Rifle Scopes Vortex Viper PST vs 338?

[xdeano]

Can I trust this scope to hold up to a 338 Lapua/Norma round? I looking for a midpriced scope to use on a 338 cartridge that will take the beating.
Thanks in advance.

Vortex Viper PST 6-24x50 vs 338.

xdeano

 

[Kiba]

I killed 2 6-24 FFP PST's with less than 10 rounds on a .338 Remington mag hunting rifle; lots of debris and detached reticles. Broke the first one, installed the second scope, and broke that one.

Vortex repaired the scopes and had them back in less than 2 weeks and they've been fine ever since, one of them is back on the .338 and the other is on a .270. Both are relatively lightweight hunting rifles.

I'd save up a little more money and for $1100 or so get a Bushnell 3.5-21 DMR or a used SWFA 5-20HD. The PST is a decent scope but for a little more money my opinion & experience is the Bushnell and SWFA are better choices. In the same price range of the PST I've also had good luck with the Bushnell 3-12 and 6-24 FFP mil/mil scopes.

 

[Tarheelpwr]

I killed 2 6-24 FFP PST's with less than 10 rounds on a .338 Remington mag hunting rifle; lots of debris and detached reticles. Broke the first one, installed the second scope, and broke that one.

Vortex repaired the scopes and had them back in less than 2 weeks and they've been fine ever since, one of them is back on the .338 and the other is on a .270. Both are relatively lightweight hunting rifles.

I'd save up a little more money and for $1100 or so get a Bushnell 3.5-21 DMR or a used SWFA 5-20HD. The PST is a decent scope but for a little more money my opinion & experience is the Bushnell and SWFA are better choices. In the same price range of the PST I've also had good luck with the Bushnell 3-12 and 6-24 FFP mil/mil scopes.

I'd be curious on a little more info on the Bushnells. I contacted support and their "knowledge" did not make me feel warm and fuzzy. He explained in essence that a muzzle break reduces the recoil forces on the scope. I was under the impression that breaks actually make recoil harder on the scopes.

 

[3DHUSKER]

I killed 2 6-24 FFP PST's with less than 10 rounds on a .338 Remington mag hunting rifle; lots of debris and detached reticles. Broke the first one, installed the second scope, and broke that one.

Vortex repaired the scopes and had them back in less than 2 weeks and they've been fine ever since, one of them is back on the .338 and the other is on a .270. Both are relatively lightweight hunting rifles.

I'd save up a little more money and for $1100 or so get a Bushnell 3.5-21 DMR or a used SWFA 5-20HD. The PST is a decent scope but for a little more money my opinion & experience is the Bushnell and SWFA are better choices. In the same price range of the PST I've also had good luck with the Bushnell 3-12 and 6-24 FFP mil/mil scopes.

I thought the FFP PST had a etched Reticle.......Did the glass shatter? Going to look it up.

Just looked it up. Must have been real bad.
Protected between two layers of glass (not made from wire) for optimum durability and reliability

 

[nnn66]

I have mounted a Vortex Viper PST 6-24x50 FFP on my new CZ HET Magnum in .338 Lapua. So far, after 55 rounds down the tube, it has held up perfectly. Of course, my rifle is 14 pounds without scope and rings and has a Surefire muzzle break that reduces recoil to practically nothing, so I don't foresee a problem. However, it is comforting to know that Vortex has a lifetime warranty should anything go wrong. I decided upon this scope, not because it was really what I wanted, but because it was what I could afford and had some great reviews. I think its a good scope for the money, but I will probably upgrade when I can afford to.

 

[Kiba]

I thought the FFP PST had a etched Reticle.......Did the glass shatter? Going to look it up.

Just looked it up. Must have been real bad.
Protected between two layers of glass (not made from wire) for optimum durability and reliability

The reticle did not shatter. I noticed the symptom as the POI started shifting all over the place soon after the internal debris appeared on the lenses. While I haven't taken the scope apart myself based on the observed symptoms and what Vortex wrote on the work order my assumption would be the piece of etched glass with the reticle came loose or disbonded from the erector mechanism and was shifting around inside the scope. That would explain the debris shedding and the shifting POI that was impossible to chase with the turrets.

