APOD Firearms

Viper PST 6-24 FFP $499 - worth it?

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  • Dawico

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    Gen 1. Smaller turrets and Philippine glass. Worth it for the discounted price at Eurooptic?
    Pretty good price if it's ffp. For a couple hundred more you can get the Gen II.

    They have great glass and good repeatable turrets.

    The warranty can't be beat and if they ever quit servicing them I am sure they would send you a Gen II replacement.
     

    ed308

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    Pretty good price if it's ffp. For a couple hundred more you can get the Gen II.

    The cheapest I've seen the Vortex PST Gen II MRAD in a similar power is $800+. I'm watching and waiting. As soon the Gen IIs are closed out, I'll buy one.
     

    IXLR8

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    It is not an unbelievable deal, but very good. Optics are a high margin item. It depends on how far up the supply chain you are. I would brag about getting this deal.
     

    Txhillbilly

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    Seen to many Vortex Viper PST scopes have issues,yep they have a great warranty,how many times are you going to use it?
    The Razor series are great scopes.
     

    Mike_from_Texas

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    Seen to many Vortex Viper PST scopes have issues,yep they have a great warranty,how many times are you going to use it?
    The Razor series are great scopes.

    Ditto. Anyone that thinks the Gen 1 is good glass apparently doesn’t know good glass. My experience with every Vortex scope I’ve owned has been terrible so I quit buying them.

    I haven’t owned one of the Razors but I wasn’t willing to take the chance based on previous experience with the others.


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    ed308

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    Seen to many Vortex Viper PST scopes have issues,yep they have a great warranty,how many times are you going to use it?
    The Razor series are great scopes.

    I've got three Viper PST, one Razor and one spotting scope. Never had a problem with any of them.
     

    ed308

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    Ditto. Anyone that thinks the Gen 1 is good glass apparently doesn’t know good glass. My experience with every Vortex scope I’ve owned has been terrible so I quit buying them.

    I haven’t owned one of the Razors but I wasn’t willing to take the chance based on previous experience with the others.

    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

    So what brand do you buy? The Viper PST is not Kahles, S&B or Nightforce quality. But it does compare well to Leupold and Burris IMO.

    Color blindness can also effect ones's opinion about a brand of scope. Each manufacturer uses different coats and if you suffer from even a mild form of color blindness, that can affect your judgment/opinion about the quality of the glass in a scope. I don't have color blindness.

    The Razor is better glass. But it's heavier and three times the cost. My Gen I Razor is the best glass I own. The Gen I Viper PST in 6-24x50 FFP is good value for the glass and the warranty. IMO you'll pay more for another brand with similar FFP specs that's not made in China. I don't buy scopes made in China.

    To really know what you're getting, you need view/judge a scope outside in full sunlight plus when the light is getting low. I've look through a lot of scopes at ranges. Vortex's Viper PST and Razor line of scopes offer good quality for the money compared to other brands.
     
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    Sam Colt

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    Thanks for the feedback guys. I went for the Vortex Viper PST Gen II 5-25x50 FFP EBR-7C MOA for $799 delivered. (I'm all MOA and too old to learn a new system.) From what I can see the extra $300 above the Gen 1 is money well-spent for the Japanese glass, solid turrets, and increased elevation adjustment.
    I appreciate the advice.
     

    Younggun

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    Vortex makes great scopes for the money. There are a couple who will claim they are terrible for one reason or another, but they are I. The extreme minority of Vortex owners/users.

    Have a first Gen Viper PST and the only reason I moved it off my Armalite was due to needing more elevation travel. It’s still in full time use though. Mounted on an RPR Creedmoor now.




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    Txhillbilly

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    So what brand do you buy? The Viper PST is not Kahles, S&B or Nightforce quality. But it does compare well to Leupold and Burris IMO.

    The Razor is better glass. But it's heavier and three times the cost. My Gen I Razor is the best glass I own. The Gen I Viper PST in 6-24x50 FFP is good value for the glass and the warranty. IMO you'll pay more for another brand with similar FFP specs that's not made in China. I don't buy scopes made in China.

    I have Nightforce, IOR Valdada, Revic, Swarovski, Weaver, Sightron, and Athlon scopes. I just know too many guy's that have had issues with the Viper PST's. They are nice scopes with some great features,but not worth me taking a chance on. The Sightron SIII has better glass,and tracking,but their FFP reticle sucks. The 4 SIII's that I have are SFP.

