Vortex Razor HD LHT

[Huntsman66]

Does anyone have experience the Vortex Razor HD LHT (4-22 x 50, xlr2), looking for likes and dislikes. Considering this one among others to top a rifle.

Thanks in advance!

 

[Franko21]

Recently bought one. First thing to take into consideration is that this is a 22oz, $1500 scope with all the compromises this brings with it. With that in mind:

1. The elevation turret clicks are a bit mushy but positive
2. The magnification ring is stiff - so much so that I bought a MK Machining throw lever for it
3. Glass is nice and clear; good clarity and contrast. No CA under normal viewing conditions, but my current location is all browns and greens without any snow.
4. Parallax is stiff but not overly
5. Only the cross is illuminated; not the whole tree. I like this.
6. FOV is a little narrow

Overall I like it a lot. FFP, good mag range (I would have preferred a 4-20 but beggars can't be choosers), light, excellent reticle, good illumination, and the price is good. The other scopes I was considering were Tangent Theta 3-15 Hunter, March SFP 1.5-15, and Leupold MK5 3-18. The March didn't fit (too short for a Defiance Anti-X long action), I didn't like the Leupold reticles, and I didn't like the TT reticle as much as the LHT plus it was a lot more money. TT would have been second choice if the LHT wasn't to my liking.

 

[skookum]

There was a recent tracking and durability test on these over on Rokslide. Completely turned me off of them. Granted, it was a small sample ( 1 scope) but I have had problems with losing zero and tracking with every Vortex I have owned so I chose to stay away.

I know you're looking for firsthand experience and i have none, but you might go take a look at it if you're curious. It will be under the long range hunting forum.

 

[Ucsdryder]

There was a recent tracking and durability test on these over on Rokslide. Completely turned me off of them. Granted, it was a small sample ( 1 scope) but I have had problems with losing zero and tracking with every Vortex I have owned so I chose to stay away.

I know you're looking for firsthand experience and i have none, but you might go take a look at it if you're curious. It will be under the long range hunting forum.

I have 2 of the SFP. No issues. I really like them a lot. I don't walk around dropping mine though so maybe if I used it like a mallet I wouldn't like it as much.

 

[skookum]

Yeah, well, some of us drop our rifles from time to time. Sometimes it's on grass sometimes it's on a rock. I like to know mine will survive it if and when I do. The LHT they tested didn't pass a short padded fall in snow.

 

[Ucsdryder]

Yeah, well, some of us drop our rifles from time to time. Sometimes it's on grass sometimes it's on a rock. I like to know mine will survive it if and when I do. The LHT they tested didn't pass a short padded fall in snow.

I killed 3 animals with mine this year, it dropped a few times off its bipod onto its side, call it 10" and once when my wife was "holding" it when I was grabbing my pack to go after the bull I killed. It was resting on the butt pad and fell over, call it 20". Shot my bull 10 minutes later at 575 yards.

If you've watched the way those tests are being done, it's excessive. If you're that guy that beats the hell out of your gear then maybe a 35 ounce nightforce is your jam. Durability is on my list of priorities, but so is weight, clarity, zero stop, locking elevation, etc.

 

[skookum]

Cool man. Glad it worked for you.

 

[Huntsman66]

There was a recent tracking and durability test on these over on Rokslide. Completely turned me off of them. Granted, it was a small sample ( 1 scope) but I have had problems with losing zero and tracking with every Vortex I have owned so I chose to stay away.

I know you're looking for firsthand experience and i have none, but you might go take a look at it if you're curious. It will be under the long range hunting forum.

Thanks i will go take a look at that…. Good to know!

 

[Huntsman66]

Recently bought one. First thing to take into consideration is that this is a 22oz, $1500 scope with all the compromises this brings with it. With that in mind:

1. The elevation turret clicks are a bit mushy but positive
2. The magnification ring is stiff - so much so that I bought a MK Machining throw lever for it
3. Glass is nice and clear; good clarity and contrast. No CA under normal viewing conditions, but my current location is all browns and greens without any snow.
4. Parallax is stiff but not overly
5. Only the cross is illuminated; not the whole tree. I like this.
6. FOV is a little narrow

Overall I like it a lot. FFP, good mag range (I would have preferred a 4-20 but beggars can't be choosers), light, excellent reticle, good illumination, and the price is good. The other scopes I was considering were Tangent Theta 3-15 Hunter, March SFP 1.5-15, and Leupold MK5 3-18. The March didn't fit (too short for a Defiance Anti-X long action), I didn't like the Leupold reticles, and I didn't like the TT reticle as much as the LHT plus it was a lot more money. TT would have been second choice if the LHT wasn't to my liking.

Did you have a problem with the on/off switch for the illumination?

 

[cjs88]

I thought about picking one of these up but went with a Steiner Predator 4. Initial reactions on it for me are positive, haven't got it out to the range yet but everything is nice so far.

 

[7.62 Gunner]

Thanks i will go take a look at that…. Good to know!

When you do check out that lht thread keep in mind that the tester has exhibited exceptional bias with optics over the years. Given many of his posts that I've read he has some really foolish opinions, and I personally don't trust a thing about him or his expertise.
Certainly not enough to sway me one way or the other.
I'm not a Vortex fan boy BTW and have no skin in the game, but with that test I smell a rat

 

[Ucsdryder]

When you do check out that lht thread keep in mind that the tester has exhibited exceptional bias with optics over the years. Given many of his posts that I've read he has some really foolish opinions, and I personally don't trust a thing about him or his expertise.
Certainly not enough to sway me one way or the other.
I'm not a Vortex fan boy BTW and have no skin in the game, but with that test I smell a rat

Lol he lost me when he said it failed when dropped it in the snow from 8". He has his favorites for sure…swfa and bushnell for example. He hates vortex and ZEISS.

 

[7.62 Gunner]

Lol he lost me when he said it failed when dropped it in the snow from 8". He has his favorites for sure…swfa and bushnell for example. He hates vortex and ZEISS.

8" in snow on a soft pad as I recall.
I'm not going to try boosting vortex's tracking/durability record, but I have one heck of a time believing that after years of development and testing they would put out a product that's fragile as eggs.
What really gets me is that a bunch of guys are running around smearing the LHT on multiple forums based on one very questionable drop test

 

[Franko21]

Did you have a problem with the on/off switch for the illumination?

I have not. It feels cheap and isn't nearly as nice as something like Nightforce's illumination button but so far it gets the job done.