Looked at a Vortex viper today. Must admit the optics looked good. I've read a few threads but I'd like to hear some new updates. How are they performing ? Compare to Leupold ? Other comments ?
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Looked at a Vortex viper today. Must admit the optics looked good. I've read a few threads but I'd like to hear some new updates. How are they performing ? Compare to Leupold ? Other comments ?
They seem to be a great scope. Only downfall is luepold scopes always seem in focus. With vortex you have to adjust the AO to bring everything into focus. This is both good and bad. It reminds you to adjust and remove parallax otherwise I forget
For the record I have an HS tactical 5-15x44 mil/mil
every bit as good as every vx3 I've owned just different as mentioned
I think they are overpriced junk. Everyone raves about their customer service which I will admit is outstanding but I would prefer to buy a product that worked the first time around. I have personally sent back almost every vortex optic I have ever bought for some reason or another. I bought 5 crossfires when they were on sale at swfa for $99. Two of them have survived and have been good for what they are. Three of them had to be sent off for repair to either the turrets not working or the reticle rotating with the power ring or both. I have sent off three Vortex Vipers because of their inability to hold zero or track properly and one Vortex Viper HS that the elevation turret would spin freely and not click. None of these scopes have been on any sort of magnum cartridge or dropped or abused in any way and were mounted securely in Burris Signature Zee Rings. Needless to say I do not trust a vortex optic on anything anymore. They are very nice when they work but in my opinion it will only be a matter of time until you get to sample that awesome customer service they have.
I have had a Viper for about 18 months and it has been on several rifles. Several of my shooting buddies have them as well and none of us have encountered any type of issue with them. The glass is very clear but not quite as good as my Leupold Vari-X 3 Varmint series. The one major thing for me about them though is the eye placement is very critical on them. The Leupold can be thrown up and everything is there. The Viper has to be almost perfectly aligned with your eye and eye relief is relatively short.
I did pick up a Cabela's Euro series recently and I do like it a lot, more than my Viper.
Had a viper hs that the elevation knob went out on. Had a pst that the focus went out on. The customer service was good but would prefer a $500 and $900 scope to work from the box. I do have a sightron siii that has outlasted all these vortex scopes. The glass on the sightron is better as well.
I had two vipers and were pretty happy with them. Tracking and zero was reliable. Clarity left something to be desired but $450 scope in a 6.5-20x50 I don't think I would have gotten much better. Also the eye relief was a bit particular. But if all I had was $450 to spend I would most likely buy another one. I have upgraded to the PST line I have two of the 6-24 and a 1-4 and love them.
Vortex viper hs-t is what I have picked out on SWFA's my wishlist so this is interesting information to hear. Couple weeks and I'll be pulling the trigger on the 4-16x44......so anxious to hear more responses.
I have both the Viper and the Viper PST FFP. Very happy with both, but as mentioned, eye relief is somewhat picky in order to get a full view. I shoot prone exclusively, so it's no big deal for me to get the same cheek weld everytime. Clarity and tracking are spot on. Crosshairs on the FFP do get thick at higher power.
I have 6 of their scopes ranging from the top of the line Razor HD to a little 22 rim fire crossfire scope, and I have been happy with all of them. I also have a pair of the Razor HD binos that I love. The glass is decent at all levels, but becomes noticeably better at the Viper PST level. The Razor HD scope has as good a glass as you will find at that price point. I like their stuff so much I have already ordered the new Razor HD Gen II 4.5-27X56 to go on an ELR gun that I have planned in the future. As mentioned their CS is second to none, luckily I have not had to use it, as everything I have from them has work flawlessly.
I held that Razor at SHOT and man is it heavy! Nice optic though. I agree with this guy, there stuff is great and I've used the Crossfire line up to the Viper PST line. I personally don't own one, I enjoy my Leupold even more.Quote:
Originally Posted by shoalwater
I have 2. the 4-16x50 PST FFP and the 6-24x50 PST FFP. I have not had any issues. These scopes are a fraction of the price you pay for a NF, Leupold, Zeiss, or Steiner. I can't afford to spend $1400+ per scope. Its just not going to happen for me. I paid $900 for the 4-16x50 and $830 for a demo 6-24x50 both FFP.
For the type of shooting that I do (coyotes) the FFP reticle is the right choice for me. I can understand that for someone who is always able to shoot at maximum magnification, the SFP may be a better solution with a thinner reticle. But for me it is very comforting knowing that at any magnification from 4-24 the reticle graduations are always the same angular value and can be used for elevation wind or lead when time potentially does not permit adjustment of the magnification or turrets. Having just a couple of seconds for a shot is very common with coyotes, whereas it is quite different with most herbivores.
