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New Vortex Diamondback to Watch
- Thread starter Mick-VA
- Start date
Scott,
How well did the scope snap in and out of focus at longer ranges - say 25 - 55 yards?
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The focus seems just fine with a tight firm wheel. It doesn't seem much different as far as forgiveness. That is say compared to the Bugbuster on my Leshiy where it seems you need to work it and be precise to find good focus. I need to hunt with it for a real good evaluation.
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I recently bought this scope and an Athlon Helos FFP 6-24. I found the Vortex reticle too thin for anything except bright light, target use. Conversely, the Athlon reticle is a great, all around reticle, but probably too think at the higher end for extremely fine target work, where the Vortex would shine. The Athlon was a bit brighter and, for my needs, a more useful scope.
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Ok, to follow up on my evaluation and comparison to my SWFA 3-15 x 42 FFP. I went ground squirrel hunting yesterday. I like the reticle better on the SWFA. I really do like the Vortex reticle but it is really too thin for me to use the numbers or see in the shadows below 12 power. Most of my shots were from 100 to 125 yards and I was using the scope to scan for the rascals. This is when I realized the glass was a lot better on the SWFA. I could pick out the detail way better at 15x especially because of seeing the colors so much better. The Vortex above 20x was losing clarity and and I didn't feel it gave me any advantage. I took a couple of 190 yard shots at 24x and it was really apparent. I'm looking to head in the HD direction from here out. I finally bought some HD Vortex binocs this year and really appreciate just looking through them. I'd like to look through the Vortex PST2 or the SWFA HD next. For now the SWFA is the clear winner for my field hunts and won't be leaving my Edgun R5 anytime soon.
Cheers
Cheers
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Hi guys,
First post, so hello!
Looks like I just wandered into a topic near and dear to my heart... picking a scope for my .22 AA S510XS (delivery delayed for oh..I don't know... i forget how many months now!).
The Vortex Diamondback FFP 6-24x50mm I just evaluated for my own eyeballs and preferences is unfortunately going back...Make no mistakes it is a GREAT scope for the price point. Basic FFP, decent glass, excellent turret operations and a reticle I rather like. It's a no frills scope (i.e. no 36 colors of illumination..in fact no illumination at all).
Some here didn't care for the thin reticle on the Vortex, however it was what exactly what I was looking for. Obviously everybody has their own preferences. Compared to the Sidewinder 6-24x56 FFP Mil IR Riflescope (also sent back) it is indeed a thin reticle, even at full mag. The Sidewinder FFP has a very thick reticle at 24x which expanded so much over the magnification range as to cover distant small target centers with a big fatty of a cross hair center. I probably could have gotten over that aspect but the turrets were abominable. In fact my mom's grits were firmer than the turrets response on that scope. Mushy feeling, not crisp, slop between clicks, and even areas where the clicks were inaudible and almost undetectable to the fingers. Okay yes, it could have been defective but I also didn't care for the rather sketchy illumination. I did like the glass, nice glass...Very little the way observed chromatic aberrations.
That was one of the things about the Vortex that bugged me...rather pronounced "purple haze" on edges. I probably could have gotten used to or gotten over the edge color issue because it was mostly at max magnification. However, I found the Vortex's eye relief to be very tight. It also changed enough across the mag range as to really put me off. I'm actually pretty sad about that...a great little FFP and an excellent value...As of this writing I'm holding onto the Vortex for two more days until my SWFA 3-15x42mm FFP (mil-mil) shows up for a comparison. By comparison I mean there's no doubt the Vortex is going back, I just want to know how they "see" when compared side by side. With a 10% restocking fee on the SWFA scope I'm pretty much committed to keeping it so I'm seriously hoping it is The One.
Looking forward to many good times here on the Nation.
George
First post, so hello!
Looks like I just wandered into a topic near and dear to my heart... picking a scope for my .22 AA S510XS (delivery delayed for oh..I don't know... i forget how many months now!).
The Vortex Diamondback FFP 6-24x50mm I just evaluated for my own eyeballs and preferences is unfortunately going back...Make no mistakes it is a GREAT scope for the price point. Basic FFP, decent glass, excellent turret operations and a reticle I rather like. It's a no frills scope (i.e. no 36 colors of illumination..in fact no illumination at all).
Some here didn't care for the thin reticle on the Vortex, however it was what exactly what I was looking for. Obviously everybody has their own preferences. Compared to the Sidewinder 6-24x56 FFP Mil IR Riflescope (also sent back) it is indeed a thin reticle, even at full mag. The Sidewinder FFP has a very thick reticle at 24x which expanded so much over the magnification range as to cover distant small target centers with a big fatty of a cross hair center. I probably could have gotten over that aspect but the turrets were abominable. In fact my mom's grits were firmer than the turrets response on that scope. Mushy feeling, not crisp, slop between clicks, and even areas where the clicks were inaudible and almost undetectable to the fingers. Okay yes, it could have been defective but I also didn't care for the rather sketchy illumination. I did like the glass, nice glass...Very little the way observed chromatic aberrations.
