Vortex Review Thread

I know there are already a lot of threads revolving around the various Vortex scopes but I wanted to start a thread strictly for reviews of newly purchased Vortex scopes. I just received my Viper 6.5-20X44 and I will mount it and test it this weekend. I live in the middle of nowhere and I haven’t got satellite internet yet, so you’ll have to wait until Monday for my review but I would like to have people use this thread for reviews of whichever Vortex scope you recently purchased based on the recent sale on various models. Perhaps we can provide enough feedback to help people with their purchasing decision.

 

So please post your Vortex reviews, pics etc. here to help the undecided’s.

 

Thanks.

I Just received my Viper (6.5-20-44) with plex yesterday and my  mount today so it is sitting atop my AR as we speak and i did get a pic, but will upload this weekend. . first impressions is  it is a good looking scope, i like the turrets and the ability to reset the zero nice audible clicks and  finger friendly.  the turrets do  come preset from Vortex in the center of the windage and elevation settings just  so you know.

Edited by midwestoffroad - August/20/2010 at 22:44

I liked some of the same things you mentioned like the ability to re-zero the turrets, much easier re-zeroing method than the Leatherwood ZRO-LOC system, and the solid audible clicks on the turrets. The glass is the clearest I own but the only time I paid more than $100 for a scope was the $250 Leatherwood CMR so I don't really have any to compare it to. I had a little trouble zeroing because I was using a Bushnell universal laser boresighter and every time I re-inserted the boresighter into the end of the barrel it would be up to 3 inches off at 50 ft so when I shot at my 100 yard target, I had a hard time trying to locate where the POI was. Once I got on paper though, it was a breeze to set knowing that the turrets are 1/4 MOA (1/4" at 100 yards). I think the problem with the Bushnell boresighter is that the tapered end stops at the flash suppressor and not the bore itself; does anyone think a cartridge type boresighter would help with the initial zeroing-in process?

 

One thing for certain, at 20X the Viper 6.5-20 definitely reveals how much you wiggle when your trying to hold the crosshairs on target and it is easy to see the POI on paper, it is certainly a scope that will give me lots of room for improvement, I am looking forward to many years of service out of this scope.

I have a couple of suggestions for you and they are just that "suggestions".  Instead of using bore sighters try taking your upper off of the lower, take your bolt group out and set the upper on something sturdy were it wont shift to easily. Now find something about 50 to 100 yds out to use as a reference point. Point your upper with scope mounted at this point and sight through your bore. Get it as close to the center of the bore as possible. Now keeping the upper very still adjust your scope to this point. You have now bore sighted your gun. This method works better than any boresighter that I have ever used and it doesnt cost a thing. I have been using this way for years and I have literally never been more than 5 inches off.  

Also, you might want to try the cmmg 2-stage triggers. They are fully adjustable and you can get them in the $120-$140. The giesseles are very nice ,but for the price the cmmg's are hard to beat.




Scott 

I am still waiting on my 6.5-20x44 Viper. I cant wait till i get it.

Well guys I just got my new pair of vipers and i went out to make some tests.

I couldn´t fire any bullets from where i was but i mas making some view tests.

I decided to compare my 8.5-25X50 fine duplex VX-III, My 5-20X44 BDC Monarch and my brand new 6.5-20X44 Wide V-Plex Viper and my 6.5-20X50 Target Dot Viper.

For this test i set all my scopes @20x and then @10x even though the leupold could go up to 25x. This was so i had the same conditions on each one.

I was looking at a construction site located @1,000 yds from me, i did this test in late afternoon, about 1 hour before sunset so the light conditions were not the best (that´s what i intended) and the results were the following:

1.- The 6.5-20X50 target dot Viper outstanded every other scope. The image was crystal clear all around the field of view, a little difficult to locate the dot on dark surfaces, but doable. I was thinking about using this scope on my coyote rifle, but after this test a had to look another way. I just think trying to make a quick shot on a moving target with this reticle would not be easy. 

2.- The 6.5-20X44 Wide V-plex Viper had the second best image. In those light conditions you had to really try to notice the difference between the 2 Vipers. Also the image was very crisp and clear. I couldn´t notice any dark ring around the center of the image. The reticle is great, really helps you find the center of the cross but the thin part is really thin. Very eye friendly. I think i will use this scope for my coyote rifle.

3.- Leupold VX-III was good. Not as good as any of the Vipers. I have this scope on my competition rimfire rifle. I have no complains on the scope (except for the price), but the image was not as clear as the one i got from the vipers. You could see a little dark ring ond the edge of the FOV.

