Vortex Viper FFP6-24x50 review

[ronl]

Upon opening up this scope I was solidly impressed by the appearance, clean and to the point. Finish is very nice and the feel is very solid. There is really a lot to like about this optic, and the features are usually found on scopes costing quite a bit more. The exposed turret adjustments are very precise and audible, and are easily manipulated even with heavy gloves on. There is slightly over 70 MOA total elevation travel in this scope, which lives up to what is advertised. The fiber optic point on the elevation knob is a nice touch, because it makes it very easy to tell whether you're on zero from any viewing angle, and most importantly, behind the weapon. Another really nice feature is the slotted viewing points on the turrets that allow you to visually identify how many revolutions you are are away from your zero. That, coupled with the CRS zero stop make returning to zero quick and easy. You'll never lose your original zero on this scope. The illuminated reticle has 10 adjustment settings with power shut off in between each level, which is useful. Behind the scope, eye relief is good, and the glass is very good. It is not the best I've seen, but still on par with other scopes costing hundreds more. I don't expect a scope that is less than a grand to compare optically with optics costing twice as much and more, but in all honesty, this one holds it's own. My scope has the EBR-1 MOA reticle and there are plenty of aiming points to allow for holdover. It'll take me a little bit of getting used to to adapt from Mildot to this reticle, but transition won't be too bad, just a slightly different set of numbers to crunch. Vortex did an excellent job of getting the stadia right in this FFP optic as the crosshairs are just about perfect at all magnification levels and are fine enough even at 24x for nice precision work. The tracking in the scope is excellent and very precise. I was impressed. I did a lot of comparison before buying this optic. What finally sold me was the comment of an instructor I know of that said the only two scopes that have come through his courses without failure were Nightforce and the Vortex PST's. That speaks volumes. Durability is one of the primary reasons for my purchasing this optic. One other nice feature, Vortex also throws in a 4" sun shade. Overall, this scope is an excellent piece of equipment. The features,price, functionality, clarity, and durability, not to mention the excellent Vortex VIP warranty make this scope perhaps the best buy dollar for dollar in the optics world.