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Rifle Scopes Vortex strike eagle 5-25 ffp
- Thread starter BoulderE89
- Start date
uh oh.. One for sale here already.. Sold in minutes but still cant help to wonder if it didnt meet expectations.
There was someone early in the thread talking about picking up two and just selling one, I don't know if it was that kind of situation.
I am supposed to have the Strike Eagle here today. I'll drag it out to the range tomorrow.
ILya
ILya
I just spent the whole day at the range behind my strike Eagle. It Is pretty hard to be disappointed with this optic given the price. My Vudoo has a 40 MOA rail and I have exactly 27 mils of useable elevation. The FOV and eye box is great. Tracking seems excellent and the glass is good enough. It isn’t as crisp and clear at 25x as my high end optics but it’s also 1/3rd the price. At the magnifications where I typically use the optic the glass is great given the price.
Got mine in today but no rings yet so only handled it but can echo what has been said so far. Good feel on the overall optic. Glass is not bad at all for the price range. I plan to put it next to my 5-25 Gen II PST and see how they compare. Elevation and windage clicks are not Razor like but they are tactile and low audible. Really looking forward to playing around with it on my Vudoo.
IN for comparison review. I maybe would of wished this would have been out before I bought my Gen II 5 x 25 PST, still am satisfied with it, but, kinda like the idea of a 34mm tube w/ 56mm obj.
Mac
So I just got mine in and my first impressions are very positive. Honestly I'm a little bummed that my Viper PST Gen II 1-6 didn't come with the same accessories and tools that this optic did. It's weird since the Strike Eagle is priced less. The turret tool and the throw lever are nice additions.
My PST has had the battery door get chewed up a little with a screw driver and it's magnification adjustment is harder than the strike eagles.
The turrets feel better than my PST. The paralax adjustment is a little stiff, but not to bad. It doesn't bother me one bit, but I did notice that this thing has some weight to it. Unfortunately due to the Rona, my mount is taking a while to get to me so I can't get her mounted up and sighted in. First world problems.
Once I get the mount in I will compare it to 2 different Sig Tango 4's, the PST, and a Tango 6.
My PST has had the battery door get chewed up a little with a screw driver and it's magnification adjustment is harder than the strike eagles.
The turrets feel better than my PST. The paralax adjustment is a little stiff, but not to bad. It doesn't bother me one bit, but I did notice that this thing has some weight to it. Unfortunately due to the Rona, my mount is taking a while to get to me so I can't get her mounted up and sighted in. First world problems.
Once I get the mount in I will compare it to 2 different Sig Tango 4's, the PST, and a Tango 6.
PST Gen II maybe, but a Razor not so much. Comparing a tasco scope to a tangent theta can be done, but why? This scope isn't supposed to be a Razor.
Given the new Razor 3 and this scope, I'm wondering if there will be a roll out of new Gen 3 scopes with these features as mostly standard on the Viper and Razor lines.
I didnt figure Razor glass quality would be in the Strike Eagle but If its comparable to the PST Gen II glass at its price point then this is a win. I just didnt want a HS-T with a larger body and fancy turrets
I can tell you right out of the box and handling it it is no where near a Razor. Take that thought out of your mind. The differences with the PST Gen II will come down to the smaller things like turret feel, glass quality and tracking. Also things like the zero stop and zeroing. Some might like one over the other. This is where the comparisons will come in.
Fair enough. I have very little experience in the 34mm tube 56mm objective class of scopes.
Just ordered mine today. Can’t wait to get some hands on. I had a Gen 2 PST and currently have an AMG so I can’t wait to see where this stacks up!
Here's my 2 cents hillbilly review. Just got my Strike Eagle 5-25 today along with Arken Halo medium Rings(1.26).(not In the same package Installed on the old faithful Savage Mark II on an EGW rail...not sure if this is factory rail. Got at least 3/8 clearance.
First impressions are excellent for me too. Including 60 dollars worth of accessories with a scope in this price range impressed me greatly!
Turrets. This is my first Vortex 'tactical' scope so I can't compare between other Vortex scopes. But I've had several Athlons recently and these turrets fall right between the Ares BTR gen 1 and the Ares ETR regarding click feel and resistance. Not too loud and crunchy...not too slight. Right in between where I like it. I have not owned a scope with locking turrets yet..so they will take some getting used to. I think the turrets have enough resistance that accidentally turning them would be almost impossible.
