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Thoughts on Burris vs. Vortex?

Rockrivr1

Rockrivr1

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I just recently picked up a Gen II Ruger Precision Rifle and I've narrowed my scope search down to the Vortex Viper PST Gen II in 5-25x50 FFP with EBR-2C MRAD reticle or the Burris XTR II 5-25x50 FFP with the SCR Mil reticle. I have Vortex Viper PST on a different platform and it works well. Doing some research on the Burris it is also very well rated. Optics Planet is running a special on the Burris, which makes it less then the Vortex and available now. The Gen II Vortex is being shipped next months.

Specs:

Vortex - 30mm tube
Burris - 34mm tube

Vortex Elevation - 65MOA (RPR has 20MOA Scope Base)
Burris Elevation - 90MOA

Any thoughts either way?

http://www.opticsplanet.com/vortex-viper-pst-gen-ii-5-25x50-riflescope-black.html
http://www.opticsplanet.com/burris-xtreme-tactical-5-25-50mm-illum-riflescope.html
 
vortex pst. i do not have experience w the 5-25 FFP but have you played around w that optic? given that huge magnification range, i would want to see how the reticle appears on 25x to be sure it doesn't become obstructive.

what chambering is your rifle? between 65 MOA elevation + 20 MOA on your rail, you've got enough MOA to stretch a 308 well beyond it's trans-sonic zone. for a 6.5 or 6mm creedmoor you'll have enough elevation to get you to the moon.
 
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I have the PST in FFP MRAD you're looking at...If you want to look through it on my M24 clone build, I'm hoping to make it to the range with it next weekend (this coming weekend I have drill in New Haven and would not be able to go.) If you just want to LOOK through it, I could bring it to work and you could swing by to take a gander. I'm in Worcester.
 
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How long has Vortex been around? I have both and currently favor Vortex but I wonder about their longevity.


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That lifetime warranty won't be worth much if the company folds in five years...


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Seeing the 34mm tube and 50mm lens on the 5-25 XTR II I thought it was going to be much heavier than 32 oz.

My next scope is probably going to be a Vortex PST Gen II FFP in 3-15x44 for 100-300 yards on current range and perhaps 600 yards in the future.
 
I got behind the burris Sat 34mm tube 50mm objective the thing is a beast...i had it side by side with my Sightron SIII 54mm obj and it looked small.

I did not care for how busy the burris reticle was just to busy for my likes.
The vortex EBR 2C is even more cluttered up but this all depends on what type of shooting your going to be doing. If you need to take quick shots and snap windage calculations these reticles can provide you with faster hold overs....

Take any chance you get to try out scopes. No need to rush almost every sub $1500 scope goes on sale at any given point. My Sightron was constanly listed for $900+ then one day i was looking for a cheap scope for a beater 22 and I came across the sightron on sale on amazon for $790 and a discount for bundling a mount with it....

I think for that $700-1100 range its hard to say vortex,burris,sightron, luepold are "better" than one another with out some personal hands on.
theres so many little things.
I dont know what it was about the vortex scopes i tried but the class was clear but i always felt like I was looking through tinted glass.....just a hue really but it was enough to make me not like it.
 
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mac1911 said:
I got behind the burris Sat 34mm tube 50mm objective the thing is a beast...i had it side by side with my Sightron SIII 54mm obj and it looked small.

I did not care for how busy the burris reticle was just to busy for my likes.
The vortex EBR 2C is even more cluttered up but this all depends on what type of shooting your going to be doing. If you need to take quick shots and snap windage calculations these reticles can provide you with faster hold overs....

Take any chance you get to try out scopes. No need to rush almost every sub $1500 scope goes on sale at any given point. My Sightron was constanly listed for $900+ then one day i was looking for a cheap scope for a beater 22 and I came across the sightron on sale on amazon for $790 and a discount for bundling a mount with it....

I think for that $700-1100 range its hard to say vortex,burris,sightron, luepold are "better" than one another with out some personal hands on.
theres so many little things.
I dont know what it was about the vortex scopes i tried but the class was clear but i always felt like I was looking through tinted glass.....just a hue really but it was enough to make me not like it.
Click to expand...


Best impartial scope review site I have seen (BigJimFish from Arfcom): http://opticsthoughts.com/?page_id=630
 
bigblue said:
Best impartial scope review site I have seen (BigJimFish from Arfcom): http://opticsthoughts.com/?page_id=630
Click to expand...

cool, i always like reading new stuff. Im slowly getting more scopes as my eyes are going and im tired of juggling Rx.
Last year i sent the summer looking through and trying every scope I came across. I met one club member deep into bench shooting who really helped me. Was able to show me some of what he thought where the "best" inexpensive scopes and I even got behind some glass that I really should not have. THe good thing was he brought a full range of scopes for me to look through and try...really big help.
One of my favorite scopes i tried was a March fixed 40x with a 1/16th moa dot. Now I will tell you that 1/16 moa dot was not always easy to see but it was nice putting a tiny dot into a 223 hole at 200 yards.
along with sevral other "target" style scopes.
I found my middle ground in the sightron SIII 8x32x56 with MOA 2 reticle. The reticle is very simple and the center dot is 1/8 moa on 24x where i spend most of my adjustment on...
 
I am researching a bolt gun for PRS & 1,000 yard shooting so I've looked at these scopes though I am admittedly more in the Vortex AMG & Gen II territory. IOR makes some great scopes in this range as well for comparison. March has some nice target scopes but their tactical style scopes are out of my budget.


Quick examples of the IOR line:


IOR 6-24x50 Tactical 35mm Rifle Scope [Illuminated MP-8 Xtreme X1, 2/p] $1750

IOR 6-24x56 Tactical 35mm Rifle Scope [Illuminated MP-8 Xtreme X1, 1/p] $1950

$0.02
 
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Screw it, Nightforce or bust. The best warranty in the world won't do you much good if your stuff breaks when you need it most (Murphy anyone?). They make a line in your price range, with very usefull reticles.
 
frenchman said:
Screw it, Nightforce or bust. The best warranty in the world won't do you much good if your stuff breaks when you need it most (Murphy anyone?). They make a line in your price range, with very usefull reticles.
Click to expand...

Not really. For the same options, minus FFP, you're looking at the NXS models that start at $2100. If you want FFP you're looking at over $3500. You can go to the stripped SHV model and that is still in the $1200 range. Is Nightforce a better scope, probably. Would I like one, definitely. Can I afford one with the options I want, not a chance.....
 
The SWFA 5-20x50 is FFP, and can be had for $1500 illuminated. Under $2k and short of a Razor HD II, that's probably your best option.

Im not a fan of Vortex's lower end glass, warranty or not. Their high end glass definitely has excellent clarity but I have a dim opinion of their other lines.

NF is excellent glass but Vortex scopes are more popular even for guys with $6k rifles. And really, $3k for an F1? Damn.
 
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