Accuracy Made Easy: The Burris Veracity Scope Review

Range. Dial. Shoot. The game-changing Veracity scope provides the simplest aiming solution of any optic.

January 31, 2024 By Brad Fitzpatrick

In recent years, hunters have extended their maximum effective range with a rifle, and one reason this has been possible is improvements in cartridge design, bullet construction and optical advancements. Today’s hunters have, on average, a better understanding of the fundamentals of precision shooting than hunters possessed twenty years ago. Shots at 400, 500 and even 600 yards were once considered unethical, but I encounter more and more shooters who know their weapon and load well enough to consistently and cleanly dispatch game at those distances.

However, shooting at game beyond a 1/4 mile requires a shooter and shooting system that work in sync. Accurate range estimations are essential. Bullet velocities, grain weights and ballistic coefficients must be known, and all the info must be correctly entered into a ballistics program. The optic must be properly zeroed and dialed to the correct target distance. The shooter must do their part, too.

The most common breakdown in this system, at least in my experience, has been properly dialing for distance. Burris has developed a solution for this problem. Their new Veracity PH riflescope comes with a heads-up display inside the scope similar to the heads-up display in vehicles. Dialing the elevation knob adjusts the number in the reticle so that you know exactly and instantly at what distance the rifle is zeroed. This eliminates the need to check a ballistic app or dope card, and then dial a scope to the corresponding elevation. The Veracity PH’s system is faster, simpler and more straightforward. It’s also poised to change hunting-optic design forever.

FIRST STEPS

The technology infused in some modern optics is beneficial, but there’s also a learning curve to operating these optics and that can be particularly daunting for those who aren’t tech-savvy. Even if you do understand the tech, there’s also the consideration that a lot of extra electronics doesn’t serve to streamline the hunt, but rather complicate it. Fortunately, the team at Burris understands this, and they have made the Veracity PH simple to operate. Unlike some other high-tech scopes, the first focal plane (FFP) Veracity PH looks and feels like a traditional scope, which is a good thing.

The first step in the process is to mount this 30mm scope on your rifle. Veracity PH scopes feature the company’s Wind MOA FFP reticle with 12-MOA stadia lines on each horizontal crosshair line for wind holds and three holdover lines on the lower vertical crosshair. Burris’ patented PEK (Programmable Elevation Knob) system comes standard, which will display point-of-impact for the load you are using.

Before that happens, though, you’ll need to zero the rifle, and the process is the same that you would use with most other modern magnified optics. Using a 2mm hex key, remove the top turret and zero the rifle, replacing and securing the turret when the rifle is zeroed at your preferred distance. (Burris recommends 100 yards.)

The scope is powered by two CR2450 batteries and has easy-to-use turrets for adjusting for your shot range.

HOW IT WORKS

The Veracity PH 4-20x50 doesn’t have a built-in rangefinder. Instead, it connects via Bluetooth to the Burris Connect app. To do this, install two CR2450 batteries into the left turret, which also adjusts both illumination and parallax. With the batteries installed, rotate the turret to the Bluetooth position (second to last, just prior to the OFF position on the turret). The scope is ready to connect to the app.

Connecting the app to the scope is very similar to connecting your phone to a Bluetooth car radio. In the app, search for available devices and choose the Veracity PH. The app and the scope can now communicate, and you can build the rifle/cartridge profile to match your firearm. The Burris Connect app will store multiple rifle profiles allowing you to swap the scope among your hunting rifles and quickly match the scope to the ballistics of the load that you are using. This is a major advantage; unlike scope turrets that are designed for use with a single load you can change loads in a matter of minutes and your rifle will be matched to the profile of your new hunting round, offering increased flexibility.

BUILDING YOUR RIFLE/CARTRIDGE PROFILE

To obtain the best accuracy from your Veracity PH scope you’ll need to properly set up a rifle/cartridge profile. The good news is that you can do this at home prior to range testing and long before you head to the field.

First, you’ll need to name the profile. The simplest method is to add the rifle name, caliber and load. From there the app will ask many of the basic questions that you’ll answer when building any cartridge profile: bullet caliber and weight, velocity, ballistic coefficient, scope height above bore line and so forth, and Burris Connect provides a table of factory loads and bullets to simplify the process. You can also add environmental conditions and can manually adjust those conditions based on elevation, pressure and other factors. You can also select “Density Altitude” on the app, which will input environmental factors based on your geolocation, saving time and effort.

It’s easy to build a cartridge profile using factory velocity figures for your ammunition and they’ll likely be close, but using a chronograph or LabRadar you can ensure that the velocity figures are accurate for your rifle. Remember that barrel length and the addition of suppressors will alter your velocity, so taking the time to input true velocity figures with your hunting setup will improve the scope’s performance, especially at long distances. You’ll also need to input the zero distance.

