Vortex Strike Eagle 3-18x44 FFP Riflescope, EBR-7C MOA, 1/4 MOA, 34mm

Originally bought one of these to put on my ruger 6.5 creedmoor and ended up loving the performance so much that I ended up getting two more. The glass is amazingly clear and crisp, the reticle is the same. The illumination on the reticle blew me away for a scope at this price point. There wasn't any reflection or refraction of the red illumination in the glass or around the reticle, all the illumination was in the reticle itself keeping it easily readable at low light conditions. Also the scopes themselves were light as compared to another brand with similar features but lower performance that I also own. Couldn't be happier with these scopes.

Purchased this scope for a hunting rifle and couldn't be happier! 3x is perfect for heavily wooded areas where you may encounter game at close range. 18x is plenty of magnification to reach out to 1,000+ at the range and hunt big game confidently out to 600. Glass is good. Is it Razor gen iii good? No, but it's priced right and competes with anything in the upper end of a mid tier optic. Features I love that make this a perfect hunting optic: - Zero Stop is awesome and simple to set. So much easier than the older Viper PST gen ii - Locking top turret and capped windage turret. I don't like either of those features on my bench/target shooting scopes but love them for hunting. Nothing moves and you don't lose your zero while carrying your rifle in a pack or on the hike in. The reticle gives you clearly marked holdovers for quick shots. This scope paired with the geo ballistics app and Razor 4000GB is absolutely incredible. Turrets are crisp and repeatable allowing you to dial elevation and windage for first round impacts. -Love the size/weight of this scope. 44mm Objective lets in a lot of light. You lose some brightness at the higher magnification levels but that is expected. You still get the 34mm tube which allows for more travel with the reticle and turrets extending the range and capabilities of the optic. A 30mm tube would probably work for a hunting optic but I am glad they went with the 34mm. This optic is light enough to mount on most of your lightweight (6-7.5lb) hunting rifles without messing up the balance of the rifle. -Included throw lever makes moving through the magnification range effortless. I have not used the included sun shade but it screws right on to the objective. The mini tool works great and I appreciate that they included a battery to operate the illuminated reticle. Had to purchase scope rings and a bubble level to get it completely setup. This is a fantastic optic that was really well designed for hunters. Thank you Vortex for your commitment to excellence and for standing behind your customers with the best warranty in the business.

I’ve been using 3 strike eagles for the better part of a year now, one is the 5-25 but I have two 3-18’s and it’s hands down my favorite scope. Not just to say “for the money”, but just to say I’ve owned Razors, Vipers, and other brands of scopes as well…and how they ended up with this crisp of glass, and a locking top turret and a throw lever…it’s beyond me. Maybe I’m a bit wild but I do have one on my 14.5 AR with an Aimpoint piggybacked on top. Then I have one on a custom action 10/22. I shoot a lot of open 3-gun with the SE 3-18 and have not been limited. I’m shooting the 10/22 out to 200 and I’m not limited. I’m able to shoot and use my guns regularly, I have no safe queens. I can tell ya I’ve used these scopes in my scenarios and I just vouch for it all around. Just a perfect range of magnification. Not too bad of chromatic aberration at 18x. Good parallax range. Decent turret clicks for the monies.

Full disclosure first. I had to return the scope because the 34mm on my x-bolt interferes with the spent case ejection/extraction to where 1/5 shells would hit the windage turret and flip back into the chamber. Since I need the rifle to be more than a single shot ALL the time, I couldn’t accept it. However, the scope itself might be my favorite scope of all time. It packs features that you have to pay 3x more for in other makes. Mostly I appreciate the 3-18x for a hunting rifle. It allows clean travel on the zoom ring with the included lever and never feels like it’s too little or too much. The next feature is the illumination. The turret adjustment to the reticle illumination is awesome and dependable. The reticle is crisp and clear in low light and even during mixed light with cloud cover/shadows. The last day I took it out I left it on the whole time and loved the clarity it has throughout the day. The last thing I really appreciated about the scope is the relative weight. Yes it is heavier than the Razor class, but for this price, under 30 ounces is insane. Again, you can pay 3x this for all the same features and be within 1-3 ounces of the strike Eagle. Overall I wish I could have made this work. So much so that I had a gunsmith look at adjusting the ejector to change the angle and allow the case to clear the action. But in the end I will have to find another Vortex product.