Burris Eliminator 3

Originally Posted By: 204 ARI'm bringing this back up, I'm really considering one after all. The $999 one doesn't have the remote touch pad, but maybe it could be added, or maybe it isn't that big of a deal.
Just last week I had a stand where it might have made the difference. As it was, the coyote was hard to spot in thick grass, and getting the rangefinder on him, then back to the rifle, and he disappeared again.

Now what can I sell to make up the money to justify it to myself...and going from Zeiss Conquest glass to Burris, am I going to be really disappointed early and late in the day are the questions.

I do not think the touch-pad cannot be added.
 
I pulled the trigger on the 4-16 with the touchpad. I honestly was about to buy the non touchpad one today from Amazon, but did one last search and ended up at Scheels, where they have the touchpad model for $999 also. I just couldn't pass that up lol. Now I have to decide which rifle to attach it to. Probably an AR in either 243 WSSM or 243 LBC.

Is there something in the programming to adjust height above the bore for it's calculations?
 
Not really. You choose whether you want a 50 or 100 yard zero. For rimfires you use the 50 for your calibers 100yds will be your zero. Once you get the gun shooting dead nuts at your zero, the scope is basically a scope with a range finder built into it. You aim the crosshairs at what you want to shoot and push the button. The scope reads the range and calculates the holdover for the deviation over or under your 100 yard zero and provides an illuminated dot to show you where to hold. It is slick. I have mine on a Franklin Armory AR in .17 WSM. I used the 50 yard rimfire zero. I went to our outdoor range an was plinking (not ringing) steel with it at 225 yards. I was impressed. You got a really good price on it. I paid over $1,200 a year ago.
 
Originally Posted By: 204 ARI pulled the trigger on the 4-16 with the touchpad. I honestly was about to buy the non touchpad one today from Amazon, but did one last search and ended up at Scheels, where they have the touchpad model for $999 also. I just couldn't pass that up lol. Now I have to decide which rifle to attach it to. Probably an AR in either 243 WSSM or 243 LBC.

Is there something in the programming to adjust height above the bore for it's calculations?

Just use this and it will get you close.
https://ballistics.burrisoptics.com/eliminator#:1

Places where you will find discrepancy (where software doesn't match up to real world drops) is typically because of two things: Muzzle velocity and BC, with BC being the biggest culprit.
Ballistic Coefficients are not fixed (Even though some will give you a fixed BC), and they are sometimes inflated by bullet manufactures.
This problem is not as bad as it was 1-15 years ago, but it exists.
When you do drop confirmations, try to find a really calm day, as wind can a have a vertical effect.
Topography does as well, and that is more obvious.
Then try to reconfirm your drops on another day.
A Magnetospeed or Labradar is going to be the most accurate.
You should have close to 100 through a new barrel as many custom barrel will have an increase in velocity somewhere around 75-125 rounds.
If I have a disagreement between actual drops and the technology (The E-3 in this case) I adjust the BC on the ballistic software to make the software match my actual drops.
 
Originally Posted By: 204 ARI pulled the trigger on the 4-16 with the touchpad. Now I have to decide which rifle to attach it to. Probably an AR in either 243 WSSM or 243 LBC.

Looking forward to your range report!
Congrats!
 
It showed up today, I got it mounted and zeroed at 100, but only tested to 200 lol. It was dead on of course. I'm sure I'll have to tweak the info when I get it out to long range. It would have been a great day to test it but I ran out of daylight. The rangefinder does work great and way faster than I figured. It's lighter than I expected also. Field of view is limited for sure.

Overall, I think I'm going to love this thing when I get it out hunting. I'm really looking forward to using it.
 
I got one of these in a 4-16 coming for my predator hunting AR. I'm replacing a Leupold VX3 3.5-10x40 with the B&C reticle. I am hoping that having the rangefinder built in will limit my movement and increase my precision enough to help on some longer coyotes. The field of view worries me a bit, but I called for years with a bolt 204 wearing a Leupold 4.5-14x that has less field of view than this Burris.

I'm shooting the Hornady Superformance 73gr ELD-M at 2785fps from my 20" barrel. That ammo isn't the fastest, but with this scope and the higher BC of the 73gr bullet I'm hoping for good results. I have taken a few coyotes with the ELD-M between 120 and 300 yards since switching bullets and have been happy with the results. I'm getting more penetration on coyotes running away, breaking them down better than the 55gr bullets I used in the past. I do get exits on broadside coyotes, but not big enough ones to stop me using them. A lot of the reason I use an AR in the first place is for when multiple coyotes respond.
 
