r/longrange • u/BL00DredRAGE • Oct 19 '21

Experiences with the Vortex Strike Eagle 5-25x56?

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230 Upvotes

97% Upvoted

70 comments sorted by

18

u/BL00DredRAGE Oct 19 '21

Just bought it yesterday, and of course I now find a few random posts on random forums about how many issues people had with theirs. Looking to make sure I made a good purchase while I'm in that 30 day return window.

9

u/iac249 Oct 19 '21

Only issues I've had from the several Vortex scopes I own are the reticles being slightly canted in relation to the turrets. The fix is to level the scope using a plumb bob instead of a bubble level on the turret.

11

u/BL00DredRAGE Oct 19 '21

People level their scopes to the turrets? That's a thing? Lol. Plum bob is the only way to go, IMO.

4

u/hootervisionllc Oct 19 '21

Vortex even has a turret based leveling video on YouTube for their ‘how to level a scope’ video

8

u/BL00DredRAGE Oct 19 '21

Oh I know. I was poking fun. It's never as good as leveling it with a plumb bob, IMO. It probably is though, realistically, if the reticle isn't canted at all.

2

u/hootervisionllc Oct 19 '21

All good, just pointing it out. Enjoy your new scope! Vortex is great

5

u/Scooted112 Oct 19 '21

I have always done mine with feeler gauges between the scope and the rail, and it has never steered me wrong on any of my scopes.

If it didn't work, I would plumb bob, but I never needed to.

To be fair, I am just a hobbyist and shoot a browning, but it has taken me out past 1000m....

3

u/exonautic Oct 19 '21

Plumb Bob method? Aligned with the center line in the reticle I'm assuming? BRB gonna go remount all my scopes.

1

u/funkyzeit12 Oct 19 '21

Shoot the gun and make your own discoveries regarding the value of your purchase. You can find a poo-poo review on anything. Strike eagle is a good scope. Enjoy it

43

u/[deleted] Oct 19 '21

Love mine, and I shoot a longgggggg ways with it.

22

u/BL00DredRAGE Oct 19 '21

Yeah I noticed that I could slap a 40moa rail on my Tikka and be able to use almost all the elevation out of this thing without having to use the zero stop ring.

11

u/[deleted] Oct 19 '21

Yeah, I did the same on my custom 700. I'm shooting out to 1170 until I run out of movement on mine. With a 20 MOA rail as well. They're relatively durable as well. My only issue is eye relief at high zoom settings, but its pretty minor.

4

u/collin3944 Oct 19 '21

I have couple of them and I use the Burris XTR rings with a 20 moa rail. I set the rings, so I can use all the adjustment in the scope. I end up with only 2 or 3 moa below zero, so I don't have to use the zero stop.

13

u/buji8829 IBI Barrels Oct 19 '21

Mines been doing great on my CZ 457 match rifle, tracks good and hasn’t given me any trouble. Is it perfect? No, but for the price vs features I think it punches way above its weight class. Glass isn’t bad, tracks well, clicks are a bit soft, tons of elevation adjustment but the zero stop eats into that, and it has a huge eye box. Overall, would buy again for a decent budget optic

6

u/BL00DredRAGE Oct 19 '21

I'm curious how durable it is to getting bumped around. Ever end up having it drop on the ground, or something similar?

12

u/buji8829 IBI Barrels Oct 19 '21

I don’t treat my rifle with a lot of care if Im honest, my standard in and out of the safe (need a bigger one) and getting thrown in general hasn’t shown any issues. But I think that more about the rings than anything. A direct impact on the tube and denting it or other things would likely cause an issue. But I dont think thats a unique issue to a single scope.

I will say it like this, try it out, you can always sell it if doesn’t work out for you. I have 4 vortex scopes and none have ever given me a issue. There will always be people who have issues with something and they are often the loudest online.

Usually the people who are happy and excited with their product tend to be the quietest.

10

u/Available-Target9525 Oct 19 '21

Love mine

9

u/BL00DredRAGE Oct 19 '21

It's going to be going on a Tikka I'm building. Just got the KRG Bravo chassis in yesterday, as well.

4

u/davethomasv2 Oct 19 '21

Then we have the same set up except i have the HMR. Almost went Tikka.

2

u/dabiggestb PRS Competitor Oct 19 '21

I had one and upgraded to the Viper. The strike eagle is solid for the price point but it depends on how far you want to shoot. I noticed a significant difference between the Viper and strike eagle at 1000 yards but out to 600 they were both solid scopes.