Maybe they had a bad batch or improperly mixed batch of adhesive at the factory. Regardless, I do know that after Vortex fixed them (very quickly too, I had a prepaid Fedex label show up in my email while I was still on the phone with them) they have been functioning fine ever since. Still, it's a discomforting feeling every time the rifle is used knowing the same scope has previously failed.

 

[xdeano]

Well if it changes anything, the rifle will be in the 16-18lb range including everything including a suppressor. I'm guessing it will be fine suppressed. But there is just a bit of animosity putting a scope through that type of recoil. If it breaks i'll just get it fixed, put it on an AR and save some money to pick up another NF and be done with it.

xdeano

 

[Tarheelpwr]

Well if it changes anything, the rifle will be in the 16-18lb range including everything including a suppressor. I'm guessing it will be fine suppressed. But there is just a bit of animosity putting a scope through that type of recoil. If it breaks i'll just get it fixed, put it on an AR and save some money to pick up another NF and be done with it.

xdeano

If you're going up to NF range, the Razor is on the table IMO. I've seen no cases of the Razor have any issues. The upgrades they made to it after the first runs addressed pretty much everything they had issues with fro my understanding.

I've not used the razor, just PST. Just putting options out there.

 

[Capt Academy]

I was using a PST FFP 6-24 on a muzzle breaked 7mm mag, shooting 180 VLD's and it was fine, no issues. Shot over 100 rounds through the rifle and scope set up.

 

[-Nick-]

Maybe they had a bad batch or improperly mixed batch of adhesive at the factory. Regardless, I do know that after Vortex fixed them (very quickly too, I had a prepaid Fedex label show up in my email while I was still on the phone with them) they have been functioning fine ever since. Still, it's a discomforting feeling every time the rifle is used knowing the same scope has previously failed.

Would you still have that feeling if it was a S&B, USO, NF, etc? Fact is shit just breaks man. It happens to everyone and everything at some point or another. You have to look at the frequency of such and the customer service after.

Add: You also have to look at the entire rifle set-up from weight to rail, rings, brake, can, etc...

 

[Kiba]

Would you still have that feeling if it was a S&B, USO, NF, etc? Fact is shit just breaks man. It happens to everyone and everything at some point or another. You have to look at the frequency of such and the customer service after.

Add: You also have to look at the entire rifle set-up from weight to rail, rings, brake, can, etc...

I'm well aware stuff breaks-- but you tend to get some odd thoughts in your head after breaking *two* identical scopes in under an hour without even finishing off a box of 20 rounds.

Vortex's CS is awesome and made it right and the scopes are doing well after being repaired at their US facility. I also have a Razor HD 5-20 and a Razor HD spotter-- so the experience with the 2 dead PST's didn't turn me off to them as a brand.

 

[1quik70]

I'm 100 rounds in with my .338 LM with a PST on top of it, and so far so good. I too questioned if it would hold up being at the bottom of the pricing bracket for High end optics. My thought was the same as yours, IF it breaks, I'll have it fixed and put it on something else.

 

[xdeano]

The only reason I'm going to purchase this scope is basically to see if it will handle the abuse. And I don't have the cash right now to drop on a higher end scope, everyone has been raving about these scopes the last few years and I want to give them a try. If it doesn't work it will be fixed and down graded to an AR and I'll save up some coin and drop it on another NF. Ive been very satisfided with them.

I have a choice to buy a second hand scope for around the same price like a used leupold in the used section but I frankly don't like them, I've had them in the past and they just don't hold up.

I definitely appreciate your guys insite on this scope. Thank you.

xdeano

 

[FALex]

My buddy runs a 6-24 ffp PST on his AR-30. He has many rounds through it without any issues.