I think you'll like it. I tend to point out the flaws, like in snowy and bright conditions, the orange dot and numbers up top tend to wash out pretty bad, but still usable. It those conditions ranging is more limited, but still pick up coyotes to 500 yards. In normal lighting it works great. It won't be coming off my wssm any time soon. I happened to kill my 2 furthest coyotes so far, 442 and 434. I wanted to try one at 708, but he disappeared after I shot the 434 then another at 290. I had one dead to rights a week ago at 492 but he was on the wrong side of the fence on property we hadn't asked permission on and let him go. None of these coyotes were coming any closer for whatever reason except the 290 would have worked in, but I wanted to get him down and get on the one at 708. I consider it a game changer. I found a used 3-12 I think I can buy for 750 but haven't pulled the trigger yet.
 
Originally Posted By: 204 ARI think you'll like it. I tend to point out the flaws, like in snowy and bright conditions, the orange dot and numbers up top tend to wash out pretty bad, but still usable. It those conditions ranging is more limited, but still pick up coyotes to 500 yards. In normal lighting it works great. It won't be coming off my wssm any time soon. I happened to kill my 2 furthest coyotes so far, 442 and 434. I wanted to try one at 708, but he disappeared after I shot the 434 then another at 290. I had one dead to rights a week ago at 492 but he was on the wrong side of the fence on property we hadn't asked permission on and let him go. None of these coyotes were coming any closer for whatever reason except the 290 would have worked in, but I wanted to get him down and get on the one at 708. I consider it a game changer. I found a used 3-12 I think I can buy for 750 but haven't pulled the trigger yet.

PM sent...
 
Sounds great. I don't see myself needing to shoot past 400 often, but with the added drop of the heavier 73gr bullet I think it will add to my precision on the 250 to 350 yard shots that I do get more often during late season. Coyotes get hunted hard after whitetail season around home and get pretty smart pretty quick. I think just being able to range coyotes without the added movement will be a huge bonus when one hangs up or hesitates at distances where elevation holds become necessary.
 
Got my scope mounted and shot yesterday and again today. Here is my initial impressions for anyone interested.

Before mounting the scope I attempted to use the rangefinder on a few things near the house. It did not work well handheld. I was a bit concerned with this but once the scope was mounted it wasn't an issue. The way the rangefinder works, you push the button and then let off it and hold the crosshair on what you want ranged until the range pops up. It isn't instant like in my Leica Geovid binos, but is pretty quick. With the AR rested on the truck window or shooting sticks I was able to range piles of manure from our bulls on a brome field out past 500 yards easily. I was pretty happy with the rangefinder after figuring it out.

One thing I'm not a huge fan of is the 100 yard zero the scope is built to work off of. It's just my personal opinion, but I've always run a zero of 175 to 260 yards depending on what I'm shooting. I have never had to consider that I'd be low at 200 yards before. Now unless I range and use the dot I will be hitting 3" low with the 100yds zero. I wish a 200yd zero was an option, but I can understand why they made the scope this way. At 100 yards environmental factors like wind, elevation, etc have less impact on your point of aim. I might hunt with say the Huskemaw on my 25-06 dialed up to 250 yards, but I still establish my zero at 100 yards.

I'd say that the glass isn't impressive for the price point. It's not terrible, but I looked through the 3.5-10x Leupold right before going into the shop to change scopes. I looked at several signs, steers, and other objects at several power ranges. Right after getting the Burris mounted I went back out and looked at the same objects at the same power. The Leupold gets my vote for being the brighter and sharper image. Later I zeroed both my AR with the Burris and my 25-06 that just got a new 4-16x42 Huskemaw. The Huskemaw was much better glass than the Burris. Seeing bullet holes in the 100 yard target was enough easier with the Huskemaw I would switch guns at times to confirm where the AR had hit.

The field of view isn't great, but it is usable for me. I shoot a lot and tend to be able to find things in a scope pretty quick and easy. I could see it being an issue for someone who is less practiced at this. I think the 3-12x might have been a better fit for my AR really, I'd advise anyone shooting something similar in to performance to my rifle to consider it. At ranges I'd be using any 22 caliber centerfire instead of stepping up to a 6mm or bigger, I think it would be plenty. Glass quality or lack of it shows up more at higher magnification.

After the 100 yd zero was established and the scope was programmed for my load I went to do some field shooting. I put a variety of water filled bottles ranging from 28oz Gatorade bottles to gallon spray jugs between 175 and 350 yards. The scope was great at hitting these quick. I had a light but variable wind at around 5mph. I'd range a bottle, halve the wind hold, and shoot as quick as I could from my Primos Rapid Pivot bipod sitting with no back rest. I was pleased with both the scope and myself, I hit all 10 with 10 shots. I could not shoot further yet, but plan to do so on steel as soon as I get the chance. For me sitting with sticks and nothing against my back to further steady myself that's pretty good shooting. I liked the lighted dot to know my precise elevation, rather than having to split the gaps between crosshairs and do a little guessing like my old Leupold B&C. All I had to do was a little adjusting for wind. Knowing the exact range of a shot as fast as I can with this is very nice shooting the slower load (.398 BC, 2785fps) from my AR. Less mental math and more concentration on the shot.


