Thread: Decisions Scope

I'm deer hunter. mostly native and Pines. 10-15% of my time would b or mite be hill tops.. long distance or thermal out to 400m.
currently 7mm08 rifle.

Love the vx5 3-15 44 duplex. fire dot.now selling 2k.
today I looked through th vortex HS 4-16X44.
$1100
I had both today in shop trying to tell the difference between the 2 - what I'm I missing for 1k price difference?

Having owned a HST 4-16 and own multiple leupolds now.

The Vortex in low light isn't bad.

But when you put it up against a VX5. No competition to my eyes. Better FOV and all-round the vx5 in every way makes the extra $900 Retail well worth the investment. With the vx5 set and forget them. Don't worry about it when using it properly and if it you bump it with the usual knocks the leupold will hold zero. My Vortex did not.

I hope this somewhat answers you're query but that's based on my own experience

Firedot is a brilliant feature.

I have several Vortex scopes and the one you looked at. As stated the Vortex is good value for money, don't believe what some people say about there usefulness in lower light conditions, i haven't had a situation were another brand scope of better quality would have been any better. They seem to hold zero well.
I have a VX 5 on my 300 WM and love that one too, yes you do get better glass with the VX5 and they dial well as do the Vortex, for the extra money if you can afford it go for the VX5 but if not Vortex should work for you , both have a good warranty in place.

Vortex is a good price point scope, but you will never regret spending the extra on a VX5, it is a lifetime purchase.

much thanks to all the replies. appreciate the time and intel

Have had a couple of Vortex scopes and found them “ok”, but variable optical quality. Some scopes we’re not optically clear, others were ok. Had one replaced under warranty, the replacement was clear but not as good as Leupy or other brands IMO. Can’t fault the customer service and no question regarding replacement. For price point they’re ok, but plenty others to consider. Don’t limit yourself to Leupy vs Vortex. Sightron, Delta Titanium, older Bushnells (6500 Elite) or Tactical, Zeiss HD5 , Burris Signature all very good options. In my experience these are optically better than Vortex, but I have not looked at new scopes recently so Vortex might have upped their game. The firedot reticle on the leupy VX5 and 6 is excellent as @Shearer has mentioned. If you “only” want to shoot out to 400 yds then a reticle with good hold over graduations will do the job. Also is it mostly bush and a bit of tops hunting don’t rule out 2-10x or 2or3-12x scopes.

I’m a huge fan of the VX5’s, I have two myself. Great glass, light weight, and I really like the zero lock turrets. You don’t have to be worried about bumping them out of place in the hills. I haven’t had any experience with the Vortex, however, if I was in the market for another similar scope, I’d take a close look at the Vortex Razor HD LHT 3-15x42. It’s priced between the Viper and VX5, similar weight and features as the VX5, although I’m not a huge fan of its reticle.

You couldn't give me a vortex with what I have seen and heard myself.
They are half the price of quality optics so you can buy 2 to have one as a spare.
Chances are you would need 3 as two probably away at the same time.
For those of you that own and rate them I would suggest it has been good luck or the very high end models you own.
Seen one not even lasting sighting in last year.
Leupy or something similar price as with optics you only get what you pay for.


Sent from my SM-A025F using Tapatalk

Both Vortex and Leupold offer a range of scopes, going from cheap to expensive. Vortex's line up is more ad hoc and all over the place, with a lot of overlapping price points. Leupold is more linear.

If you want to compare Viper 4-16, compare it to VX3 4.5-14 SF, or VX2 6.5-18. The Leupolds have better glass and are lighter, but have more restricted zoom range and cost more, but they are made in the USA while Vipers are made in the Philippines. To be honest Leupold does not compete in the mid-low end with feature, so you will always find more features on the competitions than Leupold.

The corresponding Vortex scope to VX5HD is the Razor LHT, about $1700, has better dial, better reticle, IR in all models. But VX5 is (subjectively) a hair better imagine quality and (subjectively) better feel to it. The LHT is also very light and is made in Japan. Personally I think the LHT is the most competitive product Vortex has ever released.

I do not believe Vortex offers "good value" in their most of their scopes. The Viper 4-16 is not a bad product but at 1100 it has a lot of stiff competitions. If you want "good value", you could look at Nikko Stirling Diamond 4-16 Long Range, it is $450 and has similar features to the Viper. Most people say the glass is quite good too.

Also look at the Burris HT 3.5-15 for there Money they are pretty dam good

Sent from my CPH2145 using Tapatalk

For that budget cant really go past a swaro Z3, either a 3-9 or 3-10 (technically a 3.3-10)

They come with holdover reticle which will see you out to 400 if needed that 10% of the shots your talking and be great in your normal hunting situation.

Glass on them is pretty bang on including low light,

I personally have a 3-10 with the hold over and had it on my 16inch 308, was shooting tahr at 350-400 with it and then great in the tighter stuff. Also is light weight and no dial to worry about

Originally Posted by Southerner223

For that budget cant really go past a swaro Z3, either a 3-9 or 3-10 (technically a 3.3-10)

They come with holdover reticle which will see you out to 400 if needed that 10% of the shots your talking and be great in your normal hunting situation.

Glass on them is pretty bang on including low light,

I personally have a 3-10 with the hold over and had it on my 16inch 308, was shooting tahr at 350-400 with it and then great in the tighter stuff. Also is light weight and no dial to worry about

I agree with Southerner223, a swaro Z3 is going to be the best scope, even a Z3 4-12 BT if you want a dial. The Leupolds are good and clear but the colour definition is not as good as Swaro and they are heavier and fall over earlier in poor light. The Delta 1.5 -9x45 is a very good scope too

yep, agree Swaro Z3 is a top option if you can find one 2nd hand. Have the Z3 4-12x50 with custom 2 turn moa dial on my short barrel 284. Brilliant clear optics, the 50mm objective really helps in low light and i can dial out to 800+ yards (1800 fps) if needed

Burris Signature is a good alternative to VX5. Meopta's are also extremely good value. Especially the Optika 5 series which you dont get here in NZ