Vortex Review Thread

how does that crossfire compare to the viper from the 6-12x magnification range?

im trying to decide if i can get away with the $100 one for target shooting or save up $250 for the discounted viper.

I've never used a laser bore sighter on an AR, but this method flat WORKS!! I do it all the time when I swap scopes out on my AR. 

Good call, Scott!

 

You at Ft Sill?? 

So now, I'm thinking about purchasing a Viper 2-7 with the C3 reticle. For those that have this scope or have a shot gun similar to mine; would the Viper 2-7 be a good choice for me?

 

+1 can't go wrong with that combo.

 

Of course I couldn't resist trying one out at $169 when they still had the BDC version available.  Without comparing head-to-head against another scope, my initial thoughts were it was an amazing scope for the money.  After a thorough comparison a couple months later against a 20 year old Vari-X III in 2.5-8x36 my thoughts have changed considerably.

 

The construction of the Vortex, the feel of the adjustments, eye relief, the resettable turrets and the finish all are top notch.

 

The image of the Leupold was certainly better; definitely better contrast and slightly better resolution.  The Vortex did have a slight amount of blur at the very edges, but this is not a deal breaker and not really noticeable unless you're looking for it.  In a low powered hunting configuration I found the reticle of the Viper to be too fine for quick acquisition, but certainly usable.

 

The surprise factor was FOV.  Even though the technical specifications of the Viper beat the Leupold on paper, the reality is, the Leupy at 2.5x had a pretty significant FOV advantage over the Viper set at 2x. I couldn't believe this was true and I did test that over and over.  Set at equal magnification, the Leupold had better FOV AND more magnification.  Go figure.

 

I think the Viper does suffer from tunnel vision.  My explanation of tunnel vision is that the Viper image took up about 70% of my eye's total sight picture, while the Leupold took up almost all of my site picture.  This is difficult to explain, another attempt at an explanation is that the image of the Leupold simply looks bigger and fills more of my eye image.  I believe this is the reason the Leupold has a better FOV and seemed to offer more magnification when set identically to the Viper.

 

Both scopes had acceptable "eye box" position.  That is to say neither scope suffered if my head moved slightly up/down, left/right.  This is something I'm sensitive to and reason enough by itself to get rid of a scope.  Some scopes I've used (Nikon Monarch's) quickly gray out with the slightest head movement, then quickly blink out with more movement.

 

With regards to turrets and the design of the mag ring the Vortex is better.  Both scopes are about the same size and weigh about the same.  The Leupold at the same size/weight, with better FOV, better magnification, better reticle and slightly better image is the clear winner.  I did not get as far as testing light gathering ability as dawn/dusk.  But it's been my experience that better contrast usually lends itself to better light gathering.

 

For the price, the Vortex is completely acceptable, just not as good as a scope costing more than twice the price, but that's to be expected.  Now I know it's not fair to compare these two scopes with such a large discrepancy in price, but I've read too many reviews where the Viper is as good or better than the VX III's.  Comparing my individual scopes, I did not find that to be the case, and I do believe my Viper is defective.  In fact, being the picky person I am, the Viper shipped out yesterday to a new owner and only cost me a $20 loss over what I paid.  I picked up the Leupold used in this comparison, used but excellent condition for $200.

 

If I were on a budget and had to choose between both scopes at NIB pricing, I would take the Vortex.