If you buy a Leupold for the same money as a Vortex scope, you will be giving up a considerable amount of features that actually work. If the new HS-T 4-16x44 had been available when I bought the last scope, I would probably own 2 of them instead. I very seldom need illumination and that is basically all you give up with the HS-T compared to the PST. For $550, I would like to know what the haters think stacks up to the HS-T. Usually the answer is to spend 3x the money, which I'm afraid is not really an answer at all.
It's funny to hear the hate for Vortex (on a Savage forum). Irony!
I've bounced around in my thinking many times between Leopold, Nikon, Bushnell and Vortex. There isn't another maker that has all the requirements I'm looking for, in my price limit, other than the Vortex. Most of them average $3-$400 more for these same features. And I don't think any of them have the C.S. that Vortex has. Just my observations.
I've had a 4-12 Viper for several years and it has been good for hunting where no range adjustments have been required. Shooting prone at long range steel with a guy who had a Razor, and he was unable to see his misses impact the ground at any magnification. Turned out the eyebox range (relationship of the eye to the scope) was very tight such that upon recoil all focus was lost; sounds like this is a common complaint for a number of guys. Compared to my Bushnell and Weaver Tacs I could not appreciate an improvement in optical quality, and the Razor reticle was very busy. This covers the lower and upper end Vortex, but I have not looked thru mid-range like PST. Nice to have a lot of options to contemplate. So far I really like the new Weaver for the price.
They fixed the eye box problem that was common on the early Razors
LRPut, fwiw, I have 3 Vipers and have had zero problems. Zeroed perfectly and passed the box test. I have all the low to mid range scopes.Quote:
Originally Posted by LRPut
I also am a big fan of the Millets, have a bunch of them including the 35 mm tube monsters.
Ironically, the only 2 scopes I have purchased recently that were big disappointments were the Weaver Kaspa and a new Nikon Monarch. The monarch was so disappointing, I sent it back to the seller. Really nothing 'wrong' with the Nikon. It was just not worth the $450 when it was voted (by my hunting buddies), as being inferior to a Wal-Mart Centerpoint ($70) model......
I always purchase from a seller that will accept returns. ha ha
ron
I noticed that SSS no longer features Vortex on their website.
???
uj
I have a crossfire. Yes it is a low end scope but it is the worst scope I have ever owned. Sent the first scopes 2 back for canted crosshairs and the last one will not hold zero even on a .243 win. I am tempted to get a viper but am really hesitant.
Your right, it is a really really heavy scope, but the gun I plan on building to put it on will end up somewhere around 15+ pounds range. It will be a carry from the truck about 20 yds to shoot steel or doe at ridiculous ranges type gun.Quote:
Originally Posted by 1ShotKing
I've "had" a couple. Good thing they have a great warranty.;)
Common issues you buy the cheap stuff you'll have problems. Same with luepold vx1 series.
I'm curious who's had issues with thier stuff priced over lets say $450. Because for $550 the HS-T seems a better deal than a luepold vx3 in the same price range.
I've never had any issues with my PST. Hasn't lost zero tracks perfectly and is as clear to me a Leupold Mark IV. That's the most expensive scope I can compare it to right now.
That's because of two things.Quote:
Originally Posted by Uncle Jack
1. Every time they went to order something they couldn't get it because it was back-ordered
2. They got tired of getting screwed by Vortex with their special pricing and special deals for certain high volume retailers.
No sense in staying in the game when the game's rigged against you from the start. When you're cost from the manufacturer is higher than the price a select few privileged retailers are selling the same product for you're just wasting your time.
And this from a company that supposedly uses MAP pricing to ensure a fair and level playing field for all their dealers. :stupid:
Trust me, Moe, I understand that well. I used to run a small custom gun shop myself.
uj
I don't know of any optics company that doesn't have both good and so-so products in their line up for the prices quoted. Like anything else thats mechanical, you can have problems. It's how they are solved that counts if it happens.
The bottom line is and always will be the same, what works for my eyes may not work for yours. If you won't go to a store(s) with a lot of optics to look through before you buy, you simply have at best a 50/50 chance of getting what works for your eyes.
If i had to just buy one scope sight unseen i would at least go for one with great customer service. As for one company getting better prices than another, of course they do thats the way business works.
