Vortex 1-10

[UKMan]

Looking into a new mid range optic for my AR. Looking primarily at Vortex since I’m deep in their lineup at this point in my life lol Would love the Razor 1-10 but out of my budget. I’ve been seriously impressed with the Venom/Strike Eagle line for the price and features.

Anyone else think a 1-10 Venom/Strike Eagle FFP available in MRAD with a 34mm tube would be a hot seller for them?

 

[DeathBeforeDismount]

No

 

[UKMan]

No

Cool

 

[TonyAngel]

Looking into a new mid range optic for my AR. Looking primarily at Vortex since I’m deep in their lineup at this point in my life lol Would love the Razor 1-10 but out of my budget. I’ve been seriously impressed with the Venom/Strike Eagle line for the price and features.

Anyone else think a 1-10 Venom/Strike Eagle FFP available in MRAD with a 34mm tube would be a hot seller for them?

I agree. Although I am a fan of the Venom LPVO for what it is, a decent low priced optic; I don't mess with anything under the PST line.

Although the 1-10 Razor can be used as a mid range optic, I wouldn't call it a mid range optic. There are scopes that would perform much better than the Razor in that role for a fraction of the cost. A Leupold Mark 4HD, at less than half the price, would perform better at everything, except having a 1x. Although a bit longer than the Razor, it weighs about the same.

Of course, if you NEED a 1x or some other attribute that the LPVO offers, like size and/or weight, then there are alternatives. The Credo 1-8 is a killer scope, although heavy. The Eotech 1-10 is very nice too. I understand that the 1-10 Credo is lighter and nice also, but I’ve never run one.

Honestly, I'm not crazy about the 1-10 Razor. The 1x is truly useless without the illumination. If I was going to spend that kind of money, I'd be looking at the ATACR.

 

[PappyM3]

…

Honestly, I'm not crazy about the 1-10 Razor. The 1x is truly useless without the illumination. If I was going to spend that kind of money, I'd be looking at the ATACR.

The annoying thing is they could make it immensely more usable on 1x just by extending the crosshairs to the edges and making them taper out slightly.

 

[PappyM3]

Looking into a new mid range optic for my AR. Looking primarily at Vortex since I’m deep in their lineup at this point in my life lol Would love the Razor 1-10 but out of my budget. I’ve been seriously impressed with the Venom/Strike Eagle line for the price and features.

Anyone else think a 1-10 Venom/Strike Eagle FFP available in MRAD with a 34mm tube would be a hot seller for them?

1-10 is not yet an area where you can skimp and still get a decent product.

 

[matt33]

I have a Razor 1-10 and I really like it. It does really well out to 650 yards (as far as I've shot with the rifle it's on), and it's nearly as fast as a red dot up close. I think it's a great optic for an accurate 5.56 AR when weight is a consideration.

Here's a write-up I did on an LMT AR and the Vortex Razor, I give my experience about the 1-10 in the last post:


https://www.snipershide.com/shootin...er-d-wilson-conversion.7250424/#post-12178887

 

[VargmatII]

I had a Razor 1-10x for about 1.5 years. It is not a bad scope for what it is, but there are a few things that eventually made me sell it.

1, the semi transperant center dot and segmented cirkle is very detrimental to me. I found it very hard to use for precision shooting.
A solid black reticle is so much better.

2, the optical performance on the top of the magnification range is just to much for it to handle. Contrast really suffers along with the eyebox. Several much cheaper 2-10x, 2.5-10x and similar are so much better in this regard. But they dont have that sweet 1x, which is fantastic in the Razor by the way.

3, the turrets. Even if they are capped and not something you are supposed to twist and turn on a daily basis, they are still pretty mediocre.

A few months ago I switched to a Nightforce NX8 1-8x and it is so much better in every way. Maybe you should have a look at that?

 

[Woodlanddude]

It would be nice to see a PST II quality of optic from them in 1-10 with a mil reticle. The 2.5-10 and 1-6 are fairly good optics for the money in that lineup.

 

[tekmann2377]

I agree. Although I am a fan of the Venom LPVO for what it is, a decent low priced optic; I don't mess with anything under the PST line.

Although the 1-10 Razor can be used as a mid range optic, I wouldn't call it a mid range optic. There are scopes that would perform much better than the Razor in that role for a fraction of the cost. A Leupold Mark 4HD, at less than half the price, would perform better at everything, except having a 1x. Although a bit longer than the Razor, it weighs about the same.

