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Posted: 9/17/2013 3:04:32 PM EDT
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Shopping for a Optic for my LMT 308 MWS and the two that I have looked through at a local store was the Leupold VX-R 4-12x50 & Vortex Viper PST 4-16x50. The glass looked pretty clear on both & couldn't see a difference between the two. This was during day light though. I did feel like I had a better field of view through the VX-R compared to the PST. I also like the Fire Dot on the VX-R for some reason. This rifle & optic set-up will be used for hunting & some target shooting.
Have any of you fellas had any experience with either of these optics? If so, please share your thoughts on them. I have read nothing but great things about the PST line but haven't read up on the VX-R. |
| You had a better field of view through the VX-R because it was 12 power compared to a 16 power of the Vortex,The more power the less field of view, ill bet they were pretty much the same at 4 power,unless one had a larger ocular. You would more than likely be happy with either one, there both beautiful scopes in every way. |
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Quoted:
I had the same debate a few months back in the 1-4x models. I went with the VX-R and couldn't be happier. Me to...I felt that the Vortex was better built and would hold up better over rough conditions but I wasn't going to use my scope in rough conditions...the Leupy was lighter. I would give the push to Vortex on the glass at least as far as I could tell images outdoors in both sunny and overcast conditions looked to my eyes, to be a tad sharper...I preferred the simple German #4 firedot with capped turrets as I like the more simple reticle and the small illuminated dot concept. Cost,Light Wt ,and Reticle went to Luepold Cost,Glass and toughness went to Vortex Warranty I would give to Vortex but all I have to do is drive 40 miles right to their door and they are very friendly and welcome walk-ins all day long... You cant beat that at any price... If I lived far away and had to ship back and forth....I dunno I know Vortex warranty is the best in the business And I have heard good things about Leupy's CS but have not had to avail myself of it as of yet. |
| The field of view I was referring to was at the 4 power on both. While looking through the Vortex it was crystal clear but didn't really care for the large thick black circle you see on the outside. Not sure if you guys understand what I mean by that. I didn't see that black circle looking through the Leupold. |
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I have no experience w those 2 scopes. I have a leupold mark 6 1-6 and a vortex pst 1-4.
Im prefer the vortex and im a long time leupold user. Something about leupold scopes and their eyebox is goofy w me. The vortex is faster to get on target for me. If they ever make a 1-6 w the seme reticle as their 1-4 id sell my mark 6. Vortex's 1-6 now is just too heavy for my taste. |
| i went to BPS this week and looked at the vxr 3-9x50, zeiss terra 3-9x50, and the vortext viper hs 2.5-10x44 and decide i am going to get the vortex. It will be used for a 308 bolt gun so illumiantion is not needed for hunting. at 399 you cant beat the price the good thing about the vortex is it is a 30mm whereas the tube zeiss and leupolds were 1 inch tubes. the glass on the zeiss was best but not by much over the vortex and for 150 dollars more i like the idea of the 30mm tube and the price over the other two. |
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I really want to like the vortex scopes (especially the 1-6 razor hd, damn I like that scope), but I can't get over the weight. I don't know about this particular model but I don't like strapping two pounds+ of scope and mount to my rifle. If it was only bench rest, sure.
