Aight guys,
The first impression after getting this thing out of the box is wow, this thing is a tank! Fit and finish is superb. Everything is clearly marked, marked in such a way to be easily read from the shooting position so that you can stay put and read almost everything with minimal head movement.
The adjustments are beyond a shadow of a doubt and by a long shot my favorite of any scopes I have experience with(This includes S&B). The have a different feel than anything I've previously used. Makes me think of a NF and S&B cross, very nice positive audible clicks that have spacing similar to NF turrets. Yes, the elevation turret is tall but, I've found the hieght to be perfect to grab ahold of and still be able to see your adjustment marks. I would have to get a mic out and measure the turrets to see actual dimensions but, they aren't that much bigger than S&B DT knobs.The zero stop, I really like as well. On a couple scopes I've played with, with zero stops, they seemed flimsy in comparison to this one. When you turn back down to your zero you know it, it stops you with no give or mushy-ness, it feels like hitting a hardened steel wall with a ball pien hammer-no give whatsoever. To reset the zero stop for a new feature is stupidly easy. It's outlined in the manual which you can get on Vortex's website so I won't explain here but, it's EASY. And, no exposing the internals to the elements, the scope is always seald from the enviroment. Nice touch guys, very nice. The windage knob has a different feel than the elevation due to the zero stop on the elevation. I think even the windage which isn't quite as robust feeling as the elevation is still nicer than any Nightforce I've had. And don't get me wrong I really liked all the NXS's I've had, I mean REALLY liked them. I just haven't found anything on this scope I don't like more than NF.
The eyepiece has a very nice smooth, firm, fast-focus turn which is very easy to acquire correct dioption. The rubber ring around the eye-ring is a nice touch too, though under very rough use, some operators may destroy the rubber ring around the ocular.
I have seen some make comments about the position of the illumination control. Well, it is really low-profile and I like that it turns off halfway between each intensity setting. I have no issues with the placement of the illumination knob. The illumination goes from so faint as to you can't see it even in a semi-dark environment to bright enough to see in broad daylight.
The color is not black, not brown, not bronze, but a attractive, muted, matte combination of all of them. I am waiting for some rings to mount is and we'll see how it looks on the GAP. But, I think some will prefer to have just straight black but honestly I like this more than plain black. Maybe they will be able to offer this finish in black. The “texture” of the finish is very nice as well, it takes marks easily like NF but you wipe it with your finger and they disappear, I guess that's the nature of the beast with these types of finishes.
Ok, the part everyone wants to know: So, how's the glass? In a word, bad-ass. I set a old deer rack up at about 175yds this evening and approximately 15 minutes after the sun went down, I was still EASILY able to pick out every tine, and even read the print on the box it was setting on. However, I was holding it by hand supported on the hood of my truck so it was tough to get a perfectly steady hold. I looked around out here at targets from 30yds to well over 1k right after examining the antlers and was just taken aback by the clarity, resolution and brightness of this scope.
The reticle looks to me like the love child of the Leupold TMR and one of the Horus reticles. I found the windage hold stadia to be very fine, perfect for me. But, some may find it a hair to fine against dark backgrounds, I think it will just be preference as the reticle is very well thought out and executed. The small opening at the intersection of the cross-wires is beautiful. At max power, everything in the reticle is easy to see and read plainly while still offering a very fine, precise point-of-aim.
I was really impressed with all the stuff in the box. The sunshade's threads are matched so perfectly to the scope's that there isn't that catching feeling when screwing it in, just a continuous smooth turn, and it doesn't feel seized on there when you finger tighten it. The bubble level is a nice touch though I doubt I'll use it much. I would have much rather them foregone the level for some better lens caps. I like the fact they included the ARD as I will use that especially on really bright days. It almost reminds me of a comment I heard about the March scopes, that the glass was so clear and so bright that during very bright shooting conditions you needed something to help tone it down a touch. That is somewhat the case here as this scope is just unbelievable the light it transmits. IMO it blows NXS out of the water. If shooting on a bright day, I would recommend wearing some shades to help keep your eyes from getting fatigued from the brightness. I must say the image doesn't feel harsh to the eyes, just in very bright conditions you might appreciate some shades, though you'll probably be wearing them anyway so, who cares.
Ok, Vortex this is to you: PLEASE give us some better lens caps. I like that the have the Vortex Tac logo on them but come on, with THIS scope it deserves some better caps. Apart from that, I found absolutely nothing wrong with this scope, this is the closest to perfect all around package I've ever had the pleasure of using, or seeing for that matter. So, for all the naysayers who think Vortex doesn't have a place in this price range- YOU ARE WRONG. They aren't fooling around with this optic, they did their homework and executed perfectly, I think once more people see them, they will realize it is a SERIOUS optic and gunsight. I have no complaints other than the caps, and I trust they will probably get some better ones thrown it in the future. Also, I think it would be nice to have a set of rings in the box and still be right there price-wise with the F1.
BTW, if there's anything I missed lemme know. And to all ya'll who want me to throw it off my roof, PISS OFF!!!! LOL. Sorry, but I couldn't get a decent through the scope pic. Maybe Frank will be able to, my photog-fu was weak today
Seriously consider this scope when looking at the other big boys, I think most will find it compares very favorably to S&B, PH, and Ziess. You may find one area that one of the other scopes is better, but I think this is the best all-around scope I've seen bar-none. And a BIG THANK YOU to Scott over at Liberty Optics.