Of course, if you NEED a 1x or some other attribute that the LPVO offers, like size and/or weight, then there are alternatives. The Credo 1-8 is a killer scope, although heavy. The Eotech 1-10 is very nice too. I understand that the 1-10 Credo is lighter and nice also, but I’ve never run one.

Honestly, I'm not crazy about the 1-10 Razor. The 1x is truly useless without the illumination. If I was going to spend that kind of money, I'd be looking at the ATACR.

This is very honest take on the 1-10.

Without the premium glass of the Razor, optical quality and eyebox would suffer even worse on a cheaper one.

I have one and I think for certain uses it is a very good optic. It is a great optic for use with a thermal clip on. It is just not as user friendly as something like a 2-10 or a 1-6.

I also have a 1-8 Credo. In comparison it has a flatter image and significantly more generous ryebox at 8x. The reticle is fairly thick at full power though, and it weighs a TON. Tradeoffs.

 

[MikeMiller]

It’s a PIA to build a 1-10 compared to none 1 power scopes. I don’t see a good cheap 1-10 coming out by anyone soon. You can find bad quality 1-10’s from China but they all seem to suck right now

The Razor 1-10 is a great scope.

If your looking for cheaper try the PST 2-10

Viper PST Gen II 2-10x32 FFP

Please Select Reticle | 30mm Tube

vortexoptics.com

It is either in MRAD or MOA

 

[TonyAngel]

Yeah,

I had a Razor 1-10x for about 1.5 years. It is not a bad scope for what it is, but there are a few things that eventually made me sell it.

1, the semi transperant center dot and segmented cirkle is very detrimental to me. I found it very hard to use for precision shooting.
A solid black reticle is so much better.

2, the optical performance on the top of the magnification range is just to much for it to handle. Contrast really suffers along with the eyebox. Several much cheaper 2-10x, 2.5-10x and similar are so much better in this regard. But they dont have that sweet 1x, which is fantastic in the Razor by the way.

3, the turrets. Even if they are capped and not something you are supposed to twist and turn on a daily basis, they are still pretty mediocre.

A few months ago I switched to a Nightforce NX8 1-8x and it is so much better in every way. Maybe you should have a look at that?

In an odd way, I felt a bit relieved when I saw this. For a while, I thought that I might be crazy. When shopping for an LPVO, I watched all of the videos from guys that I considered to be the least shillish and tried the PA PLXc, touted as being the best LPVO out now, the ATACR, Eotech, etc. I spent an insane, to me, amount of money looking for the perfect LPVO for me. Some I was able to return because just looking through them and getting some hands on time immediately told me they weren't for me and I didn't even mount them. Others, I sold at a loss.

What I landed on is the NX8. I initially avoided it because of all of the negative reviews. I only tried it because I ran out of options. It was the only thing left to try. Yes, it has some downsides, but as a total package, in terms of robustness of build, glass quality, features and price, it was a winner for me.

I think that LPVO tech really reached its limits at 8x. Going 10x is pushing it. You just can't get around the physics. If you really want to make yourself sick, take that $1500+ FFP 1-8x LPVO you bought, run a few thousand rounds through it and get used to it. Become one with it. Then grab another similar rig with something like a SFP Credo 1-6 and start running drills with it. Everything is just easier.

All the rage right now is more power and FFP, but I think LPVOs peaked at the SFP 6x. Man, if Nightforce had just taken their little 1-4x NXS and advanced it to a 1-6 instead of doing the NX8, they would have knocked it out of the park.

I'll tell you what almost had me hitting the add to cart button is the limited run 1-6 Razor with the etched reticle. I may still. What keeps me from doing it is that Ive grown to love the form factor of my NX8. A smidgen bigger than a TA11 and only 26 ounces, including the scope, Nightforce mount and piggyback dot.

 

[nagantguy]

I to have been far down the Lpvo rabbit hole - 9 diffrent models. None quite “do it all “ as marketing tells us they will.

The old Nikon 1.5-4.5 is still the best all round mix of glass weight and magnification range for me - what makes it a deal breaker now that I know some stuff is the bone locking torrents that turn a little easier every year - even my trick of throwing a small piece of foam inside the torrent before I remount it when returning to zero dosent work well any more - it now resides on a barn 10/22 and works well just hanging on the wall u til something needs shot .

