7mmUltraMag

Just wondering how the Bushnell Elite 3200 stacks up against the Leupold variX-III, or the Zeiss Conquest. The elite has a 5-15 power scope ajustable Objective that can be purchased for half of what the other two cost. Is the Zeiss, and Leupold really that much better of a product? Any thoughts would be great. I' m looking for a new scope for my 7mm RUM....

trailer

I had been looking at scopes for a while around Xmas and decided to go with the Leupold. I hadn' t checked the Zeiss Conquest because I was looking for a 50mm odjective lens but had compared the Elite 3200 European with the Leupold European. The Elite was half the price of the Leupold as you mentioned but decided to give the Leupold a try. I haven' t tried my new scope yet but the time is coming soon. I' m just waiting till the range opens. I' m sure I made a good choice and good luck in your purchase..

James B

Having had Busnnell and Luepold, I have to say that the Elite stacks up very well indeed. Plus that you can put an Elite on two of your rifles for the price of Most Luepolds. I have had three Luepolds One was not clear and I sent it back. They fixed it and sent it back but it was still poor optics for the price. The second one would not hold the zero as you turned it from 3 to 9. I sent it back but it came back the same way. I am talking about 2 inches difference in impact point at 100 yards. The third is working very well. I have had many of the upper level Bushnells, Elites , Trophy and Banner and have never had to return any for service. I have one more Luepol on Layaway now to give them one more try. If I could only have one scope though it would be an Elite 3x9x40.

skeeter 7MM

For a7 RUM, I wouldn' t put a 3200, but rather compare the 4200 with the other mentioned. You' ll find the price margin lessen but it is more apples to apples. The 4200 is tested at 10,000 375 H&H blows, 3200 is 1000 and varix III is 5000. The conquest I am unsure of it' s testing data on recoil.

I have a 3200, 4200 & vari x III. All have performed very well but my preference would be either the 4200 or Vari x III. The varix III gets the nod on style, length, weight and eye relief. I have no real time experience with the zeiss, but have been thinking about trying one. I guess it depends on you, find the one that suits you...but don' t cheat yourself. A good scope will repay itself over and over again. It is still cheaper paying more now, than relpacing or upgrading in the future.

stubblejumper

I have experience with all three and prefer the ziess because it is the clearest and brightest because it has the best lenses and coatings.If I was on a tighter budget I would go with the elite.The elite is as bright or brighter than the varix iii but is quite a bit cheaper.

woodseye

I own all three of them and would rate them all for different qualities,don' t know which qualities you consider most important.Here ya go - Leupold Vari X lll will be the lightest in weight,have the longest eye relief(but not constant at different powers)have some of the best service,and a long reputation for ruggedness,but will rank third in optics(brightness,clarity,sight picture).Bushnell 4200 will have the excellant rainguard coating to prevent exterior fogging,will be the lowest priced,but will come in as the heaviest with the shortest eye relief(something to consider in a kicker)Zeiss Conquest will have the best optics,a constant eye relief,be in the middle in weight,and will have the new fast diopter style focus.They are all good scopes and you won' t go wrong with any of them.All feature a great warranty with coverage to future second owners for better resale value.

woods

PaJack

I have owned 1 - 3200 that I put on a .300 Weatherby and after 30-40 rounds the crosshairs broke! Most of my guns have Leupolds on them and they work great but...my next QUALITY scope I buy will be a ZEISS CONQUEST...

James B

My Bushnell Banner stood up to about 1000 rounds from my 416 Rem mag. The rifle is now gone but the banner is on my 30-06 . I expect about 20 good years from my Bushnells down to and including my Sportviews. Never failed me yet. The Elite is the only one that cost over 90.00.

woodseye

I have a 3x9 sportview on a 50 caliber ML that shoots 130gr loads and kicks pretty stiff that is on its sixth year with nary a wimper and POI is always on the button.Not bad optics for a $30-40 scope either.

woods

GTBuzz

The Elite 3200 is not in the same category as the other two you mentioned. I have an Elite 3000 4x12x40mm and it' s probably the worst mid-priced scope I' ve ever had. The picture becomes cloudy at higher powers and the POI is not the same through the power range. It' s been to Bushnell 3x and they have failed to fix it (or even acknowledge a problem). For this reason, I didn' t buy a Bushnell for several years. I have to point out that my experience with them seems to be the exception rather than the rule. Last year, I decided to give them another chance and bought an Elite 4200. I like the Elite 4200 1.75x6x36mm I bought and also like the Elite 4200 2x10x40mm. Optically, they are superior (clearer and brighter ) when compared to similar Vari X III scopes. Not to mention, the Elite 4200 has a Titanium tube and the neat Rainguard lens coatings. As Woodseye mentioned, they don' t have as long of eye relief as either the Zeiss or the Leupold which could be a concern on anything larger than a .300 WM.

My personal belief is the Conquest is the best of the bunch. Better lens coatings, better optics, better FOV, brighter, fast focus, and seemingly good customer service.

Leupold is starting to be more of an odd man out. They have legendary customer service and are thought to be very durable, but the optics are sub par when compared to other scopes in their price range. The Vari X III line is starting to show it' s age; it' s basically the same design that has been around since 1990. In the meantime, Weaver has introduced the Grand Slam, Nikon has introduced the Monarch, Bushnell introduced the Elite 4200, and Zeiss introduced the Conquest. That doesn' t make me a Leupold basher - I' m just pointing out that many scopes costing 30% less than the Vari X III have better optics and several scopes the price of the Vari X III have considerably better optics. In addition, other companies have started to listen to the big selling point of Leupold' s customer service and make adjustments to their customer service strategy.