Description
Rifle Scope Product Details
Vortex Optics Viper PST Gen II Second Focal Plane Riflescopes
Rifle Scope Product Features
About this item
The Viper PST Gen II takes incredible performance and rock solid tactical features to new heights. The 1-6×24 second focal plane riflescope is incredibly versatile and ideal for close to medium range shooting scenarios.
Shooters who dial their turrets for bullet drop and wind compensation will appreciate the laser etched turrets, adjustable parallax and the RZR zero stop. A fiber optic rotation indicator ensures you can keep track of your turret position with ease.
The reticle offers shooters highly functional, intuitive, and detailed hold points, yet remains uncluttered for optimal viewing and features 10 intensity levels with off positions between each setting.
Extra-low dispersion glass increases resolution and color fidelity. XR fully multi-coated lenses increase light transmission. Armortek coatings protect the lenses from scratches, oil, and dirt.
O-ring sealed and argon purged, the Viper delivers waterproof and fog proof performance while the single-piece, aircraft-grade aluminum construction gives shooters a durable platform.
About the Vortex Manufacturer
Vortex is a premium maker for firearm scopes, optics, mounts, and other add-ons used for guns like rifles and long guns. They create and supply their mounts, scopes, and related products working with materials which are long lasting and durable. This includes the Vortex Optics Viper PST Gen II Second Focal Plane Riflescopes by Vortex. For additional shooting items, visit their site.
Info About Glass
Rifle scopes permit you to specifically aim a rifle at various targets by aligning your eye with the target at range. They do this through magnification by employing a set of lenses inside the scope. The scope’s alignment can be adapted for consideration of numerous environmental factors like wind speed and elevation increases or decreases to account for bullet drop.
The scope’s function is to understand exactly where the bullet will hit based on the sight picture you are seeing through the scope as you line up the scope’s crosshair or reticle with the target. A lot of modern-day rifle optics have around eleven parts which are arranged within and on the exterior of the scope body. These scope parts consist of the rifle scope’s body, lenses, elevation turrets or dials, objective focus rings, and other parts. See all eleven parts of a rifle optical system.
About Scope Styles
Rifle scopes can be either “first focal plane” or “second focal plane” type of scopes. Considering the optimal type of rifle scope depends on what type of shooting you plan on doing.
First Focal Plane Scopes
Focal plane scopes (FFP) feature the reticle in front of the zoom lens. This causes the reticle to increase in size based upon the extent 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 one hundred yards with no “zoom” is still the very same tick at one hundred yards by using 5x “zoom”. These types of scopes are valuable for:
- Quick acquisition, long distance kinds of shooting
- Shooting scenarios where computations are very little
- Experienced shooters who understand their aim point “hold over” as well as “lead” ratios for their firearms
- Shooters who do not mind the reticle is enlarged and requires more visual sight area than a SFP reticle
About Second Focal Plane Scopes
Second focal plane scopes (SFP) include the reticle to the rear of the zoom lens. This triggers the reticle to stay at the same dimensions relative to the quantity of zoom being used. The end result is that the reticle dimensions adjust based on the zoom chosen to shoot over greater distances because the reticle markings present different increments which fluctuate with the zoom. In the FFP example with the SFP scope, the 5x “zoom” one hundred yard tick reticle measurement would be 1/5th of the non “zoom” tick. These styles of optics work for:
- Far away styles of shooting where shooters have extra time to make ballistic calculations
- Shooting where most shots take place within much shorter ranges and proximities
- Shooters who choose a clearer optic sight picture without space used up by the larger sized FFP reticle
Rifle Optic Zoom
The amount of scope magnification you require is based on the style of shooting you choose to do. Just about every style of rifle scope delivers some degree of magnification. The quantity of magnification a scope delivers is established by the dimension, density, and curvatures of the lens glass inside of the rifle optic. The magnification of the scope is the “power” of the scope. This implies what the shooter is aiming at through the scope is amplified times the power aspect of what can typically be seen by human eyes.
Single Power Lens Glass Info
A single power rifle scope will have a zoom number designator like 4×32. This indicates the zoom power of the scope is 4x power and the objective lens is 32mm. The zoom of this type of scope can not adjust because it is set from the factory.
Variable Power Lens Rifle Glass
Variable power rifle scopes have adjustable power. It will note the zoom amount in a format such as 2-10×32. These numbers suggest the magnification of the scope can be set in between 2x and 10x power. This always utilizes the powers in-between 2 and 10. The power modification is accomplished by making use of the power ring part of the scope near the rear of the scope by the eye bell piece.
Optic Power and Range Correlation
Here are some advised scope power settings and the ranges where they could be successfully used. Highly magnified optics will not be as efficient as lower magnification glass given that too much zoom can be a negative aspect depending on your shooting distance. The same goes for extended ranges where the shooter needs to have enough power to see where to properly aim the rifle at the target.
