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Review: Vortex Viper HS LR 4-16x44
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I've been looking for a scope that has accurate/repeatable turrets with a lot of adjustment for long range shooting, a smaller footprint than a Niightforce, and a reasonable price point. I also want a scope that I can put in QD rings and use on several different rifles with 1913 rails. I have a Nightforce that I do this with and it works well because the turrets are reliable and I can quickly dial in the zero for each rifle. A big Nightforce is a bit overkill for a hornet though, so I've been looking for something a bit smaller.

Historically, I've been put off of Vortex after meeting a Vortex sponsored shooter at a couple PRS matches. But they seem to have a decent reputation and Cabela's had one on sale, so I bought a Viper HS LR 4-16x44 for $350 (down from $500).

Initial impressions are good. It has all the features like good eye relief, adjustable parallax and variable zoom, the construction is solid and the controls are good with positive clicks on the turrets. It comes with lens covers, a sun shade, a kit of elevation shims, and printed manuals. The 30mm tube means elevation has about 60moa of adjustment in 0.5moa clicks, and windage has about 40moa range in 0.25moa clicks. The windage knob is under a screw on cap, but it's easy to "zero" by pulling the spring loaded knob out and turning (without clicks) to whatever value you want. The exposed elevation knob has a zero stop for down by installing shims under the knob, and the "zero" can be set by loosening 3 set screws to remove or turn the knob without clicks.

The optics are fair, but not great. I had a cheapo Millet 16x56 right next to it and the Millet was noticeably clearer and brighter on a sunny day. I spent a lot of time tinkering with the parallax adjustment, eye piece focus, and sun shade. In low light the image quality gets worse but the scope is still usable by turning down the magnification. I could see 22cal holes at 200 yards through the Vortex at 16x, which is decent compared to some other scopes I own.

The second focal plane Dead Hold BDC reticle is a good size (not too fat or too thin, or too busy) and has some hash marks for windage and elevation. The windage marks are at 2moa increments, but the elevation is marked off at some weird intervals. The documentation didn't indicate what the intervals are, but they have a variety of representative ballistics listed that must be part of the "dead hold" gimmick. I didn't spend a lot of time trying to measure where the hashes are, but I think the first one is about 1.75moa, then bigger spaces from there down to roughly 8moa. I'd prefer regular moa intervals, particularly with a scope that has functional turrets. Maybe if you're going to stick this on a rifle, zero it, and never touch the turrets again you could learn the reticle and get more use out of it. I typically shoot with a drop card. Also, the reticle seems to be a metal film printed on glass, so it's reflective. When viewing a bright target, the reticle looks black, but in intermediate conditions (like looking at the side of a mountain with the sun to the side) the reticle is reflective and will sometimes blend in with the field.

In use, I had some issues with the elevation turret. First of all, it's 23moa per revolution. This makes it a bit tricky any time you need to dial more than a rev, which I plan to do a lot as it gets moved from rifle to rifle--some with built-in elevation and some without. There is a graduated scale next to the knob that is marked at 10moa intervals. I found this to be pretty accurate, so you won't likely be off a whole rev, but still any time I needed more than a rev I had to start doing math. Finally, the internal elevation spring seems weak. A few different times I was exercising the full elevation range and for about the last 10 or 15moa of "up" the reticle would stop moving on target. wtf?!? I tapped it a little and there was an audible cluck inside it and the internals moved into position. I could also coax it to un-stick by turning the windage knob some. So I think it must need a stronger spring to keep things in contact with the elevation turret. It was cold out, so perhaps the grease inside was a little stiff.

In summary, this scope has some issues, but for the price I don't know of anything better. The elevation adjustment is a bit quirky, but it has a lot of range and the turret is accurate and repeatable (apart from occasionally sticking at max elevation). It will replace a Burris with turrets that have proven unreliable.
 
Posts: 861 | Registered: 13 November 2008Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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quote:
Originally posted by jpl:
I've been looking for a scope that has accurate/repeatable turrets with a lot of adjustment for long range shooting, a smaller footprint than a Niightforce, and a reasonable price point. I also want a scope that I can put in QD rings and use on several different rifles with 1913 rails. I have a Nightforce that I do this with and it works well because the turrets are reliable and I can quickly dial in the zero for each rifle. A big Nightforce is a bit overkill for a hornet though, so I've been looking for something a bit smaller.

