Being honest right from the get-go, long-range scopes under $1000 tend to be hit and miss.
More often than not, precision shooters will spend over $1000 for a quality optic to reach distances over 1000 yards and acquire the mechanical and optical quality needed to get it done.
To make things more affordable without compromising on quality and performance, Burris brings to market the RT series of long-range scopes.
This scope is the beast of the series, the RT-25 5-25x56.
It’s a fantastic scope for your AR-15, hunting, competition, and of course, long-range shooting.
Quick Overview...
What We Like: Long-range scope
What We Don’t Like: No MOA
Best Uses: Big Game Hunting, Small Game Hunting, Varmint Hunting, Target Shooting, Tactical Use, Long-Range Shooting, Competition, Mid to Long-Range, Light to Heavy Caliber Rifles, Parallax
- Magnification: 5-25x
- Objective Diameter: 56mm
- Coatings: FMC
- FOV: 22.5-4.5 ft/100 yds
- Eye Relief: 3.6-3.3”
- Adjustments: 1/10 MIL
- Dimensions: 14.3”/24.8 oz
Our Verdict: Finding a quality long-range scope can be hard to do when you’re looking to spend less than $800. Burris has it covered with the RT-25 Long-Range scope. While it can be considered a budget option, it’s nowhere near budget in performance and quality. Don’t spend more for long-range performance when you don’t have to.
Who is the Burris RT-25 5-25X56 Best Suited to?
The RT was specifically designed by Burris for long-range shooting and for buyers who don’t have the luxury of spending over $1000 for a scope. This is definitely it’s primary benefit and sole purpose for existing.
Whether you’re shooting steel at max distances, hunting big game, and trying to stay out a little longer in the hunt, the RT-25 has you covered.
You must be familiar with MILs or at least be willing to learn it since the scope has the SCR-2 MIL reticle and 0.1 MIL adjustments.
How Does the Burris RT-25 5-25X56 Perform?
The Burris RT-25 Long Range rifle scope is a champ for its price point and intended use. It’s long-range all the way with its wide power range, quality optics that can keep up with the demand, precision turrets, and detailed FFP reticle.
It tracks accurately and will pass your tracking tests with ease. With 65 MOA of elevation and windage travel, which equates to just over 19 MIL (approx.), and a long-ranging SCR-2 MIL reticle, you’ll have plenty of room to reach 1000 yards and beyond.
The included throw lever has some noteworthy features with its dovetailed fit to the power ring and dovetail cut-out shape. When that power ring gets in the way of the bolt or the elevation turret, you can easily reposition it. But even its concave-like shape allows it to be obscure when focusing on the turret.
Completely waterproof, nitrogen-purged, and shockproof, the scope can reliably handle recoil from various hard-kicking rifles. Burris even says that air gunners can enjoy the long-range benefits of the RT-25 scope.
For a scope of its price point, it’s a winner. Why pay more for long-range when Burris has an economical option that performs?
Features & Benefits
Long-Range Scope
Since when do we see authoritative brands release a scope like this for under $1000 bucks? It’s hardly ever seen because bigger means more expensive, and bigger tends to mean longer range.
The RT-25 is a 5-25x56 scope that offers a huge magnification range and a huge objective lens. The objective bell is actually 64mm in size, but the clear aperture is 56mm. The reticle is also in the front focal plane, also known as the first focal plane (FFP), and this amounts to one heavy scope weighing in 24.8 oz.
But in reality, for a long-range scope with this type of quality, it’s actually quite lightweight for its class.
The RT Long-Range scope lets more people get in on the long-range sport without breaking the bank, experience what high-quality optics are, and it doesn’t add too much weight to your rifle setup.
Tactical Features
The RT scope is definitely a tactical scope all the way. It has exposed turrets and a power throw lever that are tell-tale signs of a TAC scope. Not so telling is its 30mm tube, locking turrets, and zero stop.
That’s right, the RT-25 has the pull-push locking turret mechanism, so you can remain confident that no changes to the turrets occur without you knowing about it. Once you’ve reset your zero, you can also be confident in returning to your zero with the zero stop. It comes to hard stop preventing you from dialing past your zero. This is especially convenient for keeping your eyes on the sight picture while your fingers do the work.
