Burris C4 4.5-14×42 Review 2024

A lot of people have the idea that you have to spend a lot of money to get a good piece of glass. Is this really the case?

Or is it just gun store gossip?

What I want to show with this Burris C4 scope review is that you don’t have to spend 1,200 dollars to get a high-quality scope. This is a variable power scope that comes in two different magnifications. Our model is, of course, in 4.5 -14 power with a 42 mm objective lens.

The 4 C’s of Burris C4 Scopes

C4 is a fun explosive in my experience, but that C4 doesn’t have anything to do with the Burris C4 scopes series. The 4 Cs of C4 are cartridge calibrated custom clicker. What does that even mean?

Well, when you purchase the Burris C4 you get a product manual that includes a code allowing you to receive a custom elevation knob. This knob will correspond with a particular caliber. Your elevation turret will then be customized to a certain cartridge and specific load.

Burris C4 Reticle Features

The Burris C4 is 4.5 to 14 power is indeed well designed for long-range shooting. It’s well suited for both hunting and target shooting with this level of magnification. The 42 mm objective lens allows a low mount, but plenty of light transmissions.

The Burris C4 reticle is designed to allow the shooter to compensate for both windage and elevation. Burris calls this reticle the Wind MOA reticle.

The reticle, custom calibrated elevation knob and something called a wind map are all designed to work together to deliver pinpoint precision.

The Windmap comes dialed into your specific round and load. As the scope’s user, it is going to show you the appropriate holdover at 10 miles per hour in 100-yard increments. Like your elevation knob, this wind map is custom made for you.

The turrets are finger adjustable. This makes the scope easy to zero, but also make on the fly corrections for range and windage. These turrets are marked to represent the change in the point of impact, which makes consistent precision easy.

With the relatively affordable price attached to the Burris C4, you’d be surprised to learn just how well this scope is built. First and foremost, if you prefer the heavy calibers, the 338 Lapua, the 416 Barrett, or maybe just a magnum 12 gauge slug, this scope is for you.

The inside of the scope is reinforced with an internal spring tension system. This provides the scope with an extra level of durability.

Its durability is specifically inside the scope, which allows it to soak up the recoil of powerful rounds.

It’s what’s on the inside that counts, right?

Well, with future significant others this may be the case, but with scopes, the outside matters, too. A scope that can take heavy recoil, but is ruined by a little rain ain’t worth much. The scope is fully waterproof, so a little rain isn’t an issue.

The scope is also nitrogen purged to prevent internal fog from building up. The entire scope is a one-piece unit. One piece scopes are certainly preferred to the alternative.

First and foremost a one-piece unit makes the scope stronger, and more capable of resisting stress. The next benefit is the overall precision that a single piece tube offers. The rigid nature of the scope prevents flexing and bending. This allows the scope to be more precise. We’ve mentioned precision a few times in our review. An imprecise scope is hardly worth your time.

So What Makes the Burris c4 Precise?

Of course, the turrets help you, but the internal precision of the scope is due to well thought out and masterful construction. The insides of the Burris C4 are precision machined and hand fitted to be remarkably consistent. This prevents any internal shift and loss of zero.

Another major consideration is the steel on steel adjustments. This aids in a repeat accuracy, round after round and prevents any kind of slippage. Overall, the scope is built to extremely high standards and seems to reek of quality.

How will it fare on the range?

Burris C4 4.5-14×42 Review: Where Lead Meets Steel

The AR 15 was the weapon of choice for our Burris 4.5-14 x 42 review. I’m most experienced with the AR 15, and my newest build was designed specifically for long range shooting. Once mounted, we hit the range with some match grade ammo, and steel gongs are our prey.

This specific AR was designed for hog and coyote hunting, so a 12-inch gong was representative of our targets. Burris send the custom turret in record time, and installation was easy.

Climbing behind the gun for the first time, my overall first impression was extremely positive. Looking through the scope downrange gave me a crystal clear sight picture. The clarity was brilliant, and the 42 mm objective lenses provided enough light transmission to see the fine details of the gong.

The reticle was thin and didn’t make seeing my target difficult, but wasn’t so thin that I had trouble finding it. The MOA marking is easy to see and make on the fly adjustments a breeze. Zeroing the optic was easy since we laser bore sighted before the range.

We started at the 200-yard range and in the prone position ringing steel became so consistent it was boring. This is a testament to how easy the scope is to use. Going to standing off hand had me dialing make the magnification to 4.5 to reduce the exaggerated bounce that occurs when shooting offhand.

I met a bit more of a challenge here, but after settling into riding the reset and proper breath control that I was hitting consistently. If it’s too easy, it gets boring, so we made it harder. We moved to the 500-yard line and left an additional 24-inch gong down range.

At five hundred yards, with a bipod in the prone position the scope still provided a clear and consistent picture. We used the elevation marks to guide our shots into the center of the target. At this range, being able to see both the target and your crosshairs is critical.

​I can say with complete honesty that I could do both easily. I had to stress the fundamentals at 500 yards, but misses were on me. There wasn’t a single point where I felt the scope failed me. Even as evening set in, I could see downrange crystal clear.

Burris C4 4.5-14×42 Review – Final Thoughts

I ran a somewhat new shooter behind the weapon, and with a little help from myself and a spotting scope, I got them on target in 4 rounds. A common theme was the Burris C4 reticle made hitting a target simple and relatively easy to do.

Our time with the optic was one that is almost entirely positive. My biggest gripe is that Burris covers everything in logos that are painted white. I like my optics, guns, and gear nice and clean.

Overall I was impressed by such an affordable scope. I’ve reviewed quite a few scopes in my time, and this Burris 4.5-15 x 42mm review has been one of my favorites. It’s affordable, well built, and extremely precise, and you really can’t go wrong with it.

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Official Manufacturer Support

References and Resources:

• Burris Optics, Official Brand Website.
• Rifle Scopes Forums, The Optics Talk.
• Gun Shooting Tips: How to See Better with Your Rifle Scope, Realtree.
• Tips for protecting your scopes, Sniper’s Hide Forums.
• Choosing the Right Rifle Scope for Your Firearm (& Hunting Activities), Target Tamers.
• Tech Tip: How to Mount a Scope for a Tactical or Hunting Rifle, Accurate Shooter.