And flame me all ya want this new Sig spr 1-4 is really growing on me - decent glass illumination near day light bright , simple reticle and very light weight - my primary or secondary reason to have an Lpvo on a duty rifle or hunting rifle . The strike Eagle/ venom ect are tanks .
This little Sig is 1-4 but with included mount weights 20 something ounces. 90+ % of the time 4x will let me identify and hit out to 5/600. Which in reality is a decent amount for a lightweight duty or hunting rifle with shorter barrel .

The line of what an Lpvo is for and can do well has been blurred badly in my humble opinion

And I agree with many that PA’s current line of slx and Glx lpvos are about the best thing currently offered until ya reach night force price point The still are not a precision piece nor red dot fast and weight as much as some optics with way more features suck as parallax adjustments and double magnification.

1-4 /4.5 1-6 is where o feel weight/ usefulness of an Lpvo shines , if I paid for and wanted to go to a decent 1-10 there are 2 or 3 - 12 - 15 ect that serve the role better . Again in my humble opinion.

Edit to add - with a 2 or 3 or 3.5 to anything above 10 it seems that almost any decent optics is better at 2 or 3 then any Lpvo at 1 and always better at 12 or 15 or 20 then any Lpvo at 8 or 10x

An Lpvo on a franken gasser 308 is what brought me to this place years ago . The rule need some trouble shooting beyond my experience and the 1-8 Lpvo did t do what I was told it would and I thought maybe the problem was me .

Now any serious use rifle of mine that wears an Lpvo is ALWAYS set to max and wears a 12oclock mounted red dot - that if a useful set up

 

[Mute]

1-10x LPVO already struggle and have limitations even at the high end of the price pool. I seriously doubt a value version would improve upon those limitations but rather add additional compromises.

 

[jpp3g]

I had a Razor 1-10x for about 1.5 years. It is not a bad scope for what it is, but there are a few things that eventually made me sell it.

1, the semi transperant center dot and segmented cirkle is very detrimental to me. I found it very hard to use for precision shooting.
A solid black reticle is so much better.

2, the optical performance on the top of the magnification range is just to much for it to handle. Contrast really suffers along with the eyebox. Several much cheaper 2-10x, 2.5-10x and similar are so much better in this regard. But they dont have that sweet 1x, which is fantastic in the Razor by the way.

3, the turrets. Even if they are capped and not something you are supposed to twist and turn on a daily basis, they are still pretty mediocre.

A few months ago I switched to a Nightforce NX8 1-8x and it is so much better in every way. Maybe you should have a look at that?

Agreed, unfortunately. I really wanted to love the optic but that reticle drove me INSANE. If you can swing it, the ATACR has probably the best reticle in any LPVO. I don't know that reducing the glass quality would be a good seller.

That said, the optical compromises for LPVOs in general have me really wanting that new ZCO 2-10...

 

[TonyAngel]

I to have been far down the Lpvo rabbit hole - 9 diffrent models. None quite “do it all “ as marketing tells us they will.

The old Nikon 1.5-4.5 is still the best all round mix of glass weight and magnification range for me - what makes it a deal breaker now that I know some stuff is the bone locking torrents that turn a little easier every year - even my trick of throwing a small piece of foam inside the torrent before I remount it when returning to zero dosent work well any more - it now resides on a barn 10/22 and works well just hanging on the wall u til something needs shot .

And flame me all ya want this new Sig spr 1-4 is really growing on me - decent glass illumination near day light bright , simple reticle and very light weight - my primary or secondary reason to have an Lpvo on a duty rifle or hunting rifle . The strike Eagle/ venom ect are tanks .
This little Sig is 1-4 but with included mount weights 20 something ounces. 90+ % of the time 4x will let me identify and hit out to 5/600. Which in reality is a decent amount for a lightweight duty or hunting rifle with shorter barrel .

The line of what an Lpvo is for and can do well has been blurred badly in my humble opinion

And I agree with many that PA’s current line of slx and Glx lpvos are about the best thing currently offered until ya reach night force price point The still are not a precision piece nor red dot fast and weight as much as some optics with way more features suck as parallax adjustments and double magnification.

1-4 /4.5 1-6 is where o feel weight/ usefulness of an Lpvo shines , if I paid for and wanted to go to a decent 1-10 there are 2 or 3 - 12 - 15 ect that serve the role better . Again in my humble opinion.

Edit to add - with a 2 or 3 or 3.5 to anything above 10 it seems that almost any decent optics is better at 2 or 3 then any Lpvo at 1 and always better at 12 or 15 or 20 then any Lpvo at 8 or 10x

An Lpvo on a franken gasser 308 is what brought me to this place years ago . The rule need some trouble shooting beyond my experience and the 1-8 Lpvo did t do what I was told it would and I thought maybe the problem was me .

