Vortex Razor HD Gen III 6-36x56

[Glassaholic]

Obviously it’s very hard to know if the markings are correct without any way to calibrate and confirm them but my zcomp 5-27 is as follows:

25x 15.6 mils
27x 14.6 mils

Last time I did this very unscientific test with a 525 dlr, atacr 7-35, tangent 5-25, zcomp 5-27 the atacr won hands down, tangent second, zcomp third and Kahles last.

A couple years ago the Tangent Theta/Minox ZP5 had one of the widest FOV's among high end long range scopes, since then a few scopes have come in with wide angle eyepieces that have edged out the TT/ZP5 GSO design, that being said, I am surprised the Kahles DLR with its wide angle eyepiece did not do better because according to the FOV numbers spec'd it should have bested the TT, are you sure the Kahles you looked at was the DLR model?

The way NF has designed most of their ATACR scopes is to limit FOV at low magnification but then to pick it up as you increase magnification, that being said I am surprised to hear the ATACR 7-35 did so well at 25x, do you have the actual mrad values by chance as I would be curious how it compares to the Gen III since the Gen III has wider FOV at 36x than the ATACR does at 35x.

Here are my FOV values from a couple scopes set to 25x during my testing:

• Vortex Razor Gen III 6-36x56 = 16.8 mrad
• Tangent Theta 5-25x56 = 16.8 mrad
• March 4.5-28x52 HM = 18.4 mrad

 

[5RWill]

My assessment thus far, having not done much shooting in the last several years, but having played with enough scopes to currently own a TT (previous Razor G2, Razor AMG, NF ATACR, Minox ZP5, ZCO ownership). The turrets are okay, maybe even good though don’t let anyone tell you they’re approaching TT level. My windage is fairly good, but the elevation is a noticeable amount softer/less crisp/more muted. I wouldn’t call either turret particularly loud or thonky. Haven’t evaluated glass size by side yet. First impression takeaway: for the price I think it’s a good scope, especially once street price stabilizes below MAP. If spending more than $3K on a scope is unconscionable or you switch scopes frequently, this is your scope. The value proposition is very high, but at $3K I think it’s close to a point where why not save up the money to step up if it’s possible and that’s what you want.

I just opened mine and won’t be able to put it through its paces for some time. Maybe on the weekend. Good news is my turrets positively lock and stay locked. However my expectations (of the turrets) were well beyond what was delivered. It’s all subjective and anecdotal but none the less. Not to say it’s a bad turret, but I’m not sure it belongs in this price range. Feel wise it’s probably similar to my NXS or my original ZP5. You don’t really feel much click to click at all. There is resistance but it isn’t tactile. Audibly they’re pretty mute. Nothing like what I had expected from ILya and Area 419s video. Maybe they’ll break in? Right now i vastly prefer my brothers Gen II turrets. Certainly won’t change how the scope performs. Aesthetically it’s gorgeous IMHO. Love the color, the looks, mag ring is smooth as butter and so is the parallax. But the turrets (on my sample) aren’t alpha quality and that is disappointing.

 

[Triple D]

No issue with my turret staying up. I’ve traveled mine 200+ mils since it arrived this evening, never once did it attempt to slide down. The turret is much quieter than the Gen II, and doesn’t have the “thunk” between clicks. They actually feel similar to my ATACRs, but with more resistance between each click.

 

[Hegre]

A couple years ago the Tangent Theta/Minox ZP5 had one of the widest FOV's among high end long range scopes, since then a few scopes have come in with wide angle eyepieces that have edged out the TT/ZP5 GSO design, that being said, I am surprised the Kahles DLR with its wide angle eyepiece did not do better because according to the FOV numbers spec'd it should have bested the TT, are you sure the Kahles you looked at was the DLR model?

The way NF has designed most of their ATACR scopes is to limit FOV at low magnification but then to pick it up as you increase magnification, that being said I am surprised to hear the ATACR 7-35 did so well at 25x, do you have the actual mrad values by chance as I would be curious how it compares to the Gen III since the Gen III has wider FOV at 36x than the ATACR does at 35x.