4.- 5-20X44 BDC Monarch. This scope looks very nice when you dont have a better comparison, it´s an average scope. The image was very different from the one I got from the other 3 Scopes. It looked like it was a foggy day. You could see the target, but it had this light fog effect that didn´t really helped you appreciate the fine details on the target. the BDC reticle is good, but i think it´s a little bulky compared to the other 3. the horizontal line is extremely wide it only leaves a very small space too place your target at the center of the reticle. Good scope, but I´m selling both my monarchs and replace them with vipers.

I was also very impressed by the construction of the vipers. Even the turret caps are thicker than both leupold and Nikon turret caps. My leupold scope alredy has a dent in one of the caps. The only thing Vortex is missing is a good pair of flip-up caps. They have the ARD flip-up, but a little expensive and I didn´t really liked the construction. I would expect for something like the leupold alumina caps from vortex. I can´t complain about Nikon´s flip-up caps since they are free.

Edited by Prieto9000 - August/23/2010 at 14:51

I had a guy ask me what I thought of the 2-7 Viper vs. a 2-7 Monarch UCC.  Here are my observations/thoughts:

Good info FC. 

I am new to this type of shooting and just received my Viper 6.5-20 X 44.  It will go on a Savage Model 12 22-250.  Probably an even mix of varmit and target shooting so after long discussion with an avid shooter friend who does a lot of both, I chose the target dot reticle. (bonus...it was 120 dollars less than the other reticle types).

qball, actually the one with the vplex reticule was the same price as the target dot. I also debated which reticule to get for varmint and target shooting and thought the vplex with the thin crosshairs was the better choice assuming you have decent eyesight. Just curious, what was the argument your friend gave you to pick the target dot?

Hi 3percenter,

Prieto9000 wrote: 4.- 5-20X44 BDC Monarch. This scope looks very nice when you dont have a better comparison, it´s an average scope. The image was very different from the one I got from the other 3 Scopes. It looked like it was a foggy day. You could see the target, but it had this light fog effect that didn´t really helped you appreciate the fine details on the target. the BDC reticle is good, but i think it´s a little bulky compared to the other 3. the horizontal line is extremely wide it only leaves a very small space too place your target at the center of the reticle. Good scope, but I´m selling both my monarchs and replace them with vipers.

Very interesting that you noticed this too. I took a trip to a local sporting goods retailer to view some Monarchs. I was able to compare Monarchs, Conquests and a few Buckmasters (I own a Buckmaster 4.5-14x 40mm and am very pleased with it).
W/o exception, all of the Nikon Monarchs (3ea 4-16x42mm and 1ea 5-20x 44mm) had that "fog" appear around 14-15x and get worse with more magnification. It wasn't really the typical darkness that accompanies high magnification. Oddly, the Buckmasters didn't have this at 14x. The Monarchs were just a tad brighter than the Buckmasters (larger objective),but the Buckmasters didn't seem to have that "fog". I went with a 6.5-20x 44mm Viper instead of the Monarch 5-20x 44mm that I was planning to get as a consequence of this.
Very weird. I wonder if that's typical for Monarchs or if it's a QC issue? It's odd that the BMs didn't show this issue. My 4.5-14 is very clear.

I didn´t notice that until I made a side by side comparison with my other scopes. I was very happy with my monarch before this.

Made it to the range today with my SPIKES/ DPMS bull 20 topped off with the 6.5-20x44 viper with wide plex.  crystal clear threw the power range.  I had a nice group of 6 shots . thanks to the viper and my JP trigger. I let the kid pop off a few also.

Midwestoffroad, I can watch your avatar for hours.  

WYcoyote wrote: Midwestoffroad, I can watch your avatar for hours.

I wouldnt recommend it because eventually like most women she'll give you a headache. lol

If I can butt in with my review:
Just shot my newly mounted 6.5-20x-44mm Vortex Viper with the Vplex wide reticle today.
It's mounted in Burris XTR x-tra high rings on a heavy barreled AR varmint rig,set in an x bag,with a good sissy bag at the heel of the stock to isolate it from heartbeat and breathing. I shot reloads that I've previously shot under 1"at 100yds.
I set  the scope up for eye relief and best guess for vertical alignment on Saturday ,then took it out today to test my "by eye" alignment job against a line and plumb bob at 50yds. It was well aligned at that mark. That test  with a long straight line also allowed me to note no evidence of any spherical distortion at the edges. No adjustment was made to the mounting other than some slight tightening of the scope rings on a feeler gauge to better center the boresighting. The scope feels very sturdy. It's reminiscent of many of the Bushnell series from the Trophys on up: heavy and solid.
 
