Description
Rifle Scope Product Details
Vortex Optics Viper HS Second Focal Plane Riflescopes
Rifle Scope Product Features
About this item
The Viper HS 2. 5-10×44 is one of multiple configurations in the Viper HS (Hunting & Shooting) line. The Dead-Hold BDC reticle is good for any hunting or shooting at varying ranges where estimating hold-over would be a concern.
In the advanced optical system, the XD glass renders an image that is sharp and clear from edge to edge. There are XR multi-coated lenses allowing you to capture the most light from dawn till dusk. The 4x zoom range will pull you close to your target.
Featuring capped quick-reset turrets you will be able to quickly reindex your zero after sighting in. They’re built on a 30mm main tube which increases the amount of elevation and wind age travel for optimal adjustment.
Ultra-hard, scratch resistant Armortek coatings protect the exterior lenses of the scope. Argon purging provides fog proof and waterproof performance. The hard-anodized matte black finish is extremely durable and looks awesome too.
Whether hunting whitetail in the Midwest or elk in the Rockies, the Viper HS is designed to be your all around workhorse optic.
About the Vortex Manufacturer
Vortex is a premium supplier for weapon scopes, optics, mounts, and other accessories used for firearms like rifles and long guns. They innovate and manufacture their mounts and related products choosing building materials which are long lasting and durable. This includes the Vortex Optics Viper HS Second Focal Plane Riflescopes by Vortex. For more shooting products, visit their website.
Information About Rifle Optics
Rifle scopes enable you to specifically aim a rifle at various targets by aligning your eye with the target at range. They do this through magnifying the target by employing a set of lenses inside the scope. The scope’s positioning can be adjusted for the consideration of numerous environmental factors like wind speed and elevation decreases to account for bullet drop.
The scope’s function is to help shooters understand exactly where the bullet will land based on the sight picture you are seeing via the scope as you align the scope’s crosshair or reticle with the intended target. The majority of contemporary rifle scopes and optics have about 11 parts which are located within and externally on the scope. These scope parts include the rifle scope’s body, lenses, modification turrets, objective focus rings, and other parts. See all eleven parts of a rifle optical system.
Rifle Optic Styles
Rifle scopes can be either “first focal plane” or “second focal plane” type of optics. Picking the optimal type of rifle optic depends on what type of shooting you plan to do.
Info About First Focal Plane Glass
Focal plane scopes (FFP) feature the reticle in front of the magnifying lens. This causes the reticle to increase in size based upon the amount of magnification being used. The benefit is that the reticle measurements are the same at the amplified distance as they are at the non amplified distance. One tick on a mil-dot reticle at 100 yards without “zoom” is still the same tick at one hundred yards by using 5x “zoom”. These types of scopes work for:
- Quick acquisition, far away kinds of shooting
- Shooting situations where calculations are very little
- Experienced shooters who understand their aim point “hold over” plus “lead” ratios for their long gun
- Shooters who don’t mind the reticle is enlarged and occupies more visual eyesight space than a SFP reticle
Info on Second Focal Plane Scopes
Second focal plane scopes (SFP) come with the reticle behind the magnification lens. This induces the reticle to stay at the very same size in connection with the quantity of zoom being used. The outcome is that the reticle measurements adapt based upon the zoom applied to shoot over greater distances given that the reticle measurements represent distinct increments which change with the zoom. In the FFP illustration with the SFP optic, the 5x “zoom” one hundred yard tick measurement would be 1/5th of the non “zoom” tick reticle measurement. These types of scopes are beneficial for:
- Long distance styles of shooting where shooters have extra time to make ballistic estimations
- Shooting where most of the shots occur within much shorter ranges and distances
- Shooters who like a clearer optic picture without space taken up by the larger size FFP reticle
Optic Magnification
The quantity of scope zoom you need on your optic depends on the style of shooting you would like to do. Just about every style of rifle glass offers some degree of zoom. The amount of magnification a scope delivers is determined by the dimension, density, and curves of the lens glass inside of the rifle optic. The magnification level of the scope is the “power” of the opic. This suggests what the shooter is checking out through the scope is amplified times the power factor of what can usually be seen by human eyes.
Fixed Power Lens Rifle Optics
A single power rifle optic and scope will have a magnification number designator like 4×32. This means the magnification power of the scope is 4x power while the objective lens is 32mm. The magnification of this type of scope can not change given that it is a fixed power optic.
Adjustable Power Lens Rifle Optics
Variable power rifle scopes have adjustable power. It will list the zoom degree in a configuration such as 2-10×32. These numbers indicate the magnification of the scope could be changed in between 2x and 10x power. This additionally incorporates the power levels in-between 2 and 10. The power adaptation is accomplished utilizing the power ring component of the scope near the back of the scope by the eye bell.
Rifle Scope Power Level and Ranges
Here are some recommended scope power levels and the distances where they can be efficiently used. Highly magnified rifle scope glass will not be as efficient as lower magnification glass given that too much magnification can be a bad thing. The exact same idea applies to extended ranges where the shooter needs sufficient power to see exactly where to best aim the rifle at the target.
