Thanks jw4425, and seems like you found a winner.  It's great to be able to handle multiple optics to try and figure what fits you best or just wins for whatever reason.

Just thought I would give an update about the battery cover and it's issue some (Including me) are having getting marked up when removing and replacing it.

A week ago I got my second Vortex PST gen ll 3-15x44 and this time I hesitated on installing the battery until I found a washer that fit exactly in the slot and that seemed to have done the trick and I didn't leave any marks at all this time.

Having a screwdriver that fits exact has worked for me before with other products in preventing from marring them, but I couldn't for the life of me find anything besides a perfect fit washer that would do the trick on this battery cover.

Just thought I would throw that out there.

good idea.  another idea is for us to go into the battery cover business like the Aimpoint KAC cover!

Vortex sending me a replacement scope, confirmed mine had an issue.  should get it today - fingers crossed no issues!

Good luck man!

I have two gen ll 3-15x44's and no illumination issues yet.

The 2-10x32 gen ll's are finally in stock and I also have one on the way. The gen 1 2.5-10X32's were always one of my favorite optics.

Excited to try out the new gen ll.

I have yet to see any reviews on that model as of yet but I have no doubt it will have the same awesome glass and great turrets like the 3-15's have.

Sold off my Trijicon 1-8x and also went back to a Razor 1-6x I regretted selling a couple of years ago.

The washer trick also worked with that one so I think it should be GTG will all models like those with that type of battery cover.

Got to see the 3-15 PST G2 today, very impressive glass for the price point. The illuminator on the 3-15 works excellent, however, on the 1-6...not so much. The illuminator is "mushy," nothing like the Razor G2. The only real concern I have for the 3-15 is that the finish is really shiny and easily worn off (a downgrade from the PST G1 finishes). Am I the only one who finds it interesting they chose this noticeably shiny/flakey finish for their their "precision shooting tactical" line?

Just a heads up, Cabela's has the 3-15 FFP in stock and shipping.
I ordered mine on 4/8 and received it on 4/14.
Hope this helps someone out.

The 1-6 looks promising but I still can't wrap my head around the weight.

If PA can reduce the weight of their gen 3 to 15.5oz, why is this Vortex optic still 22oz.  That's nearly a full half pound of extra weight.

I'm looking forward to see video reviews of how clear the Vortex glass is.



.

Agree. I spontaneously placed an order with DSG when they had their sale a few days ago. Around $590 shipped for a 1-6 gen 2 but after sleeping on it I decided to cancel the order and think I'm going to stick with the new Leupold 1-6 HD I just got. 13.4 oz and great glass. Only complaint is the FireDot in green is barely daylight bright....prob send in to get changed to red which from reports is daylight bright.  Once I see more reviews on the gen 2 PST I might eventually get one.

I got my new one and it's definitely and improvement.  Talked a little about it on another thread for this same optic HERE.

Quite a few instock here.



http://aaoptics.com/Viper-PST-Gen-II_c_89.html

That's not crazy for a 1-6x.  The 1-6x Razor is 3oz heavier, the Burris 1-5x is only 1oz lighter, Accupoint 1-6x is 3oz lighter, etc.  It's definitely heavier than many, like Leupold and Kahles, but it's not totally out of whack with the market.  I'd guess the PA isn't nearly as robustly built, and obviously the illumination is much weaker, but I could be wrong.

That said, that extra weight is a big part of the reason I opted for the P4xi over the Gen II PST.  Just didn't feel right on my otherwise very light rifle - I'd rather have less zoom than the extra weight.

Anyone have their hands on a 5-25 yet?

I'm very impressed with the glass on my new Gen II 1-6.  Haven't compared to Kahles but it feels almost as sharp as my Trijicon stuff, glass-wise.  It's IS darned heavy, my first 1-6.  I'll say it does feel like a real tough scope.

I picked up a 5-25 ffp ebr-2c mrad off SH that is new in the box, I should have it in a few days. When I get it to the range and see how it tracks I'll update this thread with my findings. If it's like all the other reviews I've read of the higher power gen two's then it should be good to go.

Anyone have the 2-10x yet? I'm pretty interested in this one for my recce-ish gun.

Can anyone compare the eyebox between the Razor Gen II and the PST Gen II?

Has anyone done a tracking test on there pst gen 2 scope? I saw on on YouTube and it was up down only.

Finally got my 5x25 mounted and to the range.  
The only issues I have are.
1 the entire "Christmas tree" isn't illuminated, just the main cross hair
2. It's ok bright, but no luck seeing it outside other than dusk or dawn
3 manual lists reticle values under 2 d, not c...

Good glass, solid build, good clicks and great tracking.  It handeled the sun and mirage great at past noon on a simi auto suppressed at 100 degrees. It was worth the money, and I have no regrets.  It's not my uso sn3, but that cost twice my pst 2.

Ordered a 1-6 today from optics planet.

With 10% off it was $629. Now to decide if it works in tandem with the micro on the scar 16 or goes on the Grendel mini recce

Is there some kind of coupon code running right now?

http://www.ar15.com/forums/t_1_180/1751724_10--12--Off-Optics-Planet-Discount-Code.html

How have I never seen that before.
Thanks

Literally did the same thing yesterday for my 6.5G mini recce.

Hwy are we seeing so many in the EE / FB and other forums used for sale?

Can you do a tracking test on this scope?

Thinking of the 3-15x44 for a dual use hunting and longer range shooting scope on my Ruger American predator. Concerned the reticle on 3x might not be bold enough for hunting. Any input? Max 500yd for shooting (usually 2-300), and 300yd hunting deer and pig.