Here are my FOV values from a couple scopes set to 25x during my testing:

• Vortex Razor Gen III 6-36x56 = 16.8 mrad
• Tangent Theta 5-25x56 = 16.8 mrad
• March 4.5-28x52 HM = 18.4 mrad

They also need to be at identical diopter settings for this to be meaningful. Was this done?

 

[Triple D]

Not scientific, and just a brief unboxing comparing the turret of the Gen III vs the Gen II, and 7-35 and 5-25 ATACR.

The windage turret was much easier after the initial use.

 

[5RWill]

Not scientific, and just a brief unboxing comparing the turret of the Gen III vs the Gen II, and 7-35 and 5-25 ATACR.

The windage turret was much easier after the initial use.

Bro i know you ain’t trimming brass on that fossil back there?

Also your turrets sound better than mine could be the mic though. Towards the end it was extremely similar to my experience.

 

[Triple D]

Bro i know you ain’t trimming brass on that fossil back there?

Great for the kids. “You want money for a video game? I need cases trimmed.”

We’ll see how much you want that video game.

 

[4O6shootist]

My locking turret stays up, turrets feel good but muted, dexterity and audibly. I have it out next to an atacr 525 and glass looks very similar. I prefer the NF turrets. Like the reticle, nice and simple, great FOV, setting zero was a snap, huge upgrade from the job to do that on the gen2. Overall its a decent scope, is it a 4k msrp scope? Not at all, is it a street price mid 2k scope? Yes it's that!

 

[5RWill]

I think it’s kind of disingenuous to judge it from a 4K standpoint. Let’s be real. It’s a 3K optic. Period. That’s what it’s listed at retail at 99% of the distributors. Yes the turrets are meh. Which is a huge detractor for me right now.

 

[DangerRanger]

I Need to stop reading this thread until tomorrow lol

 

[aard3]

OK... Got mine in and here is my initial comparisons to the Gen 2 and general comments:

1.) Glass looks really good, but I only had a few minutes before sunset to look through it.. I'm going to have to setup and compare side by side to a Gen 2 later.

2.) Turrets are quieter and slightly more "mushy" than my Gen 2s. My Gen 2's have more well defined detents when dialing, and is louder.

3.) There is no detent on the elevation turret like the Gen 2, but mine does not go down when I dial it. As a matter of fact, it takes a decent amount of force to get the turret to go down.

I did some quick and dirty testing by carefully using some weights to see how much I had to use for the turret to go down...somewhere between 8-10lb. So at least on mine you have to really try to mess up while dialing.

4.) So far I'm liking the single screw to change zero... on the Gen 2's it was always a little bit of a pain, and they would loosen up if you didn't really crank them down. TBD on this design, but it looks better at face value.

5.) Turrets are "grippy" enough for me... I don't see that being an issue.

I know this is a 3K optic, but the truth is most people aren't going to pay that...AND I would expect this has Vortex's latest price increase already baked into the price. When we are comparing the prices/features of this to other optics... keep that in mind. Those ZCO's and TT might see a price increase soon, just like everything else... so if you take that into account when making that comparison, it's an even better value for what you are getting.

Overall really happy so far.

 

[JB.IC]

i might me in the minority but I prefer turrets that are a little more muted and less detention.

Shhh did you hear that?
*gen2 razor off in the distance sounding like a f’n chainsaw to dial up elevation*

 

[5RWill]

i might me in the minority but I prefer turrets that are a little more muted and less detention.

Shhh did you hear that?
*gen2 razor off in the distance sounding like a f’n chainsaw to dial up elevation*

They’re not bad. Just not what i was expecting. I’m sure I’ll grow to like them.

 

[JB.IC]

View attachment 7787927

They’re not bad. Just not what i was expecting. I’m sure I’ll grow to like them.

I remember when I bought a NX8 4-32 and compared it to the other 4 ATACRs I have. I was like wow these NX8 turrets suck. Then I realized it’s a hunting scope. Why would I want loud ass turrets in the wild. I’m trying to be super sneaky stealthy sniper. My turrets need to hush up now.

