I received my new Vortex PST 1-4 from Liberty Optics yesterday (Scott at Liberty Optics is great!!), mounted it up in my Larue mount and took it out to the range today to sight it in. I have to say for the price point the optics are very clear, I will admit maybe not as good as Nightforce or Vortex Razor 1-4 with HD glass but since those scopes are 2.5 times the price the PST has not only great glass but is a great value when compared to optics 2.5x more expensive. My friend had his Trijicon 1-4 and when comparing them side by side I would say the optic quality is the same.
The turrets have a great feel to them, very smooth and positive clicks. I didn’t set the zero stop up since it’s future home is on a Noveske upper coming in a few weeks. The zoom is very smooth, reticle is clean although I would have liked the subtention’s to be a little larger but is more than usable for it’s intended usage etc.
The power switch for the illumination is very nice and has positive clicks with off being in the middle of each setting. It is daytime bright although rather than a bright red like on an Aimpoint or EOTech it is more of a dark red in bright daytime lighting. In dimmer and night time light it is a very bright red like a red dot. It could be a little better but again it is visible and usable in full daytime lighting. When I looked a the Nightforce 1-4 it was not visible so for 2.5x times less money the Vortex wins that battle.
The eye relief is very good!!! The eye box is great, gives you a great view and I never once found myself having to move my head around to have a clear view, this was true at all magnification settings.
Over all I am very happy with it!!! I have only shot it on a square range from a bench sighting it in however in a couple of weeks I will be taking it to a practical rifle match which will give me a better perspective. If all goes well I plan on taking it to a 4 day carbine class next month which will give me a more well rounded opinion of it but so far so good.
Rifle specs: Spikes Lower, Daniel Defense parts kit, Ergo Grip, Wilson Combat TTU trigger, LMT SOPMOD stock, Magpul BAD lever, Magpul rear sling mount, LMT M4 profile upper 16" 1x7, BCM bolt and carrier, Troy folding rear sight.
Sorry with my camera phone I could not get a pic of the reticle…not sure how people do it but I have a new found respect for those pictures
There is one thing I don’t understand but the zoom ring has the correct magnification when looking forward from the eye piece but when looking at it from the front or top there is a number on the other side which is incorrect at the 4x, 1.3 and 1x setting. It is correct on the 2 time setting. Update: Got an explanation of this on snipers hide…I included the answer as a reply to this thread below.
Never heard of Liberty optics. I’ll have to check them out. I’m in the market for a nice 1x4 but I can’t afford a S&b or Nightforce. So, what did you pay? My budget is around 300. Or, I could save up for the next few years and get the S&B.
Price is $499 everywhere, he ships for free and no tax since I am out of state…he does have a discount price for Snipers Hide members as well as a couple of other groups, check out his website for additional info, I paid a bit less than that price!
I got an answer over on snipers hide about the “incorrect” numbers
Those “incorrect” numbers are the multiplication factor using the reticle on that given power since the reticle is a AFP design.
Each hash mark on your reticle is 2 MOA on 4x (that’s where the reticle is calibrated for), say your on 1x and you miss 2 tick marks low and 3.5 tick marks left and you want to dial that in. You would need the correct multiplier to dial in the correct MOA. The multiplier on 1x is 4 so its simple. 2x4 = 8 MOA up and 3.5x4 = 14 MOA right.
Hope the “incorrect” number make sense
I sure feel like an idiot…I knew that I can only range on 4x but for some reason I didn’t catch that lol oh well glad there are smarter people than me out there
Here is a pic with illumination on high…it is a crappy pic and will try to get a better one next time…as you can see it is red but a dark red not a bright red but can be seen.
Yes I used it both ways…the reality is unless you are shooting at something dark you really don’t need illumination during the day.
I just played with it in the house and when hitting a white room with a surefire x300 mounted on the end of this rifle the reticle actually got brighter!!! My red dot will get washed out so this is HUGE!!! That is so damn impressive I might have to sell my last red dot for another one of these…not what I expected at all!
I was with dtibbals during the sight in process. The glass on the Vortex is just as clear and bright as my $750 Trijicon 1-4X optic. I was very impressed and will be ordering one for my LMT. Nice write up man!
Very nice writeup. I have had one for 2 weeks now - am really digging it! Prior I had a Trijicon TR24R; I have just sold that after finally getting it back from an atrocious customer service experience. Vs the TR24, I actually think the Vortex has slightly better glass (especially with regard to the edges), and the eye relief is just about as perfect as you can get on a 1-4x - the Viper is really unpicky about where you have your head, which makes it great for run’n’gun comps. I shot a match with it with a mix of longer range and close stuff - super happy with how it performed.
IMO, the illumination on the Viper could be better - I don’t really buy the split nighttime lower five/daytime upper 5 settings - the low settings are extremely low and pretty much a waste of 5 settings, even on the blackest of nights; and the daytime ones could do with being a bit brighter on the upper end. I’d prefer to see a steady increase through settings 1-10…I see from the interweb, I’m not the only one who thinks that. That said - it really is a minor quibble; as stated in the review here, the reticle is perfectly usable as black, and the design draws the eye so is plenty quick for the close up stuff; and plenty precise at distance. The turrets are excellent (positive feel is just about as close to perfect as you can get) and I like the way you have multiple choices on how you want to run your scope - you can either dial for windage/elevation, or you can accurately hold over with the marks.
I think it is great value for money, a real quality piece and I hear Vortex’s customer service is second to none. I will probably pick up a 2-5-10 sometime in the near future for my upcoming SPR build.
I agree on the illumination, however it is better in daylight than a Nightforce for a much lower price. I think the first 6 settings pretty much are for night vision use…it sure isn’t for the naked eye.
Setting 6 works for me in dim light where there is enough ambient light to still see fairly well. 5 works in very dim light without overpowering the view through the reticle - switch on the weapon light and you see the normal black reticle. Works pretty well once you get used to it, but it’s much more critical to have the right setting Vs a RD.
Setting 4 (and 3) is visible in darkness if you have your night vision. Maybe useful for night hunting, but I could not say.
It could be just me but I find the need for daylight visible illumination on a magnified optic with crosshair reticle to be over played.
if you are in enough light that the ill. doesn’t show, then you simply do what generations of shooters have done before the development of ill., and use the cross hair.
the only time I wish I had illumination in a magnified scope is when it was dusk or dawn and I was aiming at something dark and needed to discriminate the reticle from the background. at any other time, this is simply not an issue.
The Short-Dot can be used like an RDS with both eyes open shooting with an illuminated dot. The SD has sufficient illumination of the dot it can be used on the brightest of days against very light back grounds. Ive never even had to use the brightest setting.
Now if its just the reticle that is illuminated then, no, it doesn’t make all that much of a difference during the day.
True…however, some people (not necessarily me) prefer a brightly illuminated reticle for high speed close in work - they say it draws the eye better. I can see that argument - and some scopes have that capability (Burris Tac-30 1-4 springs to mind, very bright daylight illum) - so it can be done…and if it can be done effectively, well why not? Can only be in the scope manufacturers and consumers best interests, I think - nice to have the option, even if you don’t personally need it.
Well a black reticle on a dark or black object in shade etc even in daylight is slow at best, add some illumination to the reticle and it is not an issue…so illumination during the day is important at times.
The PST also has a cross-hair (the TMCQ Reticle)- not just a dot & circle. I did this my first time out - black 18" gong, very dim day and no illumination. 500 Meters:
It’s only 3 or 4 shots, btw. I had to drive down to see for sure where it was impacting. Later, doing this shot with illumination, it’s no doubt a little faster - but only on a black target.
