Thread: Vortex Scopes

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  1. #1
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    Vortex Scopes

    Ok I am in the market for a scope for my new rifle and have an opportunity to purchase Vortex scopes for 40% off retail. Looking for feedback on which models to go with...

    Viper PST gen II
    Viper HS-T
    Crossfire II
    Diamond Back
    Diamond Back Tactical
    Razor LHT
    Venom

  2. Moderator Fishysam's Avatar
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    #2
    What are you looking to do with it? What is the magnification you thinking of? Do you want first focal plane?

    im planning on getting a viper pst gen 2 in 5-25 first focal plane. For a long range setup to dial and have accurate hold overs.

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    #3
    I would skip the Crossfire II and start with the Diamond Back and work up according to needs and budget.
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    #4
    Quote Originally Posted by 1Holeshot View Post
    I would skip the Crossfire II and start with the Diamond Back and work up according to needs and budget.
    ^ ditto!!!
    Only Vortex scope I’ve sent back was a Crossfire II (reticle rotated inside the scope) ……. shortly after, the replacement scope did the same thing ….. and it too went back.

    I’ve never had a problem out of a Diamondback, Viper HSLR, Viper PST, or Sparc.
    '09 Ranger Z520 Silverado Edition / '09 Evinrude ETEC 250 HO
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    #5
    Quote Originally Posted by Fishysam View Post
    What are you looking to do with it? What is the magnification you thinking of? Do you want first focal plane?

    im planning on getting a viper pst gen 2 in 5-25 first focal plane. For a long range setup to dial and have accurate hold overs.
    About the same use case for me, some deer hunting but mostly longer range shooting. Something to put on my new Weatherby Vanguard Series 2 in .308 Win caliber.

  6. Moderator Fishysam's Avatar
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    #6
    Well I want the clean look of the pst2 vs the gen one, but there are sales to be had on the gen one. The hst had my vote till I saw it was .5 moa vs 1/4. https://www.scheels.com/p/vortex-vip...start=23&sz=23 well I don't see any online sale of gen 1 but looks like many of the scopes have a 100$ electronic gift card involved

    id definitely get a first focal plane scope moa/mil your pick but I'll be on moa since all my other scopes are. I'm in the 5/25 voom idea so when conditions are right you can aim small miss small and other times you have better definition on say 18 power as a 4/18 power since that is then maxed out vs 70%.

    vortex has a great podcast about optics to guns to hunting and adventures I would definitely look and listen to a few while you drive down the road it's been crazy what I have learned so far and I'm sure I can't remember all of.
    Last edited by Fishysam; 10-25-2021 at 10:52 AM.
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    #7
    I've got a FFP Viper PST 6/24 EBR-2C on a RPR Creedmoor. It's GREAT for daytime use, playing long range or prairie dog hunts ....... it SUX as a deer hunting scope. The last 30minutes of daylight and it's worthless. You zoom out because of failing light and the reticle gets tiny at 6x. You illuminate the reticle and it typically blinds you when trying to look at a deer at 100yds.

    YMMV.
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    #8
    Quote Originally Posted by Ranger391v View Post
    I've got a FFP Viper PST 6/24 EBR-2C on a RPR Creedmoor. It's GREAT for daytime use, playing long range or prairie dog hunts ....... it SUX as a deer hunting scope. The last 30minutes of daylight and it's worthless. You zoom out because of failing light and the reticle gets tiny at 6x. You illuminate the reticle and it typically blinds you when trying to look at a deer at 100yds.

    YMMV.
    -391v
    Definitely a true statement. This is because the first focal plane scope the recital is always the same size in "moa" so if your on 24/25 it's actually missing some of the markings on the bottom out side edges then on power 5/6 it is very small and close together.

    but a second focal plane scope the rectical stays the same on all zoom levels. That's why they are probably a better deer pusher scope. But not quite as good at giving you the shooter additional information when shooting long range in a steady hold position.
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    #9
    Thats a relatively light weight hunting rifle in a standard short action caliber, so to me thats much more of a deer hunting rifle than a “long range” rifle. To me, a long range rifle is 12-20+ pounds and in a pretty flat shooting cartridge, either for practical precision rifle games or western hunting where shots can be intentionally taken longer than necessary. .308 can be pushed out past 1000 yds but theres a reason its considered an 800m round. The rifle is also relatively light, and unless you’re hand loading, any kind of volume shooting like you might do at a practical precision rifle match or similar, is going to beat the snot out of you (it does me). With medium to longer range (300-800yd) plinking and hunting in mind, I would put the best 3-15ish power second focal plane scope on it I could afford. Of the ones you mentioned the razor lht 3-15 would be my personal choice. I would not put any first focal plane scope on a rifle like that— I think every first focal plane scope I’ve ever looked through outside of maybe some of the low power tactical models, the reticle is much too fine at lower power to see, especially in the woods, and a rifle like that where I hunt is going to be on lowest power 90% of the time. If you hunt mainly from a box blind or something like that your mileage might vary, but thats been my experience anyway.
    The other thing you’ll find is that with any of the higher power scopes, you’ll still spend most of your time in the mid-range, so for instance a 5-25 power scope will spend 90% of its lifetime between 10 and 15 power or somewhere in that range. That’s because optically the scopes are not as good at highest power, and you lose so much field of view it’s very difficult to pick up targets at maximum power. For anyone using the reticle for holdovers, which would be for rapidly moving between different distances and guaging corrections on follow-up shots without having to re-dial for each shot, this is why having a first focal plane scope is critical (a sfp scope the reticle graduations are generally calibrated only for highest power). If this isn’t you, then I suspect a second focal plane scope with a cleaner reticle will be much more utilitarian, And you’ll get a lot more scope for the money as well.