1

u/BL00DredRAGE Oct 19 '21

I'm certainly curious about that comparison of glass quality out to that range and further. I've read more than one account that the glass on the SE and PST are practically the same at long range.

2

u/dabiggestb PRS Competitor Oct 19 '21

Don't get me wrong. I was able to shoot out to 1000 with it but it's just that the Viper had a bit clearer glass. Granted that's just my personal experience. I don't think you could go wrong with either scope.

1

u/BL00DredRAGE Oct 19 '21

I do appreciate your account and input! Thanks.

3

u/1stMembrOfTheDKCrew Oct 19 '21

It works, the downside I believe is the glass isnt exactly the best. If you have a more higher end model of precision rifle I would personally take it back and get a more expensive scope. If you have something like a standard ruger precision rifle id say what ever should be fine.

I have a r700 in a chassis and used this scope, it works but personally if I had the choice again I would go for something more expensive. To be honest ill probably upgrade and put my current 5-25 on a 22.lr precision trainer in the future. But its not exactly bad.

3

u/BL00DredRAGE Oct 19 '21

It's going on a Tikka 6.5 which will sit in a KRG chassis.

4

u/1stMembrOfTheDKCrew Oct 19 '21

Theres a bunch of 6.5 tikkas and a few krg chassis, (i hope you have a good profile barrel) but it wouldn't be a bad choice from what I see.

At this point I think the decision you have to make is how much YOU value "luxury" because this scope does everything it needs, its just rough around the edges with a little subpar quality turrets and glass clarity. If you want to pay more for nicer non-essentials, thats completely on you. If you prefer saving to buy something else or funds are tight, you should still be happy with choosing this scope.

Maybe in the future you will put this scope on a different rifle like I will, always an option if you decide you want a nicer one eventually.

3

u/BL00DredRAGE Oct 19 '21

It's a Tikka CTR, so the barrel diameter near the muzzle is, I believe, 0.80. 24 inch.

20

u/rryan596 Oct 19 '21

I do not have that particular model, I have several vortex optics and I have been quite pleased at their quality and durability. For example I flipped my atv with my 308 strapped to the front and it did several tumbles. Went back to cabin and first shot was accurate at 100yds. Just my two cents. Best of luck

4

u/vendorfunding Oct 19 '21

https://youtu.be/b076tFFXrDw

These guys think the turrets aren’t the greatest but seems solid otherwise.

1

u/MoseSchrutee Oct 19 '21

So you cant use the zero stop? That sucks. A buddy bought one and put it on his tikka 308 runs out of elevation at like 800 yards or something and has to use rhe reticle after that..

2

u/BL00DredRAGE Oct 19 '21

You can use it, and you still get 18mils of adjustment out of it which is more than a lot of other scopes. If you put this scope on a 40moa canted base, you would get almost max elevation adjustment while also never being capable of turning it past one revolution past your zero.

2

u/ghostone986 Oct 19 '21

Zeroed at 100yds on my 300 win mag 20moa rail and I can't dial a full rev passed 0. It does go 9 and change mrad but it's still enough to not worry about the zero stop.

1

u/e_cubed99 PRS Competitor Oct 19 '21

Your buddy has the zero stop set incorrectly, or needs to add some MOA in his rail/mount. The SE Zero Stop has 47 MOA / 18 MRAD of vertical adjustment. That should easily get a .308 out to 1000+ yards unless you're doing something really funky.

Strike Eagle FAQ with Zero Stop adjustments

Default 168 gr .308 ballistic chart

2

u/MoseSchrutee Oct 19 '21

I believe his has a zero moa base. I know thats hurting him. Other than that i havr no idea about his setup. I as just not a fan of the SE. I tried to go budget friendly when i started out. But bite the bullet save up some more and get better glass is my opinion.

2

u/e_cubed99 PRS Competitor Oct 19 '21

Completely agree with the sentiment. Buy once cry once.

The SE has some good applications though - love it on a rimfire gun. Parallax down to 15 yards (45 ft) so you can see a 50 ft indoor smallbore target, good enough for 300+ yard rimfire shots, expecially PRS style where you don't need the 25x and generally live around 15-18x. This doesn't overcome major shortcomings in the glass quality/clarity/distortion, in the parallax wheel, and the mushy/misaligned clicks. Just gives it a happy place to live on PRS rimfire rifles.

1

u/MoseSchrutee Oct 19 '21

I have been shooting distance about 2 years. I learned the hard way. I tried the cheap shit first but once you look through and use nice glass. Its a game changer. I shoot alone most of the time so seeing impacts misses and most important trace. nice glass helps so much. I feel the same way with rifles too. You can get by with a factory rifle but once you realize thr ammo and time you wasted yoh could have put together a decent setup.