Hunter
The first impression after getting this thing out of the box is wow, this thing is a tank! Fit and finish is superb. Everything is clearly marked, marked in such a way to be easily read from the shooting position so that you can stay put and read almost everything with minimal head movement.
The adjustments are beyond a shadow of a doubt and by a long shot my favorite of any scopes I have experience with(This includes S&B). The have a different feel than anything I've previously used. Makes me think of a NF and S&B cross, very nice positive audible clicks that have spacing similar to NF turrets. Yes, the elevation turret is tall but, I've found the hieght to be perfect to grab ahold of and still be able to see your adjustment marks. I would have to get a mic out and measure the turrets to see actual dimensions but, they aren't that much bigger than S&B DT knobs.The zero stop, I really like as well. On a couple scopes I've played with, with zero stops, they seemed flimsy in comparison to this one. When you turn back down to your zero you know it, it stops you with no give or mushy-ness, it feels like hitting a hardened steel wall with a ball pien hammer-no give whatsoever. To reset the zero stop for a new feature is stupidly easy. It's outlined in the manual which you can get on Vortex's website so I won't explain here but, it's EASY. And, no exposing the internals to the elements, the scope is always seald from the enviroment. Nice touch guys, very nice. The windage knob has a different feel than the elevation due to the zero stop on the elevation. I think even the windage which isn't quite as robust feeling as the elevation is still nicer than any Nightforce I've had. And don't get me wrong I really liked all the NXS's I've had, I mean REALLY liked them. I just haven't found anything on this scope I don't like more than NF.
The eyepiece has a very nice smooth, firm, fast-focus turn which is very easy to acquire correct dioption. The rubber ring around the eye-ring is a nice touch too, though under very rough use, some operators may destroy the rubber ring around the ocular.
I have seen some make comments about the position of the illumination control. Well, it is really low-profile and I like that it turns off halfway between each intensity setting. I have no issues with the placement of the illumination knob. The illumination goes from so faint as to you can't see it even in a semi-dark environment to bright enough to see in broad daylight.
The color is not black, not brown, not bronze, but a attractive, muted, matte combination of all of them. I am waiting for some rings to mount is and we'll see how it looks on the GAP. But, I think some will prefer to have just straight black but honestly I like this more than plain black. Maybe they will be able to offer this finish in black. The “texture” of the finish is very nice as well, it takes marks easily like NF but you wipe it with your finger and they disappear, I guess that's the nature of the beast with these types of finishes.
Ok, the part everyone wants to know: So, how's the glass? In a word, bad-ass. I set a old deer rack up at about 175yds this evening and approximately 15 minutes after the sun went down, I was still EASILY able to pick out every tine, and even read the print on the box it was setting on. However, I was holding it by hand supported on the hood of my truck so it was tough to get a perfectly steady hold. I looked around out here at targets from 30yds to well over 1k right after examining the antlers and was just taken aback by the clarity, resolution and brightness of this scope.
The reticle looks to me like the love child of the Leupold TMR and one of the Horus reticles. I found the windage hold stadia to be very fine, perfect for me. But, some may find it a hair to fine against dark backgrounds, I think it will just be preference as the reticle is very well thought out and executed. The small opening at the intersection of the cross-wires is beautiful. At max power, everything in the reticle is easy to see and read plainly while still offering a very fine, precise point-of-aim.
I was really impressed with all the stuff in the box. The sunshade's threads are matched so perfectly to the scope's that there isn't that catching feeling when screwing it in, just a continuous smooth turn, and it doesn't feel seized on there when you finger tighten it. The bubble level is a nice touch though I doubt I'll use it much. I would have much rather them foregone the level for some better lens caps. I like the fact they included the ARD as I will use that especially on really bright days. It almost reminds me of a comment I heard about the March scopes, that the glass was so clear and so bright that during very bright shooting conditions you needed something to help tone it down a touch. That is somewhat the case here as this scope is just unbelievable the light it transmits. IMO it blows NXS out of the water. If shooting on a bright day, I would recommend wearing some shades to help keep your eyes from getting fatigued from the brightness. I must say the image doesn't feel harsh to the eyes, just in very bright conditions you might appreciate some shades, though you'll probably be wearing them anyway so, who cares.
Ok, Vortex this is to you: PLEASE give us some better lens caps. I like that the have the Vortex Tac logo on them but come on, with THIS scope it deserves some better caps. Apart from that, I found absolutely nothing wrong with this scope, this is the closest to perfect all around package I've ever had the pleasure of using, or seeing for that matter. So, for all the naysayers who think Vortex doesn't have a place in this price range- YOU ARE WRONG. They aren't fooling around with this optic, they did their homework and executed perfectly, I think once more people see them, they will realize it is a SERIOUS optic and gunsight. I have no complaints other than the caps, and I trust they will probably get some better ones thrown it in the future. Also, I think it would be nice to have a set of rings in the box and still be right there price-wise with the F1.
BTW, if there's anything I missed lemme know. And to all ya'll who want me to throw it off my roof, PISS OFF!!!! LOL. Sorry, but I couldn't get a decent through the scope pic. Maybe Frank will be able to, my photog-fu was weak today
Hunter
