alexm Posted March 16, 2009 Report Share Posted March 16, 2009 (edited) I have an MTC Viper 4-16X50 on my HMR and most of the time use it around the 6-8x mag range and it is fine, however I took it on a range the other day and cranked it right up to 16x and was quite surprised to find it almost unusable in the 12-16x range! The eye relief demands my eye is millimetre exact if I don't want 'tunnelling' and the picture seems to 'white out' in anything other than very bright conditions. Has anyone else found this problem with the Viper? Or do I have a problem with my scope, or my eyeball? I have two Schmidt & Bender 3-12x50's on other rifles and neither of them suffer with this at 12x. Or am I expecting too much from what is, in comparison, a budget scope? thanks, Alex Edited March 16, 2009 by alexm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wookie Posted March 16, 2009 Report Share Posted March 16, 2009 Hmmmmm. Not really heard of that happening before, but it's a bit worrying. I was seriously thinking about a Viper 6-24x56. How do you rate the MTC scopes other than your eye relief "issue"? I heard they had a bit of a problem with fogging up a few years ago too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dusk2dawn Posted March 16, 2009 Report Share Posted March 16, 2009 I have an MTC Viper 6-24 x 56 on my .223 and having some really annoying experiences with it, similar to those described. Thinking about it, it has never performed well using a 170 on the scope. Even holding the lamp in my left hand I still have problems. I have experienced the precise eyeball position scenario as well, in fact I am about to replace it with the S&B currently on my .17 hmr. Personally I would not recommend the scope based on my experience. Happy to discuss the scope further with other owners via pm. Rgds D2D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alexm Posted March 16, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 16, 2009 (edited) How do you rate the MTC scopes other than your eye relief "issue"? I heard they had a bit of a problem with fogging up a few years ago too. Other than the eye relief and the whiteout problem it is fine, no fogging problems. I use my HMR at night mostly and hence tend to use the lower mags where there is no problem at all. The problem really only showed itself when on the range on a rather overcast day. I like the scope in general, I like the reticule and the illumination (which was a key feature for me with the night shooting) works well too. However, if I wanted to do any precision work at higher mags in the field I am going to struggle with it somewhat. The Schmidts, in contrast, are a joy to use but then at 4 or 5 times the price you'd want them to be I suppose but putting a scope of that cost on an HMR seems difficult to justify somehow. I would urge you to try and find one to look through before buying, crank the magnification right up and see what you think. As I've only ever looked through mine I can't tell whether there is an issue with my Viper, or whether I would find the same problem with any of them. Alex Edited March 16, 2009 by alexm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alexm Posted March 16, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 16, 2009 I have an MTC Viper 6-24 x 56 on my .223 and having some really annoying experiences with it, similar to those described. Thinking about it, it has never performed well using a 170 on the scope. Even holding the lamp in my left hand I still have problems. I have experienced the precise eyeball position scenario as well, in fact I am about to replace it with the S&B currently on my .17 hmr. Personally I would not recommend the scope based on my experience. Happy to discuss the scope further with other owners via pm. Rgds D2D Interesting... What was your viper like at the high mags? Did you find the image whiting out? If mine went up to 24x I doubt I'd be able to see anything out of it at all! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Breastman Posted March 16, 2009 Report Share Posted March 16, 2009 (edited) I have a Viper and although i have no problems with the eye-relief (have you used a scope of that magnification before? anything over 12 and you can find you're chasing the scope picture all over the place ) I have however experienced the white out effect and i'm afraid its down to the quality of the scope (And all other scopes in a similar price range). I had an AGS 4-16 x 56 and a Nikko Sterling nighteater 32x and both were exactly the same, fine at low mag but crank it up and it would 'milk-out' when outdoors. Unfortunately with scopes you really do get what you pay for Like you i just couldn't justify spending £500-700 on scope for my HMR. Especially as i will probably only use it 3 or 4 times a year. Mark Edited March 16, 2009 by Breastman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bullet boy Posted March 16, 2009 Report Share Posted March 16, 2009 Thats strange-Give Gary or Sammy a call at MTC if i was you,to explain the situation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alexm Posted March 16, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 16, 2009 I have a Viper and although i have no problems with the eye-relief (have you used a scope of that magnification before? A valid point, admittedly I don't have much experience with scopes over 12x in this price bracket. I have had a go with other people's high mag scopes but thinking about it, they were all top end stuff, Zwaro, S&B PMII etc. I don't recall the eye relief being so fussy with them, and they certainly didn't suffer any white out. I have however experienced the white out effect and i'm afraid its down to the quality of the scope (And all other scopes in a similar price range). This is probably the crux of it then. Not a huge problem for me as the scope does what I require of it.... if I had bought it to use more frequently at higher magnifications though I think I'd be a little disappointed. I suppose the fact it has taken me a year to notice it suggests it isn't really that big a problem though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wookie Posted March 16, 2009 Report Share Posted March 16, 2009 This would seem to suggest that I could get away with a slightly less beefy top-end magnification that I was thinking about, maybe the 4-16x50 would be a better choice... Of course, it also means that I am going to be forced to try out my Hawke Varmint II at high mag tonight to see if the same thng happens... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
feaks Posted March 16, 2009 Report Share Posted March 16, 2009 Hello i bought a 10X44 Viper especially for the HMR but due to "whiteout" i had to go back to its original WTC. The Viper was fine with the lamp and normal conditions but it was in the twilight it fell short. Ian Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave-G Posted March 16, 2009 Report Share Posted March 16, 2009 This all sounds very like my Mamba 3-12x44. Looks good, feels good, sounds good - but falls short in poor lighting conditions or fog. This scope has brilliant ratings on the BBS which is why I bought it. I have really tried to give it the benefit of my doubt but I regret selling My Bushnell 6-24x50 SF now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shoot57 Posted March 16, 2009 Report Share Posted March 16, 2009 just as a matter of interest, i have just bought a hawke sidewinder 6-24x56 and even at 24 power is nice and clear Ive put it on my hmr and i think it is going to be very good, after a lot of practice and dialing it in at ranges from 90 to 200mtr, ive been out rabbiting tonight and shot rabbits from 82 to 194 mtr, i dont intend using it at night much but it seems a good buy for just under £250 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wookie Posted March 17, 2009 Report Share Posted March 17, 2009 Checked the Varmint II last night at about dusk and the same thing happens at max mag (22x), so I wound it down a bit and all was good again. Nuts. The problem I have now is _wanting_ a new scope. I might not strictly need a new scope, but now I want one! Time to go trawling through uttings.com I think. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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