All the hype over Vortex scopes

[CptnAwesome]

I've notice there's a lot of hype over Vortex scopes, Mossberg is even offering an upgraded patriot combo with vortex optics. Read a lot of really good reviews here and other places. Also saw a few negative like a YouTube review of a guy who had one fog up, sent it back to them 3 times and problem never really solved. I know every manufacturer will have a defective product her and there. But here is my question,,, for those of you who own Vortex Crossfire II and above (mounted on long action calibers)
1) Do they hold a zero? And I mean set it and your done and you get the same groups every time unless you switch ammo.
2) Are you getting constant sub moa groups (with rifle and load that's capable oh doing so)
3) 3 is a biggie, have you ever hunted with/used it in rain or very cold weather, if so did it fog up at all, inside or outside.
I really want one of these scopes because I like the way they look, and features but refuse to pull the trigger on one until I get some goog feedback here

My other options are Nikon buckmaster II. And if I had to stretch,,, a prostate or leupold rifleman or VX-I

 

[jmr40]

I've had a couple of the mid-grade Diamond Back versions and a pair of their binoculars. I've also read enough reviews online from others who own them to have a pretty good idea.

In my experience the quality of glass and durability is about the same as most any other brand selling at a similar price point. I'd rate the Diamond back as very comparable to the VX-1, Burris FF-II, Nikon Prostaff or the Redfield Revolution. I certainly never had any issues with mine, but don't recall ever getting one wet either. All of these are on the low end of acceptability. I wouldn't recommend one of the Crossfire scopes from Vortex, or any other scope with a MSRP much below $200. Any of the scopes I listed above are decent scopes, get much below that price point and you are asking for trouble.

That said, I sold both of my Vortex scopes. Not because of lack of quality, but I found other features less desirable. It may not be a concern to you, but I didn't like the reticles, adjustment knobs or the view through the scope. Some scopes, including Vortex and Nikon are like looking through a cardboard tube with a large portion of the view obstructed around the edges by a thick black ring. Other brands have a very narrow thin black line that allows you to see almost to the edge. You get a more usable field of view.

The Vortex binoculars however have become my favorites. Very clear and sharp, and they have been used in the rain with no issues.

 

[greyling22]

I've had a viper and a diamondback. The viper is a little better than the db, and I like the db better than the Burris ff2, about the same as a my nitrex scopes. I like the db better than leupold vx1 line, but it is a little bulkier.

 

[Nature Boy]

I own 2 crossfire II's. Had to send one back after a ~200 rounds of .308 fired through my M1A. They ocular end housing came loose. The repaired at no cost in a couple of weeks. other than that, both have good clarity and hold zero. I'd say good value for $250 but I'm done with buying cheap scopes. These will be my last

 

[Moparnut]

I was thinking of purchasing a Vortex just to see if it was a good buy or merely hype. However, I was in Cabelas twoo weeks ago and went through the bargain cave just to see if there were any good buys. They had two shelves of Vortex scopes ( approximately 20) all refurbished. Now I know money is tight and not everyone can afford the latest greatest scope; however, after seeing that Vortex is off my list. I would never down anyone for buying one but, I had to wonder where all those refurbs came from.

 

[dh1633pm]

I own three Vipers, Two Diamondbacks, and one Crossfire. Haven't owned the Crossfire enough to say. All the others have held zero very well. I haven't had the Diamondbacks out in the snow, but I have shot the Viper in below zero weather when I fire sighted it in. Got my first one a couple years ago for Christmas. Had to get it mounted and sighted in.

I use the Vipers on rifles that are more target orientated. They hold zero and I am able to shoot good with them. I worked up a dope for my Remington 700 Milspec and zero'd at 100 yards. I was able to get on the paper easily with that dope at 200 and 300 yards then return to zero at 100 yards. Sorry 600 yard ranges in my neck of the woods are hard to come by. I usually get the mildot reticle so I can do hold over when needed.

I own the number that I do because they work. Because they work I keep going back to the well. I guess if I get a bad one, it will make me wonder. Just that I haven't.

 

[Nature Boy]

I think that's the rub with lower end stuff. It can be hit or miss. No great risk in giving them a try since most of us aren't using them in occupations where your life depends on them. Vortex has a lifetime warranty and good service. If it craps out it is a worst only an inconvenience or maybe a spoiled hunt (that's why I always bring a back up)

 

[Jim Watson]

Vortex sells scopes for $100 to $900 or more.
I figure the cheap ones are cheap.
How are their high end scopes?

 

[malt]

Have a RAZOR HD 5-20X50 FFP MRAD 10 MIL Zero Stop on my Sig sauer ssg 3000. Nice scope for the money, no problem seeing hits at 200yards. Has all the features i need for long range shooting. it´s not as nice as a schmidt and bender pmII ,but it´s god value for the money.

