Vortex PST or Night force SHV...

[Dust270WSM]

Going to buy a new scope for my 7mmMag. Which one one would yall go with. Wanting a scope that I can zero at 200 and dial a custom turret in at 1000 yards or more. Mostly a deer rifle and 600 yards in probably going to be its longest shot. But I wanna take it on a elk hunt some day so I want the capability of being able to shoot 1000 yards or better if needed be. Or even just shooting steel for fun at long ranges.

 

[Tikkamike]

I have owned a PST and looked through a SHV and based on eye relief alone the SHV is worth the extra couple hundred. I am not a fan of the PST

 

[Timber338]

I would have to agree with Mike on this. I have a PST, and the optics at longer ranges are just not up to par with any NF. I own both a 4-16x50 PST and a NF ATACR, and side by side there is no comparison. At 300 yards I can see my bullet holes with the ATACR, and with my PST the thin lines on the home made targets I print out don't show up all that clearly, and not a chance to see the bullet holes. In the SHV I would definitely go with the new 5x20 option over the 4x14. Same goes with a PST for a long range rifle, I would rather have a 6-24x50 over the 4-16x50.

However, the trade off is weight... the SHV is going to be quite a bit heavier than the PST, about a 1/2 pound if I remember correctly. I've shot animals beyond 600 yards with my PST and it definitely gets the job done. So if weight is a factor, it's something to think about. If weight is not a factor, then definitely go SHV if those are the two scopes you are considering. Also, if you have a muzzle brake and want to spot your shots when shooting steel or on a game animal, the better optics are going to give you better clarity to see the impact. Definitely a tradeoff and really comes down with your personal style of hunting and shooting.

Have you considered something like the Leupold VX6 3-18x50mm with CDS? You can get a custom CDS dial and it is also about 3 ounces lighter than the PST. I have looked through the VX6 and I thought the optics were much better than my PST. I am actually considering this VX6 for one of my hunting rifles.

 

[dmj]

Don't mean to hijack this thread. But I too was considering the shv for one of my hunting rifles. The vx6, are they as dependable as the shv. Do they track as well and is the glass better in one or the other?

 

[Tikkamike]

as far as tracking goes the little bit I have messed with my vx6 it tracks very well.

 

[Rogue Hunter]

I have both a PST and a SHV. The SHV is hands down the better scope. Much better optical clarity.

-Mike

 

[kcebcj]

Going to buy a new scope for my 7mmMag. Which one one would yall go with. Wanting a scope that I can zero at 200 and dial a custom turret in at 1000 yards or more. Mostly a deer rifle and 600 yards in probably going to be its longest shot. But I wanna take it on a elk hunt some day so I want the capability of being able to shoot 1000 yards or better if needed be. Or even just shooting steel for fun at long ranges.

Learned a real lesson 3 days ago hunting elk. I use a 4-16 HSLR FFP on a custom 30-06. The rifle is a tack driver off the bench but have never took an animal with the HS. When the day is clear and sunny the scope is great to shoot with...but!

It was raining the fog was in and just breaking daylight. Spotted a bull moving through the timber at the top of the ridge 350-400 yards (know the country well) Swung the rifle up and all I could see was trees and fog and the bull faintly. Had the scope set on 4 power and could not see the reticle. Dropped the rifle down and spun it to about 8 power went back up and crap the bull was gone....no shot.

I upgraded that rifle from a 3.5-10 VX3 with a M1 elevation turret to the HS. With the 2nd focal plane Leupold on the rifle would have scored that bull.

I think the SHV in the 2nd focal plane would be a cat's meow on a hunting rifle where the conditions could get lousy. The downside to that scope is that it does not have a zero stop. Will do some more research but am really looking at the SHV on a working rifle.

 

[livtoohunt]

I have both a PST and a SHV. The SHV is hands down the better scope. Much better optical clarity.

-Mike

+10000! Vortex scopes are like looking through a dirty windshield.

 

[Timber338]

It was raining the fog was in and just breaking daylight. Spotted a bull moving through the timber at the top of the ridge 350-400 yards (know the country well) Swung the rifle up and all I could see was trees and fog and the bull faintly. Had the scope set on 4 power and could not see the reticle. Dropped the rifle down and spun it to about 8 power went back up and crap the bull was gone....no shot.

I upgraded that rifle from a 3.5-10 VX3 with a M1 elevation turret to the HS. With the 2nd focal plane Leupold on the rifle would have scored that bull.

Similar thing happened to me with my ATACR a few weeks ago during my elk hunt. first light in the morning, low 20's, some elk were moving up a through the oaks across the canyon from me, about 500 yards away. I already had my rifle set up in a prone position, flipped up the scope caps, and nothing but fog. It was just too dang cold and the ground I was laying on was wet and just too much humidity near the optics. That was the first time that morning I had opened my scope caps, but they did not help at all. Both the front and rear optic were totally fogged. Those elk never stopped moving so I don't think I would have had a shot either way. But I had to wait for the sun to come up and then warm up my scope before the glass unfogged.

 

[Timber338]

as far as tracking goes the little bit I have messed with my vx6 it tracks very well.

This is good to hear... I think the VX6 would be a slam dunk to save weight on a hunting rifle if it had a better reticle option. Mike, what reticle does your VX6 have? Based on current options, I think I would have to get the fine duplex, but I really want a MOA reticle. The custom shop offers the TS-32X1 MOA for a VX3 scope, but the Leupold customer service said they have no plans to offer this MOA reticle in the VX6 line. I'm still undecided if the VX6 has enough capability for a 1000 yard hunting rifle.

 

[Dust270WSM]

Well sound like from what these guys are all saying that foggy or raining or low light days are not good for Vortex. ...reading all the reviews and a bunch of videos on YouTube all say different but none addressed the low light conditions. So from the sounds of it night force or leupold which I have always been a huge leupold fan are the direction I should go.

 

[Timber338]

Well sound like from what these guys are all saying that foggy or raining or low light days are not good for Vortex. ...reading all the reviews and a bunch of videos on YouTube all say different but none addressed the low light conditions. So from the sounds of it night force or leupold which I have always been a huge leupold fan are the direction I should go.

Actually, maybe I wasn't clear in my post about my scope fogging ... it was my nightforce ATACR that fogged, and it had scope caps... the point being that any scope can fog if the conditions are right. My gun was outside under a tarp all night on a backpack hunt, and all around it was just too cold, the ground was wet and it made for very humid conditions at first light, especially laying down on the ground setting up for a prone shot.

 

[kcebcj]

There wasn't moisture on the inside of the scope was there? I can understand condensation on the lens but no moisture should ever get to the inside under any condition and if it did you have a faulty scope!

 

[Timber338]

There wasn't moisture on the inside of the scope was there? I can understand condensation on the lens but no moisture should ever get to the inside under any condition and if it did you have a faulty scope!

Definitely not any moisture inside the scope. Just on the outside of both the front and rear lens. Overall the ATACR is an amazing scope. My only issue is the weight. It's really just too heavy for a deep country backpack style hunt.