The Burris Eliminator is an interesting beast: it combines a riflescope with a rangefinder and a ballistic calculator, all in one. While I put up my first impressions, setup and its tech specs here, after spending some quality time at the range I’m ready to detail my shooting experience with this jack-of-all-trades.
I headed out to a favorite shooting spot with the Eliminator atop my Remington 700 AAC-SD. I put up paper at 25 and 100 yards to get zeroed. After dialing in the rifle using Federal Gold Medal Match 168 gr rounds, I started feeling pretty comfortable with this scope: heading up to the top of the mountain and settling in at one of the very few spots in this area where a shooter can stretch out to 800 yards and a little beyond.
Getting into shooting position, I picked out a patch of dirt that ranged at 450 yards (confirmed with another rangefinder, no difference in yardage) and held over a little to place the illuminated drop point onto a small rock perhaps 2″ in diameter. I fired two shots but got no joy. The dirt giving me no indication of round impact at all. I started wondering if the system wasn’t programmed correctly or if it just wasn’t working for me. There was a larger target impact area at 798 yards with a 6″ diameter rock placed smack in the middle. I pressed the button once to turn on the system, once more to lase the target. Holding over on the rock, I squeezed off a round…. hit! Right in the center too. My .308 rounds took long enough to get there that I recovered from the recoil and spotted round impact for myself with time to spare.
After two more hits, the wind picked up significantly. I figured this would be a good time to test out the windage calculator which automatically gives the windage hold-over number for a 10 mph full value wind. You get to adjust that hold-over based on the actual speed of the wind and value, but having that baseline number figured for you gives you a great starting point. Unfortunately, the wind was far too gusty and inconsistent. While I was able to keep within a couple of inches of the rock vertically, my horizontal component became too unpredictable in less than ideal shooting conditions. Before quitting for the day, I worked back to 312 and 450 yards. Each time, the Eliminator had me spot on (vertically). I didn’t bother with windage hold-overs, just tried to shoot between gusts.
Not only was I on target, the speed with which I was able to lase, get my hold over and shoot was a small fraction of the amount of time it usually takes me to lase the target, enter that distance into my ballistic calculator (or reference my D.O.P.E) then adjust/hold-over and shoot. I would say on average, I was able to shoot in 25% of the time I normally take, with no loss of accuracy. Having just returned from an antelope hunt, I’d say having this Eliminator topping a quality rifle would extend the distance I’d feel comfortable taking an ethical shot on an animal considerably.
The glass did its job, the scope was solid and the ballistic drop data didn’t require any “truing” to correct for real-world conditions at 798 yards. Considering the increased weight and additional cost of having a separate rangefinder, scope and ballistic computer, the Eliminator III is well worth the $1499 street price. If you’re looking to get into long-range shooting in the most streamlined way, the Eliminator is a great place to start. Likewise, reducing the number of gadgets (and time using them) while on a hunt may mean the difference between missing your opportunity and taking your shot. Check it out!
