Rifle Scopes Vortex Viper PST Issues

[Thump_rrr]

I have a Vortex Viper PST 6-24x50 FFP with an EBR-1 reticle..

Last year this scope was mounted on my Savage 10BA.

At the time I was shooting an event under a time limit at 600M when this issue occurred. I was shooting a figure 11 target which doesn’t have any lines to base your measurements on.

I fired my first shot which was right of center. Using the reticle I determined that I needed 2MOA of windage correction.
I dialed 2 MOA and fired the second shot.
The bullet hole only moved 1MOA to the left
I dial another 2MOA of windage and fire the third shot.
This time the bullet moves 3MOA to the left passing the center by 1MOA.
I dialed 1 MOA of right windage and m
hit the bullseye.

Yesterday I mounted the same scope and rings on my new to me Savage 110 BA .338 Lapua Magnum.
I go to the range and setup at 100M just to get on paper and to have a starting point.
I fire the first shot and I am 3” to the right.
Looking through the reticle it measures less than 2.5MOA closer to 2.25MOA.
As before I dial 2MOA of correction and fire the 2nd shot. The bullet only moved 1MOA. I dial in another 2MOA of correction and the bullet moved 3MOA to the left. I dialed in 1MOA to the right and plugged the bullet dead center.
The fifth and final shot is the one directly below the dead center shot.

I believe that I have 2 separate problems.
1) The reticle isn’t properly calibrated.
2 ) the windage is somehow hanging up on small adjustments.

Any Ideas or suggestions?
I don’t seem to have these issues with any of my Bushnell ET6500 FFP scopes.

 

[Travelor]

Send it back with letter of explanation.

 

[M77]

what torque values are you running and in what rings? loctite/

 

[IowaGeologist]

First thought would be over torqued rings causing the adjustments to hang up and then let loose after another correction.

 

[Thump_rrr]

what torque values are you running and in what rings? loctite/

The scope is mounted in Vortex precision matched rings.
I lapped the rings to around 80% contact.
18 in/lbs up top with 50 in/lbs at the base.
Installed with Loctite 222 (purple)
Perfectly centered.

To be honest I’ve not had good luck with Vortex.
When I first purchased it the illumination was very dim.
They replaced the scope in the store with another one prior to me mounting it.
I brought it home and went to mount it and found out that the reticle was canted.
It was sent to Vortex Canada by the store and when it arrived back there were scratches on the scope.
I honestly believe that it wasn’t even the same scope but I never wrote down the serial number of it.
Back to the store I went and the owner called Vortex in front of me and complained and was given authorization to replace it. This was back in 2012-2013.

 

[hafejd30]

2/3 of my Vortext (pst and HS) crapped out on me. Only one I didn’t have issues with was a 1-4 pst which only had a few rounds to sight an AR in.

But how about that warranty......

Save your ammo and send the scope back

That said I also had a Savage 110 BA in 338 LM. With factory barrel it would throw first 1-2 rounds 1 MOA low cold bore (not cold/clean bore but every time the gun cooled it drop the first round then group 1 MOA higher with a couple rounds through it)

Assuming you checked the base/rings for loose screws and your scope isn’t sliding in your lapped rings Id suggest one of the following:

1) try pst on other proven accurate rifle
2) try proven optic on 338 LM
3) send back pst and start over with replacement scope when it returns
4) Send back pst and sell it when returned. Buy an optic that isn’t the flagship for vortex great warranty

Personally I’d go with #4. Then there’s always the question that will get brought up here so I’ll just say it...maybe the accuracy and consistency issue is the guy behind the rifle

 

[richthe1]

The scope is mounted in Vortex precision matched rings.
I lapped the rings to around 80% contact.
18 in/lbs up top with 50 in/lbs at the base.
Installed with Loctite 222 (purple)
Perfectly centered.

To be honest I’ve not had good luck with Vortex.
When I first purchased it the illumination was very dim.
They replaced the scope in the store with another one prior to me mounting it.
I brought it home and went to mount it and found out that the reticle was canted.
It was sent to Vortex Canada by the store and when it arrived back there were scratches on the scope.
I honestly believe that it wasn’t even the same scope but I never wrote down the serial number of it.
Back to the store I went and the owner called Vortex in front of me and complained and was given authorization to replace it. This was back in 2012-2013.

I’m not an expert in this, but a few quick things:
1) Why did you feel it was necessary to lap Vortex Precision Matched Rings?
2) I think Vortex specifically says not to use Loctite with rings because this can give you a false torque value.

 

[smoothy8500]

Loctite acts as a lubricant on the threads increasing the "squish" of the ring caps despite the same torque value.

Regardless, send the scope in for an evaluation of the uneven tracking.

