Vortex Viper HST<>Zeiss V4 quandry

[steeles1]

if you turn the eyepice you can make the crosshairs finer or thicker without distorting image.half a turn on mine for low light.back half a turn for target.its not hard

 

[JAYgs8163]

Like I said, your mileage may vary.

But I'm willing to bet you ask 10 vortex users, at least half will have used the warranty

Never used mine and I have 8 of them.

 

[JAYgs8163]

All your requirements are OK except the "ballistic" reticle.
Ballistic reticles are made for accuracy ONLY IF:
1. you shoot the same bullet weight and BC and velocity as the one used to set the reticle hash marks
2. you shoot only at sea level (where their ballistics were calculated)
3. you shoot at the temperature in which the BDC reticle was calibrated

Doubtful you will shoot at more than one of these benchmarks, therefore after 300 yards your BDC will be off. BDCs lie just when you need them most.

Eric B.

Not necessarily true as there are ballistic programs to run your load through and get a updated Drop chart of the reticle. However using SFP is where it gets tricky. Using a Ballistic Reticle works best in FFP as the reticle remains true at all magnifications.

 

[DartonJager]

I must say I am overwhelmed and thankful at the amount of well thought out and intelligent responses to my request for help in deciding on what scope to buy. I was not expecting this number of responses.
I have realized the most significant difficulty I face in choosing between a Ballistic VS BDC reticle is I have not at my disposal scopes with each type of reticle to try out and then make an informed purchase.
I am drawn to the BDC for the simplicity it offers as I always develop a dedicated, one primer/bullet/powder load for each rifle and stick with it, but I am aware of it's limitations as they apply to adaptability but I am more than willing to put forth the needed practice to become proficient with it.

What I like about the Zeiss RZ reticle is I can feed in my load data atmospheric conditions and instantly get the data needed to use the BDC hash marks to accurately aim out to 800 yards with my load and present conditions.
BUT........If I go with a ballistic reticle I need only know ANY given reloads ballistic data and the rest is a matter of adjusting for drop and drift be it in increments of MOA or MRAD. As much as I like the concept of a BDC system, a ballistic reticle is the better system as they both will be equally affected by my choice of SFP.

Unless I find a very compelling reason to the contrary, I will go with a Zeiss with a ballistic reticle as Zeiss as far as I've seen to date best meets my MUST HAVE requirements of 3-15/18 power range, lite weight 42/44mm, ballistic reticle with hash marks, A/O, zero stop adjustments, dead reliable and repeatable adjustments, solid construction and now that I have sold my HD5 I can put some cash with it and afford another Zeiss under the "buy-once-cry-once philosophy.

Once again thanks to all for sharing your experiences in your well thought out replies.
Arthur.

 

[smokey3]

I'v heard bad things about all euro optics on warranty, all but S&B and Meopta.
If it brakes then they have to git the parts from Europe, and it is a big thing they do not want to deal with.

Zeiss no questions. There is a reason Vortex has such a great warranty, because you will need to use it.

Red hawk has demo scopes for close to your budget (I picked one up and it looked brand new)

https://redhawkrifles.com/conquest-v4/

Thanks for the info, just ordered a V4 4-16 from Redhawk

 

[Ed Hamlin]

I think asking for experience with specific optics is a great idea, especially when you can get it from those who actually use them on a regular basis. Vortex optics are a great value for the price. The price points for higher light values in optics can be worth it to the individual. A Leupold, S&B, Nightforce, don't have the value for the added light for me. My suggestion is go to a shop that has both and look for yourself. Regarding warranties, that is a big selling point form me and I have used high end precision glass for 4 decades from Zeiss, and Nikon and they are not very user friendly. What I like about vortex, is if I drop a rifle and my optics is damaged, they will fix it. If I beat it against the tree they wont. My Zeiss warranty/repair cost almost the purchase price to be repaired. Last time I do that.

 

[RemHutch50]

To the Op. redhawkrifles.com has some demo Zeiss on sale.

https://redhawkrifles.com/demo-zeiss-conquest-v4-4-16x44-rifle-scope/

 

[JimmyCP]

I'm not much of a fan of the newer mid range vortex scopes anymore. To me their glass quality has dropped compared to my older ones. There is quite a bit of shadow ring and mono chrome on max when compared to other scopes.

Last year I ordered a viper hs for my wife's 6.5 284 from vortex, back order was so long it wasn't going to be in for the hunt. Was in a bind and orderd a Athlon Argo's 2 days from amazon 289.00.
Long story short, the cheap athlon stayed and the viper got returned do to better glass at max, better tracking.

Ziess has always had good glass, at least the few optics I have that are Ziess.
I'm still an HD Razor fan, and Nicon.

I would suggest if you have the opportunity to actually go in somewhere and physically look through one or the other before you start bargan shopping is the best way.

 

[Priley]

That may be true, but how often are you using a euro optics' warranty? Vortex you are more or less guaranteed to use it. While I'm sure thr razor and AMG are rock solid, those are not in his budget. I will take a Japanese built scope over one from the Philippines any day of the week, even if that means it will take a few weeks longer should I ever need to use the warranty.

Personally, I dont trust Vortex on any of my uses after several bad experiences. YMMV

I have 4 Vortex scopes and 2 range finders and have never had an issue with any of them... Just curious what issues you might have had??