Vortex Viper PST GEN II 1-6×24 – VMR-2 MOA Reticle

Purchased from Cabelas for $599.99

Pros:

• Very Bright and Clear Glass, especially considering the price
• Generous Field of View at all magnifications
• Super low distortion in 1x, very natural sight picture
• Daylight Bright Illumination
• Eyebox has a nice, flat performance
  • ie. the sight picture remains ‘good’ (no funky optical degradation) as your eye moves side-to-side, up-down behind the scope with a crisp falloff at the edges
• Reticle is easy to pick up without illumination, and is a style that we prefer
  • Reticle layout and style is very subjective though, so your opinion may differ
• Reticle’s return to Zero was spot on
• Second Focal Plane (we prefer)
• Has held its zero since installation, which was months ago and hundreds of rounds in the past (223/556)
• Vortex Lifetime Warranty
• Price

Neutral:

• Turrets are solid and very useable, but not the best out there
  • satisfactory for the value however
• A little heavy (22.7 oz, throw lever not included) 

Cons:

• Doesn’t ship with a throw lever

Summary:

We really like this rifle scope. In fact, this is the optic that lives on our primary G.O.O.D. carbine.

An LPVO is a great choice for a general purpose carbine setup, especially one like this that has premium-feeling performance in all the right places.  

Vortex StrikeEagle 1-6×24 SFP – AR-BDC3 Reticle

Purchased from OpticsPlanet for $249.99

Pros:

• Great Value – Price vs Performance
• Clear and bright glass for this price
• Low distortion
• Reticle is easy to pick up without illumination, and is a style that we like particularly for closer-range engagements
  • Reticle layout and style are subjective however, so your opinion may differ
• The Eyebox is very good; a comfortable size with limited optical degradation as the eye moves behind the scope until a crisp and well-defined drop-off into the shadow of the frame
• Scope body is minimally intrusive
• Illumination control has crisp and deep detent positions
• Comes with a Throw Lever for the magnification control grip
• Second Focal Plane (we prefer)
• Has held its zero since installation, which was months ago and hundreds of rounds in the past (223/556)
• Vortex Lifetime Warranty

Neutral:

• Maximum illumination setting could be brighter for daylight operation, but is satisfactory at this price

Cons:

• The Illumination settings have only a single Off position, not staggered on-off as we prefer
• The turrets are useable, with clearly audible and solid detents, however there is some wiggle between steps. These are the types of turrets that you would zero and then use holds for long(er) range engagements.
  • Although the turrets are ‘cheapy’, and clearly a place where Vortex has saved money for the consumer, they are not a show-stopper and are to be expected at this price point

Summary:

The value simply can’t be beat, in our humble opinion.

This is a great option for someone’s first LPVO to see if these types of optics satisfy your CONOPS and fit with your POU (credit: NutNFancy). They are also a great optic to place on a back-up rifle which you can share with a friend or go to with confidence in an emergency.  

In general, an LPVO is a great choice for a general purpose carbine setup, and this optic is a safe choice to get someone started who has a tight budget.  

AGM RattlerV2 35-384 – Thermal Imaging Rifle Scope

Purchased from B&H Photo for $2495.00

Pros:

• Imaging performance is better than expected
  • Can Identify ‘Hog vs Dog’ easily at 100 yards
• Button Layout is Intuitive and the button press feel is good
• Weight is < 18 ounces
• Rated for .308
  • We reached out to AGM to confirm this shock rating cause we couldn’t believe it
• 8x Digital Zoom (8x is too much zoom to be useful, but its nice to have it just in case)
• Battery Life is good at 4.5 hours
• Waterproof and Shockproof
• Video Recording and Snapshot with built in 16GB of memory

Neutral:

• Battery Life is decent at 4.5 hours

Cons:

• The cost is still a large hill to climb for most consumers, but that being said, having a reliable, capable and easy-to-use thermal available during challenging times would be absolutely invaluable. 

Summary:

Having Thermal is a game changer. Yes, there are drawbacks we must recognize when compared to typical Light Amplification devices, like PVS-14, but when it comes to detecting something alive that’s within several hundred yards and then identifying it when it gets closer, there is no comparison. 

If you believe, as we do, that challenging times are imminent, then acquiring thermal is worth the investment.