Roughly two years ago I traveled up to West Virgina to compete in my first match, I really didn’t have any idea what I was getting into.
I had just picked up a used rifle off a forum and slapped a Nightforce 5-22 on it. I had been doing long range shooting for just a few months, never done any matches.
After that match i was hooked, i came home and started examining my gear, I knew after that match i needed a new scope. Not because of reliability, glass, tracking but because i was running MOA my shooting pattern Mils. I also wanted a different reticle to help with ranging unknown distance targets. I sold the NSX and picked up a Schmidt and Bender 4-16×50 PMII with a P4f reticle.
Well I was done buying optics and had the pinnacle of long range scopes right? Sure S&B has the best glass out there and i loved the single 13mil turret but i missed the 22x zoom on my Nightforce. With talk of a new 3-20 PM II coming out I decided to sell the 4-16.
Well that was over a year ago and the 3-20’s still are not out, so i took a gamble and grabbed a used Vortex Razor with the EBR-2 reticle, for me a bargain. I figured it would get me buy until the 3-20’s come and then sell to buy the new scope.
I really didn’t expect much with the razor and even considered selling it before i got it up and running, you know only 5 mil turret, horrible eye box, unproven track record.
well that was roughly a year and a half ago and guess what? I am still running my Razor.
is it the end all be all of scopes?
No, truthfully i don’t think there is one currently out there today. to me optics are a trade off of many variables they all rank differently with the end user. the include Optical quality, Zoom, Reticle options, Zero stop, turret orientation and value, aesthetics
to me the Razor is a solid scope especially considering you can easily pick up a used one for under $1800, and Vortex has a great warranty to boot.
What do i most like about the scope? I simply love the reticle, it has everything i need and want, .2 milling subs-tensions on the horizontal and verticle, Numbered hold offs for shooting without dialing, plus it has windage hold off in what i refer to a Christmas tree pattern similar to the popular Premier GenII XR, again great to shooing without dialing or making quick corrections after a miss, yes when you shut the computer down and shoot you do in fact miss targets.
It has good glass, s&b quality? No but then again for half price i wasn’t expecting it, it has good enough glass to shoot moa and sub moa targets at distance, i have shot mine to 1300yard and i could see the target just fine, not as clear or as bright as my buddies PMII 5-25 but it gets the job done.
so far it has been reliable, ive dropped it out of the truck on concrete and it held zero, shot it over 3 days at a match dialing for almost every stage and it returned to zero
negatives, what don’t i like about the scope? 35mm tube, I feel 30mm and 34mm are proven and out in the market, why not make it 34mm ? just easier to find rings or use existing rings
make it in black, sure the brownish color is neat but a black option is much needed
other than that to me the razor is what you see what you get, and for right at $2k retail you are getting alot of optic
good shooting
By: benjie bates
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