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danjojoUSMC
Optics Journeyman Joined: August/20/2009 Location: NE Ohio Status: Offline Points: 329 |
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http://swfa.com/Vortex-8x25-Solo-Monocular-P10879.aspx
This monocular is actually pretty good and only $49...not the best optical quality obviously but enough that I can see a cat at 80 yards during night time. It's only 5.6 ounces and 378ft. FOV. Always have it in my car with me because it fits anywhere.
The optics are about the same as most $150-$200 binoculars. Tested it to see if it really is rugged and waterproof too and it is
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"When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be"
"Every part of life comes into focus just as you are about to pull the trigger." |
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Idaho Scot
Optics Apprentice Joined: August/16/2005 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 125 |
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Mike McDonald
Optics Journeyman Joined: September/01/2004 Status: Offline Points: 739 |
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Idaho,
Actually it's very user friendly at the low settings. I had no problems with alignment or visibility at the lowest setting.
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338LAPUASLAP
Optics Master Scope Swapper Joined: October/17/2009 Status: Offline Points: 2596 |
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Can you clarify this...
I have heard horrible things about this scope at 16x 18x 20x that it does not work for situational awareness due to poor or just plan unforgiving eye relief. It sounds very contradictory to what you write about...
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No one
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Sparky
Optics Master Extraordinaire Joined: July/15/2007 Location: SD Status: Offline Points: 4569 |
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Tagged for interest.
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Mike McDonald
Optics Journeyman Joined: September/01/2004 Status: Offline Points: 739 |
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338,
I'll be the 1st to admit the targets were not returning fire so my situational needs are diminished compared to yours.
Having said that, let's look at how the scope might be used.
At low power FOV is wide enough to give good viewing of area forward of the shooter, and with near edge to edge clarity 99% of the entire sight picture is fully usable.
So we can use the lower powers,like 5x, to scan the area and pick up things of interest to use. If those things appear real interesting we can step up to 10x for closer exam and have a perfectly servicable 100 yard sighting device while still maintaining excellent forward visual coverage.
Now if we have a partially concealed target we can identify (5X) verify (10X) and validate (15X) as weather conditions allow. With the target confirmed we can concentrate on our final point of aim at 15, 18,20X magnification. At this time we are no longer in scan or search mode so wide FOV is not a requirement. We're going to finalize aim, fire, recycle and if need be, drop the magnification and resume where we started.
As to eye relief, it is usable at longer eye to ocular distances than most other scopes you might have experience with. You're right that I should have been more clear in this regard.
I said to set it forward because I want to be at eather the close or far end of the fully usable eye relief, always found that's the best and most consistant result for me.
Head position change for me was about 1/4 inch from 5x to 20x. Recoil moves me more than that.
At higher magnifications, you're either on the scope or not, which I view as a very good situation. Following the basic, practiced fundamentals of natural point of aim and attendant head position really does make this a non-issue. I mention it so as to be clear, it is possible to mount the rifle so poorly that there is no usable sight picture. It's a training issue, not a scope fault. Again, I view this as a plus, as you know that you have a sight picture, and that you're in the correct head position to take the shot without skewing the sight picture. When mounted on my rifle, I could set the scope to 20x, sling the rifle, and go to prone, aquiring my target and a shootable sight picture with no effort. Again, training issue, not product quality issue. Is this a doorkickers optic? Not by any stretch of the imagination. It is a high end, very long range, low light quality sighting tool.
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0311GRUNT
Optics Apprentice Joined: November/14/2009 Status: Offline Points: 88 |
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shew.......what a response.....your oratory skills as well as knowledge of glass seems quite keen mike.
Celer Silens Mortalis |
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You cant hit what you cant see
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338LAPUASLAP
Optics Master Scope Swapper Joined: October/17/2009 Status: Offline Points: 2596 |
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The person who I had consulted with this is a very well trained individual he said that compared to his other scopes it was unforgiving to say the least which again sounds like a direct contradiction. So I will ask the even simpilar compared to the S&B PMII 5-25x56 at full 25x you believe that the Vortex is better... If so I am sold and will be tickled to say the least. I am told you should know so I sure hope the Vortex will put money in my already broke pockets and then I have a few scopes to trade in at that... |
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Mike McDonald
Optics Journeyman Joined: September/01/2004 Status: Offline Points: 739 |
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You're asking for an answer I can't honestly provide.
