Burris has been offering quality scopes for shooters and hunters for decades. During that time, the company listened to the consumer and supplied many varieties of scopes to meet the demands of the shooting public. The Burris Scout Scope was introduced in 1988.
The “Scout Scope” forward-mounted optic allows for rapid sight and target acquisition and enables the shooter to keep both eyes open more readily. Jeff Cooper was the driving force behind the Scout Rifle concept and more recently my friend Richard Mann has penned The Scout Rifle Study to educate readers on the ways of this excellent rifle configuration.
While the Scout Rifle and Scout Scope are not necessarily dependent on one another, the forward-mounted Scout Scope is unique in appearance. And, it foreshadows that the shooter using such an optic is most likely an accomplished rifleman, or riflewoman, as the case might be.
There’s no use in me trying to put my spin on the Scout Scope’s merits. Here’s what Colonel Cooper said about it, as printed in Mann’s good book:
“The virtues of this sight system are three: First it obscures very little of the shooter’s vision as the piece is cheeked. This enables him to keep both eyes open while mounting the rifle, with a full view of his entire target area, and to place the cross wires instantly with his shooting eye while keeping track of the target with his non-shooting eye. The closer the glass is to the eye, the more of the shooter’s field of view is obscured.
“Second, the forward-mounted scope allows instantaneous eyes-off loading from the top, without obstruction by the scope tube. Third, the forward-mounted glass allows the rifle to be grasped at the balance during running, jumping, and violent exercise much more conveniently than any weapon with the glass mounted rearward.” All great qualities for a scope, in my humble opinion.”
This particular Burris Scout scope is variable in its’ configuration from 2-power to 7-power. The 2X7 is one of my favorite varieties of scopes. While Burris is based in Greeley, Colorado, this particular scope is made in the Philippines. The lower settings allow for quick target acquisition. The highest end enlarges distant or small targets when more time and careful aiming are required. All of this comes in a small, compact package, making the scope less intrusive on the balance and liveliness of the rifle.
Burris’ Scout Scope on the New Marlin in 45-70
I mounted this particular scope on the New Marlin 1895 SBL in 45-70 Government. A beauty in itself, the new Marlin is nothing less than exceptional. I will have a full review of it here on The Mag Life in the not-to-distant future. I figured blending this scope on a rifle chambered in a cartridge with some recoil would be a good additional test of the Burris’ toughness.
To date, I have not experienced a single issue. After mounting and sighting in the scope, I shot a nice 2.4-inch, five-shot group at 100 yards. In reality, this group would have been possibly smaller had the wind not been blowing stiffly, rocking the target stand slightly back and forth! It should be noted that while fine-tuning my shots during the initial sight-in, the scope tracked perfectly.
After firing the group, I continued shooting the rifle at various distances on steel and water jugs in some real-world shooting drills. The Scout Scope really takes on its meaning when shooting like this. The optic’s wide field of view enabled me to quickly pick up the target and allow for rapid follow-ups. After burning through most of a box of Hornady’s good 325-grain FTX load, I returned to the bench to fire the remaining three shells to establish a group and see if the scope’s zero had changed at all. It did not. The rounds hit in the same place on the target at 100 yards and my group measured 1.4 inches.
The Ballistic Plex Reticle
The Burris Scout Scope is fog and waterproof. The reticle on this scope is set up with the Ballistic Plex with hash marks on the lower vertical cross wire. That allows for more precise aiming points at longer ranges. Burris has additional information on utilizing the Ballistic Plex reticle on their website. It’s a good idea to spend some additional time at an appropriate shooting range where you can fire at long range. Doing so will hone the necessary skills to increase accurate distance shooting by using the reticle.
Lifetime Warranty
Burris scopes come with their Forever Warranty. Burris will replace your optic if it is damaged or defective, no questions asked. The warranty is even automatically transferred to future owners. If that isn’t a prime example of a company standing behind its product, I don’t know what is. It’s proof that Burris is committed to their customers and confident in their products.
