Vortex Venom vs. Strike Eagle

I see Midway (and Amazon) has Vortex Venom 5-25X56 scopes on sale $699 for $499 and 5-25x Strike Eagles on sale $799 for $699. My application would be 22rimfire and/or centerfire PRS competition, on a BUDGET. Locking turrets and an illuminated reticle are not that important to me (not worth $200 more), but glass quality is.

Does anyone have any firsthand comparison knowledge of these two scopes? Specs for both show "XD" quality glass, but I wonder if the glass is really ~equivalent. One is apparently made in China, the other in the Phillipines, but that does not necessarily mean the glass itself is different.

Also, any other up-to 25 or 30 power FFP scopes in this price range (~$600) that should be considered? I already have two (discontinued model) Athlon Helos 8-34x 30mm scopes that work well, but would like to try something different.

I actually just happened to watch this video that reviews the Strike Eagle and mentions it in contrast to the Venom:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z2r84jpPRvQ

Hope it helps!

Strike Eagle is the better scope, no question, illuminated reticle, slightly better glass, more adjustment range, lighter, smaller, etc. if that difference is enough to justify the cost is up to you

I have the strike eagle 5-25. It replaced the Viper 5-15 on my tikka t3x.

Generally speaking, the venom/viper lines from vortex are the better quality optics, however, it has been noted by many that this particular strike eagle punches far above its weight.

If we were talking any other Strike Eagle, I would probably say the viper/venom line is better, but for this particular scope, I'd go Strike eagle. Probably one of the best long range scope for the money on the market.

Only downside I have had, is that the illuminated reticle on my strike eagle would not light up out in the desert. Don't know if it was the heat, or what, it was over 100 degrees and no shade, but once I got back home, it worked as normal. Never had that issue with my venom/vipers.

Johnny5k said:

I have the strike eagle 5-25. It replaced the Viper 5-15 on my tikka t3x.

Generally speaking, the venom/viper lines from vortex are the better quality optics, however, it has been noted by many that this particular strike eagle punches far above its weight.

If we were talking any other Strike Eagle, I would probably say the viper/venom line is better, but for this particular scope, I'd go Strike eagle. Probably one of the best long range scope for the money on the market.

Only downside I have had, is that the illuminated reticle on my strike eagle would not light up out in the desert. Don't know if it was the heat, or what, it was over 100 degrees and no shade, but once I got back home, it worked as normal. Never had that issue with my venom/vipers.

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The Strike Eagle is a step from the Venom/Viper lines. Except for the Viper PST, which is up from the Strike Eagle line. And then the Viper PST Gen 1 above that, and the Gen 2 above that.

I would check out Gov X, they have been having some sales on Vortex products.

The Strike Eagle lines use glass from China, which is their lowest tier glass, the viper lines use glass from the Phillipines, which is their mid tier, and the razor lines use glass from Japan, their top tier. This much I am relatively sure of. The Golden Eagle is also Japan, the Diamondbacks are China.
The Razor HD AMG is made in the US from Japanese glass. The Venom, I assumed was part of the Viper line, and Phillipine glass, but I may be wrong about that.

The strike eagle has illuminated reticle, more room for zero adjustment, more eye relief, locking turrets, i think it is slightly lighter and smaller, but has China glass.

The venom has none of those things, but I thought it at least had slightly better glass than the SE. Again, I may be wrong about that. I only have Vipers and strike eagles, except for a pistol red dot venom.

I have been very happy with both my strike eagles and my viper scopes.

ETA - Did a little looking and it appears the venom and SE have the same glass. It is just the features.

If you can swing the difference, a Viper PST is much better than a Strike Eagle. I have a Gen 1 PST and the glass is much clearer.
Check out this one, this is a great price on a very good scope.

https://www.eurooptic.com/vortex-vi...pe-with-ebr-2c-reticle-moa-pst-43127-new.aspx

IMHO this is a better scope than either of those two and is cheaper.

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Email to Vortex:

Hi
Simple qu​estion.
Comparing the glass ONLY (all of the glass in each of these scopes) of the 5-25x56 Strike Eagle (SE-5-25X56) and the 5-25X56 Venom (VENOM-5-25x56 FFP) rifle scopes: Are they a) identical or b) not identical. If not, which scope has glass with superior image resolution? Scope mechanical features, weight, adjustment range, image color and other scope features NOT considered. Thank you.

