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Currently I'm looking at getting a new scope on my 7mm rem mag. I want to do it right the first time and get something that will stay on there, however price tag plays a massive factor. I'm considering other brands as well such as a nightforce nxs or Ziess v6, however I'm liking the look of the Leupold's currently. What are peoples opinions on the vx5hd 3-15x56 vs the vx6hd 3-18x50? Is the price difference worth it?
What range do you want to shoot out to and do you want to dial for windage or are you happy to hold over?
Eventually I want to stretch the legs of the gun and will be reloading by then also. However 90% of the time it will be between 200 and 600. And I'd be happy enough to hold for wind, but may be worth having the option for the future?
I wouldn't go with a 56mm objective, too big and heavy. I had a 4.5-14x40 with a fine crosshair on my 7mm mag. It worked well out to 650ish yards.
If you have the cash go for the VX6, if your budget won't geet you there the VX5 will be fine.
Don't hold for wind unless the crosshair has horizontal markers like the windplex reticle.
Shawn Carlock (check him out Long range guru from the states) says to always dial for the wind. Check out this article https://www.longrangehunting.com/art...g-the-wind.22/
I use VX5 and find them a great scope I've also had z5 but I like the VX5 better which has a better eye relief and better dial up.
I've never had a vx6 so I can't comment on them.
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Got a 3-18 VX6HD with 50mm obj.lens. Allows me to shoot at distance when and if I need to. If you go to 56mm you'll have to think carefully about ring height (for the scope,not yours),and remember if you go higher than 18X your field of view decreases dramatically. On the hill, this means it can often be hard to find the animal in the scope, and at say 20X and above, your recoil wont allow you to see whether you've dropped the animal or not because your sight picture is so small
VX5hd + bells and whistles = Vx6hd.
You have to ask yourself if the bells and whistles are worth the extra.
Firedot is a great "extra".
I found that a vx5 3 to 15 by 44 was fine on small goats out to 650 yards. I wouldn't shoot that far while hunting if too windy just to be ethical, target shooting is different of course.
If budget is a factor then you seriously can’t go wrong with a VX5 3-15x44. Mine is the windplex reticle and it’s my favourite scope.
I have a Sig Whiskey 5 3-15x52 that is halfway between the two but obviously not a leupold. It has illumination. A reticle with vertical and horizontal hashs in Moa. A zero stop locking Turret that locks the same way as the leupolds with a button. It also has the leveling feature from the VX6HD that puts up a little light to tell you your chanting the rifle to the right or the left. Except the VX6 does it for 2degree of level whereas the Sig will do it for either 1 degree off or 0.5 degrees off. It is very useful not having to check a bubble level. The entire reticle will illuminate. Worth a look. Mine is the newer one in black not grey. It also has a lifetime warranty which I used and this one is now brand new. I'm in two minds whether I keep it and build a new long range rifle or whether I sell it new. I did just buy another bow so am thinking I don't need it. I sold my old VX5HD and replaced it with the sig which I liked more as it has more elevation available for the Turret as its got 25ish moa a turn and isnt limited to 2 turns. I then sold the long range rifle and all my other rifles except for 2 in NZ and one in the USA. I now run 2 Vx3i 3.5-10s and a Z5 3.5-18x44. The VX3is are animal accurate way out there. I took a whitetail at 650yards in the US through one shoulder that spun him around and put the second shot through the same spot on the other shoulder. I found the Sightron S3ss 6-24 I had to be too much zoom and the exposed unlocked turrets caught me once and then I didn't trust using it hunting. Was a great target scope though.
A few things to consider in the price difference, if you haven't already. VX-6 come with allumina flip up caps, illuminated level plex reticle and zero lock windage. If you're going to buy VX-5 Fire Dot, then fit after market caps(which never fit all that well) and a bubble level(which can add bulk to your set up) the VX-6 with the extra 3x starts to look pretty good, if you've got the budget.Quote:
Originally Posted by Hunting7mm
If moneys tight, VX-5 with Wind Plex
Thanks for all the info, just wondering where does the non hd vx6 3-18x44 come into play? How does this compare to the rest.
For hunting I would go vx5hd 3-15x44 firedot. I had one and really liked it, but sold the rifle it was on and wouldn’t fit my other rifles unless I removed the rear open sight. You can still dial for windage if you remove the cap and dial is resettable to zero
Im in the same boat. Looking at VX5 to upgrade my 3-9 freedom. All my friends with both the 5 and 6 say The 6 is alot more coin for not much more features.
