What is your honest opinion on Vortex optics?
- Thread starter Ranger Dave
- Start date
LordEvilPepper
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Under a rusty barge in BC
I currently own
Viper PST FFP 4-16 Mrad mounted on my .338LM
Diamondback BDC 2.5-10 on my P14
Diamondback BDC 3-9 on my XCR-m (probably replace this with a fixed 3 or 4 power, or an elcan specter DR)
Ranger 1000 LRF (although its looking like it grew legs and walked away out of my desk in shacks)
I have owned
Viper PST 2.5-10 MOA
Viper PST FFP 4-16 MOA
SPARK
Strike fire
crossfire 3-9
the only issue I have had was with the 2.5x10 PST, when I sold it and mailed it someone. Something flaked off and stuck to the reticle, the new owner sent it in (I paid shipping) and it was replaced
I used to run leupolds but i was finding the value just wasn't there in the sub $1000 game.
I've been wanting to jump into steiner, but the hunter line lacks the turrets to play with, and they have some serious issues with their new t5xi glass and some engineering whoopsies where the engineers made the dials adjust in military mils but the reticle is in true mils.... and PR says that just not true and its just bad manufacturing why they don't match... on a $3000 scope.
really when it comes down to it, for the price point you get a decent scope with clear optics and decent light transmission.
Anything offering the same features in the price range (bushnell, nikon) is lacking when compared side by side. You can jump into a decent tactical scope without breaking the bank.
however with the %30 price jump in the last few years it's starting to diminish the easy sell. are they still cheaper...yes... but not by much.
Viper PST FFP 4-16 Mrad mounted on my .338LM
Diamondback BDC 2.5-10 on my P14
Diamondback BDC 3-9 on my XCR-m (probably replace this with a fixed 3 or 4 power, or an elcan specter DR)
Ranger 1000 LRF (although its looking like it grew legs and walked away out of my desk in shacks)
I have owned
Viper PST 2.5-10 MOA
Viper PST FFP 4-16 MOA
SPARK
Strike fire
crossfire 3-9
the only issue I have had was with the 2.5x10 PST, when I sold it and mailed it someone. Something flaked off and stuck to the reticle, the new owner sent it in (I paid shipping) and it was replaced
I used to run leupolds but i was finding the value just wasn't there in the sub $1000 game.
I've been wanting to jump into steiner, but the hunter line lacks the turrets to play with, and they have some serious issues with their new t5xi glass and some engineering whoopsies where the engineers made the dials adjust in military mils but the reticle is in true mils.... and PR says that just not true and its just bad manufacturing why they don't match... on a $3000 scope.
really when it comes down to it, for the price point you get a decent scope with clear optics and decent light transmission.
Anything offering the same features in the price range (bushnell, nikon) is lacking when compared side by side. You can jump into a decent tactical scope without breaking the bank.
however with the %30 price jump in the last few years it's starting to diminish the easy sell. are they still cheaper...yes... but not by much.
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I couldn't agree more. I would never buy Vortex again unless it was for a rimfire, but the warranty is the best going.
I have a Viper PST on my .308 and a Strike Eagle on an AR. The PST is a great scope that lives an easy life and performs perfectly. The Strike Eagle is very new, I like the glass but the turret adjustments must be bedded in molasses, no that great but it is a $450.00 scope. The Burris I have on another AR is much nicer in the adjustment department.
Run two vipers, a pst on my target 22-250 6x24 ffp, and an hs 2.5x10 on a 7 rem mag. Also run a crossfire rimfire on a .22, own the diamondback bino's and the rangefinder, and am ordering a razor hdII for my new target rifle.
Also have owned leupolds, tasco's, nikon's and others. I also work part time at a retail store where we sell a lot of brands, and by far the biggest seller is vortex. That being said, ive seen a few come back with some issues; fuzzy optics, cant maintain zero's, interior flakes, etc, but, that is few and far inbetween. If i were to wager, probably for every 250 sold, i hear of a single issue, and thats a rough non scientific guess. Other brands we sell have fewer issues, but we sell very few of them, be it leupold, bushnell, stiener, burris, etc. Once in a while id hear a comment back about a steinier that had to go back, a burris that went blurry or leupold warranty center issues, but they are rare. If all being equal, id say they have about the same failure rate as vortex, again, a non scientific calculated guess. That being said, the more of something that is out there, the more problems you may run across. It works that way for cars, computers and gadgets.
I own them, because they are priced right (and an instore discount helps). And from my personal experience, they work. I havent had a single issue yet to date, and while i dont outright abuse my stuff, they do get used in a variety of environments and conditions. I do believe however, that you get what you pay for. If money was no object, id probably be dabbling in mark 4 and vx6 stuff, but just cant justify the money for the performance just yet. Maybe someday, but not today.