 

[DangerRanger]

yeah I don’t want my dials to scare off that whitetail down by the corn pile at 20 yards

This is giving me flashbacks of the zp5 threads going ape about the turrets getting hard each rev lol

 

[JB.IC]

If you’re that close then switch to knife

 

[S3th]

I remember when I bought a NX8 4-32 and compared it to the other 4 ATACRs I have. I was like wow these NX8 turrets suck. Then I realized it’s a hunting scope. Why would I want loud ass turrets I’m the wild. I’m trying to be super sneaky stealthy sniper. My turrets need to hush up now.

What?! NX8 turrets have been my all-time favorite lol.

 

[thehun]

I think this is way too much $$$...but thats me...if one is going to fork over these prices for a Vortex...there are better options out there...especially in the used market...heck...fork over some extra and go with a TT or ZCO at this point...but you know...Vortex hype=everyone getting one...I'll take a used ATACR 7-35 over this...

 

[DangerRanger]

If you’re that close then switch to knife

I shot one last year at 9 yards with a 215

I think this is way too much $$$...but thats me...if one is going to fork over these prices for a Vortex...there are better options out there...especially in the used market...heck...fork over some extra and go with a TT or ZCO at this point...but you know...Vortex hype=everyone getting one...I'll take a used ATACR 7-35 over this...

This comment is so 2021

 

[JB.IC]

I'll take a used ATACR 7-35 over this...

If you’re in the market for one then PM me.

 

[thehun]

@DangerRanger No its not.....I haven't been impressed by Vortex the last few years...NO WAY would I fork out $3K for this...no way no how...

 

[thehun]

If you’re in the market for one then PM me.

Not currently but thanks for the offer!

 

[DangerRanger]

@DangerRanger No its not.....I haven't been impressed by Vortex the last few years...NO WAY would I fork out $3K for this...no way no how...

Can you do a mini review as to why you didn’t like this one compared to the other 3k dollar optics it competes with. Ilya seemed to think it was ahead of that pack, what didn’t you like?

Why go up? Why go down? Why?

 

[Triple D]

I think this is way too much $$$...but thats me...if one is going to fork over these prices for a Vortex...there are better options out there...especially in the used market...heck...fork over some extra and go with a TT or ZCO at this point...but you know...Vortex hype=everyone getting one...I'll take a used ATACR 7-35 over this...

Perhaps. But there may need to be more comparisons to make that determination. Just my thought. The 5-25ATACR was 500-700$ over the GenII for a time, and the 5-25 wasn’t a huge step up over the 4.5-27 Gen II to my eyes. If the Gen III compares favorably to the 7-35 optically, there will be plenty who would try to get them on sale for 5-700$ less than a 7-35 ATACR.

By the same token, ppl still buy the 7-35 just because it’s a bit cheaper than the next tier up.

That 500-700$ can cover half a chassis, or 2-3k primers!!

 

[5RWill]

I think this is way too much $$$...but thats me...if one is going to fork over these prices for a Vortex...there are better options out there...especially in the used market...heck...fork over some extra and go with a TT or ZCO at this point...but you know...Vortex hype=everyone getting one...I'll take a used ATACR 7-35 over this...

I mean it's a lot of money, don't get me wrong. But it seems like a pretty normal increase from where they left off with the Gen II. 8 years ago if you'd told me Vortex was going to create a Gen III Razor and only be $500 more than the Gen II I'd have laughed in your face. I've watched ATACRs change from $2500 optics to $3300 optics without (to my knowledge) anything in the design changing other than the reticle. Less I'm missing some NF announcement, the ole 5-25 hasn't changed, it's a $3300 optic. ZCO is $4000, Schmidt is $5000, TT is $5000. So I'm not sure I understand the sentiment on saying spending a little more, yet decrying about the price being $3000. The ATACR is $3600 and that is more than likely what the Gen III is aimed at.

So in reality it's very much Vortex doing what they did with the Gen II. Offering a competitive product at a competitive price relative to the market.

