Vortex Vs Zeiss?

matt_3479

matt_3479

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I am still in the market for a rifle scope and have begun doing a little bit more research as for i would like to have the scope by the beginning of summer so i can really get out there to do some practicing. I have a Montana Elk and Deer hunt coming up this year if the draw results come back good and i will be needing a good scope. I would also like to use this scope on my big game rifle and as my stepping stone for getting into serious long range hunting and shooting. I have begun with a Remington 700 SPS varmint 243. win topped with a Vortex Viper 6.5-20x44mm and have suggessfully made shots out too 600 yards. This new scope however will be placed on a 300. wsm

The two scopes i was looking at was the Vortex Viper PST 4-16x50mm with the moa reticle. I love my vortex and have heard that the glass on the new ones are better. I have heard a lot of mixed reviews on the PST due to the issues before the new versions came out but not so much on the new versions however what i have heard is that they have improved very much. The other scope is the Zeiss Conquest 4.5-14x50mm target turrets. I have heard amazing reviews on the Zeiss glass quality which makes me lean towards zeiss but i never hear anything on this scope being used for long range shooting or tracking quality which makes me lean towards Vortex.

Overall it will be my first real long range scope and first real high end scope other then my other vortex but then again it isn't really high end at all. So i will be impressed by glass quality either way. I talked to JonA and he said that the Vortex is a really impressive scope for the money. This scope will be used on game such as elk, deer, moose and the occasional black bear and caribou. Which scope is better for the money? which scope would you suggest? how is Zeiss costomer service as for everyone knows Vortex's is amazing. How is Zeiss for tracking compared to other high end scopes such as PST, Mark V, Nightforce, and sightron.
 
Since I havent had the opportunity to get my hands on a PST but for a few minutes I cant really compare them. However the Conquest has a long history now of having superior glass to anything in it's price range and an impeccable record of reliability and the tracking is spot on. My brother owns a 4.5-14x50 and loves his. Although he does have to send it in. It looks like the black paint or coating they use on the inside of the scope is flaking off and you can see it on the inside of the lenses. Only one I have ever heard of or seen do this. Do a search on here for Conquest and you will see they are among the best.
 
While i do not own either of those scopes I have played around with the Zeiss quite a bit the glass is great on that scope for the price very clear i compared it side by side to a swarovski z6 and the swarovski was only marginaly better in terms of optics but the z6 is quite a bit more money and it does not have target turrets. I also compared both of these scopes to the much more expensive Zeiss victory which was obviously better than both in almost every aspect.
The only things i do not like about the zeiss conquest were the turrets which are plastic all tho they do function decently.. and the lack of reticule choices I am not a fan of plain old mil dot and the the rapid z I would like to see zeiss make a mil line or moa line reticule in that series.

As for the PST it has more features than the zeiss that I like MOA/MOA Mil/Mil, really like that. FFP if you like that and a zero stop.
I want to get my hands on one i honestly dont expect the glass to be quite as good as the zeiss but if the PST functions good and the glass is decent I would go with that over the zeiss.
Problem is I have had the PST on reserve for over a year and it still has not come out and at this point I am seriously thinking of going all out and getting a USO SN-3.
 
I have the 4.5-14X44 conquest with rapid Z 800 and also had zeiss put a target turret on the elevation which is not plastic but a precisely made aluminum piece.(the hunting turret caps are plastic). This is one of the best scopes I have ever had, it tracks awesome and the glass is excellent. I also have four 6.5-20X44 Vipers which are a fantastic scope(especially for that money) the only thing that I don't care for on the viper is the eye relief on high power gets pretty small. As for the PST I don't have one yet but will when they are available.
You can't go wrong with the Conquest. The glass is bright and clear and awesome in low light. I have had great accuracy dialing this scope to 1150yds. This scope is on my lightweight because it weighs just 17 oz. I think the 4.5-14X50 weighs 19.5 oz. and it is sweet also( my friend has that model).
 
Nieko your right the turrets are aluminum but the caps are plastic thats what i was talking about thank you for correcting me I did make it sound like it was all plastic like some kind of toy haha.

