Vortex Optics Question

[dross]

I have a Vortex scope I like very much. It's a Viper 6.5 x 20. I have four Muellers that I like. As a general rule of thumb, I've found that Mueller scopes seem to be about equal with more well-known scopes that cost about twice as much.

That said, I've come to believe that Vortex is probably better for the price than most other scopes. That said, I'm thinking of buying a Vortex Diamondback 3 X 9 for a new rifle I'm getting. I think they cost around $200 or so most places.

Does anyone have a rule of thumb for Vortex scopes? For instance, say which Leupold line does the Diamondback line compare to? I use Leupold for an example because their lines and steps in quality are so well known.

 

[42769vette]

In terms of quality your looking at the VX-2. Leopold is not really a good comparison. Your talking about (brand wise) the best return on investment on the market, vs the worse return on investment on the market.

Ive actually got your current Vortex on sale right now for 325

 

[Yeah]

How does one quantify 'return on investment' when purchasing a riflescope? Can you supply some values for various Leupold and Vortex offerings so I might choose accordingly?

Thanks in advance.

 

[42769vette]

How does one quantify 'return on investment' when purchasing a riflescope? Can you supply some values for various Leupold and Vortex offerings so I might choose accordingly?

Thanks in advance.

There are a lot of things that figure in to it. Glass quality, durability, internal travel, FOV, etc etc. Some things dont apply to certain purposes, but as a rule of thumb Leupold has the highest markup from manufactoring to end user of anyone in the industry, so they start behing the 8 ball.

 

[gregkl]

There are a lot of things that figure in to it. Glass quality, durability, internal travel, FOV, etc etc. Some things dont apply to certain purposes, but as a rule of thumb Leupold has the highest markup from manufactoring to end user of anyone in the industry, so they start behing the 8 ball.

So, what are your thoughts about Leupold quality? They have historically been regarded as a very high quality optic.

 

[dross]

So, what are your thoughts about Leupold quality? They have historically been regarded as a very high quality optic.

 

[42769vette]

So, what are your thoughts about Leupold quality? They have historically been regarded as a very high quality optic.

Historically as in the 60's-late 90's/2000? They were great.

Historically as in 2000-2013? They were in the dark ages of technological advances.

2013 they realized that they were behind the 8 ball and really stepped up their game, but as of today they are still behind. Leupold is use to being on the cutting edge, so we will have to see how they deal with playing catch up.

FYI this will be my last post in this thread. There are so many people that are die hard bleed gold ring (but the reason is there father loved Leupold 20 years ago) that stating facts is like calling there mother a ________. At one point and time these arguments daily, but Ive learned that its pointless. Let folks waste their money, and save the ones you can.

 

[Yeah]

There are a lot of things that figure in to it. Glass quality, durability, internal travel, FOV, etc etc. Some things dont apply to certain purposes, but as a rule of thumb Leupold has the highest markup from manufactoring to end user of anyone in the industry, so they start behing the 8 ball.

I am new this rifle shooting thing and all these terms befuddle me. It would simplify matters if you'd quote specific ROI values.

 

[gregkl]

Historically as in the 60's-late 90's/2000? They were great.

Historically as in 2000-2013? They were in the dark ages of technological advances.

2013 they realized that they were behind the 8 ball and really stepped up their game, but as of today they are still behind. Leupold is use to being on the cutting edge, so we will have to see how they deal with playing catch up.

FYI this will be my last post in this thread. There are so many people that are die hard bleed gold ring (but the reason is there father loved Leupold 20 years ago) that stating facts is like calling there mother a ________. At one point and time these arguments daily, but Ive learned that its pointless. Let folks waste their money, and save the ones you can.

Check PM. Didn't mean to ruffle you or anyone's feathers.

 

[42769vette]

I am new this rifle shooting thing and all these terms befuddle me. It would simplify matters if you'd quote specific ROI values.