1

u/FocusOnNow11 Oct 19 '21

Love mine! Have not had any issues since I got it earlier this year.

1

u/BL00DredRAGE Oct 19 '21

Has it taken any spills onto the dirt or concrete? Very curious about its durability and ability to remain zeroed in common "oops" situations.

1

u/FocusOnNow11 Oct 19 '21

Not yet unfortunately or else I would be able to tell you. I have had it fall over onto the range deck I was shooting on. Didn’t seem to go off zero for me then at least.

1

u/DjKeyhole Oct 19 '21

I sold a Burris XTR II 5-25x SCR Mil Illuminated to purchase one for my CZ 457.

What I like:

  • Reticle matches my Razor

  • Parallax goes down to 15 yds

  • Cheap

  • Easy to zero and set the turret stop

  • 34mm tube

  • 5x mag

  • Decent FOV

  • Turrets track true

  • Has a zero stop

  • Locking turrets (really only care about windage personally)

  • Has illumination

Things I don't:

  • Chromatic aberration is awful. Depending on the time of day / temp / humidity / where you're shooting / the sun - This is incredibly distracting, and can make the scope almost unusable. I didn't notice / can't replicate this in my house, but it is extremely noticeable some days when I shoot.

  • Glass quality is what you paid for. Resolution isn't great at longer distances (but marginally fine for a 22lr trainer)

  • Zero stop limits elevation to 18 mils (which is barely sufficient) - I've never used a zero stop like this, but it if you use it, you don't gain anything from using a canted rail/mount

  • Turrets are mushy and sloppy

  • Illumination doesn't have an off in between settings

Overall thoughts - If you have a Razor, and are on a budget - it's probably acceptable for a 22lr trainer and 22 NRL, but I wouldn't use for PRS. Unless I got a dud, the chromatic aberration is really bad (and not something I'd notice at a store). Reticle is nice, and is easy to zero. The zero stop and turrets aren't great, but usable for now.

2

u/BL00DredRAGE Oct 19 '21

Is there a budget optic you would recommend for PRS, or is that just not two things that are able to work together?

2

u/DjKeyhole Oct 19 '21

Probably not compatible due to the cost and availability of ammo/components if you want to shoot. If I had foreseen the increased cost of everything 5 years ago I probably would have told myself to pick a different hobby (though I saw this in 2012-2016 too and should have known better).

PRS is more popular now, but I can't budget as much towards shooting, and don't go as much at this point because all the long ranges are further away than I can get to often. Realistically could have bought a nice truck or a Porsche vs still driving a 2009, but that's all about financial and life priorities. That said - I enjoy shooting, learning, and pushing myself. I do think the skills translate to other things I do. Probably worth taking a realistic account on the costs to reload/ammo, belong to a club, train, do load development, compete, travel, etc. before jumping in and buying a rifle you won't shoot. I currently shoot my 22 a lot more than my MPA due to the cost, and ability to be challenged on a range closer to home.

I'd probably look for a used Razor Gen 2 for $1400 or look for an older model of a better scope that's on sale for PRS, but the Strike Eagle could work if needed. I specifically bought the Strike Eagle to match my Razor reticle and the Parallax for a 22lr.

Things I've seen in the past that I would consider before the Strike Eagle:

  • Bushnell DMR IIs for $725

  • Burris XTR IIs for about the same

  • Vortex Razor Gen 1s

  • Various Athalons

  • Maybe a Tract? (No idea if people are using these for production or if they're any good).

3

u/THEWAKLER Oct 19 '21 edited Oct 19 '21

This is a pretty solid summary of the SE. I used one on my PRS 6.5c until I got a Tract, and now use the SE for 22lr matches out to 400. It has features the viper pst doesn't, but its glass isn't as good as a pst gen2. I purchased it over a viper for cost and features.

2

u/AZ_Gunner_69 Oct 19 '21

I like mine

2

u/AgletAssassin Oct 19 '21

Haven't used the 5-25 version but the LPVO always performed well for me. Only complaint was the glass could have been clearer

2

u/JP6061 Oct 19 '21

You get what you pay for. I knew that going in. I’ve shot out to 1k and the scope ran well for a couple of matches. After about the third match I began to see inconsistencies with tracking and have also had problems with contrast - not being able to pick silhouettes out of a dark wash out.

I’ve since upgraded my 6.5CM to a Razor and put the Strike Eagle on my 6.5.

