Leupold VX-R vs Vortex Viper HS

D

D-Nasty

New member
Good afternoon everyone,

I am looking to buy a scope to throw on a .243 for coyote hunting. It doesn't need to be anything too fancy. Brightness, clarity, and durability are all very important to me. I'd like to keep my cost less than $500 by as much as possible. I live on the plains so the possibility of a long range shot is there, but 90% of shots will be under 300 yards.

Adjustable turrets are not required.

In the VX-R, I'd be looking at a 3-9x40mm.($499)
In the Viper HS, I'd be looking at either a 2.5-10x44mm($419) or a 4-16x44mm($399 - adjustable turret).

My question...

Of those three options, are there any that shine above the rest? The vortex options around about $100 less than the Leupold. Are you getting $100 less quality?

Also, which zoom range would be most ideal?

If there is anything that would be worth a look that I haven't listed, please feel free to make suggestions.

I'm not opposed to spending the full budget as I believe in the adage of spending more on your optics than you do on your rifle. With that said, I don't want to throw money away if I don't need to.

Thanks
 
I have a VX-R 3-9x40 firedot. The red dot comes in VERY handy at night. Ask me anything about this scope.

If I only hunted in the day, I'd skip the VX-R and get the VX3 3-10x40 for the same price. The little red dot isn't going to change your life during the day.
 
Originally Posted By: DiRTY DOGI have a VX-R 3-9x40 firedot. The red dot comes in VERY handy at night. Ask me anything about this scope.

If I only hunted in the day, I'd skip the VX-R and get the VX-3 3-9x40 for the same price. The little red dot isn't going to change your life during the day.

I'm in a very similar dilemma, all else equal, which has better glass the VX-R or VX3?
 
I have the Vortex HS, VX3 and VXR.

Both Leupold's have better glass than the Vortex. The VX3 has slightly better glass coatings than the VXR but the etched reticle in VXR is easier for me to see under a full moon without the illumination.

You cannot go wrong with either Leupold's. IMO

PS: I even sold my Trijicon 3-9x40 (Green) Accupoint, because the VXR glass and reticle combo are easier on my eyes . YMMV

 
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My VX-3 4.5-14 has slightly better resolution than my VX-R 3-9x40. I'm talking about seeing holes in paper, bark on tree trunks, etc. Construction quality seems the same, both very well made.
 
Leupold VX-R 3-9x 40mm or 50mm. The illuminated reticle is great on dark haired animals and late or early daylight situations. For night hunting it cannot be beaten. The variable brightness and auto on/off capability is best of class and FYI it can be shut off still giving you use of non illuminated reticle during daytime shooting. This is a new Leupold generation scope and the combination of glass plus illuminated reticle offer quality of vision that beat scopes costing much more. I have been able to use the 3-9x 40mm scope with and without the illuminated reticle on moonlit nights. With a red LED hunting light attached to the scope, I can easily hunt on moonless nights too. There are several different reticle layouts but all are very uncluttered and easy to use.

Leupold has one of the best consumer warranties in any industry, lifetime of the scope even if you are not the original purchaser.

I have heard good things about Vortex but never hunted with them nor looked down them, so I am not bashing them. But for those owners of previous generation Leupold scopes who have not hunted with the VX-R scopes, and are now on the Vortex band wagon, there is no ability to compare. These new VX-R are one of the best values on the market.
 
Originally Posted By: choclabsLeupold VX-R 3-9x 40mm or 50mm. The illuminated reticle is great on dark haired animals and late or early daylight situations. For night hunting it cannot be beaten. The variable brightness and auto on/off capability is best of class and FYI it can be shut off still giving you use of non illuminated reticle during daytime shooting. This is a new Leupold generation scope and the combination of glass plus illuminated reticle offer quality of vision that beat scopes costing much more. I have been able to use the 3-9x 40mm scope with and without the illuminated reticle on moonlit nights. With a red LED hunting light attached to the scope, I can easily hunt on moonless nights too. There are several different reticle layouts but all are very uncluttered and easy to use.

