Razor sharp optics
Over er the past 10 years or so the Vortex lines of riflescopes have carved out solid reputations for themselves in South Africa. The optical quality is very good, the scopes are durable and Whylo Distributors, the local agent, provides excellent back-up service.
As you probably know, Whylo imports the Crossfire, Diamondback, Viper, Golden Eagle and Razor lines of Vortex products (riflescopes, binoculars and the different types of dot-sights). Some of the riflescope models are suitable for hunting only, some are suitable for tactical use and some can cover both hunting and tactical/target shooting.
The Razor line is Vortex’s flagship and a while back I had the opportunity to try out a Razor HD LH (Light Hunter). These compact, lightweight scopes come with 25mm tubes and are ideal for small, lightweight or so-called “mountain” rifles where a big scope will look out of place or when saving weight is important, like when you’re planning to engage steep terrain in search of vaal rhebok.
Vortex’s Razor Light Hunter comes in three models: 1.58x32; 2-10x40 and 3-15x42. I chose the nifty little 2-10x40 with a G4 BDC reticle. This reticle, fitted to the second focal plane, vaguely resembles the classic German Number 4 but has a floating dot at its centre that is perfect for my eyes. It also sports hash marks for aiming off at longer distances (see picture). The slightly heavier (fatter) sub-tensions make the reticle easy to pick up in low light conditions.
I recently acquired a miniaction, Howa rifle in 6.5 Grendel for bushveld hunting and target shooting (the Bushveld shooting exercise of SA Hunters where the maximum magnification allowed is 10x). The compact Razor HD LH perfectly complements the little rifle.
The HD (High Density) extralow dispersion glass, fully multicoated lenses and ArmorTek on the exterior lenses combine to deliver brilliant image quality. If you want top-class optics in a small package, look no further. I was really highly impressed with the razor sharp images the Light Hunter delivered. The scope is 31.75cm long and weighs 436g. Eye relief is a generous 3.8” or 96.5mm – good enough for use on heavy-recoiling calibres such as the .375 H&H.
The turrets are capped and the adjustment graduation is ¼” per click at 100 yards or 7.2mm at 100m. Total elevation and windage adjustments are 90MOA, and 15MOA travel per rotation. There is no external parallax adjustment turret – parallax is set at 100 yards at the factory.
How did it perform on the shooting range? Like a champion! The clicks are stiff and clearly audible and the adjustments accurate and repeatable. Unfortunately I did not have the opportunity yet to take the Razor LH hunting but will do so soon. (An article on the 6.5 Grendel and the field performance of the Razor will appear in a future edition.) edition )
Its 8x magnification range makes this scope ideal for rifles that are used in both bushveld and semi-open terrain. Set at 2x to 4x magnification the Light Hunter is perfect for close-range hunting where 50m is a long shot. In open terrain the maximum magnification of 10x makes it suitable for shots right out to 300m.
The suggested retail price for the 2-10x40 Light Hunter is R17 999. Yes, Razor scopes are not cheap but quality never is. This is a top-class scope backed by a reputable distributor and I am happy to recommend this product. * For more information on the Razor LH and other Vortex products, visit www.whylo.co.za or phone 031-584-8088.