Historically, I've been put off of Vortex after meeting a Vortex sponsored shooter at a couple PRS matches. But they seem to have a decent reputation and Cabela's had one on sale, so I bought a Viper HS LR 4-16x44 for $350 (down from $500).

Initial impressions are good. It has all the features like good eye relief, adjustable parallax and variable zoom, the construction is solid and the controls are good with positive clicks on the turrets. It comes with lens covers, a sun shade, a kit of elevation shims, and printed manuals. The 30mm tube means elevation has about 60moa of adjustment in 0.5moa clicks, and windage has about 40moa range in 0.25moa clicks. The windage knob is under a screw on cap, but it's easy to "zero" by pulling the spring loaded knob out and turning (without clicks) to whatever value you want. The exposed elevation knob has a zero stop for down by installing shims under the knob, and the "zero" can be set by loosening 3 set screws to remove or turn the knob without clicks.

The optics are fair, but not great. I had a cheapo Millet 16x56 right next to it and the Millet was noticeably clearer and brighter on a sunny day. I spent a lot of time tinkering with the parallax adjustment, eye piece focus, and sun shade. In low light the image quality gets worse but the scope is still usable by turning down the magnification. I could see 22cal holes at 200 yards through the Vortex at 16x, which is decent compared to some other scopes I own.

The second focal plane Dead Hold BDC reticle is a good size (not too fat or too thin, or too busy) and has some hash marks for windage and elevation. The windage marks are at 2moa increments, but the elevation is marked off at some weird intervals. The documentation didn't indicate what the intervals are, but they have a variety of representative ballistics listed that must be part of the "dead hold" gimmick. I didn't spend a lot of time trying to measure where the hashes are, but I think the first one is about 1.75moa, then bigger spaces from there down to roughly 8moa. I'd prefer regular moa intervals, particularly with a scope that has functional turrets. Maybe if you're going to stick this on a rifle, zero it, and never touch the turrets again you could learn the reticle and get more use out of it. I typically shoot with a drop card. Also, the reticle seems to be a metal film printed on glass, so it's reflective. When viewing a bright target, the reticle looks black, but in intermediate conditions (like looking at the side of a mountain with the sun to the side) the reticle is reflective and will sometimes blend in with the field.

In use, I had some issues with the elevation turret. First of all, it's 23moa per revolution. This makes it a bit tricky any time you need to dial more than a rev, which I plan to do a lot as it gets moved from rifle to rifle--some with built-in elevation and some without. There is a graduated scale next to the knob that is marked at 10moa intervals. I found this to be pretty accurate, so you won't likely be off a whole rev, but still any time I needed more than a rev I had to start doing math. Finally, the internal elevation spring seems weak. A few different times I was exercising the full elevation range and for about the last 10 or 15moa of "up" the reticle would stop moving on target. wtf?!? I tapped it a little and there was an audible cluck inside it and the internals moved into position. I could also coax it to un-stick by turning the windage knob some. So I think it must need a stronger spring to keep things in contact with the elevation turret. It was cold out, so perhaps the grease inside was a little stiff.

In summary, this scope has some issues, but for the price I don't know of anything better. The elevation adjustment is a bit quirky, but it has a lot of range and the turret is accurate and repeatable (apart from occasionally sticking at max elevation). It will replace a Burris with turrets that have proven unreliable.


Is the windage centered? If you have used almost all windage to get zeroed, the erector tube can bind if you are at the max or min range of elevation.

I love Nightforce scopes, but the 5.5-22X is a bit much a new long range AR I just had built, so I took my March 2-22X and put it on that. Perfect - March scopes track perfectly and their size is just right for an AR.

Everyone has different budgets, but buying a cheaper scope gives me a case of the willies - was that miss due to elevation not responding? It is the last thing I want to worry about.