There is one small gripe. To reset your zero, you must use the wrench that’s included in the box. While slot styles are most common and easy to use with a coin or flathead screwdriver, the RT scope uses a wrench. While easy to reset zero, just don’t lose the tool.
SCR-2 MIL Reticle
The SCR-2 MIL reticle is a direct result of customer demand and corroboration with expert precision shooters. The result is a Christmas-tree style reticle that provides plenty of information for immediate feedback for POI correction, ranging, and both wind and bullet drop compensation without being too busy.
The reticle is non-illuminated and thin for long-range precision work and yet easily visible. Being in the FFP, subtension remains the same throughout the entire magnification range. Crosshairs grow and shrink in size as magnification changes. We expect that most long-range work with the reticle will be done at at least 11x and above.
Combine the 0.2 mrad graduation reticle with the 0.1 mrad turrets, and you have a scope that can be used for any caliber. But with any long-range scope, you must expect it to track extremely well to have any chance of hitting steel beyond half-mile distances.
True to form, the RT tracks with surgical precision and handles both turret action and reticle holdovers well and good enough for matches. The turrets are tactical and have good feel although maybe not as crisp as a Burris XTR III, but then again that scope costs double the price and is well over $1000.
Good Glass
To have a scope capable of long-range performance, you need optics that can keep up. The RT-25 has optical quality worthy of its price point. At extreme distances almost up to a mile, you can see quite the detail in the sight picture. There is minimal chromatic aberration noticeable, but it’s not too apparent that it interferes with your shooting ability.
More importantly, there is no edge-to-edge distortion. Picture quality is clear, sharp, and focused, and when you remember to use the side focus (which we hope you are doing!), you will be able to make use of the entire field of view without compromise.
You may find that the scope is better to spot groupings with at the range than your cheap binoculars or spotting scope. You can see .22 rounds on steel at 300 yards without much effort.
The eyebox is a little tight once you start hitting the higher powers above 15x, but good and solid cheekwelds will remove most issues.
Value
The Burris RT-25 is one heck of a deal for a scope under $1000. It’s feature-packed to the max with real tactical perks - not just tacti-cool looks.
With a strong, rugged 30mm tube, locking turrets, zero stop, long-range reticle, MIL adjustments, and precision accuracy needed for long-range shots, the RT-25 is a high-end tactical scope for its price point.
It’s hard to find this kind of value in a scope from a name-brand authority in the market. Thanks to Burris, the RT-25 is an affordable, high-quality, no-brainer kind of buy.
Limitations
No MOA
The only downside is that the RT series is not yet available with MOA or a simpler reticle. To be fair, the RT-25 was not made for simplicity and the SCR-2 MIL reticle was designed to satisfy consumer demand.
If you’d prefer a simpler MOA reticle, you may want to consider the Burris Signature HD 5-25x50 with the E3 MOA reticle. It’s simpler than the RT-25 but just as high performing and specifically designed for hunting.
Popular Questions
The Burris RT-15 and RT-25 scopes are recoil tested up to .50 BMG. If recoil damage occurs, the scope is covered under the Burris Forever Warranty.
The RT Long Range series of scopes made by Burris are manufactured in the Philippines.
The Burris RT-25 5-25x56 and RT-15 3-15x50 scopes are part of the RT Long Range series of scopes. They have the same features and SCR-2 MIL reticles. The only real difference lies in the optical specs and the RT-15 has 80 MOA of total elevation and windage travel.
The Burris RT-25 is covered under the Burris Forever Warranty. It’s fully transferable, there is no charge for repair or replacements under the warranty, and no proof of purchase or registration are required. It’s a true “no questions asked” warranty.
Conclusion
The RT-25 is a very desirable scope for its price point, features, and performance. It can be mounted to any rifle to test its long-range capabilities.
There isn’t much compromise at all with the scope. While it packs a lot for its low price point, it hasn’t spread itself too thin. Quality turrets, a customer-proposed reticle, and good glass amounts to a scope that is accurate, tracks, and is well-suited to any shooting application.
Why pay more for long-range when you have the Burris RT-25 on your favorite long-range rifle?
Further Reading
