Vortex PST Gen II Review

In the world of long range precision shooting there is a huge divide between the equipment that can get you started and what the "pros" are using.  No matter your budget, you can find plenty of options to spend your money on.  I recently had to decide what scope to put on a Christensen Arms MPR in 6.5 Creedmoor that would split time between hunting and competition shooting.  Although the rifle could have handled a higher end scope, I was looking at options around $1,000 and wanted something that would have exposed turrets, good glass and a magnification range appropriate for the 6.5 Creedmoor.

I own an older Leupold MK IV that spent years on a Remington 700 in 308, which I rebarreled into 260 Remington. I also have a Bushnell DMR II on a Ruger PrecisionRifle.  Both those scopes work well, but I wasn't quite happy enough with them to buy another.  I've also had the opportunity try out scopes from other shooters and competitors from Nightforce, Premier, IOR, Steiner, Vortex and more.  Ultimately, I decided that the Vortex PST Gen II in 3-15x in MRAD was the scope for me.  Let's take a look at the scope and some of the things I like, and what could be improved on.

The Vortex PST II series uses a 30mm tube and as the name suggests, is the second generation of their PST series.  The scopes feature a first focal plane reticle to keep your reticle subtensions accurate no matter the magnification setting you are using.  I mounted the scope using Vortex' precision rifle rings without an issue. 

I've competed with the 4.5-14 power Leupold MK IV for several years now and find that the mid-range magnification is actually a great balance of speed and magnification.  I frequently see shooters with 5-25x scopes using the maximum zoom, only to zoom out while transitioning between targets.  Once they acquire the target they zoom back in to the maximum magnification, wasting precious time.  I've found with the 14-15x maximum power I have no issues engaging the typical steel targets found at matches at distances out to 1000 yards.  I also rarely have to zoom out to find the next target.  I also wanted the wider 3x option for hunting.  The areas I tend to hunt in Colorado have a lot of dark timber and I am frequently moving through or along areas with limited visibility.  It is extremely helpful to have a wider field of view for closer shots.  In fact, I harvested a mule deer doe this year with this rifle at about 20 yards.

The turrets provide 10 Mils of adjustment per revolution and have audible, tactile clicks.  The markings on the turrets are also easy to read.  On the left side of the scope is a parallax adjustment knob with a secondary knob for the illuminated reticle.  Since Colorado doesn't allow for electronics in the scope for hunting I have left the battery out of the scope and haven't tested out the illumination.  The elevation turret has a rock solid zero stop that takes just a little effort to set initially.  I found that if you follow the directions as you sight the scope in it is very easy to properly set the zero stop.  I set mine so that I can dial .2 MILs below the zero to allow for some available adjustment if I ever need to re-zero with a different bullet or load.

One disadvantage of using a scope with exposed turrets for hunting is the possibility of accidently moving the turrets while moving around.  I competed in the Vortex Extreme match this year using this set up.  The match was 10 shooting stations spread out over a 9 mile hike.  As we hiked between shooting stations I would fold the stock of the MPR and put the rifle in my backpack.  On the second shooting station I missed the first two targets by hitting far to the left.  The wind was blowing left to the right, so I was initially confused on how I could have held so far off on my wind call.  I finally looked over at the windage knob and realized that I had apparently bumped the knob and dialed almost two full mils of left windage.  Fortunately with a clear zero mark I was able to put it back on zero and get rounds on the next couple targets.

For the parallax adjustments, I find that the marked ranges are very close for me.  Typically, what is printed on the cap won't be exactly right for everyone and you will have to make sure you properly adjust the parallax for the distance that you are shooting at.

The PST II 3-15x has a 50mm objective lens and lets in a lot of light, which I'll talk more about on the optics portion.  It comes with a lens shade that you can screw on to limit the amount of flare that is coming in if you are shooting towards the sun.  You can also install the sunshade to provide a stand off between the glass and the end of the scope, helping to protect your glass from bumps and scratches.

Now for the glass, what exactly do you get in the $1,000 scope price range?  In my opinion, the Vortex glass is noticeably better than the scopes I keep comparing it to above.  I think it is sharper, brighter and has less chromatic aberration that either the older Leupold that I have, or the Bushnell DMR II.  I also think that at 15x it has a wider field of view than the DMR at 15x or the Leupold at 14x.  Are there scopes with better glass, yes.  And typically to get the better glass you will be spending more money.

How do you decide if the glass is good enough?  This is a hard questions to answer and is going to be different for different shooters.  Obviously, the type of shooting you do, the distances, your budget and personal preferences can all affect what you need out of a scope.  For PRS style competitions, I believe that the PST Gen II series of scopes will give you enough resolution and scope features that you would never need to upgrade your scope due to it limiting your ability to compete.  Now you may choose to upgrade, or feel like you should once you have more experience and get to try out some higher end scopes, but I doubt you would ever reach a point where the PST Gen II series could not accomplish what you need it to.

There is a lot to be said about getting equipment that works well and can get you out and shooting quicker.  If you can buy a Vortex PST series scope and spend the extra money on ammo and match fees you will end up shooting better in the long run than a shooter that buys the highest end scope possible, but then only gets out and puts a few rounds through their gun a couple times a year.  I have frequently noticed at matches that some of the top shooters at local matches may have older or more basic gear, yet due to their many years of experience and thousands of rounds down range, they have developed skills in wind reading that you can match with a new scope.

My next scope purchase will be in the Vortex Razor line (after starting this post I found a great deal on an original Vortex Razor, so expect another review on that scope).  I would not have any hesitation picking up another PST Gen II and have been recommending the scope to a number of shooters that are looking to get further into long distance shooting, but don't have the budget for spending over $1,000.00. 

Check out my video review posted above and let me know your thoughts on the Vortex PST Gen II in 3-15x in the comment section below.