When talking optics, Vortex has always been hands down my favorite. The quality, the craftsmanship, the price point and lastly the customer service is hands down the best in the market. When you buy your first Vortex optic you immediately feel like family from the jump and that’s the best feeling in the world. When I was approached by Mark B. over at Vortex to review the Viper PST 1-6, I was all over it. Vortex has been good to me throughout my hunting career and my career as a military contractor (I currently run the UH-1 Holograph by them, review to come soon!).
First thing is first about the Gen II Viper PST 1-6, the glass on this ol girl is incredible. It is crystal clear and its all in all pretty remarkable for the price point. Looking down the glass is pretty close to looking down the glass of any of the Razor HD optics as far as clarity and that is what the big difference is between the first and second generation PST optics. I also love the fact that they etched in the reticle, now it’s not American Made Glass (AMG) but the Philippines made glass is a good second best to the AMG.
1-6‘s are my personal favorite. A little bit of Distance, CQB, 3 gun – I personally think 1-6 is the jack of all trades. 1-6‘s are ideal for mountainous, desert, or urban landscapes as well as for hunting up to a certain distance. Now the Gen II Viper PST is heavier than say the 1-6 Strike Eagle and although the Strike Eagle is an excellent optic, the weight to quality ratio is well worth it in the Viper PST. The Viper PST also features an illumination that is very bright, but doesn’t draw your attention from your field of view.
The only downside to the Gen II Viper PST 1-6 is moving it from 1x to 6x out of the box is very tough and you almost need a throw lever to loosen it up. Now, after some time it loosens up without a throw lever but over time it becomes as smooth as butter, but like I said a throw lever with the scope would make things easier. 
On the range, the Gen II Viper PST 1-6 holds up to the vortex name. Even dropping it a few times for testing purposes, it held its zero. I ran it on a buddies competition 6.5 Grendel. Now I’m not the biggest Grendel fan, but I wanted to run it on something that wasn’t a 5.56. He has a custom 18in carbon fiber handguard, with a 19in lilja Barrel, Precision Firearm’s upper and lower, with the Geissele SSAE 2-stage trigger. SLR rifle works adjustable gas block, and his can is a SilencerCo OMEGA 30 suppressor. His setup comes with a small mortgage, (but its okay because it’s a 30 year fixed rate). The Viper PST 1-6 held true to the Vortex name and I couldn’t be happier with the outcome of the groupings. Vortex continues to make the best optics in the world in my opinion.
Now even though some would call the Viper PST 1-6 a poor man’s RazorHD, it’s still such a great optic for the price point. Nothing out there beats the quality for the price. On my next review I’ll show the Pro’s and Con’s of the Strike Eagle vs. the Viper PST (You can read my 1-6 Strike Eagle review here) but until then do yourself a favor and check out the Gen II Viper PST 1-6 and do yourself a favor and buy one. Best Mid-upper level optic on the market.
