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Vortex Viper HS vs Diamondback HP Question

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anowal01 View Drop Down
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    Posted: April/23/2016 at 19:14
Putting glass on a 7mm-08 hunting scope.  No special needs such as "lightest possible for mountain climbing" nor "long range plains shooting".   General purpose woods/deer gun.  I have both a 4-16x44 Viper HS (30mm tube) and a Diamondback HP 3-12x42 (1" tube) sitting here and can't decide which to put on the rifle. 

Both have the V-Plex reticle and I will be sighting the scope for Maximum Point Blank Range out to 250-300 yards or thereabouts.  I would normally consider 4-16 as on the high side/unneeded for my intended purpose.  (Have 2-8 and 3-9 glass on other hunting rifles.)  However, the specs on the scopes are so close...within a .5 oz of weight and on minimum power within 18" of each other for field of view (edge to Diamondback on both as it is the lighter of the two with the slightly larger field of view). I can mount the Diamondback just a bit lower, but the slightly longer Viper HS gives me a little more mounting flexibility regarding eye relief.  The turrets are nicer on the Viper HS, but I don't plan to be dialing.  Set it and forget it.  Only reason I would use is if a significantly longer shot opportunity came along I would likely dial elevation with the V-Plex reticle.

 I really don't have a personal preference on glass/eye box, satisfied with both. 

It seems like while the Viper is a lot of glass for the range/use, I really can't think of a good reason NOT to go with it.   Any additional input for my consideration?  Thanks!
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SVT_Tactical View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote SVT_Tactical Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: April/25/2016 at 09:07

The only reason I think the Diamondback would get the nod from me is the fact you said "woods" gun.  TO me I want the absolute lowest mag I can put on a woods gun. Ive been in situations where a deer may walk out under my stand and with to much power its hard to get a good view.  A 12x on the top end will be more than enough for the 7mm-08 capabilities as well.


I did gather from your post you are scope rich (2 scopes and 1 rifle)  the correct thing to do here is to buy another gun so as the spare scope don't get too lonely.

"Most folks are about as happy as they make their minds up to be" - Abraham Lincoln
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Peddler Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: April/25/2016 at 09:41
Originally posted by SVT_Tactical SVT_Tactical wrote:

The only reason I think the Diamondback would get the nod from me is the fact you said "woods" gun.  TO me I want the absolute lowest mag I can put on a woods gun. Ive been in situations where a deer may walk out under my stand and with to much power its hard to get a good view.  A 12x on the top end will be more than enough for the 7mm-08 capabilities as well.


I did gather from your post you are scope rich (2 scopes and 1 rifle)  the correct thing to do here is to buy another gun so as the spare scope don't get too lonely.



That is a very good recommendation!!!

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supertool73 View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote supertool73 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: April/25/2016 at 11:35
The FOV on that 3-12 diamond back is terrible.  I thought about getting one of those til I read that.  28 feet on 3x leaves a lot to be desired.  The regular Diamond back 3-9x has almost 45 feet FOV.  For a "woods" gun FOV is important IMO, On the low mag there is really no diff FOV wise between your two scopes. 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote SVT_Tactical Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: April/25/2016 at 11:56
Good catch Supertool,  didn't look at the specs.   Flip a coin it sounds like.
"Most folks are about as happy as they make their minds up to be" - Abraham Lincoln
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anowal01 View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote anowal01 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: April/27/2016 at 20:16
Thank you for your replies.  I don't disagree with the point that < 30' FOV at 100 yards on 3x is certainly not on the high side of 3x,  but it would seem most scopes that have decent eye relief (>3.5") have under 35' FOV at 100 yards.  Yes, the Diamondback line (non-HP) does offer excellent FOV numbers, but at the cost of less eye relief.  Having handled both, I'll stick with the HP line.

I have much more experience shooting out in the open, much less experience in the woods.  If 30' at 100 yards isn't enough, what number "should" I be looking at as a starting point for FOV?  I looked at the fixed power Leupy's for comparison and the 3x and 4x don't get above 30'.

Thanks again!
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote supertool73 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: April/27/2016 at 21:06
The guns i use in heavy cover/woods all are under 2x on the bottom end. Just makea things easier.
Lifetime warranty and excellent customer service don't mean a thing when your gun fails during a zombie attack.

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