Don't Ever Book a Hunt with Jeff Blair
http://forums.accuratereloadin...821061151#2821061151

 
Posts: 7570 | Location: Arizona and off grid in CO | Registered: 28 July 2004Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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The windage was relatively centered for most of my testing. I have access to a range that has moa marked grids at 200 yards, so I bolted the scope down and could watch it track as I turned the knobs. It tracked pretty close for the most part. There was some windage induced as I ran the full range of elevation. I just noticed a few times that I would be turning the knob, watching the reticle move in step with each click... then the clicks would continue but the movement would not. Then if I wiggled the windage knob or thumped the side of the scope tube the reticle would jump back into position. This was also at the very end of travel only. Of course tracking back the other way against the spring was fine. There's 80moa of total adjustment in this scope, which is mostly what I was interested in for long range. If you don't ever use the last 10 or 15, or only use it with caution, that's still pretty good for the price imo. Well, the sale price anyway.

I've had my share of problems with cheap scopes, but then spending twice as much on glass than what the rifle cost just to get something that works right seems problematic as well. This is why I've been using QD rings on a couple nice scopes that move around between whatever I'm shooting. This works well for the most part, but like you said, a 3lb optic is not necessarily the best match for something small. The cheapie scopes I've used seem to work fine if you zero them and don't touch the turrets ever again. I was a bit disappointed that a $500 model has some of the same problems as a $50 china special.

Also, a point of clarification: The elevation knob has 24moa per revolution, not 23.
 
Posts: 861 | Registered: 13 November 2008Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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quote:
Originally posted by jpl:
The windage was relatively centered for most of my testing. I have access to a range that has moa marked grids at 200 yards, so I bolted the scope down and could watch it track as I turned the knobs. It tracked pretty close for the most part. There was some windage induced as I ran the full range of elevation. I just noticed a few times that I would be turning the knob, watching the reticle move in step with each click... then the clicks would continue but the movement would not. Then if I wiggled the windage knob or thumped the side of the scope tube the reticle would jump back into position. This was also at the very end of travel only. Of course tracking back the other way against the spring was fine. There's 80moa of total adjustment in this scope, which is mostly what I was interested in for long range. If you don't ever use the last 10 or 15, or only use it with caution, that's still pretty good for the price imo. Well, the sale price anyway.

I've had my share of problems with cheap scopes, but then spending twice as much on glass than what the rifle cost just to get something that works right seems problematic as well. This is why I've been using QD rings on a couple nice scopes that move around between whatever I'm shooting. This works well for the most part, but like you said, a 3lb optic is not necessarily the best match for something small. The cheapie scopes I've used seem to work fine if you zero them and don't touch the turrets ever again. I was a bit disappointed that a $500 model has some of the same problems as a $50 china special.

Also, a point of clarification: The elevation knob has 24moa per revolution, not 23.


I agree. One of my pet peeves are scopes that have dinky set screws that come loose in the field - then you have no idea where you are. I have a lot of Leupold scopes that have bitten me this way, another reason I went to Nightforce/March. But a Leupold with the B&C reticle means I don't have to spin, and for 99.9 percent of hunting, that is good enough.


Don't Ever Book a Hunt with Jeff Blair
http://forums.accuratereloadin...821061151#2821061151

 
Posts: 7570 | Location: Arizona and off grid in CO | Registered: 28 July 2004Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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Ah-ha, this is what I could not find in the supplied documentation:

 
Posts: 861 | Registered: 13 November 2008Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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I stumbled on another review of this same model:

http://www.realguns.com/articles/412.htm

Not a lot of detail there, but good pictures...
 
Posts: 861 | Registered: 13 November 2008Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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jpl,

I realize that you are referring to a different model but I have had an original Viper 6-20 for about 3 years I think. I like the scope fine but it's been back to Vortex for repairs 2 times because the elevation adjustment keeps going out. As you said maybe if you sighted it in and never changed it probably things would be fine but for me I adjust for elevation and hold off for the wind. Maybe [hopefully] the later models of the Viper are more reliable but mine sure hasn't been.

Regards, Keith
 
Posts: 208 | Location: S.W. Wyoming | Registered: 31 May 2006Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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