Which one , Vortex Viper PST 4-16 x50or 6-24 x50

[mtmander]

I have looked at scopes and read many forums for too long and I have decided on the vortex viper pst 4-16 or 6-24. I am not sure what I will use them for , since I just retired and have a lot of plans (dreams). I have done a lot of coyote hunting and some range shooting (under 500 yds).
So I would be interested in any owners of these scopes if they could share what they use them for and are you happy with it.

thanks

 

[westcliffe01]

Unless you specifically need the under 6x magnification, I would get the 6-24. I have both and feel I would have done better not to get the 4-16 but get another 6-24 instead. A lot of the shorter range weapons we use to hunt deer (muzzle loader and rifled shotgun) have 6x fixed magnification scopes on them and I have never thought I had too much magnification, even when I shot a doe at 10 yards.

With the FFP reticle in particular, it is too small to read at 4x whereas I can read mine at 6x. That may or may not be a factor for you. The reticle lines are also thinner on the 6x24 than on the 4-16 (only on the FFP scope).

 

[BearDog]

I would tend to agree with westcliffe. If you are going to be doing more bench rest shooting, and extending your ranges past 500, then I think you are going to enjoy having a the 6x24. I have the 6x24 because i alpine hunt, and I will commonly have long distance shot opportunities, and like having the extra magnification. I however am one who likes SFP scopes. I either hunt with the scope cranked all the way up, or all the way down. If it is in a situation where the scope is all the way down, im not worried about ranging things, or a drastic point of impact change, because i am sneaking through the timber, and those things are up close and personal. I guess you have to really ask yourself what your expectations for the gun are. I think a 4x16 is a great choice for that +/- 500 yard hunting range, especially if you are going to be doing a bit of walking. If your style is to do a lot of glassing, and want to extend your bench rest range, go with the 6x24.

 

[Broz]

I have installed a few of the PST 6-24's in SFP and worked with them trough sight in and drop tests. I like the scope but really have a hard time with the eye box on 24X. Crank it down below 20x and the problem goes away. For this reason I will recommend you go with a 4~16. The other day I had the pleasure of looking through a 6~24 PST FFP. I turned it down all the way to 6x. The reticle is very hard to see and using the sub-tensions would be impossible. So while looking through the scope on a bush a 100 or so yards away, I started cranking up the FFP magnification ring until I felt the reticle was at a usable size. Then I looked at the magnification selector and it was on 12 X. All I will say is you won't find me owning a 6-24 PST in FFP.

As for top end power needed, Well I just returned from shooting with MontanaMarine. He shot, and hit within 1/2 moa of center, a rock at 1721 yards. Since he is use to lower power scopes and like the added field of view, he made this shot on 12x on a 25 X SPF scope. I have shot to 1200 yards on many occasions with scopes 16 X and less. If more power is there I always use it, but for sure a 16x scope is not at a dis-advantage at these distances.

Jeff

 

[albertakid]

I don't know if you have already bought your scope, but you might want to look at the 4x16 viper hs with the xlr reticle or the 6-24 for that matter basically the same scope as the pst the only diffrences being a non-illuminated reticle and capped windage turret. The reticle is much finer than the pst reticle and works at all powers being usuable from 8-24. In my opionon the reticle is awesome for long range hunting and shooting.

 

[gamehawker]

I would choose the 6-24x50.

 

[emn83]

I have a 6-24, and it is a great scope. That said, If I was shooting strictly under 500 yards, I'd get a 4-16. When I'm shooting out past 500, especially when I shoot competition, that extra power is nice to have. However, as Broz mentioned, the eye-box at 24X is very finicky, it does take some practice getting used to it to the point where it is easy to get proper alignment.

 

[westcliffe01]

The exit pupil at 24x is the same size it would be with any similar 50mm objective 24 power scope. If he gets the FFP PST, he can dial it down to 22x or 20x and his reticle is still calibrated and perfectly legible. If one wants a bigger exit pupil at those high magnifications, a bigger primary objective is needed, or one will be sacrificing field of view as is the case of the extended eye relief scopes.

 

[Kurt]

I don't know if you have already bought your scope, but you might want to look at the 4x16 viper hs with the xlr reticle or the 6-24 for that matter basically the same scope as the pst the only diffrences being a non-illuminated reticle and capped windage turret. The reticle is much finer than the pst reticle and works at all powers being usuable from 8-24. In my opionon the reticle is awesome for long range hunting and shooting.

got the 6-24 with the xlr and on 6 power can use the cross hairs don't know why you would need to use the subtensions on power that low so not really and issue for me. I have found about 18 to be what I shoot the most on the other day it was 14 with how bad the mirage was.

 

[Jon A]

The 6-24 PST is one of my favorite scopes in this price range. I've had two 4-16's that went down the road but I still have the 6-24. A large part of the reason for that is the glass in my 6-24 was dramatically better than the 4-16's. For mainly LR use, the better glass and higher magnification simply made it much more enjoyable to use. Some have said the glass on the more recent 4-16's is improved so I don't know how valid that comparison still is, but that's all I've got at the moment.

I don't feel the 6-24 is that well suited to close range use. The eyebox is a bit picky on 6X, especially when mounted on a 20 MOA base, so if you hunt in the brush a lot the 4-16 is the smarter choice. Actually, for general all around use, especially for non-long range guys, especially if one isn't too picky about glass I'd say the 4-16 is the smarter all around choice. For more open-country hunting, if you do a lot of long range stuff-or even a lot of paper punching at lesser ranges, my choice is easily the 6-24.

Now on the FFP/SFP thing…as somebody who always uses the reticle, if you do intend to use it—even just for wind holds (which I highly recommend)—then I also highly recommend the FFP version. If the eyebox feels a bit tight for you on 24X, you can turn it down to 20X or whatever and concentrate on trying to actually judge the wind and hit your target instead of doing math in your head. There's really no reason anybody would want to try and read the subtensions of the reticle at 6X. The only time you'd use this scope on 6X is at really close range where it serves as nice duplex—point and shoot. With the excellent illumination the reticle is always fast easy to see even in poor light conditions on 6X.

 

[Bodywerks]

If You've Really Done Your Homework You Would Have Read Several Reports Of The Quality Of The 4-16 Glass Being Lower Than That Of The 6-24 Glass. I Speak From Personal Experience. I Could Barrel Decipher Hits On Paper At 100Yards. I Am Not Alone On This. Go With The 6-24 If Clarity Is Important To You - And It Should Be!
Sorry For Capitalizing Every Word...This Site Is Not Android/Swype Friendly :\

 

[MudRunner2005]

Unless you specifically need the under 6x magnification, I would get the 6-24. I have both and feel I would have done better not to get the 4-16 but get another 6-24 instead. A lot of the shorter range weapons we use to hunt deer (muzzle loader and rifled shotgun) have 6x fixed magnification scopes on them and I have never thought I had too much magnification, even when I shot a doe at 10 yards.

With the FFP reticle in particular, it is too small to read at 4x whereas I can read mine at 6x. That may or may not be a factor for you. The reticle lines are also thinner on the 6x24 than on the 4-16 (only on the FFP scope).

I agree! Unless you just need that 4x magnification, I would go with the 6-24x50.