I have prone range time behind the S&B, in the order of a couple dozen rounds. That's enough to be impressed with the scope but not enough to give a real, honest head to head eval. I'd love to do a weekend side by side with these and see how things stack up.
You have to admit, the german optic is pretty hot stuff. Way over priced but hot none the less. From what I saw, you can be a few degrees off true center with the S&B and still have a sight picture. That few degrees is a skewed down range impact in most cases.
Sometimes forgiveness isn't always what it's cracked up to be.
The Vortex, as mentioned at 20x is on or off. I'm really Ok with that, espessially when you take the reticle design into account. With the open center area ( about 3 inches at 1000 yards ) the eye is drawn to the center of the reticle, and focuses more presicely on the target to be aquired, at least it does for me.
One other factor that might cause a difference in evaluation. My rifles are fully adjustable in the field for LOP and cheek height, so when I get on the rifle, it's just right each and every time. To me, if you have a rifle that does not do this then you've started the evaluation of any piece of the total product package at a disadvantage. If it does not fit, it does not shoot to potential in my opinion.
If you have doubts, I'd encourage you to spend the money where you feel you will get the most for it. I have no dog in this race, and really don't get paid to sell these products, but I'm willing to put my name on the evals when I do them.
Hope that helps at least to some degree.
Mike Edited by Mike McDonald - December/01/2009 at 07:34 |
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Dale Clifford
Optics Jedi Knight Joined: July/04/2004 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 5087 |
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what ever the s&b gains at the high end, it certainly looses at the low end-at least to me- the one usually universallly unstated disadvantage to hold over reticles, is the need to move the head up and down even though an adjustable comb may provide an ideal optical axis at center of reticle. Whether this is done with a standard dimension mil reticle or one "calibrated" for specific loads. (z1000, one of the vortex). In these instances, the usual descriptive terminologies , such easy to get behind, provides error for off center hits, goes out the window. None the less, some of the scopes around today are amazing (zeiss,premier,etc) in the latitude allowed for this purpose. While not having tested a vortex I have had alot of time behind sb's and don't feel the 25x is what it's cracked up to be.
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338LAPUASLAP
Optics Master Scope Swapper Joined: October/17/2009 Status: Offline Points: 2596 |
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No one
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Dale Clifford
Optics Jedi Knight Joined: July/04/2004 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 5087 |
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kind of waiting on the razor for a year or so, but what mike has to say goes aloooong way. my concern with the razor, and its not just the razor but ffp scopes which have large ranges in their erector, such as the 3x18 ior which is the worst for having something not usable in extremes of the magnification range. with a 6x erector,(or magnification of the cross hair 6x is just too much) but some of the 5x's are almost as bad. 4x seems to a good middle ground, but I can't see how the vortex horus type reticle would be anything but a nightmare at 5x in the extremes of the power range.
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338LAPUASLAP
Optics Master Scope Swapper Joined: October/17/2009 Status: Offline Points: 2596 |
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"I like where your head is at" that is just it... Also the idea of 180 LOS vs. 175 or 185...
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Mike McDonald
Optics Journeyman Joined: September/01/2004 Status: Offline Points: 739 |
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Dale,
Notice I said nothing about the christmas tree?
It don't work.
The scope has enough positive going on that it does not need gimmickery.............although the word does look cool in the post :)
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338LAPUASLAP
Optics Master Scope Swapper Joined: October/17/2009 Status: Offline Points: 2596 |
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DEFINED
Try it... Edited by 338LAPUASLAP - December/06/2009 at 17:51 |
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Dale Clifford
Optics Jedi Knight Joined: July/04/2004 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 5087 |
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338LAPUASLAP
Optics Master Scope Swapper Joined: October/17/2009 Status: Offline Points: 2596 |
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No one
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