Tracking. From the sorta crude testing I did it tracked perfectly. I had a strip of paper at 50 yards with mil graduations on it and the scope in a 15lb base. Every click from top to bottom and left to right moved the reticle like it should've. The reticle lined up perfectly with the mils graduations on my chart. My chart and homemade scopebase were not capable of measuring tracking to the finest degree, so I'll leave that to the pros.
Optical quality seems very good for the price point...easily on par with the area BTR gen 1...maybe a bit better. CA is definitely present, but also expected. I will never be able to blame this scope for poor shooting!
Overall...I think Vortex did an incredible job specing out this scope with all the features at this price point. I had my heart set on a Midas Tac but when this was announced, especially with a mil/leo/fire discount...it was a no brainer for me. I saved several hundred dollars and got every feature I wanted. This will be the perfect precision 22lr scope. I think Vortex will sell a metric shit ton of these scopes. Looking forward to spending some quality time behind it.
Installed on the old faithful Savage Mark II on an EGW rail...not sure if this is factory rail. Got at least 3/8 clearance.First impressions are excellent for me too. Including 60 dollars worth of accessories with a scope in this price range impressed me greatly!
Turrets. This is my first Vortex 'tactical' scope so I can't compare between other Vortex scopes. But I've had several Athlons recently and these turrets fall right between the Ares BTR gen 1 and the Ares ETR regarding click feel and resistance. Not too loud and crunchy...not too slight. Right in between where I like it. I have not owned a scope with locking turrets yet..so they will take some getting used to. I think the turrets have enough resistance that accidentally turning them would be almost impossible.
Tracking. From the sorta crude testing I did it tracked perfectly. I had a strip of paper at 50 yards with mil graduations on it and the scope in a 15lb base. Every click from top to bottom and left to right moved the reticle like it should've. The reticle lined up perfectly with the mils graduations on my chart. My chart and homemade scopebase were not capable of measuring tracking to the finest degree, so I'll leave that to the pros.
Optical quality seems very good for the price point...easily on par with the area BTR gen 1...maybe a bit better. CA is definitely present, but also expected. I will never be able to blame this scope for poor shooting!
Overall...I think Vortex did an incredible job specing out this scope with all the features at this price point. I had my heart set on a Midas Tac but when this was announced, especially with a mil/leo/fire discount...it was a no brainer for me. I saved several hundred dollars and got every feature I wanted. This will be the perfect precision 22lr scope. I think Vortex will sell a metric shit ton of these scopes. Looking forward to spending some quality time behind it.
Small update here.
I mounted it in the Arken Halo rings...tightened everything down. Left the scope at 'optical zero' like it came.
Fired two shots at a target 50 yards away. Exactly 3.5 mils low two holes appeared. Dialed up. Did not touch the windage knob.
I confirmed zero with several groups, installed zero stop and reset the turret. Done. 12.7 mils of elevation left.
It was so easy and painless. I did not miss tiny allen screws in soft brass one bit. Bravo Vortex.
I mounted it in the Arken Halo rings...tightened everything down. Left the scope at 'optical zero' like it came.
Fired two shots at a target 50 yards away. Exactly 3.5 mils low two holes appeared. Dialed up. Did not touch the windage knob.
I confirmed zero with several groups, installed zero stop and reset the turret. Done. 12.7 mils of elevation left.
It was so easy and painless. I did not miss tiny allen screws in soft brass one bit. Bravo Vortex.
Ouch. Might be time to invest in a 20MOA rail at a minimum (that would buy you about 6mils, which would max out your available elevation when using the zero stop).
Cameraland has a fire sale on Bushnell Nitro 2.5-10x and Meopta Optika6 3-18x at a similar price point.
I would prefer the 5-25x
Strike Eagle vs Nitro vs Meopta?
I would prefer the 5-25x
Strike Eagle vs Nitro vs Meopta?
Well it gets me to 270 yards on the turrets... Around 350 with holdovers. Should be enough for awhile.
I don't quite understand how the zero stop takes up usable elevation. I had 12.7 elevation left before I installed the zero stop.
I thought using a canted rail isn't going to buy more elevation when using the zero stop?
The zero stop limits you to 18mils out of the 31 total or whatever the spec was. To get zeroed, you had to use about 5.3mil of that 18 total available after using the zero stop, so if you used a 20MOA base, it should buy that 5.3mil back, giving you the full range of 18mil, in theory.
