Vortex Viper PST II

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Hi Michael,

I can tell you this much, I had the Viper HST 4-16X44 for a while and I wound up trading it for a Hawke Sidewinder 30 8-32X56. The Viper, IMO had better glass than the Hawke and was also a bit lighter. I think the only difference between the HST and PST is the lit reticle. As long as the name of the Viper has a T on the end then you know it has the exposed turrets. My next purchase is going to be the Diamondback Tactical as they can be had for around $300 and the glass is sufficiently clear for me. As far as the subtensions go, the Primary Arms FFP (or any FFP) scope keeps them correct at all magnifications. Not a big deal for me since if there is any distance in my shots I usually use the highest magnification anyway. Hope this helps.

Orin
 
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OleveyHi Michael,

I can tell you this much, I had the Viper HST 4-16X44 for a while and I wound up trading it for a Hawke Sidewinder 30 8-32X56. The Viper, IMO had better glass than the Hawke and was also a bit lighter. I think the only difference between the HST and PST is the lit reticle. As long as the name of the Viper has a T on the end then you know it has the exposed turrets. My next purchase is going to be the Diamondback Tactical as they can be had for around $300 and the glass is sufficiently clear for me. As far as the subtensions go, the Primary Arms FFP (or any FFP) scope keeps them correct at all magnifications. Not a big deal for me since if there is any distance in my shots I usually use the highest magnification anyway. Hope this helps.

Orin
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Thx I have a few FFP scopes. But this is a SFP scope so the reticle remains the same size.

What I find interesting is that the reticle is true on the highest magnification. Where as a Hawke scope is normally true on either 10x or 20x.

I'm also wondering what the big differences are between the first and second generation, besides the nicely integrated IR button.
 
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The Viper PST Gen2 has been redesigned. Very few people have their hands on one since they only recently shipped pre-orders. You cannot compare a PST to a HST yet alone a PST Gen2. The PST Gen2 is also 3x the price of a Hawke Sidewinder so that's not even a fair comparison. I had the PST Gen1 2.5-10x32 and compared to a Sidewinder was a joke. Everything about the Vortex trumps the Hawke but it was more than 2x the cost so that's not a fair comparison.

On the PST Gen2 vs Gen1, the turrets are much improved and the illumination is part of the parallax knob now. Zero stop is also improved. Overall it looks like a much more streamline scope. Glass is also said to be an improvement but again, not many people have had much time behind one. For airgunners, the parallax minimum distance is also more friendly. It's now down to 20 yds for the x32 and x44 objective and 25 yds for the x50. Prior it was 35 yds and 50 yds. I was still able to use my x32 down to 17 yds at 2.5x so I would assume you can get the new Gen2 down closer to 10 yds if you dialed down the magnification. If you have a cool $1K to splurge on a scope, the PST Gen2 is definitely more attractive now. The thing that put me off on Hawke and a few other similar scope manufacturer is that their reticle doesn't match their turrets. The reticle is MIL while the turret is MOA. It doesn't make sense?? The one thing that I've always liked about Vortex is their reticles. They offer some very shooter friend reticle who like holdovers and those who dial.
 
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"elmerfudd"The thing that put me off on Hawke and a few other similar scope manufacturer is that their reticle doesn't match their turrets. The reticle is MIL while the turret is MOA. It doesn't make sense?? The one thing that I've always liked about Vortex is their reticles. They offer some very shooter friend reticle who like holdovers and those who dial.
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I'm glad I'm not the only one who feels this way.

I think the glass on the Frontier line is really quite good, and I looooove the TMX reticle. But it's always bothered me why the turrets don't match the reticle.

Thanks for your insight. 
 
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"jorgemac"Has anyone been able to try the Vortex PST Gen II?
Will it have better optical quality than the Sightron Siii?
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I've been shooting the Vortex Viper PST Gen II for a few months now. It is by faaaaar my favorite scope at the moment. I got the 3-15x44 EBR2C reticle Mil/Mil. Sorry don't have any experience to the Sightron Siii so I can't do a comparison.
 
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"Michael"
"jorgemac"Has anyone been able to try the Vortex PST Gen II?
Will it have better optical quality than the Sightron Siii?
Click to expand...
I've been shooting the Vortex Viper PST Gen II for a few months now. It is by faaaaar my favorite scope at the moment. I got the 3-15x44 EBR2C reticle Mil/Mil. Sorry don't have any experience to the Sightron Siii so I can't do a comparison.
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Hi Michael,

When you say Mil/Mil that means the reticle graduations match the turret adjustments right?

Thanks,

Orin
 
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"Olevey"
"Michael"
"jorgemac"Has anyone been able to try the Vortex PST Gen II?
Will it have better optical quality than the Sightron Siii?
Click to expand...
I've been shooting the Vortex Viper PST Gen II for a few months now. It is by faaaaar my favorite scope at the moment. I got the 3-15x44 EBR2C reticle Mil/Mil. Sorry don't have any experience to the Sightron Siii so I can't do a comparison.
Click to expand...
Hi Michael,

When you say Mil/Mil that means the reticle graduations match the turret adjustments right?

Thanks,

Orin
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Yes sir, when I said Mil/Mil I meant matching Mil Reticle and Mil Turrets.

The Vortex user guide is fairly comprehensive (compared to many other brands) http://www.vortexoptics.com/uploads/web_man_ret-ebr-ffp_mrad_M-00015-0.pdf
 
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"Michael"
"jorgemac"Has anyone been able to try the Vortex PST Gen II?
Will it have better optical quality than the Sightron Siii?
Click to expand...
I've been shooting the Vortex Viper PST Gen II for a few months now. It is by faaaaar my favorite scope at the moment. I got the 3-15x44 EBR2C reticle Mil/Mil. Sorry don't have any experience to the Sightron Siii so I can't do a comparison.
Click to expand...
How's the focus / parallax at short range since it only goes down to 25 yards. Thanks. 
 
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