Vortex Viper PST

Jpott3

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I see cabelas has the viper PST 6-24x50 for 649.99. Anyone have one and love it? Or hate it? Seems like a good deal especially since I have 200 in gift cards as well. Thanks for any input


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I have that exact scope
Mine is FFP Gen 1

It is a decent scope. In my opinion it is well worth that.
I have not dialed it past 600 yards on the chassis it sits, but believe it can do 800 and beyond on the right gun.
I have not shot a box to verify consistent tracking, but for a hunting rig I would say get it, especially if you need a scope and have $200 gift card.
I paid like $850 for mine a year ago.
 
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Jpott3

Jpott3

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I have that exact scope
Mine is FFP Gen 1

It is a decent scope. In my opinion it is well worth that.
I have not dialed it past 600 yards on the chassis it sits, but believe it can do 800 and beyond on the right gun.
I have not shot a box to verify consistent tracking, but for a hunting rig I would say get it, especially if you need a scope and have $200 gift card.
I paid like $850 for mine a year ago.


Thanks for the info man how do you like the clarity does it get noticeably worse at full 24x zoom or still decent?


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I also own a gen 1 and think it’s just ok also. Every year I’ve had to send it back to vortex for repair. First year i owned it the scope quit tracking correctly, next year there was condensation build up on inside, 3rd time i sent it back it was fuzzy especially on 24x that you couldn’t even see through it on that power. Also had focus issues in the medium range but was “tolerable”. Gun it was on was a 338 Lapua. If i was comparing this scope to others in the same retail price point, i went with a Burris xtr ii as my next scope purchase and haven’t looked back since. Will be my second year with the Burris and it’s solid as a rock.


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Thanks for the info man how do you like the clarity does it get noticeably worse at full 24x zoom or still decent?


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It is Viper glass which is mid level quality, so at 24 its decent out to a few hundred yards, after that, it still works, just not as efficient.
This is not the scope I use for LR shooting. Nor is this the scope I installed my custom rifle.
This is a scope I put on a decent Browning X Bolt 300 WM.
I put another Vortex Viper (non PST) on my Rem 700 30-06 and my T/C Pro X Hunter Muzzle loader.

I'd say it is a blue collar worker type scope.
Killed 2 bucks with them last year- they work.

But on my custom LR set ups and even my Ruger Precision Rifle I went with Night Force.

As Miss J stated, Burris has a great set up in same price range. If your discount works on anything perhaps check them out.

What rifle is this going on and what will use it for ?
 
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Jpott3

Jpott3

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It is Viper glass which is mid level quality, so at 24 its decent out to a few hundred yards, after that, it still works, just not as efficient.
This is not the scope I use for LR shooting. Nor is this the scope I installed my custom rifle.
This is a scope I put on a decent Browning X Bolt 300 WM.
I put another Vortex Viper (non PST) on my Rem 700 30-06 and my T/C Pro X Hunter Muzzle loader.

I'd say it is a blue collar worker type scope.
Killed 2 bucks with them last year- they work.

But on my custom LR set ups and even my Ruger Precision Rifle I went with Night Force.

As Miss J stated, Burris has a great set up in same price range. If your discount works on anything perhaps check them out.

What rifle is this going on and what will use it for ?

It's going on a tikka t3 270 WSM used for blacktail deer, mule deer and elk don't plan on shooting past 700 yards. Would like to stay around the 700 dollar range. I was actually originally looking really hard at the swaro Z3 or a leupold VX3i but saw that cabelas had these discounted 300 dollars off MSRP this coming week so that's what peaked my interest


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Hmmm on the T3 I would almost prefer from your option choices the SwaroZ3. Half the weight, great glass, and as good if not better turret to dial. Some would take Swaro based on name alone over Vortex.
I would look a little harder at the Burris, especially with your discount
- you get better glass, way better, better repeatability in turret dialing- basically same weight....
Burris Xtreme Tactical XTR II Rifle Scope 34mm Tube 4-20x 50mm Side
 
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Jpott3

Jpott3

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Hmmm on the T3 I would almost prefer from your option choices the SwaroZ3. Half the weight, great glass, and as good if not better turret to dial. Some would take Swaro based on name alone over Vortex.
I would look a little harder at the Burris, especially with your discount
- you get better glass, way better, better repeatability in turret dialing- basically same weight....
Burris Xtreme Tactical XTR II Rifle Scope 34mm Tube 4-20x 50mm Side

Thanks a lot for your help!


