Vortex Razor HD Gen III 6-36x56

Fellas, I myself have a gen3 6-36 and i love it. Sent mine in for the turrets and now they're perfect. I am not having any iusses whatsoever out of mine, but I see people from time to time on long range shooting groups on Facebook say some shit like "The gen3's are having more issues than the gen2's". Just wondering if any of you are having any complaints or issues out of yours?
 
I’ve been shooting with my gen 3 and gen 2 razors and at this point I prefer the 2 over the 3. The gen 2 is a more forgiving scope. I hardly touch my parralax unless zeroing. I’m constantly fiddling with the gen 3. The slightly better image doesn’t make up for that to me.
 
I’ve been shooting with my gen 3 and gen 2 razors and at this point I prefer the 2 over the 3. The gen 2 is a more forgiving scope. I hardly touch my parralax unless zeroing. I’m constantly fiddling with the gen 3. The slightly better image doesn’t make up for that to me.
I haven’t had an issue with this. I loved my gen 2 but now have 2 G3’s and parallax has not been picky to my eye. I guess everyone is different.
 
I’ve been shooting with my gen 3 and gen 2 razors and at this point I prefer the 2 over the 3. The gen 2 is a more forgiving scope. I hardly touch my parralax unless zeroing. I’m constantly fiddling with the gen 3. The slightly better image doesn’t make up for that to me.

I haven't had any issues of that sort either. I honestly find the parallax on the g3 more forgiving than the g2.

I'm still shooting a Gen2 (mostly because I'm lazy and don't want to mess with my setup just yet), but I do think the Gen3 has better glass (I've had the chance to try/look/shoot 4 of 'em now).

Out of those 4 examples I played with, 3 seemed pretty much like my Gen2, but with slightly better glass (and crappy turrets, as none of them had been sent in yet for the turret update/fix).

With 3 of them, nothing jumped out at me as far as them being tougher to get behind, having a tighter eye box, etc... but since they were on other guys' guns (different stock/chassis/LOP, eye relief, different mount height, diopter, etc) I was looking through them half expecting them to feel fucked up for me and my eyes lol. But, thinking back about it, considering what @wade2big is saying, IDK, maybe they are different in that respect and I just couldn't tell...

1 of them absolutely had a wonky parallax issue and needed a trip back to the mothership, no doubt about it (that's why the other guy asked me to take a look). So I guess it's possible some Gen3's out there could have a parallax issue that might need some sussing out, kind of like the turrets did?
 
Just placed an order with Vortex and they said all turrets will be fixed straight from the warehouse from now on :)
Screenshot 2023-02-21 at 3.45.01 PM.png
 
I hope to get mine back from Vortex this week. I had the elevation turret crap out and just spin to about 40 mils of uptravel. Also spun freely when locked and zero stop engaged wherever it felt like -.3 to -.5. First time using the warranty for me.
 
  • Wow
Reactions: TheOE800
What did you guys use for a turret spacer on your gen 3? I ordered a mkm spacer and didn't work made the turret bind up and turn hard. Just want something to take locking turret away when I want and have locking when I want.
 
What did you guys use for a turret spacer on your gen 3? I ordered a mkm spacer and didn't work made the turret bind up and turn hard. Just want something to take locking turret away when I want and have locking when I want.
I also just use an O ring. I also bought the MKM spacer, I threw that junk in the trash after messing with it several times. Totally bound up my turret also.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Schw15
All,



I have a Razor Gen 3 (6x36x56). The distance numbers on the parallax adjustment doesn’t match the actual distance, not even close. For example, at 100 yards the parallax is set to 100 yards and its clear. At 800 yards the parallax needs to be set between 200 and 300 yards to be clear.

I also have a Razor Gen 2 (4.5x27x56), the parallax is spot on at all distances.

Thanks...

Parallax calibration is done at a specific temperature, and the parallax settings will change depending on whether the scope is in cold or hot weather. Next time it is very cold outside, take your scope from the warm house outside, and immediately set parallax so that there is no parallax error at 100 yards. Come back out in 15-20 minutes once the scope has gotten ice cold and check it. 99.9% chance you will likely to dial up to a higher yardage on the parallax from where you initially set it in order to not have any parallax error. This is one reason why some scope manufacturers don't put any numbers at all on the parallax knob. The distance between the lenses shifts slightly due to contraction and expansion of the scope itself, and is completely dependent on the temperature of the scope.
 