 

[DangerRanger]

I mean it's a lot of money, don't get me wrong. But it seems like a pretty normal increase from where they left off with the Gen II. 8 years ago if you'd told me Vortex was going to create a Gen III Razor and only be $500 more than the Gen II I'd have laughed in your face. I've watched ATACRs change from $2500 optics to $3300 optics without (to my knowledge) anything in the design changing other than the reticle. Less I'm missing some NF announcement, the ole 5-25 hasn't changed, it's a $3300 optic. ZCO is $4000, Schmidt is $5000, TT is $5000. So I'm not sure I understand the sentiment on saying spending a little more, yet decrying about the price being $3000. The ATACR is $3600 and that is more than likely what the Gen III is aimed at.

So in reality it's very much Vortex doing what they did with the Gen II. Offering a competitive product at a competitive price relative to the market.

A pretty TT is 5400

 

[ntrinsik]

I don’t know the exact specs on this oring but a round 1.5” 3/32 worked just as well.

 

[TheOE800]

I just opened mine and won’t be able to put it through its paces for some time. Maybe on the weekend. Good news is my turrets positively lock and stay locked. However my expectations (of the turrets) were well beyond what was delivered. It’s all subjective and anecdotal but none the less. Not to say it’s a bad turret, but I’m not sure it belongs in this price range. Feel wise it’s probably similar to my NXS or my original ZP5. You don’t really feel much click to click at all. There is resistance but it isn’t tactile. Audibly they’re pretty mute. Nothing like what I had expected from ILya and Area 419s video. Maybe they’ll break in? Right now i vastly prefer my brothers Gen II turrets. Certainly won’t change how the scope performs. Aesthetically it’s gorgeous IMHO. Love the color, the looks, mag ring is smooth as butter and so is the parallax. But the turrets (on my sample) aren’t alpha quality and that is disappointing.

Agreed the mag ring is great. I have no issues with the turrets not staying up/unlocked; parallax is fairly stiff though. I think you said it perfectly, not at all what I expected and somewhere on par with Nightforce is what I wanted to say in my post.

….

2.) Turrets are quieter and slightly more "mushy" than my Gen 2s. My Gen 2's have more well defined detents when dialing, and is louder.

3.) There is no detent on the elevation turret like the Gen 2, but mine does not go down when I dial it. As a matter of fact, it takes a decent amount of force to get the turret to go down.

I did some quick and dirty testing by carefully using some weights to see how much I had to use for the turret to go down...somewhere between 8-10lb. So at least on mine you have to really try to mess up while dialing.

….

5.) Turrets are "grippy" enough for me... I don't see that being an issue.

I know this is a 3K optic, but the truth is most people aren't going to pay that...AND I would expect this has Vortex's latest price increase already baked into the price. When we are comparing the prices/features of this to other optics... keep that in mind. Those ZCO's and TT might see a price increase soon, just like everything else... so if you take that into account when making that comparison, it's an even better value for what you are getting.

Overall really happy so far.

I agree on the quoted points, but people ARE paying $3K right now. Not sure how many vendors are giving good cash prices right now while the scope is so new. What I will say is the retail price of a full size Theta is already over $5K in 2022 and I am simply not a position where I could equip multiple rifles with that scope. Not to say what I paid wasn’t quite substantial, but it wasn’t a hop and skip from two Razors either. At the TT price point you are paying for diminishing returns in glass (getting that last 1-5%) and largely for better fit/finish.

 

[Glassaholic]

They also need to be at identical diopter settings for this to be meaningful. Was this done?

Different scopes - diopters were set for my eyes on each, but to your point, yes, diopter can change FOV so while my Gen III may be 16.8 someone else might get 16.6 and another 17 and so forth.

 

[BisSilent]

I'm gonna jump on the bash the turrets bandwagon. They are way to hard to dial. It takes probably 4 times the torque to turn than my Gen II. If they didn't take so much torque to turn the fact it doesn't have a detent for locking and unlocking of the turrets might not be an issue.

 

[DangerRanger]

Lol, all Japanese glass is the same right?!