About Rifle Scope Lens Finishing
All modern-day rifle scope and optic lenses are covered in special coatings. There are different types and qualities of finishings. Lens finishing can be an essential aspect of a rifle when looking at high end rifle optics and targeting systems. The lenses are one of the most important components of the optic considering that they are what your eye looks through while sighting a rifle in on the target. The finishing on the lenses offers protection to the lens exterior and also assists with anti glare from excess sunlight and color presence.
ED Versus HD Rifle Optics
Some glass suppliers will also use “HD” or high-definition lense finishes that make the most of different processes, polarizations, components, and chemicals to enhance different colors and viewable target visibility through the lens. This high-definition coating is commonly used with greater density glass which drops light’s capability to refract by means of the lens glass. Some scope vendors use “HD” to refer to “ED” suggesting extra-low dispersion glass. ED deals with how certain colors are represented on the chromatic spectrum and the chromatic aberration or difference which is also called color distortion or fringing. Chromatic aberration may be noticeable around objects with well defined shapes as light hits the item from various angles.
Single Optic Lens Finishing Versus Multi-Coating
Different optic lenses can even have different finishings applied to them. All lenses typically have at least some kind of treatment or coating applied to them before they are used in a rifle scope or optic assembly. This is because the lens isn’t just a raw piece of glass. It becomes part of the finely tuned optic. It must have a covering applied to it so that the lens will be efficiently functional in lots of types of environments, degrees of sunlight (full VS shaded), and other shooting conditions.
Single coated lenses have a treatment applied to them which is usually a protective and enhancing multi-purpose treatment. This lens treatment can safeguard the lens from scratches while lowering glare and other less helpful things experienced in the shooting environment while sighting in with the scope. The quality of a single layered lens depends on the scope maker and just how much you spent paying for it. Both the make and cost are indicators of the lens quality.
Some scope makers similarly make it a point to define if their optic lenses are layered or “multi” covered. Being “better” depends on the producer’s lens treatment innovation and the quality of products used in developing the rifle scope.
Anti-water Optic Lens Coating
Water on an optical lens does not help with keeping a clear sight picture through an optic in any way. Many top of the line and high-end scope manufacturers will coat their lenses with a hydrophilic or hydrophobic coating. The Steiner Optics Nano-Protection is a fine example of this kind of treatment. It treats the exterior of the Steiner glass lens so the H2O molecules can not bind to it or produce surface tension. The outcome is that the water beads move off of the scope to maintain a clear, water free sight picture.
Rifle Optic Installing Choices
Mounting approaches for scopes come in a few options. There are the standard scope rings which are separately mounted to the scope and one-piece mounts which cradle the scope. These various kinds of mounts also usually can be found in quick release versions which use throw levers which allow rifle operators to rapidly install and dismount the scopes.
Hex Key Rifle Optic Rings
Standard, clamp style mounting scope rings use hex head screws to mount to the flattop style Picatinny scope installation rails on rifles. These types of scope mounts use two separate rings to support the optic, and are often made from 7075 T6 billet aluminum which are designed for long distance precision shooting. This type of scope install is excellent for rifles which need a resilient, rock solid mounting solution which will not move no matter how much the scope is moved or abused.
Rifle Optic Mounts with Quick-Release Cantilever Rings
These kinds of quick-release rifle scope mounts can be used to quickly connect and detach a scope from a rifle. Multiple scopes can also be swapped out if they all use a complementary designed mount. The quick detach design is CNC crafted from anodized 6061 T6 aluminum and the mounting levers attach nicely to a flat top type Picatinny rail. This allows the scope to be sighted in while on the rifle, removed from the rifle, and remounted back on the rifle while retaining the original sighting settings. These types of mounts come in convenient for shooting platforms which are transferred a lot, to take off the glass from the rifle for protection, or for scopes which are used between numerous rifles. An example of this mount type is the 30mm mount from the Vortex Optics manufacturer. It typically costs around $250 USD
About Optic Tube Sealing and Gas Purging
Moisture inside your rifle scope can ruin a day on the range and your highly-priced optic by resulting in fogging and developing residue within the scope tube. A lot of scopes protect against humidity from getting in the optical tube with a series of sealing O-rings which are water resistant. Typically, these water-resistant optics can be submerged within 20 or 30 feet of water before the water pressure can force moisture past the O-rings. This should be sufficient moisture content avoidance for standard use rifles, unless you intend on taking your rifle boating and are worried about the optic still performing if it is submerged in water and you can still retrieve the firearm.
Optic Gas Purging
Another element of preventing the buildup of moisture inside of the rifle optic tube is filling the tube with a gas like nitrogen. Because this space is currently taken up by the gas, the optic is less altered by condition shifts and pressure distinctions from the external environment which may possibly allow water vapor to permeate in around the seals to fill the void which would otherwise exist. These are good qualities of a decent rifle scope to look for.