Response:

Thank you for reaching out! If I can be completely honest with you, it depends who you ask. I believe the Venom has a slight edge over the Strike Eagle, but some of my coworkers think that the Strike Eagle has a slight edge for clarity, resolution, and edge to edge sharpness! So they are very similar in optical quality! I would recommend if possible, to check them out yourself and see what looks better to you! Let me know if you have any more questions!

rbird7282 said:

If you can swing the difference, a Viper PST is much better than a Strike Eagle. I have a Gen 1 PST and the glass is much clearer.
Check out this one, this is a great price on a very good scope.

https://www.eurooptic.com/vortex-vi...pe-with-ebr-2c-reticle-moa-pst-43127-new.aspx

IMHO this is a better scope than either of those two and is cheaper.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Click to expand...

That's a crazy good deal

rbird7282 said:

If you can swing the difference, a Viper PST is much better than a Strike Eagle. I have a Gen 1 PST and the glass is much clearer.
Check out this one, this is a great price on a very good scope.

https://www.eurooptic.com/vortex-vi...pe-with-ebr-2c-reticle-moa-pst-43127-new.aspx

IMHO this is a better scope than either of those two and is cheaper.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Click to expand...

dontpanic said:

That's a crazy good deal

Click to expand...

I picked one up recently but haven't mounted it due to a recent health hurdle to overcome. Just looking through it out the living room window, it is very clear. Glad I got it.

rbird7282: Thanks for the info.

Looks like a very good deal on superior glass, and I don't mind prior generation products, especially at a steep discount. However, the 50 yard minimum parallax adjustment makes this not usable for 22rimfire competition, and I worry that the 30mm tube with 50mm objective vs. 34mm/56mm will likely be significantly inferior for image brightness and quick target acquisition. Also, I have not found, even within the product manual, the amount of elevation adjustment available.

KRC said:

rbird7282: Thanks for the info.

Looks like a very good deal on superior glass, and I don't mind prior generation products, especially at a steep discount. However, the 50 yard minimum parallax adjustment makes this not usable for 22rimfire competition, and I worry that the 30mm tube with 50mm objective vs. 34mm/56mm will likely be significantly inferior for image brightness and quick target acquisition. Also, I have not found, even within the product manual, the amount of elevation adjustment available.

Click to expand...

Maybe I'm missing something, but at those short ranges, I don't think parallax is an issue at all. I haven't done the math, but the maximum parallax error at less than 50 yards with a scope like this, I'd expect to be measured in hundredths or thousandths of an inch. I may well be wrong, and if I am, I would love to understand why/how.

That scope has windage and elevation adjustments of up to 65 MOA.

KRC said:

rbird7282: Thanks for the info.

Looks like a very good deal on superior glass, and I don't mind prior generation products, especially at a steep discount. However, the 50 yard minimum parallax adjustment makes this not usable for 22rimfire competition, and I worry that the 30mm tube with 50mm objective vs. 34mm/56mm will likely be significantly inferior for image brightness and quick target acquisition. Also, I have not found, even within the product manual, the amount of elevation adjustment available.

Click to expand...

I have that scope on my .308 Ruger Precision Rifle and have taken it out to 1,200 yards without issue. I have a 30MOA rail on the rifle and have plenty of elevation adjustment. As far as image brightness/clarity keep in mind that the quality of glass makes a huge difference.
If you’re anywhere near AGC I’d be happy to let you look through it and put a couple rounds down range.


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rbird7282 said:

If you can swing the difference, a Viper PST is much better than a Strike Eagle. I have a Gen 1 PST and the glass is much clearer.
Check out this one, this is a great price on a very good scope.

https://www.eurooptic.com/vortex-vi...pe-with-ebr-2c-reticle-moa-pst-43127-new.aspx

IMHO this is a better scope than either of those two and is cheaper.

Click to expand...

rbird7282 said:

I have that scope on my .308 Ruger Precision Rifle and have taken it out to 1,200 yards without issue. I have a 30MOA rail on the rifle and have plenty of elevation adjustment. As far as image brightness/clarity keep in mind that the quality of glass makes a huge difference.

Click to expand...

I had that scope on my Rem 700 based rifle. And also took it out to 1200 yards with a 20 MOA rail. I had about half a mil hold over dialed to max. So a 30 MOA rail would have helped.

