Home > Consumer Reviews > Bushnell Elite 3200 3-9x50 Firefly Reticle Riflescope

I have numerous brands of scopes but I am very pleased with my Bushnell 3200, 3-9X50 with Firefly reticle and Rainguard protection. Referring to the earlier review, of course you will need higher rings for a 50mm scope. That's the necessary trade-off for getting the increased light transmission. If you only hunt or shoot in bright sunshine, you can easily get by with a 25mm scope objective and use even lower rings if that floats your boat. As far as the firefly reticle is concerned, if you follow the directions and charge the reticle with the supplied mini-flashlight for two minutes an hour before sunrise (for morning hunts) and an hour before sunset (evening hunts) you will have a properly illuminated reticle for those first or last 15 to 20 minutes of legal hunting light where lesser reticles and scopes let you down. (I store my flashlight on my gun by using one of those stretch-fit, stock-mounted ammunition sleeves. It only takes up one cartridge position and keeps it handy.) The prescribed light charging procedure eliminates any light interference from the freshly charged crosshairs as the ambient light grows dim along with the gradual dimming of the crosshair illumination. How many times have you wished you could see the crosshairs to harvest that big buck or doe at first or last light? I don't know about you, but most of my best hunting opportunities come in poor light conditions where a quality scope really makes the difference between a successful hunt and tag soup. Don't just take my word for it; the Bushnell Elite scope series get consistently good reviews in numerous hunting magazines though they are not as revered by some as the more expensive brands (granted, they are quality scopes as well). The rainguard coating absolutely rocks. Invest in the firefly reticle and the rainguard coating and you will be ready for all kinds of weather and lighting conditions. This was the edge I was looking for at a price I could afford. With a safe full of hunting rifles (yes, I probably need therapy), I now have an optics solution that won't break the bank. The proof is in the pudding as the saying goes. I can now see my crosshairs and my quarry in all kinds of light and weather conditions. That's half the battle; the other half is shooting skill and I certainly can use all the help I can get in that area.

The scope brings in lots of light in the evening. The firefly glows nicely but makes the cross hairs larger than than normal. Overall I would buy another one for my next gun. Might go with the 3-9x40 for clearance issues. The 50mm front makes mounting on short rings almost impossible. Another thing the firefly glows brightly at first but dulls out quickly so at first it may be to bright then become dim to quickly for some peoples eyes at night.

This is absolutely one of the best scopes I have used. I love the FireFly Recticle. the scope comes included with a small flashlight and with a small shine into the scope the recticle becomes illuminated for that last minute shot. I dont think you will be making a mistake purchasing this scope.