I have been going with leupold on my last 2 purchases. I am planning another leupold in the next year but I am waiting to see if anything new comes out at shot show. |
| I think if I was looking for an optic for precision shooting out long range then the Vortex would be better for me. But for hunting & target shooting I like the idea of the Fire Dot on the VX-R. I'm going to stop by the local gun store & check them both out again. |
| I'll take Leupold anyday. I have a difficult time convincing myself to try a Vortex on the pretext that their customer service is good. As far as I'm concerned, Vortex's CS has a good rep because it's used so often to repair or replace defective scopes. I own a dozen Leupold's and over the span of two decades have NEVER needed to use the company's customer service.....to me, that's outstanding. |
| My dad recently got a Vortex Diamond back 4-12x40 with their BDC reticle. I really like it. Super clear. He mounted it on an M700 Mt rife in .30-06 and ended up shooting an elk with it last fall. I own two Vortex scopes myself. The 1-4x24 and a Viper 6.5-20x50. I am very happy with both of them. I have compared my Viper with a Leupold Mk4 long range scope. Clarity on both were about the same. I did like the reticle better on the Leupold. |
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Quoted:
For shooting between 25-300 yards would you fellas recommend a 3-9 or 4-12 power? How precise do you need to be? How bad are your eyes? How precise can your equipment be - you, the rifle, and ammo? I wouldn't have a problem hitting anything bigger than a large rabbit at 300yds on 3x with a decent rifle and ammo. |
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Quoted:
I really want to like the vortex scopes (especially the 1-6 razor hd, damn I like that scope), but I can't get over the weight. I don't know about this particular model but I don't like strapping two pounds+ of scope and mount to my rifle. If it was only bench rest, sure. I have been going with leupold on my last 2 purchases. I am planning another leupold in the next year but I am waiting to see if anything new comes out at shot show. I'm not sure if you've handled the Vortex PST line, but they're quite the opposite to the Razor HD you mentioned. The Razor is gorgeous with killer glass, but crazy heavy. The PST line is actually incredibly light compared to the competition. I for one have grown into a huge Vortex PST fan. I've got their 1-4x, 2.5-10x FFP and 6-24x FFP. As someone else also mentioned, if Vortex released a PST 1-6x with the same reticle in their 1-4x, I'd frankly not even consider a Leupold Mark 6 1-6x over it - I'm that impressed with the Vortex PST line. They frankly do need to release a PST 1-6x badly. Their Razor HD Gen 2 1-6x is an incredible optic, but way too heavy. |
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I just purchased a Leupold VX-R Patrol 3-9x40 and am quite satisfied with it. It has the fire dot and the TMR reticle, which I like very much. It sits on a Spikes Tactical M4 upper AR15 in a LaRue QD mount. I consider it to be ideal out to 300-400 yards. It weighs 15 ounces.
I have a question for the Vortex crowd: How long has that company been in business? I know its optics are getting great reviews (at least the mid and upper scale models) and it is reportedly giving good customer service . . . now. One of the reasons I lean toward Leupold is that I am 63 years old and have a reasonably large collection of various scopes from different manufacturers, including Leupold, Nikon, "real" Weaver, "real" Redfield, Pentax, Rochester made B&L, Burris. Bushnell and even Tasco. I recently had an issue with the eyepiece on a 35 year old Leupold 2x7 scope. It would no longer bring the reticle into sharp focus. I am the original registered owner. I contacted them and was given instructions on how to return the scope. They repaired the scope. Free of charge, after all these years, and quite a bit of heavy field use by me, including some hard bumps and more than a little visible wear and tear. I paid to ship but they paid the return shipping. They didn't just repair it, they completely remanufactured the scope. It looks like brand new. Good customer service today may not translate into good customer service decades later. I know there is no guarantee Leupold will be here in another 35 years, if I live that long and have a problem then with the Patrol. But, if I were a betting man, I'd put my money on Leupold to still be around and to still honor their lifetime warranty. That's just me, though. And while it is not a deal breaker for me (see list of scopes I've purchased above), it does not escape my notice that while Leupold and Vortex are both American owned, my Leupold scopes are made and assembled in the US, which helps us with our economic problems and high unemployment. |
| I have not used the pst line but do have one of the 1x6 razors and can tell you it is built like a tank. The glass is extremely good. I don't notice the weight on my sbr but I guess some might. As to what someone else was saying the only reason vortex's customer service is so good is because you have to use it all the time, I would tell you that is not the the reason. When you can send your scope in and get it back within a week, that is why customer service is considered good. If you lay out a cool grand or more on a scope and it goes tits up, it is nice to know you will get it or another one back to use in a very short period of time. Try that with any other company. Any manufactured item can have a problem but having a company stand behind the product is what counts. |
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Quoted: I'll take Leupold anyday. I have a difficult time convincing myself to try a Vortex on the pretext that their customer service is good. As far as I'm concerned, Vortex's CS has a good rep because it's used so often to repair or replace defective scopes. I own a dozen Leupold's and over the span of two decades have NEVER needed to use the company's customer service.....to me, that's outstanding. The only time good customer service is bad is when someone gets their feelings hurt over a thread on the internet. Your experience is anecdotal, and I can tell you that leupolds do fail. |
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