They all love the firedot. I would prefer mil so i see they have released a VX5 with mil turrets, unsure if its got the firedot as an option tho.
Just to throw a spanner in the works the other scope i want to try is the Z5 swaroski, They just released a Z5i (illuminated) 3.5 to 18. But it is 44 Objective lenses so might not be what you are after. Its a tad more the the VX5. But ill have to wait and see what the prices are for both the new scopes.
Have considered the z5 3-18x44 as that is in the same price bracket but moved away as it's only a 25mm tube?
Reason why I'm not sure on the vx5hd 3-15x44 is only the 15x zoom compared the the vx6's 18. And only being 44mm lens is it lacking somewhat for those longer shots? I'm not worried about weight therefore going to a 50 or 56mm lens isnt a worry in that perspective.
Weight wise I think you are right but I am not a big fan of large scopes and I found the VX5 and 6 bigger than they need to be. The 25mm Swarovski has decent glass and will piss over anything up to where you may feel confident shooting given field time and safety consideration.
I’m looking for a Z5 soon to top a new rifle.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Hunting7mm
Everyone has different reasons for wanting different things.
Yeah its only 25mm tube That doesnt bother me. It limits the amount of adjustment tho compared to the VX5. With the zero lock turret you are limited to two full turns anyway ~38 moa i think. Im waiting on getting my hands on a Z5 to see how their turret works.
15x zoom should be more than enough magnification for deer sized animals as far away as you can accurately shoot to kill one.
A larger objective lens will (theoretically) give you better light gathering in low light conditions but I doubt if it would be significant enough to make a difference in normal hunting situations. Firedot will.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Hunting7mm
I wouldnt call 44mm lacking for longer shots we get to caught up in shit now days i did just as well at 500yrds with a 16" .308 with a 3-9x40 vx2 on it moving foward from that i had a 5-25x50 hd5 25mm tube which was still capable of 900odd yrds with one turn which only ever got used on 18 max shoots from 40yrds to 1100yds then a 4.5-18x44 lrhs bushnell thats 30mm tube which im now selling in place of a hd5 due to the fact i dont think I need 18 power and illumination etc. But that is my preference i find the high magnifications straining on my eyes see if you can look threw a few at different ranges etc any of your mates have either?
The front objective diameter effects how much light the scope will “pull” rather than effecting how far you can shoot
Glass wise vx5/6 and z5 are all bloody good. They all have their pros and cons. For me the zl2 turret by leupold is better than anything the z5 offers. I personally think value for money the vx5 is hard to beat. I think 15x zoom is plenty and if you miss a shot chances are there are other factors that affected shot placement more so than the zoom ie wind. You wont be underscoped with either.
I have a VX-5HD Firedot Plex. I think the Firedot is worth the extra money although admittedly I didn't care about it when I was looking to buy the scope. When I got it in hand though I loved it.
As far as holdovers e.g winplex and all the other reticles - I don't really see the point with a SFP hunting scope as it only works at one magnification so limits their use?
The one feature I would love my VX-5HD to have that the VX-6HD has is the windage ZL2 Locking turret but I just can't justify the massive price difference on that alone.
I've used a heap of Weaver scopes over the years, excellent scope for the money. And as I got older I listened to a wise mate of mine and now have a few Kahles, excellent scopes, full stop. But about 18 months ago I had the opportunity to buy a VX5 3-15x44, windplex. Put it on a custom rifle I had been building for a few years. For me the VX5 is exceptional value for a top of the line scope, I cant afford a VX6. It is clear, excellent eye releif, great in low light, suits my rifle nicely for size, not too big. And realistically all the hunting I do with it I dont even dial, can shoot a deer out to 300-350 by sighting in 3" high @ 100, just like we have done for years. Am hoping to buy a VX5 2-10 non dial scope for another hunting rifle I am putting together, more than enough scope for this old hunter.
I have been looking at optics for a .30/06 build in progress. Looking at the 2-10 VX5. Was on the vortex site and see a new high end dedicated hunting scope Razor HD Lht. Is is very close in specs and price to the 3-15x44 VX.
Any real world experience out there with this scope?
Personally I prefer the 44 mm objective to a 50 as you can often go to a lower mount and may not need a stock pack.
No real world from me but eager to here if its glass is better being a hunting scope always a precise scope but poor glass i thoughtQuote:
Originally Posted by Dicko