Gear Review: Burris Eliminator Rifle Scope

First impressions last. In other words, my second day of shooting the Remington 700 SPS with a Burris Eliminator Riflescope reinforced my first thoughts on the scope and my preliminary experiences. Day two started with targets at 100-yard intervals out to 400 yards. I used the rangefinder in the Elminator for these distances with the understanding that even if it was innacurate, it didn’t matter. All I cared about was: putting bullets where the little dot said they were supposed to go. Remember that I changed the drop number to 72 from 62 the day before. Here are my results . . .

I realized I was a bit off from my previous day’s zero. A couple clicks and I made that bullseye happen.

 That is two holes stacked on top of each other. I would love to call it luck, but RF’s Remington did that kind of thing all day. Also, you can see that I had a bit of a breeze at this point.

Elevation here is spot on. However, it becomes painfully obvious that I know nothing about reading the wind. Or maybe the wind died down each time I squeezed the trigger. The latter helps me sleep at night.

Failures to read the wind aside, that my friends, is four holes close together at 400 yards with a little assistance from the Eliminator. As you can see, the shots have started to group just a bit low. Makes me think that just a touch more tuning might be necessary for further range sessions.

I didn’t take any shots past 400 yards, but I did range some things in the area. The Eliminator had no issues ranging out to 500 yards on furry creatures. I don’t have more than 800 yards of clear space on my ranch, so I wasn’t able to test the rangefinder’s theoretical upper limit. If she can’t find the range, Eliminator shows a series of illuminated dots that are supposed to help you in your quest for long-range accuracy.

Final Thoughts

I love science. I love technology. I love guns. The fine folks at Burris feel the same way. They set out to simplify the science of bullet drop with technology. And I’ll be the first to tell you that they succeeded. This scope makes shooting far away objects MUCH easier.

Here’s the rub. In its current form, this scope is impractical as all hell. It’s enormous and heavy. The optics are not nearly as nice as that kind of money should buy. It takes just as much tuning and shooting to get it right as a conventional scope. The book says it isn’t good at ranging animals past 500 yards.

So I’ve been thinking for the past week: what the Eliminator could be used for? What possible application could be better served by this versus a traditional scope, rangefinder, and copious amounts of range time? It weighs too damn much to put on a gun you’d hike around with all day. The optics in the early morning and evening would make you cry if you’ve ever owned a nice piece of glass. It’s just a traditional scope past 500 yards anyway.

So I figure the Eliminator’s perfect for hunting where you need to range a shot quickly in the middle of the day from a solid rest at under 500 yards. There’s only one animal I know of that fits that description: prairie dogs. Just imagine yourself, laid out all prone in the middle of the day, with your wind chart at your side and an unobstructed view of the prairie for 500 yards. Suddenly, a little guy pops his head out; you range him at 236 yards, consult your chart, hold for wind and squeeze the trigger. Reload, Rinse, and Repeat until you run out of ammo, dogs, or energy.

Niche yes, but fun! And it’s only a matter of time before Burris makes the Eliminator smaller, cheaper and better. Whether you’re a seasoned traveler or a riflescope maker, the longest journey starts with a single step. Burris is on their way.

Specifications: Burris Eliminator Laser Riflescope 4X-12X-42mm

Weight: 26 oz. (!!!)
Length: 13”
Adjustments: ¼ inch/click at 100 yards
Eye Relief: 3-3.5”
Tube: Integral rail mount
MSRP: $899.99

RATINGS (out of five)

Controls * * * *

Everything is nicely laid out and the controls feel well built. Windage and elevation adjustments have a nice positive click to them. The 4-way pad used to navigate the on screen menu is too small. The buttons are REALLY close together so those with large fingers might have issues. Eliminator loses 1 star for that and the awkward ballet you have to do enter the control menu.

Fit/Finish * * * * *

Burris made this thing hell bent for stout. If the end times come, and you run out of ammo, the Eliminator would make an impressive club. The finish seemed impervious to handprints, dust, dirt, brains of the undead, etc.

Looks * * * *

I awarded 4 stars just for looking so futuristic and cool. I have yet to take it out in public, but mounted on RF’s all black gun, it looks really nasty. People at work (gun folks and not were all really impressed by the pictures)

Optical Clarity * * *

This is the single biggest letdown. It certainly isn’t the worst, but it’s by no means the best. The glass doesn’t seem to gather nearly as much light as a similarly sized Leupold. Worst of all, there is this strip running down the lower vertical crosshair that inhibits your view to some extent. I assume this is for the electronics that run the fancy dot. It is a major distraction to block out a good portion of your viewing area.

Whizbang stuff * * * *

It has a rangefinder built it. It then does magic and tells you where to aim to hit the things you want to hit. That earns four stars alone. The rangefinder seems to work very well and the calculations for elevation are borderline instantaneous.

Overall Rating * * * ½

You can buy a lot of scope for close to $900. Hell, you can buy a lot of scope for $600. Spend the extra money on rings, a rangefinder, and a bulk purchase of ammo. You won’t be able to shoot as fast, but you’ll have far superior optical quality, and you’ll be forced to actually know your scope and gun.