Tested: Burris Signature HD 15x56 mm Binocular

Burris makes excellent optics, and its 15-power Signature HDs—for the money—are some of the finest I have tested.

by Jace Bauserman

This reads like the beginning of a scary novel. A line you’ve heard more times than you can remember. Still, the line isn’t a hook, and it isn’t theory. The line is fact. The number one asset of the Western hunter is the hunter’s optics. You can’t kill what you can’t see.

Over my 20-plus-year Western hunting tenure, I’ve looked through lots and lots and lots of binoculars and spotting scopes. Concerning binos, I’ve tested everything from lightweight 8-power models to heavy 15s that felt like a cement block around my neck and in my backpack.

If I had to choose one power of bino for Western hunting for the rest of my days, I would opt for a lightweight, well-built, light-gathering pair of 10-power binoculars. Most 10-power magnification binoculars are compact, light, and provide a wide field of view that’s ideal for off-hand glassing.

However, on hunts where backpack weight isn’t an issue and I can tote multiple binoculars and a high-magnification spotting scope, I always have a pair of 15-power binoculars with me. I use 15-power binos more than I use my spotting scope.

I spent the past week testing Burris’ Signature HD 15×56 mm Binocular on the prairie lands near my Colorado home. Here’s why these under $1K binos deserve a place in your optic arsenal.

Burris Signature HD 15×56 Overview

You don’t purchase a pair of 15s to get a lightweight and compact binocular. You are buying 15s for their power. Whether you opt to toss them in your pack and tote them along on a backcountry mission or for locations you can drive to and scan vast amounts of dirt, 15s allow you to observe distant objects via high magnification. The magnification allows for increased clarity and detail at further distances. You find what you hope is a buck off-hand, glassing with your 10s, and confirm your hope with your 15s. Also, after I scan with my 10s, I attach my 15s to my tripod and start picking the terrain apart piece by piece.

The tradeoff is a narrower field of view, and because the binos are so powerful, off-hand glassing is difficult. Fifteen-power binoculars aren’t the ones you want to put in your bino harness and go hunting with.

The Burris Signature HD 15×56 mms sports a durable, forest green rubberized housing and top-mounted black bridge guard for increased protection and overall handling. The focus wheel isn’t oversized, which is a nice feature, but it does have the same knurled, rubber coating as the binoculars, making adjustments smooth and easy. Each eye cup has a trio of extension settings to ensure ideal eye relief in any lighting scenario, and the right tube—between the eye cup and the main tube—has a circular diopter wheel for finite focusing.

At the front of the bridge is a removable threaded cap. This is critical. Mounting the binoculars to Tricer’s-AD 33-oucne tripod is easy. This is one of the lightest, yet most durable tripods I have ever used. I’ve toted the AD around the world. I’ve used it to glass Cape kudu in Africa and Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep in Colorado. It’s a banger of a tripod and I don’t leave home without it or Tricer’s-BA bino adapter.

To Read More About Tricer’s AD Tripod, CLICK HERE

Binos In The Field

The binos attach to the Tricer-BA, and the BA inserts into the push button adapter. With the binos mounted to the Tricer-AD tripod, the Signature HD 15x56s allowed me to pick apart the prairie landscape and find numerous pronghorn. I used the binos in all lighting conditions, and they proved to provide excellent clarity, and during periods of low light, light transmission was solid. Twenty-eight minutes after sundown while picking apart a maze of 6-foot tall sunflowers, I spotted a coyote. These binos help you find the game.

I don’t expect an under $1K pair of 15s to be as clear, sharp, or provide the type of color fidelity (true-to-the-scene) as a pair of 15s that cost over $2K. You shouldn’t either. However, for the money, Burris hit a home run with these 15-power binos. I love them. They hit an excellent price point, are as durable as any bino I have ever used, and help me detect animals at longer ranges and/or confirm the presence of an animal at a more extended range. The Bak-4 with Phase Correct, dielectric coating helps colors pop. These binoculars will always be in my truck.

Concerning off-hand glassing, these 15s, due to their heavier weight and longer tubes, fell into the hands, balanced decently, and allowed for above-average off-hand glassing—better than most 15-power binos I’ve used. Still, Burris didn’t design these binoculars to be carried in a chest bino harness or worn around the neck while hunting. The primary purpose of these 15s is tripod attachment, or, at the very least, with the glasser’s elbows set on a solid flat surface.

Burris Signature HD 15×56 mm Specs

15x magnification
2.5 lbs.
8.2″x5.7″x2.5″
$960

Pros

Great grip
Durability
Multiple eye-relief settings
Attachable to a tripod
Smooth focus wheel
Solid lowlight clarity

Cons

Heavy
Not ideal for off-hand glassing, but what 15x is?

Final Thoughts

Burris makes lots of great optics, from standard scopes to thermal scopes to binos and spotters. The crew at Born Hunting uses Burris products regularly because the products are affordable, and they work as advertised. I’ve always been a fan of Burris’ Signature HD Series of binos, and if you’re in the market for a rock-solid, easy-to-handle pair of 15s that will help you find more game and be more successful on your hunt, these binos are just what the OPTIC DOCTOR ordered!