Leupold has one of the best consumer warranties in any industry, lifetime of the scope even if you are not the original purchaser.

I have heard good things about Vortex but never hunted with them nor looked down them, so I am not bashing them. But for those owners of previous generation Leupold scopes who have not hunted with the VX-R scopes, and are now on the Vortex band wagon, there is no ability to compare. These new VX-R are one of the best values on the market.

Sounds like the VX-R is the ticket!
 
I'm going through the same konundrum... Trying to decide between the Vortex HS 2.5-10x44 and the Leupold VX-R 3-9x40. I've had the opportunity to hunt with the Vortex through a full moon phase and was pretty happy with it. The crosshairs were thick enough to see in a variety of conditions but the image seemed to darken a fair amount as I increased the power. I also wasn't real fond of the balance point (44 mm objective) sitting on top of my Tikka T3 lite with a DNZ Game Reaper mount, medium height.

Last night, I mounted the Leupold and instantly noticed a much better feel to the gun. The smaller objective allowed me to use the low DNZ mount, and even though they're expensive I like the low profile and durability of the Leupold flip up caps. In addition to that, the option of illumination is a great feature and will come in handy on nights with marginal moonlight.

When it's all said and done, my preference goes to the Leupold VX-R. A low profile and lighter weight, combined with great light transmission, thick crosshairs that are visible in low light, and the illumination option make this scope a great long term partner for the Tikka T3 Lite 22-250!
 
I've owned 2 Vortex Vipers for a total of two days. IMO the glass is terrible compared to several other brands including Leupold. I shot a Viper HS-LR side by side against a Nikon Prostaff and thought the Prostaff had better glass. No more Vortex scopes for me.
 
+1 on the Leupold VX-R 3-9 x 40 mm. I've second guessed myself about 50mm, but have been happy with the scope. I can't compare it to the Vortex, but the scope is super clear and the red dot is awesome at night. Leupold's lifetime warranty is also a plus.
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Originally Posted By: coolbrzeOriginally Posted By: DiRTY DOGI have a VX-R 3-9x40 firedot. The red dot comes in VERY handy at night. Ask me anything about this scope.

If I only hunted in the day, I'd skip the VX-R and get the VX-3 3-9x40 for the same price. The little red dot isn't going to change your life during the day.

I'm in a very similar dilemma, all else equal, which has better glass the VX-R or VX3?

Rec'd this reply from a Leupold rep yesterday when I asked which has better glass:

"The VX-3 has better glass and coating which provide a brighter low light performance."

With that being said, I'm not sure it's apples to apples as the VX-R has a 30mm tube vs. the VX3s 1" tube.
 
Originally Posted By: coolbrze
Rec'd this reply from a Leupold rep yesterday when I asked which has better glass:

"The VX-3 has better glass and coating which provide a brighter low light performance."

With that being said, I'm not sure it's apples to apples as the VX-R has a 30mm tube vs. the VX3s 1" tube. Did the Leupold rep explain to you how the size of the tube (1" vs 30mm) effects brightness, low light performance, image quality?
 
Originally Posted By: DiRTY DOGOriginally Posted By: coolbrze
Rec'd this reply from a Leupold rep yesterday when I asked which has better glass:

"The VX-3 has better glass and coating which provide a brighter low light performance."

With that being said, I'm not sure it's apples to apples as the VX-R has a 30mm tube vs. the VX3s 1" tube. Did the Leupold rep explain to you how the size of the tube (1" vs 30mm) effects brightness, low light performance, image quality?

No that was literally all he said.
 
I'm hunt in similar conditions as you and have owned countless scopes and really a 3-9 or 2.5-10 will serve you well if its just a coyote rifle. If you plan to shoot small varmints a 3-12 or 4-16 is nice.
In optics within similar price points, the glass is gonna be pretty much the same as are the options. Its not like Comparing a Swarovski with a Simmons. With Leupold expect to pay more just to have the Gold rings...if that matters to you.
Both optics have superb warranty with Vortex getting the edge with their "no fault" warranty. I never really worried about warranty till I dealt with Zeiss...they certainly dont get things done fast.

Cheers!!
 
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