Also have owned leupolds, tasco's, nikon's and others. I also work part time at a retail store where we sell a lot of brands, and by far the biggest seller is vortex. That being said, ive seen a few come back with some issues; fuzzy optics, cant maintain zero's, interior flakes, etc, but, that is few and far inbetween. If i were to wager, probably for every 250 sold, i hear of a single issue, and thats a rough non scientific guess. Other brands we sell have fewer issues, but we sell very few of them, be it leupold, bushnell, stiener, burris, etc. Once in a while id hear a comment back about a steinier that had to go back, a burris that went blurry or leupold warranty center issues, but they are rare. If all being equal, id say they have about the same failure rate as vortex, again, a non scientific calculated guess. That being said, the more of something that is out there, the more problems you may run across. It works that way for cars, computers and gadgets.
I own them, because they are priced right (and an instore discount helps). And from my personal experience, they work. I havent had a single issue yet to date, and while i dont outright abuse my stuff, they do get used in a variety of environments and conditions. I do believe however, that you get what you pay for. If money was no object, id probably be dabbling in mark 4 and vx6 stuff, but just cant justify the money for the performance just yet. Maybe someday, but not today.
In my opinion Vortex optics are decent but for the same money as their Viper PST series I would rather have a Sightron and for the same money as their Razor series I'd rather have a Nightforce.
They have a great warranty but so does Sightron and Nightforce and after owning a couple Vipers a Sightron SIII and a couple Nightforce NXS series, for the money I'll pick Sightron every time unless I'm feeling rich or find a good deal then I'd go with another NF. I would rank Vortex far above Bushnell though, I had an Elite 6500 and was very disappointed with the glass.
Vortex make a pretty good product that has some nice features but I feel Sightron is a better scope for the same money.
They have a great warranty but so does Sightron and Nightforce and after owning a couple Vipers a Sightron SIII and a couple Nightforce NXS series, for the money I'll pick Sightron every time unless I'm feeling rich or find a good deal then I'd go with another NF. I would rank Vortex far above Bushnell though, I had an Elite 6500 and was very disappointed with the glass.
Vortex make a pretty good product that has some nice features but I feel Sightron is a better scope for the same money.
I have a CrossFire 2 3-9 with the ballistic hashmarky thingy and its mounted to a Ruger M77 Mark 1 .300 WinMag that I load out stuffed to the gills and it hasn't let me down. A buddy of mine has a Tikka T3 .338 WinMag and has the DiamondBack 3-9 and it puked on him but we found out that he had severely overtorked the rings and had rolled his quad with the rifle in the box, so the scope got banged up good but Vortex replaced it and it holds up to that gun so I don't have any issues buying another one.
I run a Viper on Sako A7 .300 WSM. I have used it regularly since June 2015, with +/- 200 rds through. I find the clarity and brightness to be excellent, easy to adjust elevation and windage with big knobs / positive adjustment. No issues with use in cold weather / hunting situations. Holds zero so far, adjustment can be shimmed to easily return to zero without counting turns. I have been quite pleased with the scope thus far, comes with a bikini cover and a sun shade I have had no need to use yet.
The A7 came as a combo with a Burris E1 scope, I find the Vortex to be superior in all aspects and a better fit with .300 WSM.
The A7 came as a combo with a Burris E1 scope, I find the Vortex to be superior in all aspects and a better fit with .300 WSM.
i just ran an entire year(owned for 18 months , but only had it installed for a year) on my viper , it started out sitting on a 7mm mag, then got put on the 338 win mag, its performed flawlessly for me the entire time, no issues, love it, and am picking up 3 more before the end of the year for some of my other rifles.
TacticalTeacher
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Georgian Bay, ON
Have TWO Sparc2 units right now. Both on CQB shooters.
The rest of my hunting and LR rigs are all Mark4 scopes. I'm very rough (getting old for bouncing around the coyote winter fields) on my optics (read, falling down while snowshoeing creek beds as I crawl into coyote calling position).
I cannot complain, especially for the price!
Cheers,
Barney
The rest of my hunting and LR rigs are all Mark4 scopes. I'm very rough (getting old for bouncing around the coyote winter fields) on my optics (read, falling down while snowshoeing creek beds as I crawl into coyote calling position).
I cannot complain, especially for the price!
Cheers,
Barney
what do you have for now on your 458?
I had a Viper hst 4-16 on my varmint gun for a couple months there. I wasn't impressed with the image quality and wasn't a huge fan of the reticle thickness either although part of that is the application I was using it for. Had a friend who liked it and wanted to put it on his creedmoor so sold it to him and upgraded to a Zeiss.
One thing I have to say is that the scope tracked very well and the turrets had nice solid clicks. As someone else mentioned though, the slide on the zoom is very sticky(bad enough that a handle is made for it)
One thing I have to say is that the scope tracked very well and the turrets had nice solid clicks. As someone else mentioned though, the slide on the zoom is very sticky(bad enough that a handle is made for it)
