The Burris Fullfield II

I was watching “Elementary” on TV when a weather warning was displayed as a ribbon along the bottom of my screen and reduced the show’s image by approximately 1/3rd. I turned away to complain to my wife about this disconcerting development, then turned back to find the banner had been joined by a rotating block ad and a small animated weatherman who assured me the news and weather would soon follow the show. Ruined that surprise. I was left to watch my favorite show through streaming banners, flashing block ads and a little weather guy who launched into some bizarre, retro cabbage patch dance. Joe, is this leading somewhere? Yes, I am merely laying the foundation for what will soon follow. No, I am not cabbage patching at this moment but, yes, I have been watching old Perry Mason reruns.

X… Make that + Marks the spot… or at least it should

One of my computerized scopes has a Duplex Mil-Dot reticle and a built in laser range finder. The scope calculates elevation and windage corrections, presents the results in the form of an illuminated aiming dot on the scope’s crosshairs and displays range and GPS coordinates in a little window inside the eyepiece. More simplified scopes have cartridge load specific indexed elevation and windage knobs, some with color coded inner and outer adjustment rings and some have a battery to light up the scope’s reticle.

Then there are the scopes I actually use for medium and big hunting, which are of the simple 3-9×40(44) variety with clean reticles, no batteries and with as little external product identification as possible… like this sleek and light Burris Fullfield II 3x-9x-40mm pictured above. Housed in a one piece, anodized aluminum extrusion, the Fullfield II is waterproof, shockproof, fogproof and nitrogen filled. The Fullfield II product line carries the Burris Forever Warranty. All of the Fullfield II’s lenses are multicoated to optimize light transmission, boost contrast and color and to deliver sharp, crisp images. Internal mechanical adjustment points are steel on steel to assure adjustments stay put.

With protective caps removed, pictured left, the Fullfield II has low profile windage and elevation adjusters. No high rise tactical adjustment knobs sticking up and out, no index to calibrate to a start position. Referred to by Burris as “Hunter Knobs”, there is no way or need to reset them.. as there is no numerical index to zero.

There is one small white position dot on the fixed base of the adjuster and the adjuster ring is marked in the equivalent of 1/4 MOA increments. There is actually no need to look at the index marks as they provide tactile feedback and an audible click at each increment.

The tower area is seamless and part of the scope’s main body. The adjusters are multi-sealed to prevent leakage in or out. When the scope is fog proofed, air is purged from the interior of the scope and replaced with inert, non-condensing nitrogen. The sealing required to retain nitrogen and prevent ambient air from entering the scope also makes it waterproof.

 

The Fullfield’s power ring is a tight, but smooth fit. The power range of 3x-9x is covered in a 180 degree sweep. Adjustment stays put regardless the recoil of the mounted rifle. The rubber cushioned eye piece is adjustable to place the viewed reticle in focus. A wearer of reading and distance corrective glasses, I do not require either when shooting with the assistance of a scope. The eyepiece is of the modern design, it is not so large as to interfere with rearward moving bolt handles when the scope is mounted on medium height mounts.

 

A reticle to use or ignore…

 

The Ballistic Plex reticle looks a bit like a duplex reticle that broke out in hash marks. For folks who know their firearm’s ballistics, the scope can be sighted in as standard cross hairs with hold over determined by the shooter’s knowledge and experience. The reticle can be used to do much more, like using the range marks under the cross hairs, or to the side, for precise holdover and windage correction tailored for a specific rifle and cartridge combination, or for range estimating. Burris packs detailed instructions with each scope.

 

A modest branding indulgence

 

The combination of matte finish and crisp marking make the Fullfield II an attractive scope. The finish is durable, so close encounters with tree branches and gear won’t make it look tired.

The Fullfield II is light, so it won’t add much to the weight of a hunting rifle.

 

The view through the optics is bright and crisp and colors are natural. The reticle stands out in bold contrast. Field adjustment is easy, although I have a difficult time understanding why a person would be playing with scope adjustment on a rifle that was sighted in.

 

Price is good. After working with some very cheap scopes, as well as some very expensive scopes, good scopes in this price range work as well under hunting conditions as those costing 5 times as much. Really. And while all of those build in sighting aids are fun to play with on scopes, they have little place in real world circumstances.

 

This one is going on a Winchester Featherweight, chambered for the 270 Winchester. We’ll be back to let you know how that went.