You make a good point about the weight of the Zeiss it is pretty light for its size.
I feel I should also mention The eye relief on the Conquest is pretty consistent to when i was looking at them it only varryed about 1/4" at the higher magnification ranges.

also Joseph Its seems that some people are starting to get their PST it seems like it might be a winner I would wait a couple of weeks tho till more people start posting up more reports of the PST till you decide.
 
yeah thats what i think im going to do. As of now i believe im going to go with the PST 4-16x50mm and i think im giong FFP but i will wait a little while longer till some more posts start showing up. I have read a lot of issues untill they began fixing all the minor problems and now all i read about is what a great product it is, especially for the money. FFP, Illuminated reticle, tracking is spot on every time, zero stops, durable and tough, reticle is awesome, and glass is surprisingly clear. So from what im reading i think the PST is a better bang for the buck, and its a real stepping stone into long range shooting!!
 
i love my Zeiss 4.5x14x50, i have the target turrets on my and it is spot on. I have been wanting a Viper for sometime now though too. I am waiting for their new hunting line coming out this summer. I am not big on the illuminated reticles of the other lines. But as far a durability and clear glass the viper will have a lot to prove to be better than the Zeiss, IMHO.
 
We sell both the Zeiss and the Vortex line and I love them both. THe Zeiss scopes will have excellent glass and the z-600,800 and 1000 reticles have really sparked there appeal to the long range shooter.

I would say the vortex PST and Razor line would have the edge in any tactical department and their turrets have proven to be very very dependable, standing side by side with NF all day long. The glass in the Razor line is awesome, from what i saw it really shined in color rendition. We havent been able to keep a PST scope in stock long enough to really set down with one do a good comparison but the reticles were outstanding and glass quality was awesome as well.
 
lerch said:
We sell both the Zeiss and the Vortex line and I love them both. THe Zeiss scopes will have excellent glass and the z-600,800 and 1000 reticles have really sparked there appeal to the long range shooter.

I would say the vortex PST and Razor line would have the edge in any tactical department and their turrets have proven to be very very dependable, standing side by side with NF all day long. The glass in the Razor line is awesome, from what i saw it really shined in color rendition. We havent been able to keep a PST scope in stock long enough to really set down with one do a good comparison but the reticles were outstanding and glass quality was awesome as well.
Click to expand...

Thats what we all want to see. A good comparison with the PST VS. the other popular scopes you see mentioned all of the time. Most everyone waited months and months for their PST, A week more wait wont kill them, we wont tell anyone either LOL.
 
I have been reading " for the money" about the Vortex PST scopes. I really wonder if you could shoot smaller groups with rifles that have $3000 scopes than with the PSTs? I have a fairly accurate 6mm Norma BR. with a 6-24x50mm PST MOA scope with a Custom Vortex Turret that is "dead nuts accurate".

I DO NOT think I could shoot any better with anymore expensive scope and I do not care how more clearer the glass is. And this is all the way out to 1200 yards. If I can hit gongs at 1200 yards the only hinderance was READING the WIND not the scope.

Testing new Vortex custom turret. - Georgia Outdoor News Forum

Field test: Vortex Viper 6-24x50mm PST MOA FFP scope. - Georgia Outdoor News Forum

joseph
 
It is amazing the detail that you can pick up at extended range looking through one of the highest end optics that go otherwise overlooked in higher end optics like the vortex and NF for that matter. What really proved this for me was looking through a Schmidt and Bender and seeing the difference in visible mirage that my Vortex and NF were not picking up. It is that ability to pick up the most minute details at extreme ranges that the ultra high end optics have.

For years i said there was not real difference between my highest end optics like NF and the ultra high end stuff, schmidt or hensoldt. After really comparing the scopes in practical situations i can see the difference and there is a benefit to the highest end glass. It is up to each individual to determine whether or not that benefit is worth the price tag, but it is there.
 
I would not call them equally equipped, a better comparison to the NF would be the Vortex Razor. A more accurate comparison for the PST i would say would probably be a Mk4 if i had to come up with something. The Mk4 would cost a little more but i would probably rather have the PST
 
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