Shoot Better With This New Hunting Optic: The Burris Veracity PH (Precision Hunter) Riflescope

The word “revolutionary” is used to describe new optics so often that the word has lost some of its weight. However, occasionally a product arrives on the market that truly changes the optics landscape, and one such scope is the new Veracity PH (Precision Hunter).

Built on the standard Veracity 4-20x50 scope body, the new Veracity PH incorporates the latest optics technology. It features Burris’s new revolutionary PĒK, pronounced peak, (Programmable Elevation Knob) system, which uses a click-less mechanical and digital elevation turret with 1/10 MOA accuracy, Heads-Up-Display, and uploadable ballistic profile to provide a quick and seamless custom ballistic dialing solution, taking a shooter’s performance and efficiency to the highest level.

Similar to a heads-up display on a vehicle which allows you to read gauges while looking through the windshield, the Veracity PH provides important information for the shooter including dialed distance in yards, meters, or MOA, windage hold value, and rifle cant, all displayed within the optic and all customizable. This makes it possible to locate a target animal through your scope, dial the adjustment knob, and perfectly match wind holdover on the target—all while maintaining sight picture. Revolutionary indeed.

How does this work? For starters, there’s a Bluetooth control and HUD brightness dial on the left side of the optic that allows you to connect the optic to your phone via the Burris Connect app. In the app you can set up your ballistic profile using custom bullet data or by selecting a bullet from a library of factory loads. Once the ballistic profile is uploaded on the scope, you don’t need the app to use the scope unless you want to adjust the ballistics or change settings. A set it and forget it kind of system.

The Veracity PH does not include a rangefinder. Instead, the PE̅K system functions like a quick-reference adjustment sensor that immediately relates the range at which the bullet will impact at the center of the crosshairs. So if you’ve programmed your load into the app and connected the app to the optic via Bluetooth you simply range the animal and dial to that distance while maintaining target focus. If you’ve ranged a bull elk at 479 yards across a windy canyon center the crosshairs, dial the elevation knob to 479, point, and fire. It’s fast, simple, and efficient.

Of course, elevation is just one aspect of long range shooting. You must also account for windage, and Burris has developed a system to help with that, too. The heads-up display shows an MOA wind hold value, and the Veracity PH’s Wind MOA first focal plane reticle offers MOA wind hold hashmarks. This allows you to make proper wind holds based on data streamed to your scope via the app, and since it’s a first focal plane design the wind holds are accurate at any magnification setting.

In addition to the heads-up distance and windage readouts there’s also a bubble level that helps prevent cant, and a battery indicator to quickly determine how much battery life remains. Of course, the optic still works like a traditional FFP scope without a functioning battery offering mountain country redundancy.

In addition to the Veracity PH scope there are also flip-up lens covers and a sunshade included with the optic. Other extras include an Allen tool, batteries for the optic, a detailed owner’s manual that makes it easy to work through setup, installation, use, and maintenance of the optic. And, as with any Burris optic, the veracity PH is covered by the company’s no questions asked Forever Warranty.

Setup and Operation

Optics with a high level of sophistication like the Veracity PH are sometimes difficult to set up, but that’s not the case with the Burris. The manual offers an easy-to-follow, step-by-step setup process, but I’ll break the operation down as simply and concisely as possible, but if you have any questions Burris offers an outstanding video series that’s easy to follow.

Before you begin, you’ll need to gather your scope, smartphone, batteries, the manual and your ballistic data (if you don’t have ballistic data from previous range testing you can use the information provided on the ammunition box). Begin by removing the illumination knob cap on the left side of the optic to reveal the battery compartment and install the two included CR2450 batteries with the first battery negative side down (toward scope body) and the second negative side up (toward the cap). Turn the illumination knob to the Bluetooth position, download and open the app, and from there you will be able to connect the phone to the optic and begin programming your ballistic profile. You’ll need to choose a name for the profile (usually firearm and caliber), and you can even select a picture of a specific gun.

From there it’s simply a matter on inputting ballistic data as you would with any other app: scope height above bore, bullet weight and ballistic coefficient, velocity at the muzzle, and zero distance. It’s also possible to program atmospheric conditions such as elevation and pressure. The more accurate the data you provide to the app the better able it is to provide you with accurate holdover and windage values, so take the time to measure items like scope above bore height and record velocity using a chronograph or LabRadar. There’s a library of factory loads, but you can also customize data for handloads or variations in muzzle velocity. Likewise, you can add environmental information manually or use the density altitude feature that pulls environmental data directly from your phone. Once that’s complete you simply upload the data to your optic. The phone will indicate when data is successfully uploaded.

Putting It Into Practice

When Burris’s Jordan Egli first demonstrated the Veracity PH at a range near my home in Ohio I was immediately impressed by the system’s simplicity and virtually foolproof design. I have known many shooters (myself included) who failed to correctly adjust for elevation despite accurate holdover data. There are lots of reasons why shooters make mistakes with traditional elevation turrets: failing to reset zero, misreading the elevation numbers, or mistaking the value of hashmark adjustments. It’s especially easy to make these mistakes when you’re desperately trying to make a shot on an animal that, at any moment, could step out of sight. The speed and efficiency of the veracity PH eliminates many of the mistakes that hunters make in such moments.

With the ballistic data uploaded and the rifle zeroed, be certain to reset the elevation knob to zero using the included 2mm hex key before shooting. Most users will likely rely on the heads-up display, the Burris offers a tall elevation knob with bright white numbers and hashmarks that are easy to read and visible from a head-down position on the rifle.

There’s an inclination compensation feature on the optic that can adjust for shot angle as needed, but when you’re using a rangefinder with angle compensation that feature isn’t necessary and should be deactivated to prevent overcompensation. There’s an auto-off feature on the optic and the app that allows you to adjust the length of time that the optic remains powered on before entering sleep mode depending on the circumstances of your hunt.

The heads-up display does a good job making data instantly accessible without blocking much of the view within the optic, and because the display is located at the top of the lens it doesn’t interfere with sight picture. High-tech features aside, the veracity PH is a good scope with clear, distortion-free lenses, a wide field of view and excellent low-light clarity. Even without the display this is an excellent long-range hunting optic with a rugged matte black, non-glare exterior finish and easy-to-adjust knobs. Just be certain to bring the hex wrench in case you need to reset the zero.

Is Burris’s newest scope revolutionary? Absolutely. The Veracity PH is a versatile, high-tech hunting optic that can make you a better shooter. Long-range hunting is challenging, but the Veracity PH helps streamline shot placement and allow for better results and more accurate first shots on target. It is certainly a game changer.