Another Vortex thread

[bamadawg2009]

So Im having a new rifle built and Ive made up my mind I want to try a Vortex Scope. Ive been looking at the Vortex Viper PST 6.5-25x50 SFP, but see the new Viper HS 6.5-24 is already out at Optics Planet. Im wondering which would be a better shooting/hunting scope for shots out to 1000 yds. I dont want to spend $1000 for a scope. Ive read extremely good things about the Vortex PST but I just dont know if it will be as good of a hunting scope as the HS, I like the Zero Stop feature of the pst, Ive never used an illuminated reticle for hunting so I dont know much about that. Most of my scope experiences have been Leupold and Nikon, Ive heard people say anything equivalent to the PST in the leupold line would be the MarkIV series and Im not spending that kinda money for a leupold.

Any and all help is welcome.

 

[westcliffe01]

I just (yesterday) got a 6-24x50 FFP MOA reticle (open box) for $830...... Pay once, cry once. And it is at least 1/2 the price of a Leupold if not better. Illumination can be useful for opening day shots at dawn or dusk. For game animals subject to hunting hour restrictions illumination is probably not a deal breaker. If you ever need it as a "homeland defense" rifle, then it may serve you well.

 

[SidecarFlip]

Thats funny.

I have numerous Vortex Vipers in every flavor.

Typically, at high magnification, the eye box becomes touchy and at extreme elevation settings you can see a crescent moon in the ocular which is actually the scope tube inside. No biggie. If you want to get out real far, mount it on a 20 or 30 MOA rail. The illuminated reticle, I leave it off most of the time. If I turn it on, I always forget and kill the battery anyway.

Glass is good and I never had any dirt speck issues with any. I'd say the glass is as good as the Leupold Mark4 line (have one to compare with) but a slight bit less than a NF (borrowed a friends for comparison).

Vortex's all come with a real cheesey scope bra that you might as well landfill and get some Butler Creek flip caps and the Zero stop isn't really a positive stop but rather shim washers under the elevation turret that allows you to go past zero but not so far as to get a full turn. You can actually apply that feature to any scope with shim washers. Novel idea that can be applied universally.

No recoil issues here. I have one a 338, one on a 308, one on a 223 bolt gun and one on a shotgun. All fundtion perfectly.

The Vipers are made in the Philipenes and the lesser models in China somewhere, probably near onehunglow..... In today's market, all in all, a good scope for a decent price. I suspect warranty returns are off to the landfill and ship out a new one.

I'd also consider a Huskemaw. Len sells them on this site. The lower priced Huskemaw is as good as the Viper plus Len can supply you with custom turrets and it's the same guarantee, which, is fast becoming an insdustry standard anyway.

 

[bamadawg2009]

If I can find one when I get the money I might get the PST FFP its only a hundred plus some dollars. It will be on a TPS 20MOA Rail on top of my new 7LRM so Im glad to hear they're not recoil sensitive. I was just wondering if the glass was a s clear as Leuolds and how well they gather light at low light. Sounds like Im getting a PST. My gunsmith has one on his 7LRM so hopefully he already has the drops for the turrets and I can contact Vortex and have a custom turret made.

 

[SidecarFlip]

I'll reinterate... The glass In My Opinion (with a Mark4 and PST Viper side by side on my deck rail), sighting at a house a half mile away, have the same resolution and image quality as far as I can ascertain.

Your experience may be different.

 

[bamadawg2009]

Well Ive made some questionable shooting light shots with my Leupolds before so Ill take your word for it they gather light as well as Loopys do. Everything Ive read on these scopes says the same thing about the crescent shape when its on certain powers, thats no problem to me. Ive also got a 300WSM still being finished at the time too so I might try to pick up a huskemaw when funds allow it, for that project.

 

[SidecarFlip]

Any scope will only allow as much light/image in as the objective diameter will allow, one reason scopes of yesteryear weren't good for early morning, late evening shots. The larger the objective the better low light capabilities a scope has. Look at it like a funnel

 

[bamadawg2009]

Oh yeah I agree 100% Ive always bought the biggest objective I could afford, Ive also had friends wonder why my 40mm burris or leupold was brighter than their 50mm bushnell or simmons, and I tell them you get what you pay for. These are also the same people that are always at the range resighting their rifle or miising deer and wanting to blame the rifle.
Im switching to Vortex because Leupolds prices keep going up and their products keep staying the same while other companies are giving you more options for a lower price and get the same quality.