 

[CANNONMAN]

I just got the Viper. $950. I was a professional photographer and have looked through a lot of glass. I've had the fortune to be able to purchase ever nicer objects for my enjoyment of the shooting sports. I made my first Vortex purchase thinking I was after a Leopold or possibly a Nikon. Then I picket up my first Vortex. For the price I believe you cannot beat the features. As far as refurbished items, I would not hesitate. Same warranty. There are a ton of reasons why these items get there. Don't think for a moment that all manufactures go through the same. Suggest you go to a store where there are many scopes in your price range to view. Practice looking through something you already own to make quick adjustments. Your eye will readily start to adjust itself to compensate for a scope out of focus.You may well believe this is a problem with the scope. My Sheffield is a better scope as well are $2K - $3K Leopold's. Anyway, my 2 cents.

 

[CaliCoastie]

Was on the vortex cool-aid, bought a diamondback hd 2-7 terrible looking through it(bought it online) ended up sending it back. Their customer service called and told me it was all within specs, and that particular magnification and eye relief combination was the best in the business and distortion and fisheyeing is not uncommon and part of the package. They sent me the scope back, I sold it and sent an email in to them outlining my experience. That got attention and they have to their credit tried to make amends.

I have a viper pst 2.5-10x32 that has been great, but I have lost a bunch of faith from them. That being said, I would go vortex over Nikon any day, I had issues with vortex, I had Hell from Nikon customer service and well not buy optics from them.

Your eyes through scopes and buy what you can afford. Good luck.

 

[CraigC]

Bought a Strikefire II because I liked the features and the middle of the road price. Liked them enough that I ended up with two more of them. Two on .22's, the other on my AR. I was very pleased with them until the one on the AR died after very little shooting.

As for rifle scopes, for the dollars spent, I'd rather have a well-established brand like Leupold or Burris.

 

[JWH321]

I have two Crossfires. One on an AR and the other on a 30-30. Both have been very good. I have had no problems. Having said that, I must qualify. These ARE my high end scopes. I have a couple of older Japanese Tascos and a couple of old Simmons. Obviously the Vortex is better. But then, one of my Tascos is several years old (15-16) and it's been perfect on an old .270.

Just a thought on the refurbished ones. An acquaintance at the local shop told me that many of the "refurbished" scopes are really just open box units that have gone out and come back - nothing was ever wrong with them. Apparently some of the big box stores get a shipment of them and are told to take markdowns and get rid of them. Sounds logical to me.

 

[surveyor]

1) Do they hold a zero? And I mean set it and your done and you get the same groups every time unless you switch ammo.

In the case of the viper pst I have, yes.

2) Are you getting constant sub moa groups (with rifle and load that's capable oh doing so)

Yes,

3) 3 is a biggie, have you ever hunted with/used it in rain or very cold weather, if so did it fog up at all, inside or outside.

While not hunting, I was shooting steel, and got rained out, popup tent over the truck dumped a couple gallons of water on my rifles.

Packed up. And when I looked at the vortex a couple months late I noticed debris on the reticle, not condensation/fog.

I sent it back to vortex, and 11 days later it was returned with a note, found debris on reticle, scope cleaned, adjustments checked, and purged/ refilled.

I can't ask for better service than that. Yes, I would buy another one.

 

[CptnAwesome]

I'm a sucker for goog customer service!!!!!

 

[CptnAwesome]

Thanx for the feedback guys! Anyone wanna keep it going feel free

 

[kris6600]

I've had my fair share of rifle scopes and was a leuapold guy in the past...until i bought a viper 6-24X50 pst ffp. I have never seen so much clarity for under $2000 and at $950 i couldn't be happier. I shoot with a 100yd zero out to 800yds using my dope. The scope is very repeatable. Since then i have bought a crossfire ii, a strikefire, and a diamondback. I use the diamondback for hunting in michigan and have never had a problem with fog. Even when i got snow on the lens. I've never dealt with their customer service but i have heard great things. I have definitely drank the coolaid.

 

[oldfortyfiveauto]

I've got a little of everything and a lot of Vortex. I've been happy with all the Vortex scopes and binos I have. In fact I replaced the Leupold on my Pdog rifle with a Vortex for the next season.

 

[Driftertank]

The above was shot on a foggy, snowy, 20-degree day in Washington state, with my Rem 700 Long Range 7mm RM fitted with Vortex Viper PST 4-16x50FFP. I zeroed the week before and made no adjustments for conditions. It was shot at 200yds, slow fire, and it was getting pretty dark in the late afternoon. The low shot was due, mostly, to the fact that it was getting too dark to define the center dot clearly, and so i suspect is likely my fault. That said, i miked the group when i got home and, even with the flyer, was right at 1MOA. Without it, it would be a half-moa group.