    Don't discount all scopes that are built in China. Just like everything else,you get what you pay for.
    Athlon's Midas and Ares series are built in China,and they will run right with any scope in their price range. The Athlon Cronus series is made in Japan,and it performs right with my $3k+ optics.
     

    ed308

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    I've never been able to see why people like Athlon scopes, except maybe the Cronus series. Jap glass always looks good to my eyes. Every time I've looked through the cheaper line, I've not been impressed. Maybe it's the coating on the glass, but they always seem dull to my eyes.

    When it comes to scopes, you gotta buy what pleases your eyes. I've read where the Primary Arms scopes are not bad. Not had an opportunity to look through one.
     

    ed308

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    Thanks for the feedback guys. I went for the Vortex Viper PST Gen II 5-25x50 FFP EBR-7C MOA for $799 delivered. (I'm all MOA and too old to learn a new system.) From what I can see the extra $300 above the Gen 1 is money well-spent for the Japanese glass, solid turrets, and increased elevation adjustment.
    I appreciate the advice.

    I think the Gen II Vortex PST are made in the Philippines. Only the Razor line is made in Japan. But, it really doesn't matter if YOU like the scope and glass. The Gen II is a good scope for the money. I'll buy one when I can get it on close out.
     

    Mike_from_Texas

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    So what brand do you buy? The Viper PST is not Kahles, S&B or Nightforce quality. But it does compare well to Leupold and Burris IMO.

    Color blindness can also effect ones's opinion about a brand of scope. Each manufacturer uses different coats and if you suffer from even a mild form of color blindness, that can affect your judgment/opinion about the quality of the glass in a scope. I don't have color blindness.

    The Razor is better glass. But it's heavier and three times the cost. My Gen I Razor is the best glass I own. The Gen I Viper PST in 6-24x50 FFP is good value for the glass and the warranty. IMO you'll pay more for another brand with similar FFP specs that's not made in China. I don't buy scopes made in China.

    To really know what you're getting, you need view/judge a scope outside in full sunlight plus when the light is getting low. I've look through a lot of scopes at ranges. Vortex's Viper PST and Razor line of scopes offer good quality for the money compared to other brands.

    I’ve owned several gen 1 PSTs and every one was replaced due to horrible scope flair (flare?).

    After they replaced the last one I sold it and never went back.

    The majority of my scopes are Leupold with the lowest one being a few of the older Mark IV scopes.

    I had the Mark IV and the PST side x side in the exact same conditions; the flare was so bad in the PST I couldn’t even see the animal. I could see the animal perfectly in the Mark IV. That’s what sealed the deal for me on the PST.

    I’ll take quality glass over bells and whistles. Vortex likes to think they dazzle with diamonds when in reality they baffle with bullshit.

    On my pure hunting rifles I run Swarovski, Zeiss and Leupold VD6HD.


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    Mike_from_Texas

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    3   0   0
    Feb 10, 2010
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    So what brand do you buy? The Viper PST is not Kahles, S&B or Nightforce quality. But it does compare well to Leupold and Burris IMO.

    Color blindness can also effect ones's opinion about a brand of scope. Each manufacturer uses different coats and if you suffer from even a mild form of color blindness, that can affect your judgment/opinion about the quality of the glass in a scope. I don't have color blindness.

    The Razor is better glass. But it's heavier and three times the cost. My Gen I Razor is the best glass I own. The Gen I Viper PST in 6-24x50 FFP is good value for the glass and the warranty. IMO you'll pay more for another brand with similar FFP specs that's not made in China. I don't buy scopes made in China.

    To really know what you're getting, you need view/judge a scope outside in full sunlight plus when the light is getting low. I've look through a lot of scopes at ranges. Vortex's Viper PST and Razor line of scopes offer good quality for the money compared to other brands.

    I’ve owned several gen 1 PSTs and every one was replaced due to horrible scope flair (flare?).

    After they replaced the last one I sold it and never went back.

    The majority of my scopes are Leupold with the lowest one being a few of the older Mark IV scopes.

    I had the Mark IV and the PST side x side in the exact same conditions; the flare was so bad in the PST I couldn’t even see the animal. I could see the animal perfectly in the Mark IV. That’s what sealed the deal for me on the PST.

    I’ll take quality glass over bells and whistles. Vortex likes to think they dazzle with diamonds when in reality they baffle with bullshit.

    On my pure hunting rifles I run Swarovski, Zeiss and Leupold VD6HD.


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    Younggun

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    6   0   0
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    I’ll take perfect tracking and durability over marginally better glass, or spending twice as much for glass that may be much better but only offers marginally better real world performance.


    Sun shades are cheap.


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