I just recently got a Gen2 PST 3-15 and a 5-25 to see which one I liked the best.  I went with the 3-15 for my precision AR cuz that's all the magnification I really needed, even though I loved the 5-25 as well. I am verybimpressed by the upgrades on the Gen2's compared to the Gen1's.   Anyway, the PST Gen2 5-25 is on EE now if anyone is interested.

I bought Gen II Pst 1-6 and got some time behind it this weekend, really wanted a Razor 1-6 but just couldn't justify the price. Though nearly $600 less the scope is very nice, glass is not quite as nice as the Razor but it's not all that far behind. I was worried about getting a shiny finish one but got one that had the matte finish so that was a pleasant surprise. Illumination is awesome, dial works great. Magnification ring is stiff but manageable.


Two thumbs way up for me.

I saw maybe 6-8 PST gen2's this weekend. I talked to a guy at Vortex about the finish and we started looking at them and decided it was totally random if it came out glossy or matte. At first he thought maybe the FFP ones were matte, but at the end there was no pattern. So it's luck of the draw on the finish. The matte looked very nice, and even the shiny ones aren't too bad.

I was very impressed after handling them next to the HD amg and Razor gen2, amazing optic for the money.

I'm throwing out a random thought justified with my experience working in Aerospace metal finishing.

I think the variability in specularity of the scope finish is a result of varying oxide film thickness. Type II sulfuric acid anodizing is very thin and tends to come out shiny. The Type III anodizing we did was an order of magnitude thicker driven to very high current densities to get a very durable, very hard finish. The surface morphology and film structure were very different between Type II and III resulted in different appearance and physical properties.

If Vortex is getting inconsistent finishes, I would look at the caustic etch pretreat and dye/seal post treat. Depending on how the tanks are configured, I would also consider rearranging the parts racks to minimize shadowing.

Back on topic: I'm not in a good location to shooting long distance anymore but I have a Savage 10T in 308 in need of a scope. Previously, it wore a PST 2.5-10x32mm borrowed from my SPR and that worked okay out to 700yds on SCUBA tanks. I'm eyeing the gen 2 3-15 FFP. Anybody with direct experience of that scope on a precision bolt gun? I'm in no rush. Any bugs in the initial run of scopes? Any merit to waiting for something else if I can wait another year?

I ordered two PST IIs in March.  
The 5-25x50 FFP and the 3-15x44 FFP both MRAD.

At that time was told 3-5 month wait.
Just checked status...still on the list, now expect 7-9 months from original order!

This was posted in the Vortex Industry forum not too long ago. Although it is specifically talking about the Razor Gen II, it may still apply to the PST Gen II:

-Why is it so bloody heavy? It's not long. The turrets aren't huge. The tube isn't 50mm or anything. Glass is glass...aluminum is aluminum...so is Vortex using glass lenses that are stoopid thick? Is the main-tube very thick? Combo of both? Your Strike Eagle is much lighter....why?  
Some of it comes from our IP and that is proprietary info, but durability has something to do with it. The internals of the scope have brass and steel components while most others use aluminum. This is part of what makes it so durable, and the turret system so repeatable and accurate, which you don't see in many 1-6 optics.

IMO it's mostly the turrets, which no one seems to discuss. They have great clicks, just the right weight you don't accidentally get 2 clicks instead of 1. The zero stop is night and day better. You get 10 mil turrets instead of 5 mil turrets so you can shoot to your guns max range or 1000 on the first rotation. It has awesome reliable tracking. This alone is worth the weight, but the tube and glass are improved too. The people who "hurried up" and bought a Gen 1 for weight are fools.

I have the gen I and it's pretty nice. Love the weight. Poor mans NF. The glass is pretty decent for the price and it appears to be very well built. I think Vortex made a mistake messing with this model. It had quite a following.

Thought the funky fire dot model was daytime bright. Not that I like it. Wish they'd put a fire dot in the center of their CMR model.

I no longer own any PST's and now use a Bushnell LRHS 3-12 G2H reticle mil/mil on a couple of my rifles And am probably going with a piggyback RDS or offset 45° irons. The glass and light gathering on those is outstanding but they are a little more expensive of course. I did find a smoking deal on one here on the EE though for $700 and their warranty mirrors that of vortex's.

Aside from that I have owned both the gen 1 2.5-10 and gen 2 2-10x models and there is a huge difference in comparison.

The superior eyebox on the gen 2's makeup for its shorter eye relief and for me I didn't even notice any difference because of that.

As a matter of fact after owning a gen 2 between it's far superior glass and light transmission I have no future interest in purchasing any of the generation 1's anymore even though there are some smokin deals on them in the EE.

Yes they are heavier and it is a price you pay for them being more durable than the gen 1, which was a complaint from most who owned the first generation.

Unfortunately for some reason they just don't pull it off like Leopold can with their durable and lightweight optics. Their Razor HDLH version might come close in the durability department.

Over the years I have read several threads here and on other forums of the gen 1's having durability problems.

I compared my second-generation PST 3-15x to a Japan made higher-priced optic and the PST was actually better in light gathering and seem to be just as clear if not a little more clear to my eyes.

Anyways this is my personal experience and I believe the newer models are far superior and worth the extra weight and price.

The only reason I ended up going with the Bushnell scope was not because it's a couple of ounces lighter but because of its superior glass and 2x more magnification. I also prefer the more simplistic and durable zero stop on the Bushnell optic. If this optic did not exist I would probably still own my higher mag PST gen 2's.

ETA:

Forgot to mention I still own a gen 2 1-6 and the weight is not a big deal.