Razor3 glass is impressive. So far CA control is very good, eye box is very good, resolution, brightness to top end. My parallax is not tight, mag ring is silky.

I like it.

Edit*

This scope at 36x is phenomenal.

 

[Chickentoast]

Anyone willing to give a more concrete glass assessment, ideally comparatively?

For reference : I put the XTR3, MK5, TrijTenmile, and ATACR all together as best in 2K class glass, even though ATACR is higher price. The old RazorG2 is a little below that, the Cronus a bit below that, and then comes the NX8 with Ares ETR. Above the 2K class, I only have experience with the ZCO 527, which was heads above. Given that, where is the 3K Raxor G3 IQ, generally? Is it between the best in 2K class and the ZCO? If so, where on the scale?

 

[Jlcichocki]

Razor gen 3 vs NF ATACR 7-35 vs ZCO 840. I can’t wait for comparison reviews. Maybe not 100% apple to apples comparison. But that line up seems intriguing to me.

 

[5RWill]

I’m sure Bill and ILya have every intention of seeing how the Gen III compares to the market.

 

[JB.IC]

I tend to disagree with the it’s not “apples to apples” phrase.

We can quantitatively and qualitatively compare anything. It’s the intended use of the scope that will differ but through the analysis is where we come to that conclusion.

The Gen3 6-36x verse ATACR 7-35x makes sense because their intended use will be in the same market and I know this because of analysis. Without analysis, we can’t conclude things like that.

So then the debate really becomes if the analysis is useful or not. Maybe. Maybe not. There’s always something to learn though.

I can compare a NX8 4-32x verse ATACR 7-35x. The knowledge I gain from that is figuring out what one is and what one is not. That is very useful in making a decision on what I want to use it for. It’s a way to decide if my assumptions are correct or wrong. It’s ok to be wrong so long as you learn from it. So, compare apples and oranges. Fk it.

 

[Jlcichocki]

I

I tend to disagree with the it’s not “apples to apples” phrase.

We can quantitatively and qualitatively compare anything. It’s the intended use of the scope that will differ but through the analysis is where we come to that conclusion.

The Gen3 6-36x verse ATACR 7-35x makes sense because their intended use will be in the same market and I know this because of analysis. Without analysis, we can’t conclude things like that.

So then the debate really becomes if the analysis is useful or not. Maybe. Maybe not. There’s always something to learn though.

I can compare a NX8 4-32x verse ATACR 7-35x. The knowledge I gain from that is figuring out what one is and what one is not. That is very useful in making a decision on what I want to use it for. It’s a way to decide if my assumptions are correct or wrong. It’s ok to be wrong so long as you learn from it. So, compare apples and oranges. Fk it.

I should have been more specific with my apples to apples comment. I meant the varying price between the three Is a fair difference. The remaining stats seem close.

 

[JB.IC]

I

I should have been more specific with my apples to apples comment. I meant the varying price between the three Is a fair difference. The remaining stats seem close.

It’s still a good question regardless. With enough testing one could have some sort of conclusion.

I feel like most scopes over $2k are pretty damn good these days. I plan to try out the 6-36x at some point. I’ve always been a fan of the EBR-7 variant reticles as well.

 

[Glassaholic]

Razor gen 3 vs NF ATACR 7-35 vs ZCO 840. I can’t wait for comparison reviews. Maybe not 100% apple to apples comparison. But that line up seems intriguing to me.

And apparently now the S&B 6-36x56 now as well, seems everyone is jumping on the bandwagon of higher magnification optics. Of course Schmidt has offered the 5-45 which is a very impressive scope, but unobtanium prices have kept it away from most.

So now we have the following newly released scopes:

• Bushnell XRS3 6-36x56 - $1500 class
• Burris XTR Pro 5.5-30x56 - $2000 class
• Vortex Razor Gen III 6-36x56 - $3000 class
• ZCO 8-40x56 - $4000 class
• S&B PM II 6-36x56 - $4500 class

The NF ATACR 7-35x56 fills the $3500 class and I suppose the Leica PRS 5-30x56 fills the $2500 class

 

[Franko]

$4500ish for the S&B would make it a horse race. However, if S&B wants 3-27 or 5-45 money it's going to be real hard to say yes.