Now any serious use rifle of mine that wears an Lpvo is ALWAYS set to max and wears a 12oclock mounted red dot - that if a useful set up

I have 2 "classes" of ARs that I run most often. 2 11.5s and a 16". On the 11.5s I run a TA11 ACOG. Its about as capable AND convenient as you can get. The other is running the 1-8 NX8. Its small and light and allows me to squeeze the most performance out of the setup. The 11.5s are the rigs that typically get carried more than shot when taken out. Except when I practice with them.

16" typically gets taken out when I know I'm going to be shooting, for whatever purpose. This one has a 2.5-10 Leupold Mark 4. When it comes to actually shooting, I much prefer the 16" setup.

 

[Smokeshot]

Looking into a new mid range optic for my AR. Looking primarily at Vortex since I’m deep in their lineup at this point in my life lol Would love the Razor 1-10 but out of my budget. I’ve been seriously impressed with the Venom/Strike Eagle line for the price and features.

Anyone else think a 1-10 Venom/Strike Eagle FFP available in MRAD with a 34mm tube would be a hot seller for them?

Not trying to tell you what to do but if I was you, I’d keep an eye out for a used Razor in PX. Have you given the Leupold M3HDs any consideration?

 

[MikeMiller]

I think many misunderstand the reason behind a 1-10. It was designed to perform the 0-600 yard function on a 5.56. Is it the best CQB? No but it’s good. Is it the best 600 yard optic? No but it does damm well.

It was designed to make the foot warrior far more capable than the irons, Red Dot, Acog and 1-6. It does all that

Now the best 1-10 I have seen is the AGM 1-10 Eleanor Vortex but it’s not currently available on civilian market. I hope that changes soon

The second best 1-10 I have used is the standard Razor 1-10. It’s damm good

On my rifles I will mount a Vortex Defender on top my 1-10 so I can pick up the red dot through my pvs31’s in a head straight up
Position or for hard core indoor CQB

If the rifle is more of an SPR type for longer ranges I am going with a 2-10 or 3-15 scope with side focus

 

[ironpony52]

SIG LPVO 1-6 or 8 or 10 comes with mount I am happy with the 3 I own.

 

[black5.3]

I recently sold a razor 1-6 to help fund a razor 1-10.. not too many rounds through the 1-10 yet but overall I am happy with the upgrade. The 1-6 was a great optic while I used it but I was at a point where I felt the reticle was holding me back some. The gun used with both optics is a 14.5” that sees some NV use as well as longer shots. So far the 1-10 seems like it will be on par or better than the 1-6 in a 1x “cqb” role but is leaps and bounds better at the longer shots. That said, the eye box is a little tighter at 10x(I expected this)but shots that im making with this gun on 10x will mostly be supported so it’s no big deal for me. Again, overall im impressed with the upgrade to the 1-10 and it serves it purpose well for me. The biggest deciding factor for the upgrade was a little more magnification and a more usable reticle at distance.

 

[nagantguy]

I recently sold a razor 1-6 to help fund a razor 1-10.. not too many rounds through the 1-10 yet but overall I am happy with the upgrade. The 1-6 was a great optic while I used it but I was at a point where I felt the reticle was holding me back some. The gun used with both optics is a 14.5” that sees some NV use as well as longer shots. So far the 1-10 seems like it will be on par or better than the 1-6 in a 1x “cqb” role but is leaps and bounds better at the longer shots. That said, the eye box is a little tighter at 10x(I expected this)but shots that im making with this gun on 10x will mostly be supported so it’s no big deal for me. Again, overall im impressed with the upgrade to the 1-10 and it serves it purpose well for me. The biggest deciding factor for the upgrade was a little more magnification and a more usable reticle at distance.

Interesting point and thank you for bringing it up as I’d left it out of my rant - many Lpvo reticles just plain suck .
To busy to large or to small with not bright enough illum or the wrong parts illuminate.

Oddly one of the better reticles was in the weaver 1.4-4.5 from their tactical line just before they buy out by Bushnell. Yep flame on for me talking a bout a weaver scope but it had decent glass , decent clicks and repeatability but the reticle was semi intelligent. Very fine center crosshairs ; and each substantiation was also a thin rather long fine cross hair with breaks in the center vertical crosshair for the 350 450 and 550 hashes . Decent illumination to of every crosshair all the way down the ladder . Had one on a 16 inch AR 55.6 and its twin on a 16 inch AR .450 bushmaster both set up identical so from range / run and gun to the tree stand .