This is my interest — I’m thinking about swapping the gen1 Ares BTR 4.5-27 on my trainer to this so it’s just a little more similar to the G2 Razor on my long range rig (esp the same ebr-7C reticle and the similar locking turret design).
My biggest question for someone who’s seen both is: how’s the eyebox on this Strike Eagle? Especially over 20x?
My only complaint with the Ares BTR (for its crazy low price point) is the eyebox: it’s so tight it’s practically unusable above 20x for anything but bench rest target shooting. It’s not like it’s stellar below that mag range either. Everything else is great for a trainer scope though and it would put to shame some of the best glass and feature sets from just two decades ago.
If this new Strike Eagle is comparable to the glass on the G1 Ares BTR but the eyebox is better I might work on a trade...
Unfortunately, it did not make it to the range with me on Thursday. It was all ready to go, but I made a critical mistake: decided to have coffee in the car. I should have had coffee before leaving. I left a bunch of stuff on the workbench all ready to go, including the Strike Eagle.
I'll do a first look next week some time.
In the meantime, I did put it on a tripod and take a quick look and I like this one. The optical quality is quite decent. It is a significant step up from Diamondback Tactical and previous Strike Eagle scopes.
The field of view is very good and the eyepiece is done quite nicely. It is probably competitive overall with PST Gen 2, but in terms of how the image looks, I still prefer PST Gen 2 by a little bit. It is not quite an apples to apples comparison though since the objectives are different size. I think PST Gen2 has a slightly more contrasty and warmer image, but in terms of resolution, they are close.
I have the less expensive SwampFox Kentucky Long 5-30x56 here and I think the Strike Eagle is a bit better than the KO (that I like very much for the money). Another scope I should probably compare it to is the Meopta Optika6 5-30x56 that I happened to have here.
Kentucky Long and Optika6 both have 56mm objectives and sorta bracket the Strike Eagle in terms of price. That should give me a good idea of how they stack up.
Overall, I am really happy to see Vortex use the same EBR-7C reticle in the Strike Eagle that they use in their higher end scopes. I talked about it a little in the DIamondback Tactical review and I will repeat it again: consistent sight picture is important. The reticle is what you see in front of you when you look through the scope. Most people here have multiple guns and most normal people can not afford a $2k scope on everything.
I can really see how someone would have the Razor Gen 2 on their match gun, AMG on the crossover set-up, PST Gen2 on a gas gun and Strike Eagle on a trainer and have the same reticle in all cases. I think that is HUGE both for Vortex and for the customer. Being able to pick from a good range of options in different price ranges and have the same reticle to practice with will ultimately make you better at this.
Now, there are a couple of things I do not like about EBR-7C, but that is personal preference. It is a very serviceable reticle.
ILya
I have not tested the Warhawk, so I can not tell you. I like SwampFox as a company, so I plan to look at one the Warhawk scopes at some point, but the one of most interest to me is probably the 2-10x44. For me, zero stop is worth $100, but a lot of that is simply because I am really used to having one. At this stage in the game, if I am planning to spin the turrets a lot, I really like the convenience of the zero stop.
ILya
Where you looking at the price? Swampfox Website says the 5-25x56 is 689.
Its looks identical to the Vortex Strike Eagle except for the added throw lever.
@Farmerdanss I was looking at LEO pricing but forgot that Swampfox's discount is 30% off MSRP, not 40% like Vortex. So they are essentially the same price for me... Vortex it is.
I've had several Ares BTR gen 1. I do not have one now to do a side by side. I do believe the Strike Eagle eyebox over 20x vs the 4.5-27 BTR is slightly better. But it can't be by much. If eyebox is your only reason for switching...the gain isn't going to be much. At mil/Leo/fire pricing this scope is an incredible deal. At MSRP pricing....meh..I think saving up a couple more hundred and getting the Ares ETR or similar scopes would be a better idea.
My concern with the lower price vortex optics is the reliability factor. I’ve heard of a lot of issues with the lower priced PST, diamondback, crossfire lines to the point that I have stayed away from anything that doesn’t say razor on it. I have an AMG 6-24 which has been great for 2 years now as my main hunting/match optic, I’m not against vortex by any means.
If the strike eagle turns out to be reliable I will have one in my safe and recommend them to friends but it’s too early to tell at this point. The EBR-7 reticle is very good in my opinion and draws my interest to this scope more than the PST2 series which is at a higher price point. Keep the feedback coming!