If you sell more you get better pricing, as far as saying "it's fair pricing to everybody" thats something you have take up with them. I can think of one sponsor here that that i had problems with yet am trying again to deal with them.
+1 ^^
Well, I read a bunch about the Viper Vortex (I think that was the model I bought....then sold). I believe it was a 6.5-24X 50mm. Cost was around $750 if memory serves me right. I used it for bench shooting and varmint hunting. I dropped the rifle...a "soft" drop...not a hard one, and was frankly the scope was off when I checked it. Well, I sold it for a small loss ($50) and bought a VX-3 8.5-25 50MM side focus with a Varmint hunter's reticle. I liked it so much I purchased a second one for my .223.
Now, just to be as objective as you can, just go over to Snipers Hide and look at their for sale section. You will find Viper scopes for sale all the time. You will also find members posting "rave reviews" about Vipers. Then, you will not find Leupold VX-3's for sale so easy. Meh. Just saying...
Dave
Dave, I think Vortex has sold a LOT of the Viper scopes. When has there been a waiting list for Leupold scopes in recent memory ?
I do think that when people upgrade the Vortex scopes, they are typically stepping up to the $1200+ scope bracket, more often that not to a NightForce. Often times this involves scaling back on the number of rifles and scopes to perhaps 2 or 3, sometimes just 1 for long range hunting.
I have several Vortex Vipers as well as A dozen or so leupolds, Don't get me wrong the Viper is not a Leupold but neither is the price. My Vipers 6.5x20x50's were about $500.00 My Leupolds in the same power are a $1000.00. My Vipers perform's fine and always have.
Its been my experience when a scope gets bumped off of zero a lot of times its the Base or Rings that malfunction. Its all in how much you want to spend on the optics. I know a lot of people who spend $800.00 on a rifle and $75.00 on optics. I personally would take the cheaper weapon with better then optics than the other way around. But that's just my opinion. What do I know?
Well, when I bought my second VX-3 with the Varmint reticle I had to do some searching and waited about a month before I "found" one. Not a long wait by any means, but not a "click 'n buy" either. OTOH, if people think they are paying $750 for a Vortex and getting a $1,000 scope, their not. They are getting a $750 scope. I think the reason you see Vortex scopes for sale on the secondary market is because after shooting these scopes for 6 months or a year, the shooters want to step up to a $1,000 or better scope. IMHO, save your dollars any get the $1,000 scope right out of the box and then you won't have to attempt to convince yourself you have a $1,000 scope up front only to learn later that you don't.Quote:
Originally Posted by Westcliffe01
Now, that doesn't mean that the Vortex doesn't have a market or a place. It most certainly does. And that market is the $750 scope price point. But, like anything else, you get what you pay for.
MHO
Dave
I guess what it comes down to is what you expect to get for the money spent, i don't expect to get top end quality for a low price, it just doesn't work that way. And after reading these two pages what remains the same to me is that you get what you pay for no matter what brand it is, and what scope works for your eyesight might be junk for mine. Heck i've had $100 centerpoint scopes that were just amazing for my eyes yet when a buddy looked though it, it wasn't any good at all for him.
If i have learned only one thing in the past 50 years of firearms, it's no matter what you buy, always buy it from a company that will stand behind their product no matter what happened.
To the OP, as you can see it's pretty much to each he's own. One person will say this is the best another will say no this one is best. I have had both the inexpensive and now expensive scopes. The one I have now is the Vortex Viper PST which sells for $950+. I've looked through a bunch of different brands and styles including bushnell, Burris, NF, vortex and others. I chose the vortex because it was the one that seemed to be best fit for me and my eyes. Everyone's eyes will see things different through scopes. What works for me may not work for you or anyone else and I'm not gonna say vortex is the best but some may say they suck just because they have something different.
I liked the way the turrets turned and the zero stop and to me the clarity was no different than the $1500+ scopes. Plus the lifetime warranty is a big plus. Hell, I had a BSA 8-32 on a 12fv that shot out to 550y hitting a 8-10in plate just as well as my brothers rem with a NF. I'm the better shooter hehe. Point is get what is best for you, your eyes and the way you plan on using rifle and optics and go shoot the heck out of it. If someone asks why did you but brand x instead of brand y, maybe because they have brand y , tell them why and don't let their bash or banter about brand x get to you.