Parallax calibration is done at a specific temperature, and the parallax settings will change depending on whether the scope is in cold or hot weather. Next time it is very cold outside, take your scope from the warm house outside, and immediately set parallax so that there is no parallax error at 100 yards. Come back out in 15-20 minutes once the scope has gotten ice cold and check it. 99.9% chance you will likely to dial up to a higher yardage on the parallax from where you initially set it in order to not have any parallax error. This is one reason why some scope manufacturers don't put any numbers at all on the parallax knob. The distance between the lenses shifts slightly due to contraction and expansion of the scope itself, and is completely dependent on the temperature of the scope.
In addition, I might dial parallax close to what the range is but I still adjust by eye.
 
I sent mine back. Shipped to them on the 2nd, delivered to them on the 4th. Between this and my suppressor, waiting is the name of the game lately.

The spongy turrets were more of a secondary issue. Parallax wasnt a smooth adjustment and I didnt want to buy some plastic add-on to use it..and the turrets when dialing would lock on me..which is what I wanted fixed.

Thinking back, the turrets on my cronus (sold as the Razor replaced it) were noticeably pronounced, exact in their movement (zero mush) and clicked crisp almost like a piece of wood snapping in half.

Glass, definitely great, but the turrets out of the box were a big let down when sitting side by side with a lower quality and cheaper scope.

I read that some of you guys got defender caps with yours. I did not get that, so I dont know what the timeline was for adding those to them, but I got rubber caps that press on each end. I would have preferred bikini caps if they're going to do a cheap throw in the box option.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Hennig


My quick comparison between launch turrets and current turrets.


Jesus Christ hearing my own voice makes me want to drive into a power pole.

If it helps any, hearing your voice makes us all want to drive into a power pole.

JK, could not resist a bit of roast. Your voice is fine. I used to roast my co-workers all the time because they would return the favor.

My dearest friend for a long time, Lee, was 17 years older than me (RIP.) We would have a nice lunch on a Friday and then go back to work. He would say, "I feel full and totally useless."

I would reply, "How do we tell the difference between now and before lunch?"

Thankyouverymuch.
 
Mine is set to be delivered back to me tomorrow..pending the current snow storm not making any delays. Turnaround time was just about a week I guess if you're close to Wisconsin, much shorter than expected.

I can share repair notes or what was done if anyone else is curious.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Schw15
Repair involved testing and checking out of the scope, updating elevation and windage turrets, loosened parallax ring and magnification knob (both were very stiff).

Turrets sound and feel great now, and no longer incorrectly lock while spinning in either direction. Cant wait to get it mounted up and shooting again.
 
View attachment 7789098Anybody else's turret hashmarks slightly off?

Yes, I have a couple of these Gen3's, the oldest one is indexed very slightly off just like yours. Did you get yours fixed, or just living with it?

Anyway, thats a minor gripe, compared to a new Gen3 that arrived with me last week, I can now see what all the fuss is about regarding the early version locking turret slipping into the lock position, initially I thought it was just me being heavy handed, guess its a call to Vortex.....
 
Last edited:
Was going to see what Vortex had to say before posting on a public forum, however Vortex have been brilliant as usual and instantly confirmed that they will take a look so no harm discussing, as follows:

I’ve just compared my 2 scopes, one is an early production Gen3 (mushy click, poor turret unlocking), one is a recent production (very audible clicks, strong turret lock).

With the recent production scope, at 36x mag and the diopter focussed so the reticule has just come into pin sharp focus, the parallax and focus seems quite off compared to the actual distance. At the range last month I couldn’t get distant objects over 1200 yards AND the reticule in focus, doing a comparison today off a bench using a range finder to verify distances I realised that there is a parallax adjustment error with my recent production scope.

600M. Early model reads 600M, recent model 1100M

1000M. Early reads 1000M, recent reads infinity

1200M. Early reads infinity & image sharp, recent no clear focus achievable – adjustment hits stop point.