It is being moved to my .22 trainer (CZ455 VPT based). I replaced it with a Razor Gen2 on my .308.

rbird7282 said:

If you can swing the difference, a Viper PST is much better than a Strike Eagle. I have a Gen 1 PST and the glass is much clearer.
Check out this one, this is a great price on a very good scope.

https://www.eurooptic.com/vortex-vi...pe-with-ebr-2c-reticle-moa-pst-43127-new.aspx

IMHO this is a better scope than either of those two and is cheaper.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Click to expand...

THIS!!! (Killer deal on a Gen 1)
I put one on my Bergara BMP 6.5 Skinny Jeans

I have no doubt that the glass on the Gen1 Viper is superior to both the Venom and Strike Eagles. And if this scope was going to be forever limited to centerfire use, I'd likely jump on it. But with the limiting 50 yd. minimum parallax distance, this would not be useful for 22LR applications and competition. (Johnny5k - a scope with a min. 50 yard parallax distance will likely not focus at closer distances, and typical KYL racks in 22LR PRS type competition have 1/4" wide targets at 25 to 15 yards.)

I have ordered BOTH Strike Eagle and Venom 5-25x56 scopes, and will compare them side-by-side, and also compare to my two Athlon Helos 8-34x56's as well, and keep the Vortex that (if?) shows superior image resolution.

Thanks to all who have responded. I will report back on this within a week or two.

What wont focus? Parrallax isnt really a focus. Or maybe I have no Idea what parallax is.

Maybe I will get some time to do the math. Of course this will only tell you the maximum error possible if your head is as far from centered behind the scope as possible and still able to see the target.

http://rimfirebenchrest.com/articles/parallax.html

But I have yet to see any scope designed for rimfire that had a fixed parallax that wasn't 50, 60, 75. or 100, on any best scope for 22 competition list, or in the wild.

I don't wish to belabor the point, and someone can correct me if the following is not a (albeit simplified) explanation of parallax adjustment. Parallax is the shift of point-of-aim through a scope with eye movement away from dead center viewing. This occurs without scope or rifle movement, and can cause a shooter to set their point-of-aim for a shot incorrectly to the point-of-impact the scope should actually indicate, and to which the bullet will hit.

Parallax is eliminated when the focal plane of the reticle is coplanar with the focal plane of the image. This is generally also when the image is in focus to the viewer, if the reticle has been focused properly to the individuals’ eyes. When the image (target) distance changes, the plane of focus changes, and the scope is adjusted to bring the two image planes (reticle focus and target focus) coplanar. (What is now often called a parallax adjustment mechanism was historically labeled the distance focusing mechanism.)

Benchrest matches are usually shot at fixed & known distances, with a 50 yard minimum for ARA Rimfire BR. Benchrest scopes can therefore be SFP, and have minimum parallax correction at 50 yards, but I’m not familiar with any competition scopes with a fixed parallax correction. PRS type matches, with targets shot at different distances, often within the same stage, heavily favor FFP scopes, with the target distances in rimfire PRS ranging from as close as 15 yards, requiring parallax adjustment at quite close as well as further distances.

The article referenced shows how to calculate maximum parallax shift in a fixed parallax scope at distances other than the fixed value. Irrelevant to anyone (virtually all competitive rifle shooters?) who use scopes with adjustable parallax correction. The only fixed parallax scopes I have are low-end, low power hunting scopes or pistol scopes. Once again, I do not want to be trying to hit a ¼” wide piece of steel at 25 yards (rimfire) with a scope not able to fully focus and well outside of its design parallax correction range. A 50 yard minimum parallax adjustment distance would likely be more than adequate for centerfire competition applications.

Thanks for the explanation. I still have a lot to learn about this stuff.

Everything you said makes sense, except that the formula is perfectly valid to figure this situation out. Use 50, the lowest setting, and then calculate the maximum parallax error. You could also use this same formula to determine which parallax setting will give you an acceptable margin of error across the widest range.

ETA - I ran the math. Its showing me that set to 50 yds, the max error at 25yds would be well less than 1mm. I wasn't expecting much, but that is even less than I thought. I think I may have missed something, ill look again later. I'm new to the optics and shooting side, but I was a math major. I think I may have calculated a variable incorrectly.

Not trying to convince you of anything, just trying to learn.