Is US Optics the real deal?

[Sean H]

It looks nice. I looked at the nightforce nx8. Its a 4-32x50 FFP. For about a thousand less. Its looking pretty good to me right now.

 

[raider1v1]

for the above chart, id think it has to do w/ the price vs what you get for those folks. there are lots of competitors but they all cant drop 3k+ on a scope.

what i would look at if you wanted a true top tier would be to actually go look at them and check them out. trying to pick one online is going to be hard. id make a list of your top 5 (im sure they would be similar to what you would get here) and then start off.

 

[5RWill]

ILya recently did a high end tactical review of a lot of 5-25 optic ranging from $4200-2300. I sent him my Kahles in the video and he's right it has a lot of drawbacks for the price it commands. The current best four on the market are as he notes. I will say intermittent mag the Kahles to me is extremely good i could tell no difference between it and the ZP5 i compared it to though the comparison was brief. At 25x the Kahles leaves a lot to be desired. Resolution drops off, FOV is extremely narrow, and DOF is extremely shallow. Though any way you slice it the FOV and DOF are large issues for me with that optic. I have both the K318i and K525i. I just traded the k525i for an ATACR as i've been wanting to try one for some time. End goal for me right now is ZCO or TT. I'd take a ZP5 but am not wild about the turrets at all. Glass and reticle are there though. Then again for what i can get for the k318i i can put an NX8 or 4-16 ATACR on the 223 trainer and have cash to spare to pay on the AMG.

 

[beaver hunter]

ILya recently did a high end tactical review of a lot of 5-25 optic ranging from $4200-2300. I sent him my Kahles in the video and he's right it has a lot of drawbacks for the price it commands. The current best four on the market are as he notes. I will say intermittent mag the Kahles to me is extremely good i could tell no difference between it and the ZP5 i compared it to though the comparison was brief. At 25x the Kahles leaves a lot to be desired. Resolution drops off, FOV is extremely narrow, and DOF is extremely shallow. Though any way you slice it the FOV and DOF are large issues for me with that optic. I have both the K318i and K525i. I just traded the k525i for an ATACR as i've been wanting to try one for some time. End goal for me right now is ZCO or TT. I'd take a ZP5 but am not wild about the turrets at all. Glass and reticle are there though. Then again for what i can get for the k318i i can put an NX8 or 4-16 ATACR on the 223 trainer and have cash to spare to pay on the AMG.

 

[beaver hunter]

I'm also looking for a new scope for my 7 STW , i'm curious why no one is talking about a swarovski , i now have a nightforce varminter 3.5 -15 but the clarity leaves a little to be desired , any recommendations for the best power and also what scope has the best clarity for long range shooting ??

 

[FIGJAM]

I'll be honest and say I've never heard of tangent Theta but I'll definitely check it out

Tangent Theta is the true gold standard in mechanical consistency...you won't find better. But it comes with a price.

 

[Welderboy11972]

Has anyone looked though the Vortex Golden Eagle? I can't find one in store.

 

[PApa Black]

If weight is not a concern, a Gen II razor is a great choice for a long range gun. I run mine to 1,400 yards (furthest target at my range), and I have zero complaints. You can find them new for ~$1,800, and even cheaper for used. I'm sure an S&B or Tangent Theta is technically better, but neither will help me read wind better.

To me it just boils down to budget. If you can afford an S&B/TT/etc., then go for it. If you're taking money that could otherwise go towards other support gear, or more importantly ammo, than don't hold yourself back because you think you need 'alpha' glass.

I just checked Amazon:
Vortex Razor HD Gen II 4.5-27x56mm Riflescope $1499.

 

[TRG65]

20 years or so ago US Optics were very popular at sniper matches. Not so any more. Be careful when comparing eye relief. The only scope that hit me was a US Optics at the Allegheny Sniper Challenge in West Virginia where you had to use their gear. FNH police rifles in .308 Win with US Optics 10x scopes. The eye relief sucked.
In fact I have a friend with a US Optics (don't remember the model) on his .300 WM. He has a callous over his eye brow from being hit so much.