If the strike eagle turns out to be reliable I will have one in my safe and recommend them to friends but it’s too early to tell at this point. The EBR-7 reticle is very good in my opinion and draws my interest to this scope more than the PST2 series which is at a higher price point. Keep the feedback coming!
I'm really interested in this scope as a trainer. Anyone know if any hide dealers are matching Expertvoice for veterans (they are slow as crap to ship and charge that wonderful almost 10% TN tax),
Dont know about Hide dealers but Sport Optics does. They match Mil/LE and ship fast; Sub $480 TYD. Great service as well
For some idea of what the Strike Eagle looks like next to known scopes here it is with a Razor II 4.5-27 on top and the PST Gen II 5-25 below it. All have sunshades on.
I use those those Accu-Sync scope mounts on 5.56 gas guns...they work great...from my experience...they make full contact with the scope tube and are precisely made...never had a scope slip and have found them to fit more snug in the rails vs many other high end mounts...
This is a bit of a coincidence! Just arrived in Australia and going for $1200 AUD whereas the Gen2 Viper going for about $2K. Sounds like a bargain with those features just be interesting to hear how good the glass is?! Look forward to some people's opinions.
Well I made it to the range today and even though I don;t have the Strike Eagle mounted up yet I was able to do some good comparisons with the 5-25 PST Gen II. I looked at targets from 100 to 550 yards, which is as far as the range went.
The Strike Eagle did very well. @DownhillFromHere ,aka Gary, was out there too and looked through the Strike Eagle and he himself is a PST Gen II 5-25 owner and had his as well as mine out there to compare. We both agreed the PST just edged out the Strike Eagle for glass clarity but it was close. The clarity to the edge of glass was actually pretty good also. Again slightly better in the PST but not by much.
Feild of View is one place the Strike Eagle seemed to slightly be better. At 25x with both scope you get the following in the reticle for hold over.
Strike Eagle: full 7 mils viewable on reticle. You can see down to 8.5 mils and on the 8 mil line you had 3 mils of wind visible to use.
PST Gen II: Full 6 mils of viewable. You can see down to 8 mils and on the 7 mil line you had 4 mils of wind visible to use.
I had my PST on an AR in a 0 MOA base and zeroed I had 10 mils of elevation. Gary had his on a 20 MOA base and had about 16 mils of elevation. With that even with the zero stop set up and you getting 18 mils of elevation you still get more than the PSTs. Just something for people to contemplate.
Again I can not wait for the rings to show up and I can get it mounted up on my Vudoo with the 40 MOA base. I will post back elevation info with both the zero stop and without.
The Strike Eagle did very well. @DownhillFromHere ,aka Gary, was out there too and looked through the Strike Eagle and he himself is a PST Gen II 5-25 owner and had his as well as mine out there to compare. We both agreed the PST just edged out the Strike Eagle for glass clarity but it was close. The clarity to the edge of glass was actually pretty good also. Again slightly better in the PST but not by much.
Feild of View is one place the Strike Eagle seemed to slightly be better. At 25x with both scope you get the following in the reticle for hold over.
Strike Eagle: full 7 mils viewable on reticle. You can see down to 8.5 mils and on the 8 mil line you had 3 mils of wind visible to use.
PST Gen II: Full 6 mils of viewable. You can see down to 8 mils and on the 7 mil line you had 4 mils of wind visible to use.
I had my PST on an AR in a 0 MOA base and zeroed I had 10 mils of elevation. Gary had his on a 20 MOA base and had about 16 mils of elevation. With that even with the zero stop set up and you getting 18 mils of elevation you still get more than the PSTs. Just something for people to contemplate.
Again I can not wait for the rings to show up and I can get it mounted up on my Vudoo with the 40 MOA base. I will post back elevation info with both the zero stop and without.
I didn't spend nearly as much time behind the new Strike Eagle as Rob. I was comparing clarity, mainly, at full power with the Strike Eagle and 5-25x50 Viper PST side by side looking at red dots painted on a white-painted IPSC plate at 550 yards. Mirage wasn't too bad for a full-sun day but it was present. As Rob said, I felt that the Viper PST had a slight edge in clarity but not much. Eye boxes were similar.
The "bang for the buck" optical quality available to us today is amazing. The new Strike Eagle is a great example. Hopefully I can get behind it when Rob gets it mounted and zeroed.
I have mine on a 40 moa rail on my Vudoo. I don’t use a zero stop and have 6 mils below my zero and 27 mils of useable elevation on mine for a total of 33 mils. I was pretty surprised I had that much elevation available.
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