vortex crossfire 2, or vortex diamondback for my FAL?

[12guagecody]

trying to choose between the vortex crossfire 2 6-18x44 and the vortex diamondback 4-12x40 to mount on my fal. they are almost the same price, and i believe the glass is almost the same, the crossfire 2 has adjustable paralax which is nice. which would you go with?

 

[jim243]

The one with adjustable paralax

Jim

 

[stubbicatt]

For that rifle's capabilities, I think you will find that those higher magnifications are not particularly useful in field conditions. If it is a range gun that you shoot from a bench rest then you may find them more useful.

I find a straight 4x Hensholdt in a STANAG mount works very well indeed. YMMV.

 

[12guagecody]

ive already tested the accuracy of the rifle, .5 moa with federal gold medal match, and hornady custom. considering how heavy the rifle is i dont really plan to ever hike with it. ive got carbines for that

 

[Robert]

.5moa from a FAL? That is rather amazing. What distance were you shooting? I am running a 1-4x scope on my FAL and find it to be perfect for what I do. But I am not shooting for super small groups just ringing steel out to 400y. Just have to make it ring...

Are you running an adjustable stock? The size of either scope is going to place it very high above the rifle. You will need some sort of cheek rest or something like the Magpul PRS adjustable stock to line everything up.

 

[12guagecody]

yeah I have been really really happy with the accuracy out of this rifle, .5 moa at 100 yards constist, i have printed a couple of groups with all the shots touching. I plan on putting the magpul stock and doing a 3.5 pound jard trigger also

 

[Double Naught Spy]

I would avoid the Vortex Crossfire. Here is a problem encountered by a buddy of mine on my range. When I posted this issue, there were others who had noted the problem as well.
http://thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=459433&highlight=vortex+crossfire

With the lens askew, it was a bit difficult to shoot well.

 

[12guagecody]

was that the crossfire 1 or crossfire 2? the crossfire 1 was discontinued and this is a newly designed scope

 

[M1key]

Are you shooting three-shot or five-shot groups? How repeatable are those .5 inch groups? Unless your FAL has a heavy match barrel, that is legend-class accuracy...

IMO, the two scopes you mentioned would not be appropriate for the standard issue FAL. A 4x or 6x scope would be the maximum useful magnification (or even a good red dot).

Here is a target shot with one of my better StG58 FALs wearing a 1-4x Leupold. Using handloaded match ammo, the five-shot group measures .90 inches.

M

 

[nastynatesfish]

I'd actually run a lower powered scope. Something for fast follow ups and a lot of eye relief. I'm starting to be a big fan of 1-4 power scopes

 

[12guagecody]

im usually shooting 3 shot groups, with 165 grain hornady ammo its very consistent at .5 moa.

 

[Haxby]

What scope do you have on it now?
Cameralandny has the Vortex Viper 6.5-20 (or thereabouts) for under $300.

 

[ThePenguinKnight]

My favorite .22 (which also happens to be my favorite weapon overall) currently wears a Crossfire II 4-12x40 AO, and ive spent some time looking through several Diamondbacks. Glass quality and clarity is comparable (though I still give a slight edge to the DB for color and low-light performance), but build quality on the DB is a couple notches higher. Both are covered under the same warranty.

If it's a going to be a bench burner, mostly shot during daylight hours at non-game targets, the Crossfire provides more features you'll enjoy, such as AO and higher magnification. As a hunting rig, the DB would most likely serve for a bit more satisfaction.

 

[12guagecody]

right now i have a bushnell banner 3-9x40 on it

 

[stubbicatt]

Half MOA is incredible from a FAL.

As far as choosing an optic other than actual use of them, I have found that Midwayusa.com the way they set up their optics choices by breaking them down by power, fixed or variable, and then price or popularity, is sometimes helpful for me in narrowing down my selection by the features of the scope. Perhaps it will help you also.

There are other online merchants who may have the scopes for less money.

 

[rduckwor]

Yeah, I wish my FAL would shoot 1MOA, but then, that was not its purpose in life. Get a Nikon M223. Its a 1.1-4X scope and that is all you really need with a battle rifle.

RMD

 

[12guagecody]

My question was about optics, not whether or not you think you know how accurate my rifle is. yeah there are a lot of fal's that dont shoot well. mine shoots well. you can come shoot it if you want

 

[12guagecody]

 

[12guagecody]

 

[Sky]

You might check but unless they have changed something (when I wasn't looking) the diamondback has Chinese glass all the others in the Vortex line do not. Most of the guys I know to include myself are running the Vortex Vipers...I have never used the crossfire but it might be worth a call to Vortex and ask one of the Tecs. There are a couple of folks there that are shooters and might steer you one way or the other...

 

[12guagecody]

I called vortex yesterday to ask them, when I asked the difference between the diamondback and the crossfire they told me i should get the viper, I got to shoot a 338 lapua with a viper pst on top and it was sweet, but that glass is pretty expensive

 

[Sky]

I called vortex yesterday to ask them, when I asked the difference between the diamondback and the crossfire they told me i should get the viper, I got to shoot a 338 lapua with a viper pst on top and it was sweet, but that glass is pretty expensive

Yep there are times when some pop-up on some super sale otherwise they have gone up.
Maybe someone will chime in on some Christmas sale promo?

 

[12guagecody]

how important do you think mil dots are for recreational shooting? because i found a viper for 279, but its only a duplex reticle

 

[Sky]

For me not so much but my scopes and weapons are very seldom used for paper...My Viper has the thinnest finest crosshair they ever made which is discontinued now but I prefer it above all other scopes...dot does not cover target at range.

Hashes, dots, marks, mean more to others due to the type shooting they do with holdovers but IME the weapon and scope become extensions of your eye and body so it does not take long to figure out what needs to be done to put POI and aim reference together. Plenty accurate for my purposes but probably not enough for a long range target shooter wanting to shoot quarter size shot groups consistently.
By the way great shooting FAL there is always one out there that is a cut above the others same with any make or model but that is fantastic. Hold on to her