vortex diamondback vs leupold vx-1

[deano22]

hello there, new to hunting just last year bought a savage axis stainless 30-06 as my first rifle came with the cheap bushnell on it, decided to upgrade scope while on a budget was looking for a scope 300 or under, went yesterday and bought vortex diamondback 3x9-40mm with BDC reticle,awesome looking scope, decided to check out another store and found a leupold vx-1 for 20 bucks more with just the duplex reticle, I am torn between returning the vortex and getting the leupold or just sticking with the vortex, not a pro hunter just an average guy, just wanna know what you guys think between the 2 scopes, thanks in advance.... cheers.

[monasheemountainman]

get the leupold

[Darksith]

Imo u don't need a b dc with an '06...so if u r liking the Leup then return the vortex. Both r decent for the $

[russm]

I like the vortex, have it on the same gun as you do , is probably complain about the gun before the scope.

[Hunt-4-Life]

Leupold is the best bang for your buck IMO. Don't know about the Axis though...

[Darksith]

Leupold is the best bang for your buck IMO. Don't know about the Axis though...
Spoken like someone who has never looked through vortex glass...Leup Olds have been bumped by the new kid on the block

[REMINGTON JIM]

Stick with the Vortex - its a great scope ! Not saying the leupold isn't as i ave a bunch LEO'S but the Vortex DB is just as nice as a VX 1 ! :wink: JMO RJ

[604redneck]

I had a lot of warranty issues with vortex only 1 was a diamondback but 6 viper products. I personally think the leupold is on par with the vortex but I guess only time will tell.

[mikeboehm]

Yup lots of warranty problems with vortex.

[tmoenner]

what sort of problems?
quality or warranty issues?
just bought two viper scopes

[604redneck]

I just sent 2 viper scopes diamondback binos and a viper spotting scope for warranty scopes got water inside and the binos and spotting scope had eye cup issues the glue on the rubber didn't hold and the metal frame broke

[hunter fisher]

a perk of vortex is their bullet proof warranty.

if your shoot it or you run over it or drop it off a cliff they will replace it free for life, no receipt necessary

http://www.vortexoptics.com/content/vip_warranty


pretty good insurance if you ask me

[mikeboehm]

My viper binos eye cups fell off, moisture got inside, the adjusment/focus knob came apart and wouldnt focus. This was with my first trip hunting. Thank god I had my cheap pair of Bushnell's with me because I would have been able to see first time I've owned vortex and will be the last. I have to give vortex credit their warranty was exactly 4 weeks from when I sent it in until I got them back completely redone. but they lost my confidence I sold them right away and bought a pair of Swarovski swarovision el.

the thing that pissed me off was they were three months old and I already had to send them in for warranty and pay for the shipping there

[frenchbar]

who wants to keep sending junk vortex in for warranty ..replacement or not ..its still junk..:mrgreen:

[khoffnbud]

Spoken like someone who has never looked through vortex glass...Leup Olds have been bumped by the new kid on the block

Looked through plenty of both....will be spending my money on leupold

[Quantafer]

I bought a new vortex for my 300wm. After half a box of ammo it was obvious it wouldn't hold zero. Straight back to the gunshop and went with Leu, should have trusted my gut in the first place. JUNK!

[deano22]

Thank you everyone for the response and help.

[cpearen]

Just bought a viper pst 4-16x50 from wholesale. Awesome scope.
And you cant beat the warranty, like treestandninja said, doesnt matter what you do to it they will fix it or replace it.
The viper is also argon filled, not nitrogen filled. Which is a bonus

[Hunter325]

I have a vortex diamondback 3-9x40mm on my 325WSM. Great scope, never had a problem 3/4-1" groups at 100 meters. Bought another 2-7x30 I believe it is for my 22mag never had any issues. Just my $0.02

[todbartell]

Vx1 has better eye relief, would be my choice

I'm a big fan of Vortex in general, but the Diamondback riflescopes don't have the eye relief I like in a scope. Now, the new for 2014 Diamondback HP is another story, 4.6" ER on the 2-8x32 and 4" on the 3-12x42 & 4-16x42. Essentially a Viper HS in a 1" tube. More $$ though but worth it IMO

[Darksith]

I have a vortex scope and bios, 2 seasons on the bios now, 4 on the scope...no issues at all

[curt]

if your in the entry level price range I would say leupold is better but if your spending some money vortex have very nice optics

[pieter]

The thing about warranty is you don't want to have to use it vortex always seems to screw up when they are most needed like on a hunting trip. You are a lot safer with leupold I M H O

[lorneparker1]

Spoken like someone who has never looked through vortex glass...Leup Olds have been bumped by the new kid on the block

Spoken like a guy who knows nothing about optics. If you like using warranties stick with the vortex~!