Good luck
Jerry

I shot this match too, if memory serves it was the fall of 2010. I have to go back and check my pictures. That's what convinced me to never buy a US Optics. Rod and John (the match directors) had a great deal on the scope and/or rifle, but after using it for the weekend (and watching others), I didn't buy either and have never regretted that!

I was doing a low light test on some of my scopes the other night. My wife has a Premier Heritage (prior to Tangent Theta) and I have a S&B PMII and on my hunting rifle a Swarovski Z3. We have Vortex and NF on other guns, and I've had Leupold in the past and sold them all off. The S&B beats the Swarovski by only a bit, but those two are heads and shoulders above the rest.

 

[Litehiker]

The new Bushnell XRS II 4.5 - 30 x 50 (30 mm tube) has ED glass and for the street price is just about the best buy for that level of glass and the reticle options.

But, that said I love the SIG Tango6 5 -30 x 56 (34 mm tube)
It has the unique Level-Plex internal, lighted level indicators at each end of the horizontal crosshair. Much better than a bubble level hanging off the scope.
And the Tango6 has great glass and an illuminated reticle. It's heavy but reliable. The glass is not ED glass but very close in quality.

Eric B.
BTW, I consider these two scopes to be above all the upper level Vortex scopes except their top of the line AMG model.

 

[Sean H]

for the above chart, id think it has to do w/ the price vs what you get for those folks. there are lots of competitors but they all cant drop 3k+ on a scope.

what i would look at if you wanted a true top tier would be to actually go look at them and check them out. trying to pick one online is going to be hard. id make a list of your top 5 (im sure they would be similar to what you would get here) and then start off.

I actually have been doing that for awhile. Problem is most stores dont carry really high end scopes. Ive looked through a couple vortex razor gen 2 and a leoupold mark 5 and some night forces. Ive been to alot of shops and I have never seen one carry a schmidt and bender or kahles or any of the really high end stuff. If you have any suggestions please let me know

 

[Tangent]

I just checked Amazon:
Vortex Razor HD Gen II 4.5-27x56mm Riflescope $1499.

You're looking at the 3-18 models for the $1,499 price. Advertised price of the 4.5-27 is $1,999 at most places (unless you want the Horus reticle), but it's not hard to find 10% or more.

Gen2 Razor is not the end-all-be-all, but it won't hold you back from getting hits IME...or at least I've been fine out to 1,400 yards with mine using factory ammo in a 6.5CM.

The more expensive scopes may be better optically, but there's a fair amount of subjectivity/perception there, IME the G2R is on par mechanically with anything out there (simply because this is binary in my mind), but I wouldn't be surprised if the S&B/TT/etc have more refinements in exchange for the higher price tag. In 10 years maybe the coatings on my G2R will crap out where the S&B/TT/etc. will be running strong?

I'm not a Vortex fan boy, and I think we are lucky to be in a time with so many outstanding options. Just my 2 cents from experience with the G2R since the OP directly referenced it.

 

[Sean H]

You're looking at the 3-18 models for the $1,499 price. Advertised price of the 4.5-27 is $1,999 at most places (unless you want the Horus reticle), but it's not hard to find 10% or more.

Gen2 Razor is not the end-all-be-all, but it won't hold you back from getting hits IME...or at least I've been fine out to 1,400 yards with mine using factory ammo in a 6.5CM.

The more expensive scopes may be better optically, but there's a fair amount of subjectivity/perception there, IME the G2R is on par mechanically with anything out there (simply because this is binary in my mind), but I wouldn't be surprised if the S&B/TT/etc have more refinements in exchange for the higher price tag. In 10 years maybe the coatings on my G2R will crap out where the S&B/TT/etc. will be running strong?

I'm not a Vortex fan boy, and I think we are lucky to be in a time with so many outstanding options. Just my 2 cents from experience with the G2R since the OP directly referenced it.

Im looking for the 4.5-27x56 for $1499 and i cant find it. You have a link for that one?

 

[TRG65]

One other thing that I wanted to add. I think my S&B is clearer during the day, but where it really makes a difference is in the low light. When we did the test mentioned in my previous post, my wife got to watch a coyote about 100yds down our walk around. That was about 40-45 minutes after sunset. She said it was still very easy to pick out details and would have been a very dead coyote...if we didn't live in a residential neighborhood.