That Bushnell is basically the same thing as the Burris. The Burris can be obtained without the Fastfire. BTW, $499 for a combo like that isn't that much money at all.
Look at it this way.....
The Fastfire III by itself retails for around $250:
http://swfa.com/FastFire-C1811.aspx.
The Fullfield Tac 30 sells for $300:
http://swfa.com/Fullfield-TAC-30-C1692.aspx.
The PEPR mount sells for $75:
http://swfa.com/Burris-AR-Tactical-Mounts-C1694.aspx
So....
$250 +
$300 +
$
75 =
$625
All of a sudden, $499 looks like a pretty good deal, doesn't it?
That Bushnell scope by itself costs $228:
http://swfa.com/Bushnell-1-4x24-AR-Opti ... 61352.aspx.......... but that doesn't include the mount.
The Burris reticle can be switched between off (black), red, and green:
The Bushnell reticle is very similar, but is on (red)/off (black) only:
The reticles in both scopes function as "red dots" at close range. The Bushnell has a built in cat-tail to make zooming in/out a little easier. You can get one for the Burris...... or not. I have them on two of my scopes, but neither are CQB optics, and both are long range milling scopes.
The Bushnell is a first focal plane scope (FFP), and I
believe (but I'm not certain) that the Burris is a second focal plane (SFP) scope. Normally FFP is more desirable, but it is also more expensive, but that desirability has more to do with glassing back and forth between long and short range shooting, so that the subtensions on your reticle will be valid at all magnifications. In the role that either of
these scopes is likely to be used at, I don't think that's really an issue. Given that Bushnell is selling a FFP scope for less than the Burris SFP scope, I would ask in what other areas Bushnell is compromising, to be able to sell a FFP scope for 70-odd $$$
less than Burris's SFP scope. Nothing in life is free.
Add to all of that the fact that the Bushnell price I've quoted you here does NOT include a mount—which you'll
still have to buy if you get the Bushnell—it is my opinion that the $70 or so savings on the Bushnell isn't really a plus.
At this price range, you're going to be just as happy with one as with the other. BUT...... unless you can find that Bushnell being sold as a package including a mount (and any other geegaws, like that Fastfire), the combined price of the scope and the mount will be more than the combined price of the Burris scope and a mount. For example, in their MTAC line, you can get a 1-4x24 Burris MTAC with the same reticle as above, and a PEPR mount, for $410..... already a $90 savings compared to the package you're looking at:
http://swfa.com/Burris-1-4x24-MTAC-30mm ... 61993.aspx.
But $499 for a package that is
that inclusive is not that much money. A single Aimpoint Micro with a mount runs $600. A Vortex VIPER PST 1-4X24 runs $600 without a mount. A Trijicon ACOG with a
cheap mount is well over $1,000........ if that helps to put things into perspective for you.
