Scope Introspection

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts
  • kevperro
    Bloodstained
    • Apr 2017
    • 70

    Scope Introspection

    I started a thread the died an untimely death when the site went down.

    Anyway... I bought a Vortex Viper 6 x 20 x 50 and mounted her up. My concerns:


    This is not an FFP scope so the mil dot reticle has to be on x14 power in order to use the ranging function (and bullet drop/windage) of the scope. Since x14 is somewhere in the middle of the range I'm not all that confident I can reliably hit that mark and that my reticle will be accurate without clicking away on the turret.

    Second issue... the eye relief is 3.1" and I found I had to mount it back further than I'd like. I'm not a nose to charging handle kind of guy.

    I'm thinking I should have bought one of the SWFA single power scopes and not had to deal with the variable power scope/reticle situation. This is a range scope so for the most part I know my distances but it sure would be nice to know the distance between those dots reliably. Who wants to try counting fifty clicks everytime they take a different shot?
  • Kilco
    Chieftain
    • Jan 2016
    • 1201

    #2
    My viper 6.5-20 has capped turrets, but they are normal market target turrets, no need to count clicks.

    Also, I understand your concern about SFP, but in all honesty, how many times will you be ranging with the mill dots? For windage holds, I also understand your concern, but if your viper is like mine, the visual clarity is MUCH better at 14x than 20x, so I'm thankful they used a more usable power (14x) than 20x which has a much more picky eye box and very small field of view, with lower clarity.

    As for eye relief, my viper is mounted on a bolt gun, and I can say that it has MUCH more eye relief than my SWFA 10X had.

    I'm rather bias against the SWFA current fixed power scopes, I don't have much good to say about mine other than it tracks true. Mushy turrets, short eye relief, critical eye box, and has been unreliable. I've sent this one back before due to the turret support coming loose. Also the low light clarity of it was garbage. Almost unusable for the last 30 min of hunting light. I'm sure the HD models are better, but then you are getting into a price tier where much better scopes are available. Just my 2 cents.

    Comment

    • StoneHendge
      Chieftain
      • May 2016
      • 2009

      #3
      Which Viper is it? That's kind of bizarre in that most SFP reticles are true at max magnification. Mid to high teens is where I usually find myself on all of my FFP scopes to aid in self spotting and keep mirage distortion to a minimum, and I almost always do reticle based holdovers for everything but the longest ranges. I usually only go up to 20x (or higher) on my scopes that have it when shooting paper. FFP is more expensive, but there is a reason why people pay for it.
      Let's go Brandon!

      Comment

      • rabiddawg
        Chieftain
        • Feb 2013
        • 1664

        #4
        I know a guy that has a good deal on a Leupold mark IV 10x-40 mm mil dot reticle

        Knowing everthing isnt as important as knowing where to find it.

        Mark Twain

        http://www.65grendel.com/forum/showt...2-Yd-Whitetail

        Comment

        • Chrazy-Chris
          Warrior
          • Aug 2015
          • 169

          #5
          Just crank it up to 20x and enjoy. You said it was a range gun so don't worry about it. If it is a real issue for you, then you learned a lesson. Swap it with something FFP and you'll have a new appreciation for it. If it's not an issue, congrats! You probably saved some money. I am happy with my 4-16x SFP and my 6-24x FFP. They each serve a different purpose.

          Edit - just saw that your 20x scope has to be at 14x for the reticle to be accurate. That is just silly. How do you even know it's exactly at 14x? Not a big fan of this idea. Regardless, shoot it and maybe you'll find it redeems itself in value or clarity.
          Last edited by Chrazy-Chris; 06-20-2017, 06:44 PM.

          Comment

          • kevperro
            Bloodstained
            • Apr 2017
            • 70

            #6
            You have to give Vortex some credit. They responded to my email lickety split.

            Thank you for choosing Vortex Optics and for your question. You are reading the manual correct, the reticle subtends correctly at 14x magnification. The magnification ring has the 14 labeled so you should be able to dial it in very accurately. If we subtended the reticle at 20x, the dots would cover a very large portion of the target at low magnification so we chose to set the reticle up at 14x. Mil Dot reticles have also traditionally been used at lower magnifications which was another reason we went with 14x. let me know if you have any other questions.


            I guess I'll have to take it to the range and actually try it to see how repeatable my resetting it to x14 works. If I can reliably hit the same spot @ 500m once I dial around on my magnification I'll give it the thumbs up. I'll also see if I can set-up one of those barber pole type set-ups with a piece of painted lumber. I'll measure it out to 100 and make sure my reticle dots line-up and mark that spot on the scope if it doesn't already match my 14x magnification setting.
            Last edited by kevperro; 06-20-2017, 10:13 PM.

            Comment

            • Drillboss
              Warrior
              • Jan 2015
              • 894

              #7
              Originally posted by kevperro View Post
              Since x14 is somewhere in the middle of the range I'm not all that confident I can reliably hit that mark and that my reticle will be accurate without clicking away on the turret.
              Does your scope have detentes at intermediate magnifications? My Vortex 6-14 does.

              Comment

              • Klem
                Chieftain
                • Aug 2013
                • 3508

                #8
                Why not dial to 14 do whatever range/adjustment calculation you need to do and dial it back up to 20 for the shot. You are at the range anyway so already know your distance-to-target. As for MPI adjustments, you don't need a milling reticle to do that. Especially if you can hold the gun still while adjusting. Just, 'dial out to the spotter'.

                As for eye relief. 3.1" is normal. Most shooters will mount the ocular level with the charge handle, which puts your eye 3" further back on the stock. Everything about your situation sounds normal.

                Comment

                Working...
                X