However.... if I wind the diopter adjustment back in to the point where the reticule starts to go out of focus, then the parallax/focus reads more true to the printed scale and my long distance targets come info focus. I guess its a quirk of the super high magnification, combined with tolerance stacking. This isn't the case on my early "mushy click" Gen3.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: Bravo6
Was going to see what Vortex had to say before posting on a public forum, however Vortex have been brilliant as usual and instantly confirmed that they will take a look so no harm discussing, as follows:

I’ve just compared my 2 scopes, one is an early production Gen3 (mushy click, poor turret unlocking), one is a recent production (very audible clicks, strong turret lock).

With the recent production scope, at 36x mag and the diopter focussed so the reticule has just come into pin sharp focus, the parallax and focus seems quite off compared to the actual distance. At the range last month I couldn’t get distant objects over 1200 yards AND the reticule in focus, doing a comparison today off a bench using a range finder to verify distances I realised that there is a parallax adjustment error with my recent production scope.

200M Early model reads 200M, recent model 250M

600M. Early model reads 600M, recent model 1100M

1000M. Early reads 1000M, recent reads infinity

1200M. Early reads infinity & image sharp, recent no clear focus achievable – adjustment hits stop point.

However.... if I wind the diopter adjustment back in to the point where the reticule starts to go out of focus, then the parallax/focus reads more true to the printed scale and my long distance targets come info focus. I guess its a quirk of the super high magnification, combined with tolerance stacking. This isn't the case on my early "mushy click" Gen3.
So, mine was also a mushy early one, that I had to send in for the adjustment.

I went to shoot a long range event at my club, and noticed that it wouldn’t hold zero consistently after the repair, and the parallax was way off and acting similarly to what you just described.

After I spoke with them, they told me to send it back, and that they would send me a new one as a replacement.

While waiting for that, I actually ordered myself a second one in mrad, since I have been meaning to get away from MOA.

New one came from euro optic and zerod today, plan is to verify the parallax and distance issues in a few weeks at the clubs next distance event but so far so good.

My original one was early enough of a production that they did not include the defender flip caps with it, it’s nice that they include them now, but the front one is too close to the barrel for me to use them anyway so I guess I’ll be hunting for a solution to that now.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Bravo6 and FCSA-UK
Everyone’s eyes are different. Every scope is different. Adjusting the diopter to your eye can change how the parallax will adjust in relation to the scale on the knob. Once the diopter is adjusted and the reticle in perfect focus, adjustment should not be necessary; I’ve never made any adjustments to any of my diopters and some of my scopes were installed years ago.

Because the diopter on each scope is adjusted to the individual, the parallax numbers can change relative to the distance of the target and be different on different scopes, even if they are of the same model from a manufacturer.

Most experienced shooters disregard the scale, adjust parallax to the target/distance and move on.
 
  • Like
Reactions: CaseFinder
Everyone’s eyes are different. Every scope is different. Adjusting the diopter to your eye can change how the parallax will adjust in relation to the scale on the knob. Once the diopter is adjusted and the reticle in perfect focus, adjustment should not be necessary; I’ve never made any adjustments to any of my diopters and some of my scopes were installed years ago.

Because the diopter on each scope is adjusted to the individual, the parallax numbers can change relative to the distance of the target and be different on different scopes, even if they are of the same model from a manufacturer.

Most experienced shooters disregard the scale, adjust parallax to the target/distance and move on.

Agreed, but when the reticule AND the target aren't in focus at 1200M+ no matter what adjustments are made then there is another issue.
 
  • Like
Reactions: AleksanderSuave
Not saying you don’t have a legitimate issue, but many times problems that are posted on the forum are due a lack of understanding of the various elements involved in the scope/shooter relationship.

Please post the findings from Vortex.
 
  • Like
Reactions: FCSA-UK
Not saying you don’t have a legitimate issue, but many times problems that are posted on the forum are due a lack of understanding of the various elements involved in the scope/shooter relationship.

Please post the findings from Vortex.
I’m curious about this as well, since my warranty rep just said they’ll take care of it, and i never got an update on what actual the issue was.
 
Has anyone been told if they made a mechanical change in the turret or what they did. I have a early one I sent back and they made a huge improvement. I wish I had them loosen the parallax some but other then that they made a huge improvement. Now, today I got another and the turrets are even better, super crisp and almost click into a groove every click. Also the parallax has the perfect tension. Just wondering if there was a mechical change made or what they did. I plan to call tomorrow and ask.
 