Good things:
1. Sight in is very easy with a scope that adjusts correctly every time. 3 shots got me centered at 2" low at 25yds after boresight. I took it out to 100,and was only 1" right and 1/2 high based on my picky 25yd sight in. One shot was good enough for adjustment there. The remaining 4 rounds I fired into a nice .375" ctr to ctr group at 100yds (.599" edge to edge). While I did not shoot the box yet, every adjustment actually adjusted the correct amount without tapping,firing another shot to settle it in,etc.
2. This is the first scope I've encountered in which the parallax numbers appear to match up with the known distance range. Very handy!
3. Optics were bright and clear. No chromatic issues that my eyes could detect,no spherical aberrations in the glass,no odd glare-just good clear glass.
4. Field of view was nice and wide for the magnification (this trades off with eye relief per the below).
5. The eye box was great: slightly superior to my 4.5-14x  Nikon Buckmaster at a higher power setting, and quite difficult to "crescent out" on the edges when parallax is properly adjusted.
6. Eye relief is a bit shorter than on my comparison Buckmaster, and the Nikon Monarch series,but it is VERY consistent. From 6.5 through 20x, there was very,very little difference in eye relief. From a hunting perspective,this is an excellent quality.
7. Zero reset turrets are handy. Not sure yet if I prefer them to the Nikon system with the screws,as I don't anticipate changing zero that often,but I can see where it would be handy.
8 Clicks are solid. Very easy to feel and hear.
9. The reticle is very nice for good detail work. Reticle subtensions are great. I do wish I had a ballistic reticle, but this one was a great deal,and is fine for my needs.

Some negatives/tradeoffs/opportunity costs:
-The focus ring and lack of parallax adjustment below about 40yds made it extremely difficult to focus on a 25yd target above about 9x. Beyond that,no amount of focus and parallax adjustment  combined could get both the reticle and the target in sharp focus.  In that respect,it lacks the advantage held by many AO scopes for close range,high magnification use in rimfire shoots. Bottomline,this is not an optimal scope for those who want to see how tiny they can make their 5 round groups of Eley Tenex at 25yds. Stick to an AO scope for that (the Tasco it's replacing goes down around 50' or so).  For normal centerfire ranges,or for use below 9x or so at very close range,the Viper is great.
-I noted some wobble in the reticle center while adjusting the focus ring throughout its range. This was probably my only item of real concern for my purposes. When I take the rifle out to 300yds,I'm going to shoot comparison groups after adjusting focus throughout the range,in order to determine if this might affect POI. In this initial test,it did not.
-Eye relief might not be the best for a hard recoiling rifle above 300 Win Mag. While it is very consistent,it seemed a bit shorter than my Buckmaster and the Monarchs I've used,as well as my old Japanese Aetec. This is the trade off for a better field of view. It's probably serviceable for most though. As this is more of a varmint scope anyway,I think it's rather moot.

For further review:
I'll test it again at 300yds, and will try dialing in more elevation in at that point. Previous tests adjusted well,but not over a large enough range to really test it well. Shooting the box out at that range may prove deceptive (wind and too much human factor distorting the test),but I may try that as well.
I'll also test this focus issue to see if it's a moot point or not. Shooting a .375" group,I really can't complain.

Hi, great thread going here.  I just purchased a Savage Model 14 Classic (Ruger .204) today off of a well known online gun forum and now I need a scope.  I think I will purchase the Vortex Viper 6.5-20x44mm scope.  I think I would like to use the Burris Signature Zee rings.  However, will the medium height be enough height?  Also what else do I need to mount the scope.  I have never mounted a scope before and I am not sure what is need for the Savage rifle.  Any help would be appreciated.  Thanks

Call SWFA @ 972-SCOPE-IT  and tell them what you have and they will tell you what height.  All you need is the package from talley.  There is a supplied wrench in it. 

Nice pics and write up's gentlemen.

Shot my viper 6.5-20X44 on my savage 30-06 and love it.  The only issue i have is it takes me a while to focus in but thats because I need new contact lenses. I have a 6-24x50 crossfire now too that I dont have anything to put on yet.  First impression are good except it gets fuzzy in the high magnification. I am wondering if that is just because I cant point it at anything far enough away to use the 24x mag. If I take my viper and put it on 20 and then point it at the house across the street even when I adjust the parallax to the yardage its still not really clear. 

Saito,

Does the image get sharp at a different parallax setting? Many of my parallax adjustable scopes are marked well off of the proper parallax setting. I just adjust the parallax to get a sharp, parallax free image for my intended target.

My Viper is not super clear at over 16x either.  Higher magnification really brings out the flaws in glass and the whole optical system.  Having only the 44mm objective will make that even a little worse over the 50mm.

Bitterroot is right about the parallax, mine does not quite line up with the numbers either. 

Bitterroot Bulls wrote: Saito, Does the image get sharp at a different parallax setting? Many of my parallax adjustable scopes are marked well off of the proper parallax setting. I just adjust the parallax to get a sharp, parallax free image for my intended target.