Your not new to rifle shooting, your familiar with the terms, you know what Return on investment refers to. You are trying to bait me into the same pointless argument Ive had hundreds of times on these forums, and Im not falling for it. Believe me, dont believe me, I dont care. I have better things to do that sit behind a computer and argue the same argument over and over.

You win, Leupold is the perfect answer for you sir.

 

[Yeah]

Your not new to rifle shooting, your familiar with the terms, you know what Return on investment refers to.

Those are all facts. This stuff is harder with someone who knows what they are doing.

I'm not wondering whether any given Leupold is better than any given Vortex, I already know those answers. I am wondering what 'investment' is being made and how the returns are calculated. It would not surprise me at all to find that people are buying riflescopes and laying them up in hopes their value increases, as opposed to actually taking them into the field and shooting them. That is the situation with a good many firearms and it follows that it has been or soon will be applied to scopes.

 

[42769vette]

You sir are right, you know far more than I ever hope to. You should consider doing optics for a living. But if you did you would probably be hassled by sharing your great wisdom with little **** on customers so it would not work well. Lucky for me I dont have **** on customers, I have future repeat customers, and a lot of the time future friends.

Buying a scope is a investment. Return on investment means the level of quality you get for the dollar spent. It doesnt matter what folks that put the rifle in the safe to never use them buy. I make the assumption with every customer they will use the scope. Thats why I ask the questions (about intended use) before recomending a scope. A recomendation is not what was ask for here, so its not what I gave.

 

[Yeah]

YYou should consider doing optics for a living.

I made my living a while back, so I needn't peddle optics or any other thing to further it. This frees me to be objective in a way that relegates brand loyalty to curiosity.

 

[indyjohn]

I am new this rifle shooting thing and all these terms befuddle me. It would simplify matters if you'd quote specific ROI values.

Those are all facts. This stuff is harder with someone who knows what they are doing.

I'm not wondering whether any given Leupold is better than any given Vortex, I already know those answers. I am wondering what 'investment' is being made and how the returns are calculated. It would not surprise me at all to find that people are buying riflescopes and laying them up in hopes their value increases, as opposed to actually taking them into the field and shooting them. That is the situation with a good many firearms and it follows that it has been or soon will be applied to scopes.

I made my living a while back, so I needn't peddle optics or any other thing to further it. This frees me to be objective in a way that relegates brand loyalty to curiosity.

Yeah = enigma

 

[Faine]

I have a Vortex scope I like very much. It's a Viper 6.5 x 20. I have four Muellers that I like. As a general rule of thumb, I've found that Mueller scopes seem to be about equal with more well-known scopes that cost about twice as much.

That said, I've come to believe that Vortex is probably better for the price than most other scopes. That said, I'm thinking of buying a Vortex Diamondback 3 X 9 for a new rifle I'm getting. I think they cost around $200 or so most places.

Does anyone have a rule of thumb for Vortex scopes? For instance, say which Leupold line does the Diamondback line compare to? I use Leupold for an example because their lines and steps in quality are so well known.

I've been doing a lot of research lately on optics because I'm working on putting together 3 builds. Additionally, I've used several optics, not a ton, but several. Specifically of late I've used, Redfield, Vortex, Leupold, US Optics, Burris, and Nikon. I can't recall all the models I used, but those are the brands. I researched Redfield, Vortex, Leupold, and US Optics because I was most impressed with those. I found that Redfield and Vortex were the most cost effective while Leupold and US Optics were the more expensive, depending on what models you were looking to get. If you want to line up which models compare to others by a similar manufacturer you need only pull up each companies products in separate tabs of an internet browser and read about them. If you want real world knowledge about what's good and what works that would come from the people. There are plenty enough reviews out there for you to read through to better educate yourself. While of late I've been leaning towards Vortex because I like the prices, company and warranty. I have owned Redfields and been happy with them. As I understand it, Redfield is owned by Leupold and manufactured by Leupold for a while now. I don't know if the ones I've owned were made by Leupold or not, but I've not been unhappy with them. I've only owned one Leupold and it was good. I got it in a combo deal on a used rifle I bought, so I cannot comment on price, but I wasn't unhappy with it either. I know this really doesn't help, but it's cyclical to your need and budget.