 

[Thump_rrr]

2/3of my Vortext (pst and HS) crapped out on me. Only I didn’t have issues with was a 1-4 pst which only had a few rounds to sight an AR in.

But how about that warranty......

Save your ammo and send the scope back

That said I also had a Savage 110 BA in 338 LM. With factory barrel it would throw first 1-2 rounds 1 MOA low cold bore (not cold/clean bore but every time the gun cooled it drop the first round then group 1 MOA higher with a couple rounds through it)

Assuming you checked the base/rings for loose screws and your scope isn’t sliding in your lapped rings Id suggest one of the following:

1) try pst on other proven accurate rifle
2) try proven optic on 338 LM
3) send back pst and start over with replacement scope when it returns
4) Send back pst and sell it when returned. Buy an optic that isn’t the flagship for vortex great warranty

Personally I’d go with #4. Then there’s always the question that will get brought up here so I’ll just say it...maybe the accuracy and consistency issue is the guy behind the rifle

I’m more inclined to go with #4 also but I’m still short 1 scope due to recent acquisitions.
I just added a second hand Bushnell ET LRS 6-24x50 with a G2-DMR reticle and a Bushnell ET HDMR 3.5-21x50 with a Horus H59 to the family.
Neither have been proven yet so I’m hesitant to swap them out on a new to me rifle.

A friend of mine has an S&B PMII/ LP 5-25x56 P4LF 1CM CCW DT/ST for sale. If it was a Horus H59 I would have bought it already.
You are correct in stating that it could be the guy behind the rifle but I typically know when I’m the issue.
If I didn’t have the exact same scenario occur last year I would have thought nothing of it.

Unfortunately my range is now closed for 2 weeks for summer vacation and I won’t be able to get back there for 3 weeks.
Now that the rifle is zeroed I may just wait out the 3 weeks and see what it does from cold bore on through.

 

[Thump_rrr]

I’m not an expert in this, but a few quick things:
1) Why did you feel it was necessary to lap Vortex Precision Matched Rings?
2) I think Vortex specifically says not to use Loctite with rings because this can give you a false torque value.

1)Lets be realistic, we’re not using NIST calibrated torque wrenches on these screws.
It is a close approximation of the torque we are seeking.
Typically you can see as much as a 20% increase in torque using Loctite. If you look at the surface area of a scope tube the difference in pressure is negligible.
I also use feeler gauges between the upper and lower halves of the rings to be sure that my gaps are equal but even that is probably overkill.
2)When Savage first introduced the 10TR there was a bad batch that went out that were shooting way off center.
I received one of those rifles.
Before we discovered that it was a bunch of rifles that had the same issue I was trying everything to get this rifle to shoot straight.
This included swapping a known good scope, replacing the factory base with a Ken Farrell base and lapping the rings was just another step in this quest to get the rifle to shoot straight.
In the end the rifle spent nearly a year at the Savage service center and when it came back it was better but far from acceptable.
Fortunately through an acquaintance I was able to speak to someone high up at Savage Canada and the rifle was replaced rather quickly.

 

[hafejd30]

I’m more inclined to go with #4 also but I’m still short 1 scope due to recent acquisitions.
I just added a second hand Bushnell ET LRS 6-24x50 with a G2-DMR reticle and a Bushnell ET HDMR 3.5-21x50 with a Horus H59 to the family.
Neither have been proven yet so I’m hesitant to swap them out on a new to me rifle.

A friend of mine has an S&B PMII/ LP 5-25x56 P4LF 1CM CCW DT/ST for sale. If it was a Horus H59 I would have bought it already.
You are correct in stating that it could be the guy behind the rifle but I typically know when I’m the issue.
If I didn’t have the exact same scenario occur last year I would have thought nothing of it.

Unfortunately my range is now closed for 2 weeks for summer vacation and I won’t be able to get back there for 3 weeks.
Now that the rifle is zeroed I may just wait out the 3 weeks and see what it does from cold bore on through.

I was being sarcastic more than anything with the guy pulling the trigger comment.

After the fail rates I’ve personally seen, which includes more than just mine with with the pst/Hs line I would 100% suggest sending it in.

Once I sold my PST I ran a Sightron SIII on my Savage 338 LM

Guy I shoot fclass with just got his Golden Eagle back from repair. Think he said parallax busted but not 100% sure

 

[fdkay]

The Gen 1 PST's had a pretty well documented distaste for heavy recoiling rifles, especially those that were braked.
Seems like the erector is sticking. You could always try the tap trick.
Dial your adjustment, tap the turret several times firmly. Not stupid hard, but tap it.

 

[M77]

my Gen1 6-24 pst ffp many years ago had faulty illumination but other than that it lived on a tikka 300wm for many many rounds and it was fine .

honestly go back to say 15" pounds then apply the loctite , sounds like you are over torquing .