No fogging, clear image, and pretty consistent point of impact from one rangeday to another, even with a considerable change in conditions.

I'm an unapologetic Vortex fan, but all 4 of my riflescopes are from the Viper range, 3 of them PSTs. Can't really vouch for their lower end products...

 

[gamestalker]

I got sucked into the initial hype that the LGS's were pushing and ended up buying a bunch of their scopes, a couple spotting scopes, and between my self, sons, and wives, we've bought like 5 pairs of glasses.

I like the spotting scopes, they're really pretty decent for the money. They do fog though, not real bad, but it gets annoying sometimes. I rinse them in the field with a bottle of water when needed, and they haven't leaked thus far.

Their glasses are ok, They're pretty clear, but not anything on the order of a good pair of Leupolds. My Dil's 10x42 Vortex needed to be sent in shortly after she bought them, they got knocked out of alignment or something, and they also started leaking just from rinsing them off with a bottle of water, something I've been doing for decades with Leupold's and never had that problem. She also bought a pair of 15x56 Vortex, and even though she wasn't expecting to get the quality of $3k glasses at for $600 or $700, they were some where in that price range, they were a total disappointment, it was like using a pair of $50 glasses from Walmart, total junk. I have a couple old pairs of Leupold's that I absolutely love. One is a pair of very old 10x40's made in the 1970's or early 80's, and they are super bright and crisp, and they don't fog up, they're 100% water proof. Leupold has been great about refurbishing them when ever they've need it, as is Vortex though. The other pair of Leupold's were made in 1990 I think, excellent glasses. I wouldn't trade either of those glasses.

The rifle scopes on the other hand have a bit to be desired IMO. They do fog up, and then take forever to clear. One started leaking right after I got it. Another got one of the lenses knocked out of it's seat when shooting it off a lead sled. As far as holding zero, I've had to send several in for repair for that problem. I have several of the same models, and there doesn't seem to be an across the board level of quality, one will be good, while another has focus problems or some other issue.

I have a 2x7 on a 10/22, and it's terrible. That thing won't hold zero for nothing. And I can't get it to focus worth beans. It started leaking too, so I sent it in a few months ago, they replaced it with a new one, and so far that one is performing better, but it's still just slightly above the quality of a $50 dollar scope.

Myself and all my family members have decided to go back to Leupold for rifle optics. I think / hope Vortex will make some changes. They seem to be making some pretty good glass (lenses), but quality control isn't up to par IMO, it needs to get more consistent in that respect, and they seem to be going in that direction, so we'll see what happens. But for now, and considering I was spoiled with good optics several decades ago, Leupold, and Zeiss when finances allow, so I find it impossible to accept spotty quality, even with their no questions asked repair / replacement policy.

GS

 

[cdb1]

Never looked through a Razor but have heard they are really good. Have a Crossfire Rimfire scope, no complaints. Had two Vipers and sold them. Won a Crossfire in a drawing, never took it out of the box and sold it. To my eyes there are better scopes than the Crossfire and Viper in their respective price ranges. Don't own a Diamondback but sell a bunch at work. IMO they are good scopes for the price. None of them are very good in low light to me compared to many other scopes in their price ranges.

 

[Stony]

I would opt for another Leupold Rifleman if I was looking for another affordable scope that would see some harder use. I own a couple of them and they are mounted on some rifles that have seen some pretty hard use. One is a well hunted with Ruger in 350 mag, the other a Ruger in 7/08. I think they are well worth the little difference in price from what you are considering.

 

[SARuger]

I have one Vortex, its a Crossfire 2 in 4-12x44 mounted with Warne medium rings to a Ruger American standard .17HMR.

Really not testing its recoil sustaining abilities with a rimfire but its a very clear, well built scope.

On my rifles that see big game, I use Redfield Revo or Leupold VX1 at a minimum.

 

[R.W.Dale]

I kinda fell out of shooting a couple three years ago only to get reinterested over the past year.

Before my hiatus Vortex pretty much didn't exist. Now folks treat them like they are some long standing player in optics. I've looked though some of their offerings and they just look like the new nc star to me.

I think vortex is a product of an observation I have made for awhile. For the past 10years or more you have a whole generation of new shooters who's come of age thinking the lack of optical quality you get from Chinese garbage scopes is acceptable and the norm. So you hand them a product on par with a Korean Made Bushnell banner and naturally they think it's the greatest ever.

 

[CraigC]

I think vortex is a product of an observation I have made for awhile. For the past 10years or more you have a whole generation of new shooters who's come of age thinking the lack of optical quality you get from Chinese garbage scopes is acceptable and the norm. So you hand them a product on par with a Korean Made Bushnell banner and naturally they think it's the greatest ever.

I think you're onto something. If I hear another reference to Japanese Tasco's being good scopes, I'm going to puke!