does anyone have any experience with Diamondback scopes? GOOD,BAD or other wise

I put one in 4-12 on a savage 20vt. It is the Diamondback HP model so it has side focus. I like it and haven't had any issues with it in 2 years.

There good scopes for the price point. I own a couple. 2-7x35 and a 4-12 power. But to be honest I like my Nikon Prostaffs more. However Nikon got out of the riflescope business now.

We mounted a new 4-16 on a 204r Savage varmint for a pd trip. Rifle and loads were very accurate. The scope would hold adjustments well, but the adjustments were inconsistent. We decided(without sending it in) it was a set and forget about dialing scope. It wasn't my rifle/scope,but I recommended returning the scope for warranty work, hoping that would allow for dialing shot to shot.

ive been running diamondback as my "value optic" for several years now. i own a handful in the 4-12x40 and 2 of the 1.75-5x32 of them and just picked up one of the new HD models for my creed upper.

for the $ the glass is quite clear & has excellent low light coatings - which is critical for me as i typically hunt in the woods, and without a good coating would lose the last ~20-30ish mins of legal hunting time due to being unable to identify animals in the pre-dark conditions.

on the ones i have in hand, clicks are consistent and repeatable, return to zero has been true and continues to be so. my older models go back 8 years or so at this point. a zero stop feature would be nice for easier return to zero, but like i said.. "value optic"

I've had the 10 power binos for 5 years, good value for the money

Thanks guys with Nikon's exit I'm looking a compatible scope.

You may be ahead by checking out the Athlon Talos, a bit less
expensive and clearer glass. I have the Viper and later got a
much less expensive Talos.....it has clearer glass than even
the Viper. Same warranty.

I have had some diamondback hp’s in the past and thought they were pretty good.

Assuming you are talking about the Diamondback line from Vortex, I believe they are one of the best values out there. The glass is pretty good and the construction is very good. I have had a few and still own a 3.5-10x50. Great scope for the $160 i paid on sale. The HP models are said to have Viper glass in them. The tactical line is so-so, lot of reported issues with tracking. The 5-25x56 they just dropped this year looks good but its mixed too.

I bought a 4x12x40 Diamondback 6-7 years ago, and placed it on my 222Mag for coyotes.

Overall, a nice scope for the money. I moved it over to a 30-06 because it is not bright enough for very low light conditions. For a big game scope, where I'm limited to hunting 1/2 hour before sunrise to 1/2 hour after sunset, it's fine.

Vortex diamondback is good if its all you can afford. The best part about the scope is the warranty. Performance wise its just barely ok. There is a lot more to a scope than clear glass.

Mine has cost me two coyotes. I thought i suck at shooting until i put it on paper after a miss this morning. I'm going to be testing their warranty service.

I have diamondback hp in 3-12 and really like it. The hp versions had upgraded glass

I have 2 diamondback scopes & both are excellent IMO.. Both are first gen scopes so I'm not actually commenting on the newer models.. Both of mine (4-12x & 2-8x) have E.D glass which is no longer used in the newer models.
Both also have side P.A adjustment which is no longer found on diamondbacks unless you go 4-16x..
These scopes track as well as any scope I've used & have a very sturdy build. They can some times still be found on gun broker or E-bay..

If you ever plan to take the rifle out long range I’d consider going to the higher end diamondback tactical first focal plane. Guys take them out in the vortex extreme and track well to over 1000 yards with 6.5 cm. Not much more. But a lot more doors get opened to you as a shooter wanting to see what a rifle system is capable of.

well that stands to reason.. i dont think anyone would recommend attempting to shoot at 1k yds with a $200 price point scope.


that still doesnt make them a bad scope - but right tool for the right job and all that.

I have two 3-9x40 diamondbacks and like them however I had a situation at dusk with a deer in a field where the fading red and pink light of sundown in that direction basically whited out my scope enough that I couldnt attempt a shot, I could see the deer in the corn stubble with my naked eyes but not in the scope. since then I have read several reviews where others had the same thing happen. I have read some feel it is a lackluster coating, dont know if thats true.the clarity is pretty good for 200 bucks.