What we really need is for Tangent to announce a 6-36 and join in the fun...

 

[TheOE800]

What we really need is for Tangent to announce a 6-36 and join in the fun...

But they’ve got Tano and a small center dot Gen 3XR this year!

 

[JB.IC]

I used to have two 3-27x PM2. Had to send them both back. One had a messed up parallax. The other wouldn’t change elevation. Glass wasn’t that impressive against the other alphas. Needless to say I felt like I paid to much for those optics. S&B just charge too much to be competitive in todays market. They’re still living in the past.

 

[Feniks Technologies]

And apparently now the S&B 6-36x56 now as well, seems everyone is jumping on the bandwagon of higher magnification optics. Of course Schmidt has offered the 5-45 which is a very impressive scope, but unobtanium prices have kept it away from most.

So now we have the following newly released scopes:

• Bushnell XRS3 6-36x56 - $1500 class
• Burris XTR Pro 5.5-30x56 - $2000 class
• Vortex Razor Gen III 6-36x56 - $3000 class
• ZCO 8-40x56 - $4000 class
• S&B PM II 6-36x56 - $4500 class

The NF ATACR 7-35x56 fills the $3500 class and I suppose the Leica PRS 5-30x56 fills the $2500 class

We have a 5-45, messing with it now. I can’t make up my mind if I like it or not.

It’s an “odd” optic. In a good way. Hard to describe what I mean.


I expect the Zco 8-40 to be pretty impressive. Hopefully will have either a demo or my personally owned one in a couple weeks.

Hopefully will be running it at the RO Brawl and Frontline Fury matches in February

 

[Solo 43]

I've got a Gen III coming and bought it solely based on some of the reviews I read about it's optical quality. For the $$$ I paid for it I do NOT, repeat, NOT expect it to compete with a TT or ZCO and anybody that expects it to do that is rather naive. I've read alot of bitching about the turrets....I can live with that. Reticle: not my favorite, but I can live with that too. Optical performance is what I'm paying for and when it arrives I'll compare it to my new XRS III and a 20 yr old PMII + a new Mark 5 HD. If I'm disappointed, I've got a First World problem.

 

[Mormegil87]

I've got a Gen III coming and bought it solely based on some of the reviews I read about it's optical quality. For the $$$ I paid for it I do NOT, repeat, NOT expect it to compete with a TT or ZCO and anybody that expects it to do that is rather naive. I've read alot of bitching about the turrets....I can live with that. Reticle: not my favorite, but I can live with that too. Optical performance is what I'm paying for and when it arrives I'll compare it to my new XRS III and a 20 yr old PMII + a new Mark 5 HD. If I'm disappointed, I've got a First World problem.

I'd be downright shocked if you were disappointed in the glass compared to a Mk5. My two examples were a significant improvement over the Mk5 in every way.

 

[Solo 43]

That's what the reviews I read said....and that's why I ordered one. THANKS!

 

[sjbryan65]

Anybody else's turret hashmarjs slightly off?

 

[4O6shootist]

View attachment 7789098Anybody else's turret hashmarjs slightly off?

Negative, mines perfect.

 

[stevenc23]

I've read alot of bitching about the turrets....

Have not seen anyone "bitch" about the turrets. Several members have expressed concerns and dislikes regarding the turrets on the scopes they received. The only thing I have heard people bitch about the Gen III is the color for which there is an easy solution, don't buy it.

Overall I love my Gen III. Love the new zero system, improvement in glass, increased magnification, and shorter parallax. I do NOT love the elevation turrets as they do slide down when dialing just like the video posted earlier. I put a 20 cent O-ring in the gap and am happy as I prefer not to have locking turrets on the elevation turret anyway.

 

[BisSilent]

Negative, mines perfect.

Do they take excessive amounts of torque to turn??? Mine are crazy tight and I have been dialing them, locking and unlocking the turrets to see I they will loosen up. They have loosened some but still tight.

 

[high right]

My thoughts exactly Steve