Optic Lens Finish
All contemporary rifle optic and scope lenses are coated. Lens finish is a crucial element of a rifle when considering high end rifle optics and scope systems.
ED Versus HD Rifle Glass
Some scope makers also use “HD” or high-definition lens finishes which use different processes, chemicals, polarizations, and elements to draw out a wide range of colors and viewable definition through the lens. Some scope producers use “HD” to refer to “ED” meaning extra-low dispersion glass.
Single Coating Versus Multi-Coating
Various optic lenses can also have various finishings applied to them. All lenses typically have at least some type of treatment or coating applied to them before they are used in a rifle scope or optic assembly. Because the lens isn’t simply a raw piece of glass, they require performance enhancing coatings. It is part of the carefully tuned optic. It must have a covering put on it so that the lens will be efficiently usable in numerous types of environments, degrees of sunlight (full VS shade), and other shooting conditions.
Single covered lenses have a treatment applied to them which is usually a protective and boosting multi-purpose treatment. This lens treatment can safeguard the lens from scratches while reducing glare and other less beneficial things experienced in the shooting environment while sighting in with the scope. The quality of a single layered lens depends on the scope company and how much you spent for it. Both the make and cost are indicators of the lens quality.
Some scope producers likewise make it a point to define if their optic lenses are layered or “multi” coated. This means the lens has multiple treatments applied to the surfaces of the glass. If a lens receives multiple treatments, it can prove that a manufacturer is taking multiple steps to combat different natural factors like an anti-glare finishing, a scratch resistant anti-abrasion coating, followed by a hydrophilic coating. This also doesn’t necessarily imply the multi-coated lens is much better than a single covered lens. Being “better” depends upon the maker’s lens treatment techniques and the quality of glass used in building the rifle scope.
Hydrophobic Coating for Scopes
Water on an optical lens doesn’t support keeping a clear sight picture through a scope in any way. Lots of top of the line and premium scope producers will coat their lenses with a hydrophilic or hydrophobic finishing. The Steiner Optics Nano-Protection is a good example of this type of treatment. It deals with the surface of the Steiner scope lens so the H2O molecules can not bind to it or develop surface tension. The outcome is that the water beads sheet off of the scope to preserve a clear, water free sight picture.
Alternatives for Installing Rifle Glass on Long Guns
Installing solutions for scopes come in a few options. There are the standard scope rings which are individually installed to the optic and one-piece scope mounts which cradle the scope. These different kinds of mounts also usually are made in quick release versions which use toss levers which allow rifle operators to rapidly mount and remove the glass.
Hex Key Rifle Scope Rings
Basic, clamp style mounting optic rings use hex head screws to mount to the flattop design Picatinny scope mount rails on rifles. These styles of scope mounts use a pair of independent rings to support the scope, and are normally constructed from 7075 T6 billet aluminum which are designed for far away precision shooting. This form of scope mount is very good for rifles which require a resilient, rock solid mount which will not move no matter how much the scope is moved or jarring the rifle takes. These are the style of mounts you want for a devoted scope setup on a reach out and touch someone hunting or interdiction firearm that will seldom need to be changed or recalibrated. Blue 242 Loctite threadlocker can also be used on the mount screws to prevent the hex screws from backing out after they are mounted tightly in position. An example of these rings are the 30mm type made by the Vortex Optics company. The set normally costs around $200 USD
Quick-Release Cantilever Rifle Optic Ring Mounts
These types of quick-release rifle scope mounts can be used to quickly take off a scope and attach it to a different rifle. Numerous scopes can also be swapped out if they all use a similar design mount. These types of mounts come in handy for long guns which are transported a lot, to remove the optic from the rifle for protection, or for optics which are used between numerous rifles.
Info Around Glass Tube Sealing and Gas Purging
Wetness inside your rifle scope can spoil a day of shooting and your highly-priced optic by resulting in fogging and developing residue inside of the scope’s tube. Most scopes prevent humidity from entering the optical tube with a system of sealing O-rings which are water resistant. Typically, these water resistant optics can be immersed underneath 20 or 30 feet of water before the water pressure can push moisture past the O-rings. This should be ample moisture prevention for standard use rifles, unless you anticipate taking your rifle sailing and are concerned about the optic still performing if it is submerged in water and you can still recover the rifle.
Gas Purged Rifle Glass Tubes
Another element of avoiding the buildup of moisture inside of the rifle optic’s tube is filling the tube with a gas like nitrogen. Given that this space is currently occupied by the gas, the scope is less impacted by temp alterations and pressure variations from the outdoor environment which may potentially enable 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 seek out.
