Vortex Viper 1-6, King Of The Mid-Tier

Estimated studying time: 7 minutes

The low-power variable optic (LPVO) is arguably the most well-liked fashion optic for the AR platform. With choices starting from beneath $200 to over $2000, will the $600 Vortex Viper 1-6 be the king of mid-tier LPVOs? 

Preface

Simply to make clear, after I say LPVO I’m speaking a couple of variable-powered optic with a base magnification of 1X. The max magnification could also be 4, 6, 8, and even 10X however the primary defining attribute of an LPVO is the 1X base magnification.

Usually seen because the do-all optic, a great LPVO has a vibrant picture on 1X and features equally to a purple dot. Permitting for each eyes to remain open and centered on the goal for fast shut photographs. Then, the magnification could be elevated for higher precision and goal identification at longer ranges. 

The wrestle LPVO producers face is putting an applicable stability between purple dot like efficiency on 1X and refined performance at max magnification. 

Introducing the Viper 1-6

Once I bought the Viper PST gen 2 1-6, I made a couple of observations proper out of the field.

 It has a sturdy really feel though it’s a bit on the heavy aspect.  The turret caps match nicely and are comparatively low profile.  The illumination of the reticle appears to be very vibrant.  It’s longer than I anticipated. (10.83 inches)

General a great first impression so I wasted no time getting it mounted on a rifle for testing.

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Mounting 

Mounting this scope is not any completely different than every other and took me lower than ten minutes. To assist offset this optic’s 22.7oz base weight, I made a decision to mount it in an Aero Precision Ultralight mount. Weighing solely 3.7oz, this mount does a great job of decreasing the mixed weight however there are many different 30mm scope mounts if the ultralight possibility isn’t for you.

This scope presents 3.8 inches of eye aid so I positioned the diopter simply over the charging deal with. This offers me comfy head placement, a correct sight image, and unobstructed entry to the charging deal with. 

I additionally added a throw lever to the zoom adjustment ring. The adjustment is a bit stiff and and not using a good lever to seize, altering from one to 6 energy could be fairly gradual.

Zeroing The Viper 1-6

Each the windage and elevation turrets are coated by low-profile caps. With the caps eliminated, the turrets could be adjusted by hand within the interval of half-MOA clicks. These changes are reasonably tactile and faintly audible.

The turrets are laser engraved with half-MOA strains across the perimeter. I doubt many individuals are dialing their holds on this scope. Each as a result of the turrets are capped and there’s no indicator of whole turns from zero however these markings make it an possibility. 

Glass Readability and Brightness

Gentle transmission is the time period used to explain how effectively a scope transmits gentle from the article being seen to your eye. Briefly, a scope with good gentle transmission will present a vibrant picture even when ambient gentle is low. That is normally achieved by implementing a big goal lens on the entrance of the scope to collect loads of gentle to funnel to the attention.

That is the place you see a problem for the LPVO. As a result of constraints of 1X lens preparations, giant goal lenses aren’t an possibility. Within the case of our vortex, the target lens measures 24mm; about on par for a 30mm bodied LPVO.

In relation to gentle transmission, a 1-6 has a bonus over a 1-8 or 1-10 just because the scope doesn’t should bend the sunshine a lot making for a brighter picture. Having mentioned that, this scope’s gentle transmission isn’t too unhealthy. Utilizing it close to nightfall or early within the morning has not been a problem for me.

Speaking about distortion, this scope exhibits little or no and solely close to the sting on 1X. In actuality, you’ll hardly ever discover it until it’s one thing you might be on the lookout for.

The parallax is about at 100 yards and isn’t adjustable however there may be an adjustable diopter to make sure the reticle is in focus

Reticle illumination

My favourite characteristic of this optic is certainly the reticle. It’s a fundamental crosshair with MOA subtensions and widened posts on the three, 6, and 9 o-clock legs. This reticle does nicely to attract your focus towards the middle with out being overly busy.   

Now for the particular half. This reticle options an illuminated .5 MOA dot on the middle of the cross-hair that illuminates vibrant sufficient to be helpful as a purple dot in average daylight. I desire having a vibrant singular level to goal with vs having a big portion of the reticle illuminated as so many different scopes do. 

Brightness is adjusted by turning the turret on the left aspect of the scope. Doing this adjustments between every of the ten brightness settings and the off settings which can be between every stage. I like this structure as a result of I can flip the illumination on or off by shifting it a single click on versus having the scroll by your entire adjustment vary.

Not like a reflex purple dot whose battery might final years, LPVOs take extra vitality and have a a lot shorter battery life. This one is just about 150 hours so that you’ll wish to flip it off when not in use and have loads of spare batteries. I left it on as soon as after a variety journey and the subsequent time I grabbed my rifle a couple of days later the dot was considerably dimmer.

Fortunately altering batteries may be very simple. It takes solely a minute to exchange the one CR 2032 cell. Simply unscrew the cap on the brightness adjustment turret, pull out the outdated battery, and pop in a brand new one.

Conclusion On the Viper 1-6

General I’ve genuinely loved utilizing this scope. It has a sturdy building though on the expense of being a bit heavy. It has good readability and an amazingly vibrant dot. I can’t overlook to say that it’s backed by Vortex’s lifetime guarantee. 

Learn Extra: Meet the Vortex Venom 1-6X24 SFP

This scope has a $900 MSRP however the road worth is commonly a lot decrease round $600. Contemplating it is a strong mid-tier optic, I feel that may be a truthful worth. 

Head over to Vortex’s Web site for extra data on this or any of their different merchandise.

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