Northern Riflethoughts on scopes, rangefinders, binoculars, spotters, and other outdoors related optics.
After running the Nikon Monarch 2000 for a number of years, I wanted to upgrade my rangefinder. Having heard positive reviews about Sig rangefinders I was interested to try one out. I was initially planning on trying something in the 3000-5000 yard range. However, when the Sig Kilo 2200 BDX went on sale I quickly […]
For a long time Leupold has been making lightweight riflescopes geared for hunters. In fact, my most used riflescope is an old capped-windage VX-2 3-9×40. Sadly, that particular model is no longer in production. Instead, Leupold has replaced their old VX lines with the VX-Freedom replaceing the VX-1 and VX-2. For their popular VX-3i line […]
Optics are on the short list of most important pieces of equipment for the hunter. The most useful of these optics is the binocular. Vortex Optics has a wide range of hunting binoculars which is organizes by various product lines. Their Diamondback line is touted as being adequate quality for serious hunters while remaining affordable […]
Several months ago I did a review on the Tract Toric UHD. In short, I found the scope to be excellent and an extremely practical design and feature set. However, further use has uncovered an issue worthy of a Tract Toric update. Like most of the products I review, I continue to use them afterwards […]
The affordable laser rangefinder is the innovation that has allowed the popularity of long range shooting. Not long ago, range estimation was the single biggest limiting factor to prevent long shots in the field. The laser rangefinder removes all uncertainty and frees up the shooter to judge the conditions. Wanting to extend my own effective […]
Leupold has been making capped turret riflescopes since shortly after WWII. Over the years they developed a reputation among hunter for light weight, durability, and a great warranty. In fact, the riflescope I chose for my first hunting rifle was a Leupold VX-2 3-9×40, which I still have. As such, when Leupold came out with […]
Since it’s release in 2017 the Vortex Viper PST Gen 2 has been incredibly popular. In some circles it has almost a cult following as a reasonably priced optic that is capable at long range. Today we determine if it’s popularity is due to great marketing or if the Viper PST can back up its […]
Modern hunting with laser rangefinders makes the ability to dial for elevation in the field. Traditionally, exposed turrets were common on tactical style scopes while hunting scopes were lightweight capped-turret affairs. However, the prevalence of laser rangefinders has created a market for hybrid huntin/tactical scopes. Vortex is one of the main players in this regard […]
Lately, an interesting development has emerged in the hunting optics market. Historically, Vortex, Leupold, Bushnell, and Burris have dominated the standard hunting fare. In the last few years though, several companies have sprung up using a direct to consumer business model. Tract optics is one such company. Tract claims their business model offers consumers a […]
Over the past decade Vortex has seen a meteoric rise. Today, Vortex represents a top contender for the most popular riflescope brand in the world. While the variety of scopes on the market has blossomed the 3-9×40 is still a popular configuration. Let’s see how the Viper line‘s rendition of this hunting standby stacks up. […]