Vortex Viper PST 6-24x50 focus question

[Idaho]

This scope is supposed to be great for long range shooting. I hunt rock chucks and also find that I'm screwing my present scope down to 4 power to see close up critters. How close does the 6-24 viper focus? With it turned down to 6 power would I be able to see a chuck at 30 feet? Believe it or this happens a lot where I hunt and then I can immediately be looking at a 300 yard shot.

Thanks

[Robinhood]

Parallax is 50 yds to infinity. When I see that I think "short shots are blurry".

[Idaho]

Yes, I see that as well but I'm still wondering if the scope is usable for short ranges when needed.

[Steelhead]

My 6x24 HS-T(pst without illumination)is plenty clear at 50 feet or so

i can look closer tonight if you like.

[Rick_W]

Clarity should not be an issue. Parallax under 50 yds should not be noticeable as long as your focus is properly set (most scopes with fixed parallax are set at ~100 yds).

Field of view on the other hand may be a PIA for small moving targets that close. Vortex lists the field of view at just under 18 ft at 100 yds.

[Idaho]

Perfect. This is what I wanted to know.

[Justin.D]

Perfect. This is what I wanted to know. You may have heard a lot about Athlon already, specifically the Argos BTR FFP 6-24, so if you didnt wanna hear it im sorry for bringing it up, but I just picked one up for 315 bucks shipped to my house and it has 10 yard parallax that is literally super clear within a couple feet of you. The glass on this scope is actually very clear and picks up good light, the parallax is accurate, the reticle is really nice, the construction seems good. My only gripe is the turrets are pretty soft but it holds zero and tracks so I am okay with it. And they have the same warrantee as vortex. You may be only interested in the Viper and thats a great choice I just figured I would let you know about my experience with the Argos so mabye you could consider it as an option if you havent already. For the money I am extremely satisfied.

[Robinhood]

Buddy of mine just bought the Argos. At 100 and 150 the paralax was fine. At 400 we could not get it to adjust withing 2.5 inches.

[Justin.D]

Buddy of mine just bought the Argos. At 100 and 150 the parallax was fine. At 400 we could not get it to adjust withing 2.5 inches. Can you clarify what you mean by that? Your very knowledgeable so I'm sure the diopter was adjusted properly. Tell him to send it in if there is a issue, Athlon takes good care of people from what it seems.

[Idaho]

I sent this question to Vortex and just got an answer;



http://images.powerreviews.com/images_merchants/logos/48422_300048_logo_orig.png


Answer:
“It will be in focus enough to shoot something as close as 10-15 yards.”




Good enough for me.

[Idaho]

Thanks for offering the info on the Athlon scope. I think I will stay with my plan to purchase a Viper.

[Robinhood]

Can you clarify what you mean by that? Your very knowledgeable so I'm sure the diopter was adjusted properly. Tell him to send it in if there is a issue, Athlon takes good care of people from what it seems.

When I begin to use a rifle scope with parallax adjustment, the first thing I do is point the scope at something with few features and light in color such as the sky. I then adjust the diopter until the reticle is sharp and clear. (There are things that help you know when are "on the pipe" when you get some time behind parallax adjustable scopes.) Then I point the scope at a fixed target and adjust the parallax until the reticle no longer moves when I move my head left and right/up and down. Obviously this is done without any influence on the rifle. At this point the target should be in focus or very close requiring only a very minor diopter adjustment. I then find another object at a different range and adjust out parallax using the parallax adjustment/side focus/objective lens(or rear adjustment on a SS fixed power, again looking for reticle movement with head motion. When correct parallax is found, the reticle and the target should be in focus without diopter adjustment.

On the Argos my friend and I could not remove parallax at 400 yards. Focus was never an issue as removing parallax was not possible.


Athlon takes good care of people from what it seems.
Can you clarify what you mean by this? I'm sure you are familiar with what you say, but this is what it seems like what you are saying is their customer service gets a lot of opportunities to fix scopes and/or you are one that has had to use them.

[Justin.D]

Gotcha. You obviously know what your doing with the adjustments, which I had no doubt of. The question was for me to learn.

What I was meaning was of the people that had to send them in, Athlon has made it a priority to get it back in around a week or less, whether it be fixed or a good new one.

I would say yes, their customer service does get some use, but lots of people are buying them. Like vortex, these are Chinese scopes, and one of the easiest ways to cut cost is in QC. I think its worth noting most of the issues are out of the box, not down the road, suggesting they stem from construction not parts quality. (I get all this info from the Athlon Enthusiasts page I follow on facebook) Is this optimal? No, but as a 19 year old college student and the first shooter in my family, a 315 dollar FFP 6-24 scope with a nice reticle, decent construction, nice glass and a no questions asked lifetime warranty fit the budget, and gave me a lot for the money, more so than I think anything else on the market right now delivers.

I guess you could say I may have taken a chance and got lucky to get one that tracks fine and has clear glass and no issues out of the box, but atleast if I didnt I wouldnt be out my money on it. Also, I am not in the minority getting one with no issues. Would I rather had say a Vortex razor or Burris XTR II and be almost 100% certain I would get a perfect scope out of the box? Of course. Can I afford the 3-6 cost right now to get a scope with basically the same features? No. I think the Athlon would probably serve me indefinitely, however I would like to try out things like the Burris when I can afford to. Bottom line is the Athlon has allowed me to go out and shoot at all kinds of distances fairly comfortably, for not much money. And for what its worth, I'm sure even with Sub-MOA groups this scope on my rifle can outperform my abilities by a longshot.

[Idaho]

For the last month I've been going from one store to another laying my hands on as many rifle scopes as possible trying to decide which one I like. Looking for a clear scope with MOA adjustments, illuminated reticle, 4-20 power, exposed turrets. I've checked out several levels of scopes by Vortex, Burris, and Nightforce. So far the clearest has been the Burris. Have not found an XTR II to look through but I really like the looks of the Veracity. That scope is clear at long range and at about 40 feet too. I really want to get my hands on an XTR II.

I found a Burris Razor and was excited. Nice scope. Real monster. That thing is HUGE! The Nightforce scopes are large but not as clear, IMHO, as the Burris. Neither are the Vortex scopes. I know we all see things differently and maybe it is just my eye but the Burris optics are very impressive. Now I'm on a quest to find an XTR.

[Slowpoke Slim]

Gave away a Burris Black Diamond scope a few years ago. Never could get it to adjust parallax or properly focus past 200 yards. Always blurry at high magnification, and would give me headaches with prolonged useage (like on a prairie dog shoot). Had one of my PD buddies try it (second opinion, second set of "eyes", same thing). Sent it in to Burris with a detailed letter of the problems, they had it for 3 months and sent it back saying everything was fine.

Gave it to a friend.

Went with a Nightforce. Night and day difference. This thing is crystal clear when dialed in. Couldn't give me a Burris for free for real long range work now. Short to midrange deer hunting, sure, I have several of them.

Still loving my Viper 6.5-20x50, parallax and focus also crystal clear on that one.

[Idaho]

I started another thread yesterday. I was able to get my hands on a Burris XTR II 4-20x50 with a lighted SCR-MOA reticle and I liked it so much that I bought it. Immediately headed for the range and verified that I made a great choice. Sighted it in at 100 yards with 4 shots then dialed a target at 840 and back to 100 and put a round almost in the same hole as a previous shot on that target. Clear scope up close and tracks great. Nice scope.