Anyhow the fatal flaw was not only did the line and weaver cease to be BUT they didn’t hold up long term - the one on the .450 gave up the ghost in a few hundred rounds and the one on the 5.56 gave up after about a 1000 or so rounds - the front lens would become loose in the tube and the reticle would turn upside down . No they were not duty grade but like I said decent enough glass , no fish eye and a really smart reticle.

And going further down the rabbit hole getting those two scopes replaced by Bushnell lead me to play with some of their LPVOs - as they were every good about replacing my broken Weavers with much high priced optics - it really was a fantastic and easy customer service experience.

And the Bushnells a 1-6 and a 1-8 were not terrible , one is still on a slug gun for the past 4-5 years and is holding up fine but they also were not do all battle grade optics. But for hu ti g or flat range they were usable , little more fish eye , worse than the strike eagle line , and piss poor illumination and a reticle that kinda sorta reminded me of an old chainsaw chain .

The 1-6 razor was my Goldilocks “just “ right for a while but as mentioned above the reticle just didn’t seem great for 10-100 nor the longer ranges . And I’m sure I’ll get flamed for this as well - the second time I sent my Razor in for repair - from being on a a few 5.56 guns some on a flat range I sold it still new in the box after the third time of not holding zero or something else inside taking a shit - it was painless and easy Vortex customer service experience, proud we are all of them for it . But at that price point I wouldn’t take another chance on third time being the charm . But it was an overall good optic - but at that price point I’d be happier with more magnification for about the same weight cause she wasn’t a svelte little girl .

 

[nagantguy]

I’ve found more to like in the recent Primary Arms line then any other I’ve tried - can’t decide if I love the Noba wire illum or hate it but it’s fucking bright with a simple intelligent reticle and glass above what the price point suggests.

 

[UKMan]

Not trying to tell you what to do but if I was you, I’d keep an eye out for a used Razor in PX. Have you given the Leupold M3HDs any consideration?

I have not but I will look into them, thanks for the idea!

 

[01911]

I think that red dot bright is the most important feature for an LPVO because if the 1X can’t be as fast as an Aimpoint then what’s the point of adding 20 ounces and not having a 1X that’s Aimpoint fast and then limiting yourself muchly on the top of the magnification. You could just do a 4-16 and put a red dot on top or at 45.
This leaves four choices @ FFP with 8X+ on the top end ( Atacr, NX8, Razor 1-10 & PA RDB 1-8 ). The reticle is secondary because it only comes in to play on top of the magnification and you won’t be rapid firing at 6-10X so if you have time to aim small then you have plenty of time work with the reticle at 6-10X.

 

[DeathBeforeDismount]

I think many misunderstand the reason behind a 1-10. It was designed to perform the 0-600 yard function on a 5.56. Is it the best CQB? No but it’s good. Is it the best 600 yard optic? No but it does damm well.

It was designed to make the foot warrior far more capable than the irons, Red Dot, Acog and 1-6. It does all that

Now the best 1-10 I have seen is the AGM 1-10 Eleanor Vortex but it’s not currently available on civilian market. I hope that changes soon

The second best 1-10 I have used is the standard Razor 1-10. It’s damm good

On my rifles I will mount a Vortex Defender on top my 1-10 so I can pick up the red dot through my pvs31’s in a head straight up
Position or for hard core indoor CQB

If the rifle is more of an SPR type for longer ranges I am going with a 2-10 or 3-15 scope with side focus

It's not about shooting long distances so much as PID. The 5.56 mil variants are really a 200-250 yard in platform from a 10-11.5. Thats the practical range.

What a LPVO does is allow you to take supported shots on small targets inside that range.

Advesaries don't tend to hang out in the middle of a road like a full IPSC. You might only see half a head or quartering away torso behind a wall/corner/whatever. What the LPVO does is allow you to see that and place a shot increasing hit probability.

Think more short range precision than long range target engagement. Can you shoot further than 200 with it? Absolutley. But you are loosing so much ass and wind is throwing it around you end up having to mass fire anyway like you would with a conventual m4.

A 16 inch or 18inch rifle increases that practical range but you are going to be outside fragmentation velocity at ranges most people want to shoot them at anyway. So you are just poking holes instead of doing catastrophic damage. A 5.56 up close to the Torso is almost certainly a death sentence due to fragmentation. At distance it's much more survivable, which also means much likely to continue the fight until they bleed out or decide to quit.