I think in the end you should decide on your end use and look at the options available to you in your price range for the desired goal of your build. From there you can surely come to a wise decision that best fits your need.

 

[Expat]

Tagged for follow up.

 

[Thegeek]

At the NRA show, I coonfingered alot of stuff. Leica, Leopold, Vortex, etc. I'd say they're all high quality pieces. As soon as I have $800 to burn, I'll be getting a Vortex Viper.

I have no horse in this race. Leica glass is top quality because they pull from Leica Life Sciences. To that end, they're experts in magnification, not shooting. Leopold is just as Alan said. They settled at the top and raked in the profits for years. You can see it in their designs and manufacturing techniques. They're the Harley Davidson of scopes selling you "yesterday's technology at tomorrow's prices". I don't know enough about it, but even with my poor vision, the Vortex scopes surprised me with their clarity. Reaserch them as much as I did and you'll understand.

Alan and I disagree on what people need. I honestly don't need any more than the Barska on my 10/22 or the NC Star on my AR. They serve the purpose of poking some holes and bonding with my son. Get what makes you happy and fits your personal needs and preferences. Alan's passion is getting people as close to perfect as possible, and in today's market, Vortex makes his job easy. If you prefer Leopold, get one. No one cares but you. But if your needs are acuracy, and a lsting product, your dollar will go much further with vortex.

 

[gregkl]

I've been doing a lot of research lately on optics because I'm working on putting together 3 builds. Additionally, I've used several optics, not a ton, but several. Specifically of late I've used, Redfield, Vortex, Leupold, US Optics, Burris, and Nikon. I can't recall all the models I used, but those are the brands. I researched Redfield, Vortex, Leupold, and US Optics because I was most impressed with those. I found that Redfield and Vortex were the most cost effective while Leupold and US Optics were the more expensive, depending on what models you were looking to get. If you want to line up which models compare to others by a similar manufacturer you need only pull up each companies products in separate tabs of an internet browser and read about them. If you want real world knowledge about what's good and what works that would come from the people. There are plenty enough reviews out there for you to read through to better educate yourself. While of late I've been leaning towards Vortex because I like the prices, company and warranty. I have owned Redfields and been happy with them. As I understand it, Redfield is owned by Leupold and manufactured by Leupold for a while now. I don't know if the ones I've owned were made by Leupold or not, but I've not been unhappy with them. I've only owned one Leupold and it was good. I got it in a combo deal on a used rifle I bought, so I cannot comment on price, but I wasn't unhappy with it either. I know this really doesn't help, but it's cyclical to your need and budget.

I think in the end you should decide on your end use and look at the options available to you in your price range for the desired goal of your build. From there you can surely come to a wise decision that best fits your need.

Warning: thread drift. What types of sights/optics do you usually use with your 3-gun rifles? One day I am going to build me a 3-gun AR and will be wanting to put some kind of optic on it. I was thinking of a 1-4X but I am not sure I can keep both eyes open and shoot. I am cross dominant and other than pistol, I have to close or obscure the vision of my left eye to be able to sight down a rifle/shotgun barrel.

 

[Faine]

Warning: thread drift. What types of sights/optics do you usually use with your 3-gun rifles? One day I am going to build me a 3-gun AR and will be wanting to put some kind of optic on it. I was thinking of a 1-4X but I am not sure I can keep both eyes open and shoot. I am cross dominant and other than pistol, I have to close or obscure the vision of my left eye to be able to sight down a rifle/shotgun barrel.

I cross eye dominant as well, I have no issues with my Vortex PST 1-4, or my Aimpoint H1. I do get a little flare from time to time on the Aimpoint but a quick blink usually fixes it. I think the reticle on the PST might be etched and I get 0 flare on it.

 

[ryan3030]

If it helps you at all OP I recently wrote a review comparing a Leupold and a Vortex: Leupold Mark AR Mod 1 and Vortex Viper PST Review