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KurtR

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Hmmm on the T3 I would almost prefer from your option choices the SwaroZ3. Half the weight, great glass, and as good if not better turret to dial. Some would take Swaro based on name alone over Vortex.
I would look a little harder at the Burris, especially with your discount
- you get better glass, way better, better repeatability in turret dialing- basically same weight....
Burris Xtreme Tactical XTR II Rifle Scope 34mm Tube 4-20x 50mm Side

How much have you ran the burris to compared to the pst. In using both quite a bit glass about the same to my eyes and the burris did have a little tracking error as you dialed more as well as the pst but less than the burris. What rings did you run on that with 34mm tube. I have shot out to 1200 with both the pst and the hslr and glass has not held me back at all. My ability to call the wind right is a whole different story.
 
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How much have you ran the burris to compared to the pst. In using both quite a bit glass about the same to my eyes and the burris did have a little tracking error as you dialed more as well as the pst but less than the burris. What rings did you run on that with 34mm tube. I have shot out to 1200 with both the pst and the hslr and glass has not held me back at all. My ability to call the wind right is a whole different story.

Haha calling wind is an art.
The glass is ok. But after using NF I realized where it was not.

I have not dialed the PST a whole bunch. In fact I have only used it on a few hunts, maybe 4. It dials decent as I have shot it out to 5-600 yards or so.
The Burris is a scope many are turning to for dialing. Claims on this site are it is a good repeatable turret, with better glass than the PST. Viper glass is only viper glass. I noticed the waves after long distance are not as clear edge to edge, and as it got to the center it seemed to soften the tone a bit. I can use a flag while shooting steel, but in the wild, there are no flags.
I came close to getting the Burris, but due to 34 mm tube and need for their rings (which I also hear are really good rings) I opted for the Nightforce SHV. A local gun shop had one and I drove there and got it.

I personally wont buy another Vortex, nothing against them, I just feel there is a better optic out there in todays market, for same price range. Vortex did great a few years ago, which Is why I got what I did. But today there are more good companies offering better glass, dialing etc..
Just my opinion.
 
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If you can wait until March you should check out the Nikon FX1000 that's due out in March. It beats the PST in every single way and does it with way better optics. Highest price is $799 for the 6-24 illuminated and they start at $649 for the 4-16 non illuminated. Definitely worth checking out
 

KurtR

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If you can wait until March you should check out the Nikon FX1000 that's due out in March. It beats the PST in every single way and does it with way better optics. Highest price is $799 for the 6-24 illuminated and they start at $649 for the 4-16 non illuminated. Definitely worth checking out

Any reviews on it yet. I hope frank from sniperside does some as the new nikon offerings seem interesting
 
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Any reviews on it yet. I hope frank from sniperside does some as the new nikon offerings seem interesting

Nothing yet because no one really has one. I've personally shot one out over a grand but that's not really a review.
 
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Jpott3

Jpott3

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If you can wait until March you should check out the Nikon FX1000 that's due out in March. It beats the PST in every single way and does it with way better optics. Highest price is $799 for the 6-24 illuminated and they start at $649 for the 4-16 non illuminated. Definitely worth checking out

That Nikon sure does look interesting thanks for the heads up. As usual with optics wayyyyy too many options! Lol


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How much have you ran the burris to compared to the pst. In using both quite a bit glass about the same to my eyes and the burris did have a little tracking error as you dialed more as well as the pst but less than the burris. What rings did you run on that with 34mm tube. I have shot out to 1200 with both the pst and the hslr and glass has not held me back at all. My ability to call the wind right is a whole different story.

I also can offer my two cents on this question as well. But comparing the tracking of the PST vs. the Burris, the Burris tracks better than the Vortex, the clicks on the Burris also feel more solid where on the Vortex they aren’t as crisp. I’m currently running a set of Nightforce 6 screw rings with that scope. Both scopes definitely have the capability to shoot past 1,000 yards, but i felt the PST fuzzed out worse than the Burris. With the Burris i can see more finer details where with the Vortex i can’t. Plus I’ve ran 400 + rounds out of both scopes and the Vortex has failed 3 times and the Burris still holds strong. If i were to upgrade again from this scope, I’d get the Nightforce ATACR but that’s more of a “want” than a “need” for me. My current setup is more than sufficient for my needs.




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