aztec emerald anyone got one how bout a little info

Joe Rhea

First off, I really enjoy your YouTube channel. I am learning a lot but still can't make a decision. I think I have decided on the Emerald but I really like the Viper Pro also. One of the main selling points for the Aztec was the adjustable eye piece (in Matt's review he stated that is very helpful for people with poor eyesight. I have VERY poor eyesight.) with that being said, what do you think would be the better choice. In your opinion is the Viper Pro $200 better? Thanks 

BTW Bakerairguns has the Aztec's on sale at 20% off. Seems like a really good deal.

One of the main selling points for the Aztec was the adjustable eye piece (in Matt's review he stated that is very helpful for people with poor eyesight. I have VERY poor eyesight.)

Click to expand...

Well I think its safe to say that most scopes these days have an adjustable ocular lens to put the crosshair in focus, so nothing really special about that.

The negative about the scope is that scope turrets aren't completely resettable. Once you zero the scope, you have to reset the turrets a few clicks off. The scope otherwise is pretty clear and personally I like the reticle. 

Thank You for the response. Learning about/picking out a scope has turned out to be more difficult than deciding which gun to buy.

I have two of them one on my Air Arms Galahad and one on my Impact. Both are 5x25 I am very impressed with them and really like that the reticle uses the whole field of view. It allows for longer shots on higher power using holdover. It allowed me to hit a starling at 138yrds with the Galahad in .22

I have two Aztec Emerald 5.5-25s and don’t see them going anywhere soon, they work just fine for shooting off bench at steel.

I have the 3-18x50 Emerald on an FX Wildcat and love it. Bang for the buck i think it is worth it. I have shot a little of everything over the years form Bushnell up to Sig Tango 6. The Aztec performs well and apple to apples it stands up. I just looked through the new Aztec FFP yesterday and really liked it and just might have one coming soon. Still waiting for the new Vortex Diamondback Tactical FFP to arrive so I can play with that. So many scopes out there hard to choose a favorite. 

I bought an Aztec Emerald just to try and I believe its a pretty clear Chinese scope. I painstakingly compared to the Hawke Sidewinder 30, Frontier(yea no fair), MTC Viper Pro, Aeon, Discovery, Bushnell Elite 6500(yea no fair), 3200, 4200(yea no fair), Trophy, Legend, Swift, Mueller, BSA, Sightron(yea no fair), Leupold EFR (both models yea no fair), Burris Timberline, Tac Vector, Athlon, Leapers UTG mini SWAT(yep), Weaver Grand Slam, V16, V24, and several other brands not worth mentioning. Is it currently permanently residing on a gun at the moment? NO.

I think when comparing with the others, its priced a bit on the high side but so are the Hawkes and MTCs in general IMHO. Buy it if you can comfortably afford it.

If I had to buy again (Chinese scopes specifically for the price) the Aztec probably wouldn't be on my list just because there are other choices for less money. I believe if the cost is close and for just a little more, Japanese made scopes would be my personal preference based on my overall experience.

I think the Discovery and the Athlon (at the recently discounted reduced prices) can't be beat for the money when speaking of Chinese scopes.


CA

@Coldair, man I just ordered the Emerald FFP scope, it’s the first time I’ve spent over $200 on a scope. Would/could you elaborate on your painstaking comparisons? Its gotten good reviews and has a good set of features. There are a lot of choices for less money, but are they as good? Though I don’t have a lot of experience with scopes, I find many of the reticle designs to be too busy. The Emerald FFP seems to tick off a lot of boxes for me. For me it will definitely be a step up from my Athlon Talos, can’t wait to get a rat in those crosshairs. 

I put out a book and newspaper at 50 and 100 yards, set the parallax, try to read them at sunrise, note what time I can read them with no problems, then at 930am towards the sun to check for glare then at noon while its brightest outside then at 330pm and at sunset and note the time I can read until then note that time. I also make a note how low magnification I can read at 50 and 100 yards because the better the scope the less magnification is required to read a book or newspaper at 50 and 100 yards. If you don't have other scopes to compare it to then you won't know the difference like I do.

The Leupolds and Burris and scopes made in Japan and Germany and Austria seem to be the best. I think the Discovery Optics made in China is the best for the least amount of money spent when buying Chinese scopes anyway.

Believe it or not I even have some cheap UTG Mini SWAT scopes on some of my cheaper guns and they are OK for their intended use but thats before I looked through a Discovery.

CA

I also prefer SFP scopes because I find it very difficult to see the FFP crosshair (mildots milhash moa reticles) at the lower magnification and are nearly impossible to see in the brush or in some hunting situations or at dawn or dusk or during low light conditions. I had a very expensive Bushnell Tactical FFP which I never mounted which sat in its box for several years because its too hard to see the mildots at the lower magnification. I no longer have it and never even used it on a gun. Its just my own personal preference. I have heard similar reactions and some didn't like how fat the dots and reticle got using FFP scopes at its maximum power setting.

CA

I own an MTC Viper Pro 5-30x50 and used it just for testing purposes and have never mounted it on any gun. Its been in its box for more than a year now.

I don't think it is worth the money and I have reservations on how long that target elevation dial will last... repeatability wise...

If that neat target elevation dial were on a Bushnell Tactical or a Leupold then I woud be SOLD!


CA

@Coldair, thanks for making the time to respond, much appreciated.