but I was unable to obtain the Burris Signature 30mm Z rings until Febru- ary, just a couple of weeks before my trip to Colorado. With the Burris 30mm rings the maximum insert adjustment is 20 MOA. This gun required 40 MOA adjustment which is the maximum with one-inch rings to maintain scope center while being sighted in. So I removed the front base and ground it on a one-inch wheel and reinstalled it using JB Weld. This lowered the front ring enough so that the two 10 MOA inserts worked perfectly. If you need to remove the base, just warm with a heat gun and it will release. At the time of this writing I have
used the scope for seven months in many different conditions. I am so pleased with its performance as a var- mint hunting scope that I traded in my Leupold 6.5-20 LRT at SWFA in Texas for a 6-24x50 PST which is currently on backorder. If I was target shooting, the Leupold would stay but as a hunt- ing scope the Vortex gets the nod. The scope has many features but is simple to use and that is essential for hunting. I will highlight those features that stand out the most. First would be the tactical knobs
for elevation and windage. You need to sight in the rifle, then install the zero stop shims which always enable you to return to the original setting without guessing if you have passed your zero. I can easily read the numbers on the
adjustment knobs even without my reading glasses. There also is a slot which highlights each MOA graduation mark. The clicks are very positive and firm. I performed a box test moving the adjustment knob four inches left, six inches up, four inches right, and six inches down. The scope performed flawlessly. The EBR-1 reticle (Enhanced Battle Reticle) design and illumination feature is what adds greatly to the hunting experience. The cross hair is a fine .1 MOA and is graduated in 2 MOA subtensions for a total of 20 MOA. The entire field of view is open and I like to dial in my bullet drop and hold off for windage using the horizontal crosshair. Another practical function of the reticle is that I can either dial in my drop by MOA or if time and condi- tions don’t allow, like a running coyote that stops, I can hold over using my subtensions. The consistency between my dial and reticle being both in MOA graduations is a major benefit. It is not confusing but simple and understand- able. Vortex also has a unique ballistic program available on their website. After filling in the appropriate data it will compute the theoretical drop cal- culations. With this information, sight in at your chosen zero range and then shoot at an extended range of 400 to 500 yards (making corrections on eleva- tion if necessary). Enter your corrected data and the program will produce the actual calculations for a custom dial
or for dialing in minutes of angle of drop for long-range shooting. When changing bullet weights the shooting discipline remains the same using the custom dial: range the target, dial in the yards, and shoot. You do not have vari- ous distance calculations to remember as with scopes using random holdover points which lead to aiming errors. I shoot both the 70-gr. Berger VLD and 52-gr. Berger Varmint in my 223. The 70-gr. is sighted in at 100 yards and the 52-gr. is one inch high at 100 yards which zeroes at 150. The windage for both is exactly the same. I have affixed two drop charts to the side of my stock so all I have to do is dial in MOAs or holdover MOAs for whichever bullet I choose to use. The next outstanding feature is
the illuminated reticle which has ten different intensity levels with an “off” setting between each number. During sunny conditions the brightest setting, No. 10, is not visible but is not neces- sary. On a cloudy day or when lower light conditions occur it is very useful for target acquisition. The lower inten- sities work well at night with artificial light. The lowest settings are designed for use with night vision devices but this I did not test. When there was snow cover at night the illuminated reticle enabled me to hunt without artificial light. At closer ranges the target would be silhouetted by the snow and I did not lose the reticle on the darker body. The power adjustment ring has
a unique feature between four and sixteen power. There are two positive indents at 5.3 and 8 power. When on 16 power each small subtension is 2 MOA. I can turn down the power ring and know without looking that the first indent is 8 power and that each subtension is now 4 MOA. To the next indent, 5.3 power, the subtensions are 6 MOA and at 4 power it is at 8 MOA. This system is easy to use as you can discern your power position without looking at the dial, knowing exactly the subtension values. The parallax adjustment knob is
on the left side of the scope. Adjustment is very smooth and focus works well but the numbers are too small for me to read without glasses. The clarity of the 4-16 PST is good but bullet holes are not as crisp as the Leupold 6.5-20 LRT. In hunting situations, though, it is not
Page 136 Spring 2013
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124 |
Page 125 |
Page 126 |
Page 127 |
Page 128 |
Page 129 |
Page 130 |
Page 131 |
Page 132 |
Page 133 |
Page 134 |
Page 135 |
Page 136 |
Page 137 |
Page 138 |
Page 139 |
Page 140 |
Page 141 |
Page 142 |
Page 143 |
Page 144 |
Page 145 |
Page 146 |
Page 147 |
Page 148 |
Page 149 |
Page 150 |
Page 151 |
Page 152 |
Page 153 |
Page 154 |
Page 155 |
Page 156 |
Page 157 |
Page 158 |
Page 159 |
Page 160 |
Page 161 |
Page 162 |
Page 163 |
Page 164 |
Page 165 |
Page 166 |
Page 167 |
Page 168 |
Page 169 |
Page 170 |
Page 171 |
Page 172 |
Page 173 |
Page 174 |
Page 175 |
Page 176 |
Page 177 |
Page 178 |
Page 179 |
Page 180 |
Page 181 |
Page 182 |
Page 183 |
Page 184 |
Page 185 |
Page 186 |
Page 187 |
Page 188 |
Page 189 |
Page 190 |
Page 191 |
Page 192 |
Page 193 |
Page 194 |
Page 195 |
Page 196