Vortex Viper PST 1-4x24

[Renegade Master]

Just a quick "first impressions" of my new scope and mount.

I was looking for a 1-4/4.5 scope for my CSR rifle. As I will be shooting in Service Optic class, the magnification is restricted to 4.5x max. Although I could have gone for a bigger scope and just not turned it up past 4.5, it made sense to me to have a lower mag scope and save weight.

A lot of guys who shoot CSR are using S&B and Nightforce scopes, but to be honest those are well out of my price range so I started looking around at mid range scopes. There are a few offerings that were in my budget, such as the Leatherwood Hi-lux CMR, Nikon M223, Konus M30, Weaver Grand Slam & Bushnell 3200. Then I started hearing a lot of good thing about the Viper. After a bit of research, reading reviews and getting a chance to have a hands on look at one, I decided it was the scope for me.

Fast forward a few months, and after being buggered around by the UK importer (Newpro) I placed an order with eurooptics.com While I was at it I also ordered the ADR/Vortex cantilever mount. Total cost (inc shipping, customs and Parcelfarce charges) was £610.00, which was actually quite a saving on the Newpro price.

Last weekend I got my first chance to properly put it through it's paces at 100 yards. First impressions were very good. It was a dry but overcast day, yet the optics were clear and bright. The reticle was very sharp. The illumination could have been brighter, but TBH I will probably never use it anyway so not a major problem for me. The finger turrets adjusted with nice positive clicks with no play. The mag ring turns smoothly. The zero stop feature is basic, but works well. Overall the scope feels well built and solid, without being heavy. It's also quite compact, being only 9.7" long.

The mount was rock solid, and a couple of nice feature of this is that it is adjustable width ways across the rail (for some reason my .223 upper rail is a few 1000th narrower than my .22 upper rail) and has a safety catch design to stop the levers unlocking if snagged. Eye relief was perfect for me shooting NTCH.

Overall I am more than happy with the scope & mount. One of my shooting buddies (who shoots with a S&B Short Dot) had a look through and was impressed at the clarity compared to his (far more expensive) scope. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this setup to anyone.

Quick picture for those who haven't seen one (this was taken mounted on my .22)

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/23746341/Pi...0rifle%203.jpg