Vortex Viper HS-T or Diamondback Tactical?

BlazerOne

BlazerOne

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Hi!

I hesitate between 2 scopes:

Vortex Viper HS-T 6-24x50 SFP VMR-1 MOA
or
Vortex Diamondback Tactical 6-24x50 FFP EBR-2C MOA

According to a site I found, the 2 differences are the reticle and the first vs second focal plane ...

I currently have a Diamondback tactical 4-12x50 that I love, but that I find limited in terms of power, hence the 24x.

As for FFP vs SFP, I have never tried SFP, but it seems to be more and more the norm for long distance shooting. Right now, I'm shooting at 100 yards, so my scope is doing the job, but eventually, I want to increase the distance.

If you have suggestions from other brands (I saw the Nikon X1000, among others), I am interested.
Only point: I prefer the turrets which adjust directly (without having to unscrew a "cap").

Thank you in advance! :)
 
They make a 4-16 ffp diamondback.
I have a 6-24 ffp DB on a 22lr CZ 457. Glass is OK, but to my eyes my HS is slightly clearer. The HST has a zero stop, the diamondbacks do not.
For the same budget as a hst you could also look at Athlon. Jerry @ Mystic gives them alot of praise, and it sounds like the mid-range ones have solid internals if you want to dial the turrets.
 
Bile said:
from what i see "Diamondback tactical 4-12x50" is sfp. I think you got your ffp/sfp backward.

Depending on what you're doing.... no ill just say sfp is waste of time if you're gonna use your power ring. don't even bother. FFP makes your reticle work on any power setting. The other does not. After years of experience on f-class, prs, sfp always screws up shooters when they have to use the power ring to deal with fog, mirage, rapid shots and whatever else. That being said, the diamondback ffp doesn't have a zero stop and no way to tell where you are on the turret. So, from those options you mentioned and for the purpose of what you're trying to do, I'd do neither.

Unless you're talking 300M as "long range" and in, either will do.
Click to expand...

You are right, I mixed FFP and SFP in my post. From the answers I got from another forum, I've settled over FFP.

Now, I had poor comments on the Vortex Diamondback as an FFP. Users were recommending Nikon hands down.

So, now I'm thinking if I should be waiting a bit longer and get a a Vortex Viper HS LR 6-24x50 FFP Riflescope XLR MOA, or go with a Nikon FX1000...

Speaking of distance, I'd like to go 1Km "one day" ;-) But for now, I think I have a lot of practice to do, in order to master all the fundamentals...
 
Unholysavage said:
They make a 4-16 ffp diamondback.
I have a 6-24 ffp DB on a 22lr CZ 457. Glass is OK, but to my eyes my HS is slightly clearer. The HST has a zero stop, the diamondbacks do not.
For the same budget as a hst you could also look at Athlon. Jerry @ Mystic gives them alot of praise, and it sounds like the mid-range ones have solid internals if you want to dial the turrets.
Click to expand...


I had never heard of Athlon before today. I saw it in a few "best scopes" lists.

I'll definitely check those to compare with the 2 models I'm thinking of (FX1000 vs the Viper PST)...
 
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The Diamondback Tactical is a very good value for an entry level FFP scope. If I recall I paid around $400 and change when on sale at Cabelas.

I have had it a year on a R700 SPS Tactical. Tracks well, glass is pretty good, holds zero perfectly, and seems rugged enough. Turrets are a little mushy but clicks are both audible and tactile. Mine is a 30 mm tube and 4-16 I believe.

Glass on the HST appeared crisper when I compared them at a LGS before purchasing and I have heard it is quite a bit better - I do not own an HST so cannot comment first hand.

YMMV
 
The HST is essentially a stripped down budget version of a gen 1 PST. I have the 4-16 in MRAD and find it decent for the money. The glass is pretty good, turrets are pretty good etc. The reticle is ok, I would prefer if elevation holds were numbered every 2 mil but it's not a big deal since I prefer to dial elevation and hold for wind. The SFP is a drawback in some respects but a benefit when shooting for groups. Essentially it's an oldschool setup with nicer glass and matched reticle/turrets. Good for load development and general plinking at distance. If competition or atleast taking PRS style shooting serious I would look at other options. Namely FFP, a reticle that works for you and of course always buy the best you can afford. Good scopes aren't cheap and cheap scopes aren't good.
 
Markit said:
The Diamondback Tactical is a very good value for an entry level FFP scope. If I recall I paid around $400 and change when on sale at Cabelas.

I have had it a year on a R700 SPS Tactical. Tracks well, glass is pretty good, holds zero perfectly, and seems rugged enough. Turrets are a little mushy but clicks are both audible and tactile. Mine is a 30 mm tube and 4-16 I believe.

Glass on the HST appeared crisper when I compared them at a LGS before purchasing and I have heard it is quite a bit better - I do not own an HST so cannot comment first hand.

YMMV
Click to expand...

Glass is GREAT in Both my HST's jmo RJ
 
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supernova said:
Good scopes aren't cheap and cheap scopes aren't good.
Click to expand...

That is what I'm reading almost everywhere (by the way: good way to summarized it)!

Here's what I can say about what I'm looking for right now:

Exposed turrets (no caps);
FFP;
Zero stop;
Max magn. 24X minimum;
Parallax turret;
1500$ + tx max
Usage: mid to long range shooting, mounted on a .308.

The Diamondback still seem a good value, but based on what you said and what I've read, I'm now more thinking of waiting a bit more and get a better scope (thus the 1500$ price tag above). And the feedback I got on a French forum was that the parallax adjustment wasn't good (...?).

Here's what I'm looking at right now:

Vortex Viper PST Gen II 5-25x50 FFP EBR-7C MOA --> Then I'd be sticking to a company I know.
Athlon Ares BTR GEN2 4.5-27×50 APLR3 FFP IR MOA HD --> I didn't knew the company before digging more to search, but I don't find many reviews...
Nikon BLACK FX1000 6-24x50SF Illuminated FX-MOA --> I just found out that Nikon is quitting the scope market, so that one is pretty much out of my list :-(

Kinda sad that I can't compare these having them in hands in a store. That makes you guys comments / experience sharing priceless! :)
 
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Kinda sad that I can't compare these having them in hands in a store. That makes you guys comments / experience sharing priceless! :)[/QUOTE]

Nothing beats looking thru them to compare. Everyone's eyes are different.
 
Of those 3 I'd lean towards the PST. But I'd wait till spring to see if Bushnell does the 30% rebate they've been doing and grab a DMR ii Pro or DMR ii I. The Pro has ED glass and the I has illumination. With the rebate they will be within your price range. My DMR iiI has much better glass than my HS-T especially in low light. I imagine the Pro must be noticeably better than that.
 
I was in the same boat as you, but wanted to keep it under $1000 with tax. I ended up buying an Athlon Argos 6-24 gen 2. I haven't shot it yet, but looking through it on the rifle I think it will do what I want nicely. My local range has targets out to 800m, and I'd like to be able to shoot that far once I get back into shooting and knock the rust off. The higher end Athlon scopes are supposed to have even better glass.
Kristian
 
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