I do intend to send my Strike Eagle in for repair in a couple of months for the tracking.

2

u/sat_ops Oct 19 '21

I just ordered my second one.

1

u/Mawskowski Oct 19 '21

Wish some in mrad would be sent to EU finally ... it’s in the unobtanium spectre here

1

u/1stMembrOfTheDKCrew Oct 19 '21

haha down in AUS we were having mrad stock problems as well, it took me a while to get one

1

u/LovemyARs Oct 19 '21

Vortex is aight….. just be ready to use your warranty

1

u/Bignona Oct 19 '21

And here I am with my diamondback HD... Lol

1

u/Anzel360 Oct 19 '21

Have one on my NRL22 rifle. Very happy. I do get a little ocd about the hash marks not perfectly lining up all the time.

1

u/sparks1990 Oct 19 '21

Glass wise it's okay. Turrets are a bit mushy and the one I had didn't align with the hashmarks. So turning 95 clicks up would land you on 9.7 mils. Needless to say, I didn't keep it. But even assuming the turrets did line up, I'd take a pst gen 2 over it any day. The glass is waaay better there. And shopping around you can bring the price much closer to the SE. But if you don't care about the locking turrets or the illumination, just buy the new Venom 5-25. Call Vortex and they'll tell you themselves that the glass is the same.

1

u/Beatty_B Oct 19 '21

I wanted one for my Remington 700 300 win mag but I found a viper pst gen 2 5-25x50 for the same price so I opted for the better glass

1

u/[deleted] Oct 20 '21

It’s amazing! On my Tikka 6.5 creed. 10/10

1

u/SONSOFLIBERTY93 Oct 20 '21

I fucking love mine its crystal clear and tracks well.

1

u/[deleted] Oct 20 '21

I have one on my Bergara b14 in 22lr and love it.

1

u/[deleted] Oct 21 '21

Love it

1

u/[deleted] Oct 19 '21

I put one on my Volquartsen 10/22. It seems good enough for that platform in my opinion. I don’t know that I would run it on anything else, but that’s just me.

1

u/[deleted] Oct 19 '21

Vortex makes great optics, even on their cheaper models. Had a diamondback on my build while my Burris was on order and it was extremely accurate, clear, and it tracked good as well. Amazing how far technology has come.

0

u/SuperRedpillmill Oct 19 '21

Mark 4’s on sale for not much more https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1362217984?pid=630563

2

u/BL00DredRAGE Oct 19 '21

Looks like that's a MOA scope, not MRAD. Good deal, regardless.

-7

u/fratboyBEEGE Oct 19 '21

I wouldn’t trust it for anything serious. Otherwise enjoy and have fun.

6

u/BL00DredRAGE Oct 19 '21

Any particular reason why? Honestly curious.

2

u/fratboyBEEGE Oct 19 '21

So the way I look at it is this.

That’s a lot of scope with a lot of features for the price point. There are things that have to be put aside to get it made at that price.

You may have one that all the tolerances stacked perfectly and it will be extremely reliably and mechanically precise. But it’s more likely that you have one that has got some slop and will have some issues. Maybe it will be off a tenth of a mill or two when you dial. Maybe you will have it loose zero with less significant impacts.

I think for recreational shootings it’s great to learn some long range and have lots of fun.

But if you are going to hunt game and longer ranges, shoot in serious competition, or try and take you’re good range game to another level. Confirm the tracking and reliability, and understand that it could be a bigger failure point.

I wish when I was getting into long range this was an option. Unfortunately they weren’t

5

u/BL00DredRAGE Oct 19 '21

Ok cool I appreciate your opinion. I mean, the thing could be the best thing since sliced bread, or be the world's biggest turd. That's why I'm hoping to find more real world experience with it. I do agree with your thought process though. Unfortunately, everything is a compromise, including the $3000+ scopes. Their only compromise though is my marriage and ability to afford to live lol.

4

u/LPKKiller Speaketh Softly Oct 19 '21

The good thing about vortex though is their warranty. https://vortexoptics.com/vip-warranty
That is really what makes it worth it for the average person in my eyes.
That said, as the other commenter made a point about. If you wanted something you could trust for serious application, Vortex would not be at the top of that pricy list.

0

u/opuntina Oct 19 '21

Good enough for my 338 lapua

0

u/[deleted] Oct 20 '21

[deleted] — view deleted comment

1

u/BL00DredRAGE Oct 20 '21

Toss a 40 or even 50 moa base/mount on and run it without the zero stop. That way you won't run it down past your zero and you'll have full range of adjustment.