Range day with new Vortex scope

[The Annoyed Man]

Abraham, don't read this post. It will just irritate you.

I bought my first Vortex riflescope recently and mounted it on the DMR rifle that I recently finished building. Previously, I had a 4x32 ACOG on it, and I do love that optic. But beyond 100 yards, I just couldn't tell if I was hitting the target or not for lack of magnification. So I've decided to build an M4 upper and mount the ACOG on that, and in the meantime I picked up a new Vortex scope for the DMR.

I got the 4-16x50 Viper PST MRAD/FFP - http://www.vortexoptics.com/product/vor ... ad-reticle - $899 at Cabelas, and mounted it in a BOBRO Precision mount i had laying around.

Last Friday, a friend invited me along out to TacPro as the guest of a member there, and so we got to go to the 1000 yard range. We didn't shoot at that distance (I don't have that kind of skill yet), but we did start by zeroing at 300 yards, then moving back to 400 yards, and finally spent the rest of the day at the 500 yard line. That is the furthest I've shot an AR15.

Here is the rifle:


We were shooting at at 2/3 scale steel IPSC target, which is 11.8" wide and 19.7" tall, including the "head". The COM area is about 11" x 14".

Here is the view of the berm from the 500 yard line.


It was about 99º at the hottest part of the day, with an average wind of 9.9 mph, gusting between 4 mph and 23 mph from 30º behind us. As the day heated up, the wind got worse. After getting on target at 300 with American Eagle 55 grain FMJ, I switched to Hornady Superformance 75 grain BTHP match, and Nolser 77 grain OTM. The Nosler load did not do that well in my rifle, but the Hornady, which was considerably hotter, performed superbly. I don't think that 2 grains of bullet weight in very similar bullets accounts for the difference. I think that the rifle likes higher velocity ammo; but we're going to find out for sure when my son and I go test a bunch of loads we loaded up at different powder levels.

Since we were shooting at steel from distance under gusty windy conditions, I have no clue what kind of groups this rifle/scope combination is capable of. But, the scope made it very easy to manage the conditions, and I was able to get on target fairly quickly, despite the conditions. The adjustments were positive, the glass was very clear, and the (illuminated) MRAD reticle was very easy to see zoomed out, while not being too heavy and obscuring the target when zoomed in. Also, the Vortex PST doesn't weigh as much as some scopes in the class, which makes the rifle less top heavy. So far, I am extremely happy with this purchase, and it was a very good choice for this particular rifle.

I'm not sure that you can get another scope this nice with these features for this price. Can you get a better scope? Yes, you can, but not at that price point......and you can certainly overpay for a scope just because of the brand name. I've posted a number of times about my fondness for the SWFA line of scopes in terms of price for features. I've bought two and still have one......a 5-20x50HD that is mounted on my Remington 700. But the SWFA scope I was looking at before running across this vortex was a new model, a 3-15x50 for $799. It's $100 cheaper, but the reticle doesn't illuminate. The difference in magnification isn't enough to matter. The SWFA scopes are very rugged, but that ruggedness comes at the price of weight. I don't know if the Vortex is as rugged as the SWFA, and i have no intention of testing it to failure to find out, but Vortex's customer service is legendary, so I'm not too worried about it.

On my next outing, I'm going to pick the choice handload, zero the rifle at 100 yards with that load, and then install the zero-stop shims. When I have the chance to shoot for groups, I have a feeling that this combo is going to perform nicely. I would highly recommend the Vortex 4-16x50 Viper PST to anyone looking for a nicely priced mid-to-long range riflescope of the tactical variety......particulary the FFP version. It is available with either a MRAD or MOA reticle, with either version having turret adjustments to match the reticle. The MRAD version has .1 mil clicks.

If you're looking for a good scope in this magnification range with these features, give the Vortex Viper PST a good long look. I'm very pleased with mine.

[Sidro]

Thanks Tam for the report, I have been looking at that particular scope.

[ripnbst]

In the precision shooting community Vortex is widely loved for its value.

[johncanfield]

If you're looking for a good scope in this magnification range with these features, give the Vortex Viper PST a good long look. I'm very pleased with mine.

