In the world of optics, it’s easy to divide manufacturers up by their products’ price point and assume that’s where the quality stands as well. That might be a decent rule of thumb, but there are outliers. SWFA makes a fantastic fixed power scope at a budget price. Leupold has seen prices skyrocket in the last few years, but optical quality hasn’t increased at the same rate.
Vortex has routinely made good products, but takes advantage of volume sales (and overseas manufacturing) to keep prices low. Does this historical reputation match today’s product, the Vortex Venom 3-15×44 FFP? Let’s find out….
Tech Specs:
- Magnification: 3-15x
- Objective Lens: 44mm
- Focal Plane: Front Focal Plane
- Reticle: EBR-7C (MRAD)
- Eye Relief: 3.7″
- FOV: 42.4′-8.4′ @ 100 yards
- Turret Style: Exposed Elevation, Capped Windage
- Tube Size: 34mm
- Adjustments Graduation: .1 MRAD
- Travel Per Rotation: 10 MRAD
- Max Elevation Adjustment: 36 MRAD
- Max Windage Adjustment: 21 MRAD
- Length: 13.3″
- Weight: 28.8 oz
- Made in: China
- MSRP $649.99 (about $449 retail)
First Impressions
Popping the Venom out of the box is everything you’d hope and expect. The scope feels sturdy without being overly heavy. The turrets have solid, tactile clicks when adjusting. The parallax knob is, as usual, a little stiff at first, but breaks in quickly. The same goes for the ocular ring, not that it’s something you usually fiddle with often.
I prefer the windage knob to be uncapped just like the elevation turret, but there are plenty of other scopes out there like that, and I’m reviewing this one for you, not me.
The magnification adjustment ring has excellent texturing on it. The ring spins easily enough, but not so easily it’ll adjust magnification without you meaning to.
The EBR-7C reticle Vortex has chosen for the scope offers a lot of data points without being excessively cluttered. Being a first focal plane scope, it gets pretty fine at 3X magnification, but that’s the tradeoff to make sure the reticle isn’t overbearing at full magnification.
All told, the Vortex Venom looks the part of a solid optic. I mounted it into a Vortex-supplied 34mm Precision Extended Cantilever mount, and bolted it onto my PSA Sabre-10/”M110-ish” build.
Range Time
I’ve had the Vortex Venom 3-15x for a few months now and a heavy shooting couple of months they’ve been. Now that the heat is coming in, I’m slowing down, but I’ve spent some extensive time with the Venom.
The EBR-7C reticle is very effective, giving me holdover marks out to nearly 1000 yards without adjusting elevation. The same is true for windage, where there’s about 6.5 MRAD worth of horizontal hold at the 10 MRAD holdover line. I’m sure there are guys out there who can use it, but if it’s blowing that hard I’m not likely to be shooting at 950 yards anyway.
My usual practice is to use holdovers in favor of dialing adjustments, but for a review I do both. I like having a a first focal plane optic because the reticle isn’t just calibrated at one specific magnification, it accurate at any level of zoom.
I start every range day with a zero check. The Vortex Venom hasn’t failed to return to zero once, no matter what adjustments I’d made the previous range day. While it’s not an official box test, this is a scope that tracks.
I took this scope/gun combo out recently for a little late evening coyote spotting. I wasn’t able to get any critters to come out of the brush enough to pop one, but I was pretty happy with how well the glass transmitted light.
The Venom might not keep pace with the $2,000 optics of the world in low light conditions, but the Venom did well for its price. I could have stayed out a little later if the reticle was illuminated, but we’re only talking a few minutes of potential extra hunting time. Overall, I’m more than satisfied with the glass clarity and color transmission of the Venom.
Bottom Line
This is one of the most routine, unsurprising scopes I’ve used. It does everything you want a $449 scope to do, especially since it’s covered by the Vortex VIP warranty. The Vortex Venom offers more magnification than I even use out to 1,000 yards. It’s well built with a fast and effective reticle. If you’re wondering whether or not the Vortex Venom is worth it, my answer is a definite yes.
Every scope manufacturer has the same warranty, and I’ve needed the Vortex warranty more than any other. Mediocre, especially on their lower end.
“It does everything you want a $449 scope to do, especially since it’s covered by the Vortex VIP warranty.”
Rex, please explain how being “covered by the Vortex VIP warranty” helps or aids or causes this $449 scope to do “everything you want a $449 scope to do”.
🙂