[BiG Boar]

Vortex just changed their sologan

Vortex - Creating warranty repair man jobs, one scope at a time.

[604redneck]

if your in the entry level price range I would say leupold is better but if your spending some money vortex have very nice optics
In what range? Razor can be easily replaced by a night force and almost all vipers can be replaced by a leupold or zeiss....

[Walksalot]

A friend of my brothers was on a guided hunt when the horse he was riding decided to have a roll. The rifle was in a scabbard and the scope was damaged. He sent it in for repair and was sent a new scope. He phoned the repair depot to thank them and the person at the warranty depot told him that Leupold scopes should be able to stand up to use in the field.

[bearhunter338-06]

A friend of my brothers was on a guided hunt when the horse he was riding decided to have a roll. The rifle was in a scabbard and the scope was damaged. He sent it in for repair and was sent a new scope. He phoned the repair depot to thank them and the person at the warranty depot told him that Leupold scopes should be able to stand up to use in the field.


So did hey fly in a scope for him?

[Walksalot]

So did hey fly in a scope for him?

No, he was prepared to use the guide's rifle but he never saw anything he wanted to shoot. My son slipped with his rifle and bent the back of the scope to a 45 degree angle. They repaired it on warranty. I dropped my rifle while cleaning it and smashed the scope. They repaired it on warranty but I still has some issues with it so they sent me a new scope. Leupold warranty is top shelf.

[pescado]

No, he was prepared to use the guide's rifle but he never saw anything he wanted to shoot. My son slipped with his rifle and bent the back of the scope to a 45 degree angle. They repaired it on warranty. I dropped my rifle while cleaning it and smashed the scope. They repaired it on warranty but I still has some issues with it so they sent me a new scope. Leupold warranty is top shelf.

Sounds like you and your hunting partners are hard on scopes. Smashing, bending to 45 degree angles.....have you ever considered an aperture sight?

[bearhunter338-06]

No, he was prepared to use the guide's rifle but he never saw anything he wanted to shoot. My son slipped with his rifle and bent the back of the scope to a 45 degree angle. They repaired it on warranty. I dropped my rifle while cleaning it and smashed the scope. They repaired it on warranty but I still has some issues with it so they sent me a new scope. Leupold warranty is top shelf.

With all that shipping back and forth maybe you should consider a Vortex and just go into Grouse River and do an over the counter exchange, No questions asked. Beat that Leupold for top shelf.

[835]

Viper HSLR on my RUM and a Ranger 1000 both are working Fine....
VxIII for near 20years and its working fine...

I would stick with the Vortex,,, i do think the BDC will come in handy... as long as you "Map it out"

[Kudu]

The entry level Vortex is exactly what it says on the can "entry level" you get what you pay for!

Spend a few bucks more and you get a better scope like the viper - better glass - better eye relief = happy customer.

What Vortex does, is give a fantastic after sales service - even for the the entry level guys - the rest simply can't or won't offer the same - so only the well heeled or "the die hard" stay with the other brands.

Vortex Viper scopes are really great value for money - and dollar for dollar I dont think much out there can match them.

If you want really great glass then spend the bucks and get a $1000 + (Schmidt and Bender / Night force) scope and keep it for a very long time.

[Walksalot]

Sounds like you and your hunting partners are hard on scopes. Smashing, bending to 45 degree angles.....have you ever considered an aperture sight?

My eyes are not that good any more so I need a scope.
Over a life time of hunting and handling rifles things are bound to happen. It is good to know that a company stands behind their product. The scope they replaced for me had the finish worn off from rubbing against my coat. I had it for 30+ years, I bought it second hand, and they still replaced it with a new one. ;-)

[604redneck]

With all that shipping back and forth maybe you should consider a Vortex and just go into Grouse River and do an over the counter exchange, No questions asked. Beat that Leupold for top shelf.
didnt know they did this....I have had lots of issues with vortex and am good friends with a few employees of grouse and I have never got to do this. I have however had the president of vortex USA email me after one of the customer service reps told me the reason I had so many issues is that I hunt to hard. I gave the president of vortex the employees name and he covered the shipping and I received some vortex clothing and hats

[todbartell]

Vortex warranty is not over the counter in all instances, and it is up to the retailer to do over the counter or not. Internal fogging on riflescopes, broken reticles, and crushed tubes is over the counter at the dealer's discretion. All other issues get sent to Guelph ON for repair/replacement. Typical turnaround time is 2-4 weeks

[hookedonblacktails]

I have had both of those scopes and I would definitely stick with the leupold, I thought the glass was nicer plus I trust the durability of the time tested and proven leupold more.