if you were going to pick between a viper HS and a diamondback hp?

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What is this going on, what is this primary use?
Both scopes are quality, but depending on what you’re going to use this for and what you’re mounting it on also impacts which one is better for you.
 
It's going on 17" xbolt 308 with suppressor. Some hunting, some paper punching at 1-200 yds. It would be the gun I grabbed if I wanted something that hit harder than a 6.5 grendel or 30-30.

The xbolt currently has 30mm rings, but rings can be had for about 30 bucks on eBay, so that's not a big deal. If you factor in eBay rings, they are about $70 apart price wise.
 
It's going on 17" xbolt 308 with suppressor. Some hunting, some paper punching at 1-200 yds. It would be the gun I grabbed if I wanted something that hit harder than a 6.5 grendel or 30-30.

The xbolt currently has 30mm rings, but rings can be had for about 30 bucks on eBay, so that's not a big deal. If you factor in eBay rings, they are about $70 apart price wise.
Of the two- I think you’d like the Diamondback better. Since you are shooting with a suppressor, and suppressors start to give off heat (which can have negative impacts on your scope), the Diamondback seems better suited to account for this. Both are quality, and I love Vortex, so I don’t think you’ll be disappointed either way.
 
If it has to be a Vortex get the Viper. I had a Diamondback and was not happy with it.ymmv
I had a diamondback 4-12 and hated it. Supposedly the db hp's have better glass. I did get to compare a DB hp to a trijicon Huron, and the vortex was nicer.
 
Do you mind explaining your reasoning on this?
As you shoot more and more rounds through your can, gets hot, and gives off heat. Looking through the scope, those heat waves can distort your view, especially if you are looking at longer ranges.
The Diamondback is specifically made (and the glass used) to compensate for low light or adverse viewing scenarios, so my thought is between the two, it would do a better job and provide the least amount of distortion. However, if you aren’t running so many rounds through your rifle that your suppressor is heating up or retaining heat, this may not be an issue.
 
The db is $200. The viper $300. I'm unwilling to stretch much above 300. I have a couple Weaver Grand slams, a Leupold vx5hd, couple Burris fullfield ii's, and an e1, and honestly, the burris e1 is the clearest to my eyes. If it wasn't for the dang hard to turn power ring, I would just get another e1.

It may be that I just cannot appreciate "great" glass. I can certainly tell stuff like a banner or a utg bugbuster vortex crossfire from the next level where the sightron s1's, the Mueller apv, the ff2, the prostaff, the diamondback live. I can even tell a difference between those scopes and the next level where the monarch, the viper, the e1, etc live, though it is harder. I just cannot really tell a difference after that. Maybe that's a blessing?
 
Then you want whatever scope is going to be the soundest mechanically, but I don't know which one it is.
 
Of the two- I think you’d like the Diamondback better. Since you are shooting with a suppressor, and suppressors start to give off heat (which can have negative impacts on your scope), the Diamondback seems better suited to account for this. Both are quality, and I love Vortex, so I don’t think you’ll be disappointed either way.

How would a scope account for barrel heat ?
 
As you shoot more and more rounds through your can, gets hot, and gives off heat. Looking through the scope, those heat waves can distort your view, especially if you are looking at longer ranges.
The Diamondback is specifically made (and the glass used) to compensate for low light or adverse viewing scenarios, so my thought is between the two, it would do a better job and provide the least amount of distortion. However, if you aren’t running so many rounds through your rifle that your suppressor is heating up or retaining heat, this may not be an issue.

Heat is heat , wouldn’t you think that if Vortex had this magic technology to cut through mirage from barrel heat that they would make that available in the higher end $1900 Golden Eagle scope rather than saving it for the low end cheap a$$ diamondback line ?
 
Heat is heat , wouldn’t you think that if Vortex had this magic technology to cut through mirage from barrel heat that they would make that available in the higher end $1900 Golden Eagle scope rather than saving it for the low end cheap a$$ diamondback line ?
I didn’t say they had magic technology, nor did I say they were better than other brands. I said the quality of glass in one specific scope vs a different, specific scope could help see through it better. Never said it eliminated it.
 
Matrix said; The Diamondback is specifically made (and the glass used) to compensate for low light or adverse viewing scenarios.

Do you have any supporting data from Vortex ?
 
If your shooting a 17" bolt gun fast enough to worry about heat waves from the barrel you have other problems.
Buy the viper for the better build quality.
 
Matrix said; The Diamondback is specifically made (and the glass used) to compensate for low light or adverse viewing scenarios.

Do you have any supporting data from Vortex ?

Have you contributed ANYTHING to this post, or are you simply trolling my responses?
 
Have you contributed ANYTHING to this post, or are you simply trolling my responses?
If you hadn’t posted conjecture I wouldn’t have said a word..I have a diamond back among other scopes and I can tell you or anybody else that’s interested that IMO it doesn’t compensate for low light any better than my expensive scopes.
 
Of the two listed id buy the Viper.
Ive not used that particular DB model, but the Originals looked OK to my eyes, but had kinda short eye relief. The DB tacticals were better for me, but not as good as the gen 1 Vipers ive played with.


Im with Walkalong , my eyes dont like Vortex glass/coatings all that well, even the G1 Vipers havent really "done it" for me.....ive been itching to try a Viper pst g2 just to see if it changes my opinion.
 
I have one DB and several Vipers. I believe the Vipers have better glass, but I'm not sure my eyes are good enough to definitively tell the difference. However, the turrets on the Vipers have much better feel to me than the Diamondback. Limited experience to be sure, but that's my observation.
 
Vipers do better in low light than the DB’s, and resolution is certainly better to resolve through mirage, whether ambient or barrel/suppressor borne.

“Great low light performance” is optics company marketing jargon for “we have absolutely nothing tangibly good to say about this scope, so we’ll say this instead.”
 
For low light, I don’t think I would pick either. I do have both DB and viper scopes and are happy with them on the rifles they are on for what they cost. I’d suggest to find a walk in store where you could look through both before the buy.

I don’t know anyplace in East TX that would be possible and a drive might cost more than you want to spend. In that case, I’d probably buy both from an outfit like Brownells, midway or optics planet and the return shipping is your cost to pick the right one. I know first hand they all accept unmounted optics returns, OP will even accept returns on NVD’s.

I can play with pretty much anything that way and pick the best or at least the best one for the job I need it to do.
 
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