The Burris Veracity PH also allows you to adjust wind speed and direction, though this may be a feature you prefer to add in the field. For my own use, I add a 10-mph full value (coming from the 3 o’clock or 9 o’clock direction) prior to heading to the range or field. What this provides is a quick reference point for wind holds that I can adjust in the field if conditions change. The wind value in MOA will be displayed in the rifle’s Heads Up Display (HUD), allowing me to adjust accordingly. If wind direction is not full value, for example, I can reduce the wind hold accordingly. The other option, of course, is to reset wind holds based on conditions in the field. Most of the time my previous 10 mph, full-value figure will provide me with enough data to make a quick, accurate shot, but if winds are particularly gusty, I can change to match conditions.

From here, you’ll need to upload the rifle/cartridge profile to the scope using the app. Once you receive verification on your phone that the ballistic data has uploaded, you can go back through the menus and adjust other scope settings, including the time required before the optic goes to power-saving sleep mode and display distance (yards, meters or MOA). There’s also a built-in inclinometer and a bubble level, and these can be activated or deactivated in the menu.

Does that sound like a lot of work? It really isn’t. The Veracity PH website includes a series of step-by-step short videos that help sight in the rifle and adjust all the features found on the Veracity PH so shooters can instantly reference these videos from their smart phone.

Weighing in at 27.2 ounces, the Veracity PH is packed with technology to improve your next hunt.

SCOPE SPECS

Even if you never utilized any of the Veracity PH’s built-in technology, it’s still a solid hunting scope. At 15-inches long and just over 27 ounces, it’s comparatively sized with other hunting scopes on the market, and like other Burris products it’s backed by the company’s Forever Warranty. It offers 66 MOA of elevation adjustments with 1/4-MOA clicks and 37 MOA of windage—plenty of range for most hunting applications.

The Veracity PH’s aluminum scope body has a matte black, non-glare finish. Inside the optic the double internal spring tension system ensures that the scope will hold zero despite heavy magnum recoil and all the bumps and dings associated with typical hunting conditions. Also included on these scopes is Burris’ Index-Matched, Hi-Lume multicoating lens coating which does an excellent job cutting glare. Burris lens coatings also allow these scopes to work well in lowlight conditions.

Perhaps you’ve scanned to the end of the article to check out the Veracity PH’s pricing, fully expecting this scope will be well out of your price range. But you’ll be surprised to find out it carries an MSRP of $1,200. Because Burris didn’t have to stuff a rangefinder into the scope, the price is modest, especially given the quality of the optic itself.

RANGE TIME

Mounting the Veracity PH is simple and straightforward, and prior to range testing I bore sighted the rifle. Removing the elevation knob to make adjustments while bore sighting and during initial sight-in makes the process easy.

Once I had attached the Burris to my Howa Hera H7 rifle in 6.5 Creedmoor, I input load data for the Hornady 143-grain ELD-X, drawing the figures directly from the Burris Connect app. I adjusted muzzle velocity slightly because I was using a Silencer Central Banish suppressor (it’s worth noting that I didn’t do this all from memory, rather relying on the videos on the Burris site to help walk me through the steps and answer questions). Once I had the data in my profile, I was ready to shoot.

When viewed in the heads-up display within the scope, a spin of the elevation dial reminds me of the old days of turning the knob on a radio and dialing through the FM stations. From 100 (my zero point) I could quickly adjust my zero to 200 yards and 300 yards (the outer limit of the range I was testing). In both cases the bullets struck almost dead center, although I did have to make a slight windage adjustment independently of the elevation adjustments. The system is simple, and it works.

The Veracity PH solves several major problems for hunters. First, the technology is easy to use. No pages and pages of menus, no toggling buttons on the scope. Secondly, it eliminates the need to make Mil or MOA adjustments. That may not seem like a major task, and it’s not when you’re lying on your shooting mat popping steel at 800 or 1,000 yards. However, when a huge bull elk steps out at last light at 479 yards, the process of inputting range to your ballistic app, correctly reading Mil or MOA, making the proper adjustments on the scope and firing an accurate shot becomes much more difficult. I’ve seen lots of shooters—some of them really good distance shooters—make mistakes under that level of pressure. I’ve done it myself.

The Burris system streamlines holdover adjustments and makes it simpler to hit your target by allowing you to simply range the animal, get behind the scope and adjust elevation in yards without having to lose your sight picture. And unlike some revolutionary optics on the market with a high price that precludes the average hunter laying hands on them, the Veracity PH is competitively priced. I fully suspect we’ll see the Veracity PH family grow to include other options besides the current 4-20x50, but that scope offers a substantial magnification range that’s suitable for all hunting situations. Burris has made high-end optics technology accessible for new and experienced shooters alike, and that’s why the Veracity PH is the best bang-for-your-buck scope available today.