Hi i was looking at getting one of these optics and was wondering if anyone has any experience with or opinions on which one is better? they are similar in price but the 3HD is more expensive is the extra price worth it? any other scope recommendations?
They are decent scopes but my VX freedom has been kind of annoying because the eyepiece is a bit wobbly. Sometimes it messes with the image.
The VX3hd is a little better build but still has the same eyepiece.
Both are sfp scopes.
do you have a recommendation in that price range that may be better?
Own them both love the both for price. Killed two deer from 200 plus with the vx on 6.5 creedmoor the 3 hd is on tippman arms 22 that I love shooting and it gets lots of action and performs great
I recommend either in second focal plane put might look at sightmark presidio which is also alluminated rediclebanb in first focal plane for less money
Okay I will look into that one thank you for the information/advice!
The Sightmark Presidio is an amazing scope. They advertised on the channel and I thoroughly enjoy that scope.
HOWEVER, I looked more deeply into sightmark when I was going to be a dealer of their optics to sell on Backfire Shop.
I learned they have a VERY short warranty on their scopes and give people some trouble with warranty work. That eliminated them for me.
I’d take a look at that Athlon Helos. Athlon Helos BTR GEN2 4-20×50 MIL – Backfire About the same price but you get all the features AND a company that will take care of you if anything goes wrong.
I have the vx-freedom 4-12x40 and mostly like it. Does the job and the glass is clear. Scope is durable.
There is two things that bother me and both have to do with the windage adjustment.
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while the elevation adjustments are nice defined clicks - this is not the case for it’s windage. It almost feels gummy, dirty, or even broken. But I do believe this is normal and a result of some of the cost cutting on the scope.
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this part may just be my lack of understanding, but it appears there is no way to index your windage back to zero after you’ve zeroed the rifle. In other words , your zero for windage will always be labeled some arbitrary value like 2 MOA or whatever your adjustments were to get it to 0. This could be operator error on my part but it is not as obvious as it is for the elevation and I haven’t found clear instructions on the internet to suggest otherwise.
I’m not sure if the VX-3 HD is the same but I would expect the higher price point to not have such annoyances.
I have a VX3HD and my stepdad has a Freedom. I haven’t compared them side by side, but after shooting the 3HD, his freedom doesn’t appear to have near the quality of glass. I’d encourage you to find a store that has both so you can look through one and then the other to compare.
Both the VX Freedom and VX 3HD are amazing scopes, I have several of both (never had problems with eye pieces on any of them). I usually put VX Freedom on my rimfire rifles and VX-3HD or VX-5HD on centerfire rifles. If you are picking between these and don’t mind spending the extra money, then there is no reason not to do VX-3HD. I love the fact that they include a throw lever (a nice one too) on the magnification ring, and of course you get the CDS turret also. One of my all-time favorites for hunting here in the Mid-west is the Twilight Hunter reticle in 3.5-10 (currently have this on my Tikka in .243 which will be my deer rifle this season). That same reticle is available in VX Freedom in 3-9x50 (I have this on a CZ in 22 mag). Both are just so good.
Looking at that Athlon, personally there is zero chance I would switch into something that bulky coming from the Leupold series; I mean these scopes weigh less than 16 ounces, most of them (that Athlon is like 27 oz?). And the Leupold glass is great for the price, probably brighter than most others out there that are under $1,000. But yes, I second that you should go to a store such as Bass Pro/Cabela’s and try 'em out–see what you think when you compare one after another.
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I have shot using the VX Freedom, VX-3HD and VX-5HD. I have 2 of the VX-3HD and 1 VX-5HD. This past weekend I shot a rifle with the VX-Freedom on it. I wear glasses w/ bifocals so maybe it was just me but the Freedom just didn’t seem to be that clear. I kept having issue trying to focus it. But it’s the more you pay the better the glass. It’s finding the sweet spot between performance and cost. As suggested, look through them then make your decision.