Just my personal thoughts and observations
I have a vortex viper 4-16x44 with standard duplex. Cameraland ran a special old model bring back deal, for it for $280 I am very pleased, turrets seem solid and repeatable, toolless zero, respectable amount of elevation, clear. But eye relief is short. On a stock pencil barrel 308 heavy load, have to hold rifle very solid or will bump my safety glasses upon firing
The only Vortex scopes I own are the standard Vipers. I own 4 of them. 1 2-7x, 1 4-16x, and 2 6-20x scopes. I also bought 2 more of the 2-7x's as gifts for others. I've had mine for years. I have no complaints, no problems with any of them and clarity or holding zero.
My 2-7x viper sits on my 375 H&H and has taken the pounding of between 200 and 300 full power 300 grain loads. It has never moved zero. I have done several box tests with that scope through that shooting to make sure the mechanical adjustments are holding up, and they are fine. Passes the box test every time. I've never heard of this eye box or eye position problem with the Viper scopes before. Trust me when I tell you that the 375 will let you know if your eye relief is not correct, and it will do so in a big way.
My "test" for acceptable eye relief on any scope that goes on a big kicker is that I have to be able to put my whole width of my hand between the eye piece and the frame of my shooting glasses (think of it almost as you're saluting while looking through the scope). And I can easily do so with this scope.
But setting the eye relief properly when installing the scope is critical. I've seen some very poorly installed scopes, and shortcuts made with the wrong hardware. So it does make me wonder exactly what the real issue is when I read these types of things.
One of my 6-20x50's sits on my 243 Win prairie dog gun. While it's not a kicker, it will pass the same eye relief test. I can clearly see prairie dog sized targets in this scope out to 500-600 yards, which is what I bought this scope to do. I would have to check on my exact round count on that scope, as it's on it's second barrel on that gun, but I can confidently say it is well over 500 rounds, and likely very close to 1000 rounds. Once again, this scope is clear, and it has never gone out mechanically. This scope constantly gets clicked up and down for various distance shooting. And I am highly confident I could pull it out and it would pass another "box test" right now.
My other 6-20x still sits languishing in it's box, waiting for the next project rifle to be built.
My 4-16x Viper sits on my single shot 17 HMR. Yeah, that's right, a rimfire. That rifle is a prairie dog death machine out to 200-250 yards. And that scope probably gets treated the worst of any, the most adjustment range changes back and forth, and it gets carried, bounced around, rides in the seat of the truck, and it gets used as a "walking varminter" more so than the others. Once again, it passes the "box test" anytime I try it.
So there you go, one more anecdotal evidence story on Vortex Viper scopes. I can only speak for six of their scopes (the 2 gift scopes are sitting on deer rifles and still going strong), but they're six scopes that are all good. Six is not much of a sampling to be sure. But neither is one or two here and there, either good or bad. I'm satisfied with mine and would buy them over again today.
Good luck no matter what you decide.
I have a Viper PST 4x16 FFP on my Savage 10 FCP-HS, seems like a decent scope so far. I only have a few hundred .308 rounds down range so far and it is on a 12# rifle so it isn't getting beat to death. I've been happy with it so far. I wanted a Leupold tactical scope but I didn't have the money.
For my Savage 11 build in 7-08, I have a Leupold VX-3 6.5-20x40mm EFR target dot Scope coming my way. I am looking forward to comparing them against each other. One thing I can say about Leupold is I bet they will be still be around when my nephews inherit my guns.
I've only had to send back one scope that was used in its application range. I broke a 1.25x fixed jap tasco after shooting some, over the top, .44 mag loads in my superblackhawk. It lasted a over a decade shooting inside the fence post magnum loads. They replaced it, new scope, a 1.?-4 variable hasn't died yet.
Well I bought the cheapest custom rifle I could find (Savage) and the most expensive scope I could afford (Vortex) and the combo just works. The scope is an excellent piece of craftsmanship. Very good glass but that's not the high point. the high points are reticial, turrets, and parallax. When I run my dope on this gun it is flawless repeatable and consistent. For instance, I had to run two targets in a stage. One at 540 yds. The other was 1020 yds. Had to engage both targets in a 90 sec. drill alternating targets. So I dialed the 540 and held the 1020. I scored 4 hits on the 540 and 2 on the 1020 with 8 shots total. Magazine failure to feed cost me two shots. When a scope can perform like this it ranks pretty high in my book.
The vortex scopes that I have are viper 6.5-20x50 on my .223 and I had a 4-12x40 diamondback on my 270 win which I swapped for a 4-16x50 hs-lr ffp and my 7mm is topped with a 6-24x50 pst sfp
They have all worked flawless for me and I will keep on buying vortex scopes unless something drastically changes