That's a pretty blunt view of what I like and don't about the scope. I think I'm going to like it for hunting. I don't need as good of glass on a coyote rifle as I do a big game rifle. I don't push the edges of shooting light as hard for predators as I do deer especially. I don't think any of the features will limit my effectiveness at close range enough to offset their benefit at longer range. Time will tell on that once I get to hunt with it. If I was to do all my predator hunting with only one rifle I'd probably go with the 3-12x, or maybe a different scope all together with a bigger field of view and less busy image for close shots. I have a 16" AR with a simple 2.5-10x I can carry when I know shots will be inside 200 yards that has a good power range and reticle for that type of hunting. I'll probably use this set-up much more often, especially in the late season, but having both is nice.

One place I don't see this scope being a big advantage is if you are shooting a really high velocity round and don't plan to shoot extreme range. Some of my bolt guns pushing a fairly light bullet hard just don't have enough drop to 350 yards to make this scope worth putting on them. If I'm shooting much past that I personally need to change shooting positions to something steadier to be confident of anchoring a coyote. My bipod set-up is very quick and forgiving to get on target, but it's not as steady as some of the other options I've used for big game. If I have the time to change shooting positions, I probably have time to use a separate rangefinder and dial elevation on a mechanical scope. For someone shooting say a 6mm Creedmoor with heavy bullets from a tripod with a saddle rest, this Burris might be perfect for you.

I'll update as I get more time behind the new Burris, but that's my thoughts for now. It isn't perfect, but I think it will be pretty slick for a lot of my hunting.
 
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I think that's a pretty good review, and more or less mirrors my experience with it. The darkness of the image is my biggest gripe, but I was spoiled with some pretty decent Meopta Schott glass. But it's a trade off I'm willing to deal with. I missed two coyotes in a row while I was trying to range then dial the old way. Just was rushed, doping wind and dialing, over thinking it and blew them. With this it's just relax, push the button, already estimated the wind, hold off for wind if needed, squeeze.

Your assessment of what type of caliber/rifle to use it on is spot on also I think. With this scope I pretty much instantly switched sides from a light/fast bullet fan, to the heavier/wind resistant camp. In fact, I've been thinking of getting a 6 Creed of some sort as my next coyote rifle.
 
204AR we are thinking alike. I'm already considering buying a 3-12x for my AR and moving this one to my 6mm that likes the heavy bullets. Probably won't happen for a while, but it may eventually.

I shot my first coyote with it tonight. I had time for one long stand after work. I watched a coyote completely ignore both sounds I tried as he trotted down the ridge at 490 to 450 yards. Knowing this was a good spot I didn't want to take the long moving shot so I let him walk. About 10 minutes later a second coyote popped out at about 70 yards from me, 30 from the E caller. In this spot and wind I had to get creative with my set-up and put the call further than usual. He started circling downwind of the call. When he stopped I squeezed the trigger on the AR and heard a CLICK. I quickly chambered another round as the coyote circled further. I tried again when he was about 40 yards from me and heard another click. The coyote took off at this point. I got another round in and took a shot at him at 180 yards. The gun went off finally and I hit him to far back. He was still running so a final shot at 220 yards finished him. It ended up being way more of a rodeo than it needed to, but the coyote still wound up dead. It was by far the coldest day I've hunted and I'm betting that's why the AR didn't work. Both ejected shells show really light primer hits, guessing maybe the firing pin has some old oil in it that gummed up. Time to clean the AR.

It didn't help me any on this stand, but it didn't hurt me any either. If that first coyote would have stopped though, especially if he'd have been at 350, I'd have used it. Just being able to range with less movement is a significant confidence boost and advantage I think.

 
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I shot a double with my AR yesterday but again didn't use any of the special features of the scope. The first one stopped as he circled downwind and I dropped him at 135 yards. The second, a smaller female, came out about 8 minutes later and stopped in some fairly heavy weeds and grass. I dialed up to 16x to get her silhouette picked out of the cover. I tried a shot because another few steps and she would have been downwind of the dead coyote, and I've had them spook at that before. I don't think my bullet made it through all the cover because she didn't react. She took a couple steps forward and I got another shot off. She was just starting to leave and I hit her a bit back, but I hear the whop as it connected. At that point I ran up to make sure she was down and ended the stand.

So far I'm still liking the scope. It hasn't gained me any fur yet, but it sure hasn't cost me any either.
 
I'm in the same camp also. Of the last 4 it wasn't needed, but I don't think it hurt me any, although a wide open 2 or 3 power would have been more ideal. Actually a shotgun would have been more ideal on some of them. But I don't see myself carrying 2 guns.

Since I've put the scope on in November, standing shots at any range from maybe 50 yards to 442 (longest opportunity) I'm 8 for 8. Running shots, I'm 2 for 5 so I need to work on that. I've never had so many fast movers as I have the last couple of weeks.

I kind of wish I'd have gotten another with the keypad while they were 999 at Scheels. I really like that feature once I figured out how to position it and keep the cord fastened out of the way.
 
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