That was one of the things about the Vortex that bugged me...rather pronounced "purple haze" on edges. I probably could have gotten used to or gotten over the edge color issue because it was mostly at max magnification. However, I found the Vortex's eye relief to be very tight. It also changed enough across the mag range as to really put me off. I'm actually pretty sad about that...a great little FFP and an excellent value...As of this writing I'm holding onto the Vortex for two more days until my SWFA 3-15x42mm FFP (mil-mil) shows up for a comparison. By comparison I mean there's no doubt the Vortex is going back, I just want to know how they "see" when compared side by side. With a 10% restocking fee on the SWFA scope I'm pretty much committed to keeping it so I'm seriously hoping it is The One.
Looking forward to many good times here on the Nation.
George
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Technoman, Obviously you're taking shots well beyond the minimum focal distance of the SWFA or Vortex HD variants but I'm just curious. Do you ever take into consideration the minimum focal distance?
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Hey George,
I didn't compare the scopes as far as which one focuses the closest . The Vortex really has no problem down to 10 yards as advertised. By no means am I saying the Vortex is a bad scope. For my eyes I just think the SWFA glass is a touch better and I'm really thinking that for me the less busy reticle of the SWFA is something I like more everytime I use it. I thought for a holdover guy I would like the extra reference points on the Vortex reticle "tree" but even in stronger crosswind I find I'm doing just fine with the SWFA. I really like Vortex products and their warranty. The price point for this scope is hard to beat ( I got the "accident" 255 price)and I'm keeping it but just not on my "go to" gun.
Now I want to know what you think about the 2 scopes when you compare.
Welcome to the Forum...
Cheers,Scott
I didn't compare the scopes as far as which one focuses the closest . The Vortex really has no problem down to 10 yards as advertised. By no means am I saying the Vortex is a bad scope. For my eyes I just think the SWFA glass is a touch better and I'm really thinking that for me the less busy reticle of the SWFA is something I like more everytime I use it. I thought for a holdover guy I would like the extra reference points on the Vortex reticle "tree" but even in stronger crosswind I find I'm doing just fine with the SWFA. I really like Vortex products and their warranty. The price point for this scope is hard to beat ( I got the "accident" 255 price)and I'm keeping it but just not on my "go to" gun.
Now I want to know what you think about the 2 scopes when you compare.
Welcome to the Forum...
Cheers,Scott
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Scott, Your opening points in your quote above are spot, 1) Vortex focus' to a very close 10yds (Check!), 2) SWFA glass is more than a tad better (Check!) 3) Vortex warranty, (check check check!)
Overall, the Vortex Diamondback Tactical is a fantastic deal and great entry level to people interested in FFP. I do have to retract/modify my comments in an earlier post on they thread about chromatic aberrations. I found that centering my eye better complete eliminated the purple haze on distant edge. I'm not sure f it was my cheek weld or what...Both the Diamondback and the SWFA have good firm ocular adjustment rings, neither likely to slip. Same for the magnification ring. I give points to SWFA because they provided a little "cattail" on their zoom ring and I found that very handy and less of a bother than having to grab the ring alone. Of course you can buy an aftermarket cattail for the Vortex ($60, ouch) but when something similar already comes on the scope thats one less thing with which to monkey about spending more money. FFP reticles are so much a matter of personal preface I'll simply say people are going to have to try any FFP scope so they can experience how the reticle looks like at various magindifcations. I've seen really thick FFP reticles (Hawke) at full magnification which I don't care for. However I can see where people don't like a really thin one either. If the Diamondback were to have an IR I think a lot of people would be pretty happy. I'm pretty happy without it. Price point seems to have been a key marketing point for the Diamondback and an IR would definitely add to its pricing. What is really nice for people not wanting to spring for a SWFA is that the quality of the Vortex makes up for quite a bit of that price differential.
My one remaining complaint with the Vortex is the eye relief (and I guess what people refer to as the " eye box"). The SWFA beats the Vortex hands down, is that enough of a difference to spend another 300 bucks? In my opinion it is, no other scope I've tried thus far (Hawke, Leapers, Vortex, Nikon Pro) came up ready to go...Believe me I spent hours trying. When I mounted the SWFA I did so casually...now after so many other scopes I had an idea where it should be but man was I ever surprised. A clear full image popped in right off the bat. In fact I moved my face and cheek weld all over. Its very forgiving and I love it. I will say I wish the SWFA had a bit more magnification range. I don't think this will be my go to scope for the S510XS but it is for now! Yes this Vortex went back but I like Vortex enough I may have to get another at some point.
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Trying to get your 10 post requirement? This thread is 2 years old, and your post makes no sense.
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