SWFA, Vortex Viper PST and Trijicon AccuPoint were on my short list when scope shopping. Couldn't get an SWFA with a lighted reticule - they were on BO with no ETA. Then it was down to the Viper and Trijicon. I chose the Trijicon because of the 56mm objective (2.5-10x56) for low light shooting. It's a great scope with very bright glass but I wish it had more magnification for longer distance shooting.

Thanks for the range report!

[The Annoyed Man]

If you're looking for a good scope in this magnification range with these features, give the Vortex Viper PST a good long look. I'm very pleased with mine.

SWFA, Vortex Viper PST and Trijicon AccuPoint were on my short list when scope shopping. Couldn't get an SWFA with a lighted reticule - they were on BO with no ETA. Then it was down to the Viper and Trijicon. I chose the Trijicon because of the 56mm objective (2.5-10x56) for low light shooting. It's a great scope with very bright glass but I wish it had more magnification for longer distance shooting.

Thanks for the range report!

John, the SWFA scopes are manufactured in Japan, in the same factory that manufactures Bushnell's and other makers' scopes. They are very nice scopes for the price, competing favorably with more expensive scopes feature to feature, but it is true that SWFA have had backorder issues in the past. It once took me the better part of a year to get delivery a throw-lever I ordered for the magnification ring on my 5-20x50HD.

Trijicon scopes are simply superb in terms of quality and clarity of glass. My ACOG has arguably the clearest glass of all my scopes, and it is heck-for-strong rugged. BUT..... it has very short eye-relief, so it took some getting used-to for me to accommodate to shooting from a completely collapsed stock. But those are fairly minor complaints as I do love that optic.

However, although I like the different reticles offered in the ACOG line, and the mil-dot reticle in their "hunting" scopes seems OK, I don't get either the single post reticle with the triangle at the top, or the duplex with the single dot in the middle. Some reticles give you too much information, and they are too "busy" for a lot of shooters (some of the Horus reticles come to mind); and some reticles don't give you enough information....like those two Trijicon reticles. I realize that this is simply my own personal prejudices being expressed, but I like a reticle that gives you some BDC information, and if possible, a means of ranging the target using the subtensions on the reticle.

The ACOG reticle does both those things very well, and I'm not sure why Trijicon didn't incorporate some of those capabilities into their traditional riflescope reticles. Maybe my preferences are in the minority, and they're just catering to the predominant market demands? Could be. I still prefer some kind of tactical milling reticle with adjustment clicks that match the reticle's subtension lines. I've gotten kind of used to mil/mil/mil scopes (mil reticle with .1 mil elevation and .1 mil windage adjustments), but I could probably adapt easily to an moa/moa/moa scope. I don't have a lot of use for scopes with mil reticles and moa knobs.....too much math involved.....even though that was "by the book" for decades in sniping doctrine. The only two Trijicons that give you that in any of their lineup are the TARS101 and TARS103 scopes, either of which costs over $4,000. Interestingly, the reticle on the TARS103 looks like a ripoff of the SWFA designed reticle in their HD scope lineup:
TARS reticle:

SFWA reticle:


Incidentally, here is the reticle for the Viper PST I bought:

[markthenewf]

I concurr: The SWFA scopes are quite nice but are sometimes not the easiest to find. I had a 10x fixed MILDOT on an AR10 rifle and it worked great.

[Reds45ACP]

I have a Vortex Crossfire II on my Savage .30-06 deer rifle. It's fantastic. TAM, you nailed it on the head with the statement that the quality for the $ is what wins here. Looking at $400-$500 scopes will get you the same quality as a $300 Vortex. Plus, with that warranty it's hard to beat.

[Pawpaw]

I have a Viper PST 6-24x50 FFP with the EBR-1 (MOA) Reticle on my Ruger American .308.

It's an awesome scope on a surprisingly accurate rifle. If I get a precision .308 sommeday, I'll move the Viper to it.

Put the Switchview throw lever on it. It's like the cherry on top!

[The Annoyed Man]

Put the Switchview throw lever on it. It's like the cherry on top!

I ordered one from Amazon 3 days ago, and when it arrived yesterday, it was the wrong size. I sent it back yesterday and ordered the correct one direct from Vortex. It should arrive in a few days.

I put one on my SWFA 5-20X, and now I don't understand why the manufacturers don't just build them onto the scope in the first place.