Think they just fixed the turret. I order one last winter and my scope functions great besides the elevation turret it will slip down and lock dialing back down a long ways. I just put a O ring and runs fine for me just bypass the lock. My dad just got his end of June and his is amazing not one complaint the elevation turret doesnt slip down stays up great dialing back and fourth. Both turrets are loud and clicks are great.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: JohnWick4Real
Think they just fixed the turret. I order one last winter and my scope functions great besides the elevation turret it will slip down and lock dialing back down a long ways. I just put a O ring and runs fine for me just bypass the lock. My dad just got his end of June and his is amazing not one complaint the elevation turret does slip down stays up great dialing back and fourth. Both turrets are loud and clicks are great.
Agreed the newest productions are great. I really need to send in my two from 2021 and get them updated and have the locking feature removed.
 
Agreed the newest productions are great. I really need to send in my two from 2021 and get them updated and have the locking feature removed.
I just use a rubber o ring. There very cheap and I bought different sizes and extra had a few break that were too tight. But works great one day I need to send mine in but just hate going threw the process of all that haha
 
I just use a rubber o ring. There very cheap and I bought different sizes and extra had a few break that were too tight. But works great one day I need to send mine in but just hate going threw the process of all that haha
I've done the same, but the turrets need the updated better feel. Vortex will get them back to you pretty quickly.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: Schw15
I played with a bunch of the early ones and they were really bad. I have had mine for a few months and have shot a few 2 day and 1 day PRS matches, and have yet to accidentally lock when spinning on the clock. I do like being able to lock the turrets on single distance stages with alot of movement, so there is no chance of it bumping. Got 3 more on order , so far this is a home run optic and I really don't miss much from my ZCO other than hating the vortex zero system.
 
I played with a bunch of the early ones and they were really bad. I have had mine for a few months and have shot a few 2 day and 1 day PRS matches, and have yet to accidentally lock when spinning on the clock. I do like being able to lock the turrets on single distance stages with alot of movement, so there is no chance of it bumping. Got 3 more on order , so far this is a home run optic and I really don't miss much from my ZCO other than hating the vortex zero system.
I despised the Gen 2 zero system. The inner dial was also a mere suggestion. The Gen 3 with the one bolt to loosen and an accurate and repeatable dial seemed like a winner to me. The system works fantastic with a switch barrel rifle. Keep track of the inner dial settings for each barrel and switching back and forth is easy and accurate.

I sold both my Gen 3 because I don’t like thin reticles like most do. I don’t like shooting on high magnification and the .03 mil thick reticles with the .2 mil hashes is just not my cup of tea in the 12-18 range. If vortex were to make a 4-20 Gen 3 or something like that with a .05 - .06 mil thick reticle it would be all I would own. Can’t please everyone I suppose. 😂
 
I have one of these, GEN3, and I have the same scope in a Schmidt and bender….

The Schmidt is definitely more forgiving in the eyebox, and whether you are perfectly centered behind it.

Theturrets on the Schmidt are also better for sure.

The glass is a different story and that they are very similar, even if the Schmidt edges it out slightly.

However, more like the one guy who posted above: the grid2 reticle is definitely better than the extremely thin vortex mil reticle
 
  • Like
Reactions: Glassaholic
Man.......everyone hating the reticle. I really like it, simple clean easy, gives you everything you need. Vortex did their homework and realized this will be a competition scope, and most shooters in that discipline are running 20X or more all the time. If you make a reticle thick to be run down low, anything above 26-28 power it's gonna be useless.
 
Man.......everyone hating the reticle. I really like it, simple clean easy, gives you everything you need. Vortex did their homework and realized this will be a competition scope, and most shooters in that discipline are running 20X or more all the time. If you make a reticle thick to be run down low, anything above 26-28 power it's gonna be useless.
I agree 100% with you. At the nightforce challenge I was 15 power to 20 power. Works great
 
  • Like
Reactions: Hennig
The turrets have all been updated (including parallax).

My first one went in (very early purchase within first 6 months of release) for the repair and they updated both turrets and parallax knob.

My second one was purchased earlier this year and the turrets have definitely been improved out of the box