New Vortex 1-4x

[esskay]

Sam,
Your site says reticle illumination is daylight visible. How bright is it? Is it Meopta bright? Or more like IOR Pitbull bright?

How much of the reticle is illuminated? Is just the broken circle illuminated?

Thanks, look forward to hearing more about this new scope!

[VortexSam]

Sam,
Your site says reticle illumination is daylight visible. How bright is it? Is it Meopta bright? Or more like IOR Pitbull bright?

How much of the reticle is illuminated? Is just the broken circle illuminated?

Thanks, look forward to hearing more about this new scope!

Honestly, I haven't looked through either of those two scopes, so I can't compare.

Against a sunny sky, or snow in sunlight the illuminations is pretty hard to see. Although I'm not sure if that is a very big deal considering the reticle is still very visible, being black on white. So, it is still extremely fast on target.

However, as soon as it is moved over anything other than a brightly lit, light colored object, the red illumination becomes easily visible.

Bottom line is that I think the reticle is easily visible and fast in all lighting conditions.

I do have one picture that was taken through the actual scope at the highest setting, although this was taken indoors:



As to the second question, the photo would indicate that the entire reticle is illuminated, however what you are seeing in the picture is the illumination set much too bright for the conditions, causing light to spill onto the center cross hair. Normally, the only illuminated portions you will see are the broken circle and the dot in the center.

Hope this helps.

-Sam

[esskay]

Honestly, I haven't looked through either of those two scopes, so I can't compare.

Against a sunny sky, or snow in sunlight the illuminations is pretty hard to see. Although I'm not sure if that is a very big deal considering the reticle is still very visible, being black on white. So, it is still extremely fast on target.

However, as soon as it is moved over anything other than a brightly lit, light colored object, the red illumination becomes easily visible.

Bottom line is that I think the reticle is easily visible and fast in all lighting conditions.

I do have one picture that was taken through the actual scope at the highest setting, although this was taken indoors:



As to the second question, the photo would indicate that the entire reticle is illuminated, however what you are seeing in the picture is the illumination set much too bright for the conditions, causing light to spill onto the center cross hair. Normally, the only illuminated portions you will see are the broken circle and the dot in the center.

Hope this helps.

-Sam

Thanks for the detailed info Sam.

[Chris Rhines]

Another interesting optic. It's nice to see more manufacturers getting into the low-mid variable optics market.

The exposed turrets, those I don't care for. Although distant targets do come up in 3-gun (the 2009 Rocky Mountain 3-Gun had plates out to 600 yards,) it's very rare for 3-gun shooters to dial in elevation on their scope. It takes too long. I really prefer an in-reticule BDC matched to the load I use. The exposed turrets can get knocked out of whack, and they cut off a lot of your field of view when hosing targets up close.

-C

[ccoker]

Sam,
I like the reticle

so, while most here are asking how bright it is, I have the opposite question...

can you it down very, very low?
the reason I ask is that I have used numerous ill ret scopes that even at the lowest setting are too bright for extremely low light and into night use (like hog hunting)

I returned a Meopta Kdot and sold both of the IOR Valdada 1.1-4 CQB scopes I had for this reason. The ill ret obscured the target and being too bright causes your iris to contract

thank you

[Mitch]

Build it and they will come. Very nice Sam. I'm glad I decided to peruse the board tonight. Can't wait to see more from SHOT, and I'm even more excited to see it released.

[Alaskapopo]

Sam,
I like the reticle

so, while most here are asking how bright it is, I have the opposite question...

can you it down very, very low?
the reason I ask is that I have used numerous ill ret scopes that even at the lowest setting are too bright for extremely low light and into night use (like hog hunting)

I returned a Meopta Kdot and sold both of the IOR Valdada 1.1-4 CQB scopes I had for this reason. The ill ret obscured the target and being too bright causes your iris to contract

thank you

The problem with non illuminated reticles is your eye is slower to pick them up and they don't work well for the bindon point aimpoint concept. I have had situations where the scope went black for me due to an improper cheak weld but I was still able to see the bright reticle and the target with my non shooting eye and was able to make fast shots. This is impossible with a black reticle. Its also harder to see a dark reticle against dark backgrounds. Light is the way to go in my experience.
Pat

[esskay]

Sam,
I like the reticle

so, while most here are asking how bright it is, I have the opposite question...

can you it down very, very low?
the reason I ask is that I have used numerous ill ret scopes that even at the lowest setting are too bright for extremely low light and into night use (like hog hunting)

I returned a Meopta Kdot and sold both of the IOR Valdada 1.1-4 CQB scopes I had for this reason. The ill ret obscured the target and being too bright causes your iris to contract

thank you

Good question. While my priorities are clear (want a very bright reticle for most of my applications), I did shoot a 3-gun night match last fall and discovered that (as you noted) I wished my Meopta K-Dot were dimmer on the low end of its illumination range.

[ccoker]

The problem with non illuminated reticles is your eye is slower to pick them up and they don't work well for the bindon point aimpoint concept. I have had situations where the scope went black for me due to an improper cheak weld but I was still able to see the bright reticle and the target with my non shooting eye and was able to make fast shots. This is impossible with a black reticle. Its also harder to see a dark reticle against dark backgrounds. Light is the way to go in my experience.
Pat

I agree, I have had several Acogs, own 2 Aimpoints and 2 Accupoints
my question is aimed at very, very low light use, i.e., hog hunting at night
I know I am not alone with my experiences as it has been discussed numerous times on the opticstalk forum and comes up when someone starts asking for recommendations for ill reticle scopes


the IORs I had were way too bright even with lower voltage batteries
now, they weren't designed for hunting and they would work great in an urban setting with varying light conditions
just different intended use and thus design

The Accupoints do a great job with the dot, it's almost invisible unless you are out using it after dark in a real hunting situation...

I know you have a Swarovksi and they do it right on the Z6 line

Just curious about the Vortex

I have learned to turn the ill to minimum and put my hand over the end of the scope blocking all external light
if I see glowing red flare from the bottom of the scope I know it's going to be too bright for night use

I want BOTH, super bright for daylight and almost invisible, at night, extreme range of adjustment

[VortexSam]

I agree, I have had several Acogs, own 2 Aimpoints and 2 Accupoints
my question is aimed at very, very low light use, i.e., hog hunting at night
I know I am not alone with my experiences as it has been discussed numerous times on the opticstalk forum and comes up when someone starts asking for recommendations for ill reticle scopes


the IORs I had were way too bright even with lower voltage batteries
now, they weren't designed for hunting and they would work great in an urban setting with varying light conditions
just different intended use and thus design

The Accupoints do a great job with the dot, it's almost invisible unless you are out using it after dark in a real hunting situation...

I know you have a Swarovksi and they do it right on the Z6 line

Just curious about the Vortex

I have learned to turn the ill to minimum and put my hand over the end of the scope blocking all external light
if I see glowing red flare from the bottom of the scope I know it's going to be too bright for night use

I want BOTH, super bright for daylight and almost invisible, at night, extreme range of adjustment

Hi,

I can't say for sure that it will work for you on the lowest setting. For now, the only place I have to really check it is in the bathroom with the lights off. Too many lights outside at night here in Vegas!

It seemed fine to me when I looked through it. I didn't see any red flare in the side of the scope, just the reticle, and the reticle itself did not have any flare in those conditions. It had nice defined edges and I could still see the silhouette of my reflection in the mirror easily.

I know that's not real scientific, or the same conditions you would want to use it in, but for now that is the best I can give you. After SHOT I can do some more testing and give you better info.

Hope this helps.

-Sam