vortex

“When we began this project, we started with a single goal – create the world’s premier low power variable riflescope,” said David Hamilton, Vortex Optics Chief Development Officer in a press release obtained by GunsAmerica.

If you’re willing to buy a scope without the Made in the USA sticker, what are your options? What kind of features, quality, and price points can you expect from scopes made in China, South Korea, or the Philippines? To get a sense of the market, I chose three scopes to test…

This year sees Vortex bringing out some exciting new products that every long range hunter, sportsman, or long range shooter can appreciate.

There is a popular saying that many gun enthusiasts know, “Buy once; cry once.” Basically, this means that it is generally worth the extra pain and expense to buy a high quality, expensive product instead of many budget options. Vortex’s new optic, the Diamondback Tactical 6-24×50 destroys this mantra with its quality construction, many features and high optical clarity all while maintaining an itty-bitty price tag.

Vortex’s new contender in the 1X arena isn’t even a true vintage style Red-Dot sight at all. It is actually a small one power prismatic scope. It isn’t dependent on shining LEDs, lasers, or fiber optic transmitted light upon a lens to create an aiming point. It has an etched reticle that is present without artificial illumination, though it does have supplemental illumination to aid in low lighting conditions.

As Vortex’s entry level rangefinder, the Impact 850 outperforms its price point. As someone who does a variety of hunting, I look for diversity in my gear. I want equipment that’s going to function whether it’s spring or fall, archery season or gun season, and good conditions or poor. When it comes to a rangefinder, I’ll be looking for optics that can function for bowhunting deer, shotgun hunting turkey, and rifle hunting elk.

Vortex Optics has been growing by leaps and bounds, steadily chipping away at the market by dominating PRS and Hunting. Not so much new this year, but plenty improved.

The Diamondback promises big performance in a small package, but did Vortex deliver on this economical spotting scope? Hunting the spacious prairie of South Dakota often mean that the game you’re after can be miles away. Because of that, good glass is a necessity to see if the pursuit is worth the effort of closing the distance. In these situations, a spotting scope shines when your binoculars have reached the end of their rope. I used the Vortex Diamondback 20x60x60 for a season’s worth of tags in the Rushmore State, chasing whitetails in the southeast, waterfowl in the northeast, mulies in the northwest, and elk in the southwest. It quickly became a favorite piece of gear that made an appearance on every hunt.

When you’re planning a hunting trip there are few very important considerations — what gun are you going to take? What does the weather look like? How much will the tags cost? Equally as important as what firearm you’re going to take is what binos will you take? For a mid-range 8X binos, the Vortex Viper HD 8×42 are hard to beat.