Unfortunately the Vortex brand has become a bit of an internet phenomena, with little substance to back up all the claims. It reminds me of the Mueller APV that all the RFC forum members rave about. At the end of the day a Mueller is a made in China scope and probably worth about the price they pay for it, but it in my opinion is no better than an inexpensive Bushnell.
Vortex has played a bit of a dirty trick. They brought out the Viper and I believe the Diamondback using scopes made in Japan by LOW. Those are good quality scopes from a good manufacturer. However, now they have switched to scopes sourced in the Philippines. Who knows how good those ones are or who is in fact making them.
I believe the Vortex Razor still made by LOW is a very good quality scope, and likely similar in quality to the Sightron III, and Bushnell 6500.
That said the Big Sky is a very good scope and has lots of elevation adjustment (60+ moa), showing that the 30mm tube is just a gimmick and not really necessary.
I have a fairly substantial collection of Vortex products that shows off most of their product lines. Any time you want to see the substance you are more than welcome to try out my gear. Yes I am a believer and a loyal customer, in fact I only own one piece of optics that is not Vortex and that is my Bushnell range finder. I will tell people about all the positive experiences I have had with Vortex, which are many, but I will never say anything bad about a product or brand with which I have no personal experience. That's just bad form, it shows no class.





















































