Vortex Strike Eagle 1-6x24mm

[Southern]

A few months back, I posted a question about what sort scopes the SDUK crowd was using on their "tactical" trainer .22 LR rifles. Several were using the Visionking 1.5-5x26, which seems to be quite nifty and inexpensive.

Soon into the conversation, I wandered into a pawn shop and gun store near my office which turns over dozens of firearms a day, and came out with a new S&W M&P 15 and two magazines, to go with the S&W M&P 15-22 which had sparked my thread.

After a good bit of shopping, I narrowed it down to the Bushnell PCL 1-4x24 illuminated and the Vortex Strike Eagle 1-6x24mm. I was also debating what scope to swap onto, or buy for, my HBAR flattop AR-15 which had been using the carry handle sights.

Again, luck intervened to steer me. I was looking at the Vortex in a store, and noticed a Bushnell box in the case, with no price. It was an AR-223 3-9x40 with side PA and BDC reticle, exposed knobs which are pretty nice. A scan showed it to be the last one, on closeout, marked down from $169 to $51.00, so I bought it on the spot, and put it on the HBAR. It is pretty nice. I would surely recommend it for a .22, too, with the PA.

My e-mail had a coupon for $40.00 of any optic an free overnight shipping. The Vortex was on sale for $30.00 of, so I ordered that. Mounted it yesterday evening on the S&W M&P 15 - WOW. This thing is shootable both eyes open at any power. The etched reticle is razor sharp, the glass very clear, and the 11 illumination settings match any light level. While shopping and ruminating, I had talked with someone who has a Burris XTR, very similar to this, but $800.00. And another person I know has this Vortex on his .308 for coyotes and wild boar messing around his farm. So it seems to take recoil.

I would recommend this scope on a bolt action for something like running boar. The horizontal stadia line up the horseshoe for that. And the 1 MOA dot in the center is sharp enough for fine aiming. It is sleek, with low knobs, so would not be out of place on a combination gun or drilling. I am taking both rifles out for a shoot this weekend, and don't expect to be disappointed.

 

[Jagdmatch]

I am using the 1-8 x30 vortex Strike Eagle on my Blaser at the moment. No complaints so far. It is lighter and very clear at lower magnification but goes a bit milky at full power. The illumination is very good. I have shot a couple of deer using it, both in woodland and off a rest. I think it would be quite good on a driven boar rifle as well.
i would have preferred BDC turrets but it's not actually needed as the reticule should compensate for any elevation adjustment out to 300 metre(target).

 

[Southern]

What cartidge in that Blaser?

If you prefer the same sort of reticle, but with BDC turrets, the Bushnell 1-4x24 PCL FFP, the Bushnell 1-6x24, the Primary Arms 1-6x24 ACSS all have it.

If you want it in a more conventional scope, Burris offers that reticle in a 3-9x40 with a G2 horizontal for ranging, and it can be had with the MSR turrets, so you can get a set of turrets with just a partial turn from 100 to 600 yards, for a variety of cartridges, speeds, and BC. Vortex offers something similar in a 2-8x, but not cheap, and no such turret.

There is a local fellow here who used make telescopes for astronomy. He has now started building a scope like the Vortex and Primary Arms, but even nicer. He has a 1-10x with illumination, for about $550.00. I looked through one that the local SWAT team had just bought and was trying on a .308 carbine.