Thoughts on a Weaver V16?

[krumfola]

How good is a Weaver 4-16x42 scope? How would it compare to a Vortex 6.5-20x44?

Keith

 

[jonbearman]

Honestly I think the Vortex has nicer glass in it.

 

[Half Scale]

I recently bought a Vortex 6.5-20 and mounted it on my sister-in laws coyote rifle. This was my first Vortex but it will not be my last one......I was impressed. In my opinion, it is going to be hard to beat the glass quality of the Vortex for the price.

 

['Freak]

I own many Vortex scopes including a low end Crossfire II, several of their mid-range Diamondbacks, and from the lower end of their more uppity optics are a couple Viper 6.5-20x44mmSF. I buy Vortex when I don’t wanna fork over the bucks it would take to buy comparable models from Leupold’s lineup. You get what you’ll pay for.

 

[fredhorace77]

i have no expirence with vortex, weavers are very nice scopes for what they are and cost. very good turret system, but like previous post imo their glass is lacking. ive owned 4 weavers over the years and they have all served me well, but ive always wished they would improve their glass coatings. also, ive only owned the V-Series, i have no expirence with their other line of scopes.

 

[Gary in MD]

I have several of the Weaver Grand Slams and I think that the glass is pretty good considering the price. Maybe not quite as good as the Zeiss Conquests or Leupolds, but close. I bought them thinking that the glass was good enough, but thinking that the good adjustments and tracking were what I was after.
ymmv,
Gary

 

[chuckbuster243]

I have a couple of the V24's and have a hunting buddy with a V16. Very good scopes for the money. They are repeatable and hold zero. The only thing I dont like is they dont have whole lot of internal adjustment. I use mine for 600 yard f class and hunting and am very happy with them. Matt

 

[flatlander]

I've got an older V16 that's seen use on a couple of 223s, and is currently residing on a custom M52 Winchester sporter. Have never had an issue with it, though it's been awhile since I've shot behind it, so I've never directly compared its optical quality to that of the two Vortex Viper 6-24x50 PSTs I have on LR tactical rifles.

The Vortex scopes have nicer turrets, a low-budget zero stop, and very usable reticles. They're more comparable to Weaver's 30mm 3-15 & 4-20 Super Slam & Tactical scopes, though IMO, the glass in these Weavers is every bit as good as - probably better than - that of the Vortex PST's. Too bad Weaver didn't put as much thought into their reticle design as they did in the optical & mechanical quality of their Super Slam & tactical lineup.

I've also got two of the big 34mm tube 6-30x56 Weaver Tactical scopes, and they're awesome when it comes to optical quality. They also have a really well-designed zero stop, excellent turrets, and very good illumination - but again, they skimped on reticle design. It's beyond my comprehension why they'd invest the time, $$$, & effort into the design of a scope that's obviously plenty good enough to compete in this market segment, then fall short on the reticle design.

eta - Forgot to mention that I also own a Bushnell ET35215GZA (34mm, G2DMR, 10 mil turrets, zero-stop) and a couple of Kahles K624i AMR scopes that I'm comparing the Weaver 34mm tactical scopes to. The Weavers compare favorably to both these well-known tactical scopes, having a little less chromatic aberration than the Bushnell/a little more than the Kahles, tracking & repeatability as good as either of the others, and a zero stop that's easier to set than the Bushy, and just a little more involved than that of the Kahles. The only areas where the Weavers are lacking is in the design of their reticle, and FOV that's smaller than either of the others when set to the same magnification. Should also mention that I placed an order for one of Vortex's Gen II Razor 4.5-27x56 EBR-2C scopes a couple of weeks ago - have had the hots for one of these scopes since they were announced. According to the guys at Sport Optics, I might have it as soon as April....

 

[JCardenas]

I own two vortex vipers in 6.5x20 and like them a lot. The best thing about Vortex is ther customer support and warranty. Try this...call vortex and see who answers the phone. When you call vortex you are likely to speak to a tech/manager/director right away. Plus their glass is very good for the money.

 

[Toolbreaker]

krumfola ,

I own both the scopes you're looking at, although the Weaver is a V24. I was pretty surprised at the clarity of the Weaver, but within reason. I checked both side-by-side after receiving the Weaver, and honestly couldn't tell any difference between them in quality of glass. Had a smile on my face about that. Shortly after that, had them both out at the range (different rifles), and noticed that the Weaver was much dimmer that day. That's when it clicked that the first day I checked was clear & sunny, but that day was very cloudy & overcast. I'm still not sure if that could be attributed to the difference in glass, main tube size (Vortex is 30mm), or both, but I'd guess at both. As far as mechanical function between the two, that goes to Vortex. The parallex settings on the Vortex are spot-on, while the Weaver is off somewhat. A little bit of fiddling with it is needed. The E&W travel on the Vortex is greater than the Weaver, but I can't remember the difference off the top of my head. The Vortex is 1/4" clicks, while the Weaver is 1/8". I won't get into the reticles too much, but will say that the varmint reticle on the Weaver fit's my needs fine for what that rifle is used for (1/8" dot? with FCH) as does the Vortex on a different rifle (mil-dot). I'm not trying to disparage the Weaver, even though it looks like it. I could change it, but it works just fine for me & my rifle (short range varmint/paper puncher). If I had to pick one only though, I would go to the Vortex.