Which Vortex Viper PST

[C-grunt]

I am going to be buying an optic for a Remington 700 SPS V 308 in the near future. Rifle useage will be mostly target shooting with a little hunting thrown in.

The main optics Im looking at are the PST 4-16 FFP and 6-24 FFP. My thinking is that I can turn a 24x scope down to 16 but not the other way around. But Im no expert in the precision rifle game. Is there a good reason to go with the 4-16 over the 6-24?

[VIP3R 237]

I am going to be buying an optic for a Remington 700 SPS V 308 in the near future. Rifle useage will be mostly target shooting with a little hunting thrown in.

The main optics Im looking at are the PST 4-16 FFP and 6-24 FFP. My thinking is that I can turn a 24x scope down to 16 but not the other way around. But Im no expert in the precision rifle game. Is there a good reason to go with the 4-16 over the 6-24?

Better field of view, greater light transmission, and 6x is little high if you get a target or animal under 100 yards. I personally think 4-16 is the best do it all magnification range for up to 1000 yards.

[taliv]

can be a hard decision. i shoot matches (which involve moving targets and rapid transitions between targets outside the field of view) with a 5-25x56 schmidt & bender. i never use it below 7x or so because it starts tunneling and you don't actually gain FOV as you lose magnification, so effectively, it's useless. my USO 5-25x58 is same.

8-12x are where i spend most of my time, but with 40+ yo eyes, that 25x magnification really comes in handy sometimes when you're trying to hit sub-MOA targets at 1000 yards and whatnot.

granted, movers in our matches are mostly 2-5mph steel plates, not like running coyote or deer or hogs.

so for me, no question, i'd go with the higher mag. but i don't hunt, though I can appreciate how a hunter might want 4x or even 1x so that could be the right way to go if that's what you really plan to do with it.

check the eye box on both scopes and see if the 4-16 has better eye relief or exit pupil.

[orkan]

can be a hard decision. i shoot matches (which involve moving targets and rapid transitions between targets outside the field of view) with a 5-25x56 schmidt & bender. i never use it below 7x or so because it starts tunneling and you don't actually gain FOV as you lose magnification, so effectively, it's useless. my USO 5-25x58 is same.

Sounds like you need to buy a Premier from me Taliv. They don't tunnel.

Cgrunt, if you are going to be hunting walk/stalk style, then a 3-15/4-16 type would be a good option. Lighter, shorter, smaller, etc.

If you are going to be doing long range hunting, then a 5-25 would be in order.

[taliv]

heh, didn't you say you had a USO custom made so it wouldn't tunnel? what was the low end of its mag range again?

[bp7178]

There are some reviews out there that claim the glass on the 6-24x PST is better than that of the 4-16x.

I've only owned a 4-16x PST and a 2.5-10x44 PST. The image quality is ok on the two I owned, but could be better. My Leupold Mark 4 2.5-8x36 TS30 is much sharper and seems to have more clarity with colors as well.

The Mark 4 was also about $500 more as well...

[austinN4]

..............., but with 40+ yo eyes, that 25x magnification really comes in handy sometimes when you're trying to hit sub-MOA targets at 1000 yards and whatnot.

^This, and my eyes are much older!
I bought the Vortex Viper PST 4-16x50 FFP Mil/Mil for target only as I don't hunt. I still like it but now wish I had the extra magnification of the 6-24x50. The bottom end of 6 compared to 4 doesn't concern as much as wanting the top end jump from 16 to 24, but this is me.

As taliv said, look thru both to compare, if you can.

[domestique]

OP, where will your hunting be, just AZ?

I agree with everyone that the difference between 4-6x isn't that much, compared to 16-24x. However in the pine woods of PA 6x is a LOT of magnification. That said, I would still go 6-24x. Now if you were planning on using this for dangerous game in Alaska or the urban enviorment of Iraq than the lower magnification would definitely be much safer.

[orkan]

heh, didn't you say you had a USO custom made so it wouldn't tunnel? what was the low end of its mag range again?

Yeah I did. It was a 3.2-17 that ended up being a 5-17.

[Kchen986]

If the primary application is target shooting, go with the 6-24x, you'll get good mileage out of the upper end magnification when you're shooting tight little groups.

I recommended the 4-16 to a buddy who went to a basic precision course with me, but at 800M, he had a bit of difficulty making hits. YMMV.