The pst gen 1 is almost a decade old. Of course it has been improved upon in gen 2. Not saying vortex is perfect but comparing newer designs against a 10 year old design is not fair. Also the pst gen 1 was one of the first major market scopes designed for turret use at a lower price point.

Also comparing the pst to an Atacr is not fair either. There is three x the price.


I get not wanting a vortex. But be fair.

I would never buy a Vortex scope and don’t see why anyone who spends much time at all on hunting/shooting forums would. Too many issues across the board. Just because many are satisfied is not relevant when so many have issues as compared to other makes.

Once again, just my experience... I bought my first "big" scope purchase, the aforementioned 3-15 swfa. It was a few years ago, before pst ii. At the time I was hearing pst issue, hence the warranty comments, the other comparable options seemed to have less scuttle-butt about issues, seemingly always preceding a statement how great their warranty is. Other scopes i considered at the time, because ffp options were limited given my meager budget, were pst, 3-15 swfa, a weaver tactical (slightly more than swfa and was their first entry into ffp-tacticool scopes), bushnell tactical elite (noticeably more expensive than swfa and pst) and some burris before the xtr ii.



Not everyone needs to put all their equipment through the harshest of rigors. For the sake of this argument, we are not all Fireman and I doubt even he uses/abuses all his equipment equally. Seems like the market dictates that at whatever price level or combination of features that are desirable, there are people willing to forego some of the resilience to abuse for the pricing and/or features combination as the trade off because Vortex is so willing to rectify and issues that arise.
Personal example: We put an MRO with a Larue QD and back up sight on the our SHTF ar. We have done some mild ruggedness testing of the whole system, including the 1-4 accupoint on a Larue qd, over the years. My other budget ar sports a Vortex red dot with a Vortex mount, non-qd.

I try not to pain a brand by one experience or just what I read. I have and have been hunting with a Gen 1 vortex viper for the last several years, it hasn't failed me in any way, and when I take it off of this build im working on it will be put on my cz I recently acquired and be shot and hunted with more. Some folks have had a problem with vortex. I had a chevy that ate an engine at 1000 miles, it was fixed(replaced) and I put over 264,000 more miles on it and it was a great truck.

If it were not for the picky eye box the gen II would probably be a contender on my list, it compares well to its competition. I know nobody is going to change some peoples mind, that is why I collect advice and make my own decisions, as you can see from here not everyone thinks the same.

None of these scars were intentional, they're just through use. Use at my range, matches, and hunts. Clearly we've been rained on. The scope will never slip in the rings.

This scope is 2 years beside me.





Later, I'll get pics of the SS 5-20X HD. After 7 years, it looks worse.

Way back when, when the PST gen 1’s were the rage on here, and they were for a while, I did a bit of research on them. At the time the 4-16 was rated better than the 6-24. I bought the 4-16 first and then got a 6-24 used. After some use, I decided that the reviews were right. The 6-24 was Ok for what I needed it for, but the 4-16 was better. I had the 4-16 on my primary deer rifle, the Tikka 260 for 4 or 5 years, and only recently replaced it with a Leupold VX5 HD 3-15 CDS. The 4-16 is boxed at present and the 6-24 is on my 223.

I feel comfortable saying that I liked both Vortex scopes, but note that neither of them ever got the turret twisting work that the long distance guys put their scopes through. If the long distance guys say they won’t hold up over time, I believe it. That said, I shoot 4 different bullets in my 223 and I can make quick scope adjustments for each bullet when I head for the stand for pigs or coyotes. That requires 4 sets of ballistics data, taped to the rifle, for each bullet to 400 yards, but heck...it works for me. If the scope would read the wind for me, life would be grand.