds through it. No slippage. OK good.

Yesterday, I spent quite a bit of time on the range with this scope. Every time I fired a round at 100yds, I turned the elevation 3 rotations and did the same with the windage. Then returned both to zero. Up, down, right, left- I put it through the paces. 49rds later of slow fire and running the turrets showed that the scope returned to it's 100yd zero every time. And the witness marks showed no scope slippage in the rings, LOL. Took it out to 300yds, dialed the elevation to 1.2Mil, held off for the proper windage, and hit the bull with the first shot. Sweet.

After much relief, I am happy with the results. After having this scope for several months and dialing quite a bit, this scope still shows repeatable tracking and it does it in it's true 1/10th Mil increments.
 
Thank you Swift One! Excellent review. You reinforced my belief in Burris products. They are all I have used on the last three rifles and all I plan to use in the future. REV
 
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