Bushnell Elite Tactical Rifle Scopes
Dan Z. for TTAG

Last week, Bushnell hosted a group of writers in southern Wyoming to let us get hands-on with their two brand new Elite Tactical rifle scopes. They’re rolling out a couple of ET optics, a 3.5-21×50 and a 6-36×56. Both are first focal plane scopes and are designed for long range precision shooters.

Bushnell Elite Tactical Rifle Scopes
Dan Z. for TTAG

We stretched the scopes’ legs out to 1350 yards and beyond. Both are comparatively compact, use a new G4P floating center dot MIL reticle, and have three full revolutions of elevation adjustment (32 MIL for the DMR3, 29 MIL for the XRS3).

G4P reticle

The other aspect of the scopes that stood out was their edge-to-edge clarity. We’ll be getting one for a full review, but for now, suffice it to say that both of the new Elite Tactical scopes were extremely impressive, especially at their price points (DMR3 MSRP = $1499, XRS3 MSRP = $1699).

Bushnell Elite Tactical Rifle Scopes
Dan Z. for TTAG

Here’s Bushnell’s press release officially announcing the new glass . . .

Bushnell®, an industry leader in performance optics, has announced the introduction of two new Elite Tactical riflescopes – the DMR3 3.5-21×50 FFP and the XRS3 6-36×56 FFP. Tailored to meet the demands of law enforcement and military professionals as well as long-range and precision rimfire competitions, the new Elite Tactical DMR3 delivers precision to 1,000 yards and beyond in a lightweight, compact package. For those seeking extreme long-range capabilities, including military shooters and ELR competitors, the XRS3 offers the highest magnification in the Elite Tactical family along with superior tracking and reliability.

Featuring the most advanced Elite Tactical optical system ever, both the DMR3 and XRS3 come with a high magnification ED Prime objective, as well as fully multi-coated elements, EXO Barrier protection and a new reticle element coating. The new coating pushes the limits of the ultrawideband coating system by increasing light transmission by nearly 2% over previous designs. The culmination of these improvements deliver state-of-the-art optical performance in an already proven, durable and repeatable package.

Bushnell Elite Tactical Rifle Scopes
Dan Z. for TTAG

In addition, these scopes feature a new “G” series reticle designed in conjunction with G.A. Precision. Based on the G3 reticle, the new G4P design features a floating dot center POA, floating holdover dots, refined line widths, quick acquisition bars for low magnification settings, and a more open reticle space above the horizontal stadia.

“The new Elite Tactical DMR3 is utterly reliable, tracks perfectly has a huge eye box and the field of view is everything you need,” said George Gardner, Founder of G.A. Precision and Team Captain for Elite Tactical. “With the etched glass and updated G4P reticle, it’s about as perfect as it can get. I have never had one fail me in a match.”

Bushnell Elite Tactical Rifle Scopes
Dan Z. for TTAG

Each scope boasts a multi-position ThrowHammer magnification lever, allowing a shooter to accommodate their particular rifle without concern of manipulation interference. Additional features include Rev-limiter Zero Stop elevation turret, locking windage target turret, and a removable sunshade. The DMR3 riflescope shortens the minimum parallax setting over the DMRII Pro from 50 to 25 yards while the all-new XRS3 has a minimum parallax setting of 50 yards and a D-Lok locking diopter.

“The XRS3 has a lot more with 36 power and a 56mm objective, but it still delivers a sharp crisp image at every magnification from the bottom to the top,” said Bryan Sikes, Elite Tactical pro. “What you are really getting is every benefit of the DRM3 in a more magnified package.”

The XRS3 features 29 MIL elevation travel and 15 MIL windage travel, as well as an (18ft @ 100yd) field of view on 6X power and a (3ft @ 100yd) field of view on 36X power. The scope is 14.9 inches long and weighs in at 39 ounces.

The DMR3 features 32 MIL elevation travel and 20 MIL windage travel, as well as a (25ft @ 100yd) field of view on 3.5X power and a (5ft @ 100yd) field of view on 21X power. The scope is 13.2 inches long and weighs in at 35.5 ounces.

Built to last, both scopes are IP67 rated against water and dust, argon purged to reduce fogging, and built from a single-piece of aircraft-grade 34mm aluminum main-tube. Each are backed by Bushnell’s 30-year Lifetime Ironclad warranty. To learn more about these riflescopes or the rest of the Elite Tactical line, visit bushnell.com.

 

6 COMMENTS

  1. You cork sniffers might not agree but my Bushnell scope has served me well over the years… Besides, I don’t shoot anything past 300 yards anyway…

    • Good for you. Problem with Bushnell is the customer service, hence the Taurus reference. I had a higher end Bushnell that wouldn’t track. It was brand new. I mounted it to a rifle, using the appropriate tools and torque driver.
      I sent it to them for warranty repair. It came back the same way it left. Included was a note that said the scope had been abused, not repairable and wouldn’t replace it. Similar experience with Taurus. Ef Bushnell. Ef Taurus. Cork soaker.

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