For several years, the optic sitting atop my well-worn “field grade” .22 rimfire hasn’t changed. The rifle and the Burris 2-7X Fullfield II atop it have been knocked, banged, drowned, frozen and treated to less than spectacular care for years. In return, neither have given me a minute’s trouble. All in all, I’ve gotten far better treatment than I’ve given.
Sometimes what appears to be a solid resting place for a rifle isn’t. When the fence is barbed wire, gear gets what I call “character marks.” My aging Fullfield II has “character."
Ignoring a couple of scratches from an accidental slide down a barbed wire fence while squirrel hunting a few years ago, and the Fullfield actually looks pretty good. The glass is still pristine and while the crosshairs might have shrunken over the years, they’re still firm and accurate, provided one can see them. Not so simple as it once was for me.
So I decided to retire the scope and (hopefully) give my aging eyes a break. So I’m exchanging my no-frills and very affordable riflescope for a brand-new, equally affordable, and hopefully even more capable 3-12 riflescope. It should be measurably more capable for me because it will be measurably brighter. I’m trading the small 35mm objective of the old scope for the 42mm objective lens of another Burris Fullfield, the 3-12x42mm. Yes, another Burris. Why change a winning combination, right?
The new scope features the Ballistic E3 reticle which seems far easier for my aging eyes to read -especially when zoomed out to maximum magnifications. Admittedly, this scope is capable of far longer distances and much heavier calibers than .22 rimfire, but I like looking closely at tree rats before shooting. I seldom shoot with a magnification of more than 4-5x, but seeing better before shooting allows me to make certain there aren’t small branches or heavier leaves between me and my target. My not seeing them doesn’t mean they won’t be deflecting my longer shots. Besides, all things being equal, the better I can see, the better I should shoot. The larger objective means more light will get to my aging pupils.
I couldn’t think of a less technical way to show the improvement in potential light transmission that simply sitting the old scope atop the new one. A bigger tube, better coatings and larger crosshairs should help compensate for aging eyes.
When I was debating making the switch, it only took a cursory peek down the tubes to actually see the improvement in brightness. I’m told Burris also adjusted the coatings on the new Fullfield for even better light transmission. I’m not going to quibble, because I’m less concerned with the how than I am with what I see. And I see-clearly- a big improvement.
Almost too-much improvement for a scope that can be purchased on Amazon for $259.99 and delivered in a couple of days (or less). And this budget-minded scope is covered by Burris’ Forever Warranty. Their warranty’s pretty simple: No proof of purchase or warranty card required, and no charge for repairs or replacements. And that key word forever means just what it says. If it’s me, or my successors doesn’t matter. Covered is covered.
When mounting optics I always make certain the scope is square inside the rings. There are lots of ways to do that, but none have worked better for me than a low-tech device, the Scope Setter from Inventure Engineering.
This new Fullfield is waterproof, fog proof and shockproof. A step up from my old scope that would sweat whenever I moved to/from A/C to the normal 110% southern humidity. I’m joking about the humidity level, but with my old Fullfield II “sweating” was a real thing.
One of the most obvious operational improvements in riflescopes are the adjustment knobs. These are visible from behind the rifle, making adjustments easy.
At this point, my old Fullfield is all cleaned up and setting in a place of honor in my safe. The new Fullfield 3-12x42 is sitting on my gun bench. It’s square, level and correctly torqued into its rings. I haven’t gotten around to mounting it because I decided to give the decidedly dirty little rifle a good cleaning first. Travel’s kept me from getting that done, but I’m aiming to have everything squared away in time for squirrel season.
As always, I’ll keep you posted.
—Jim Shepherd
