Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Optics VX1 vs VX2 in 1-4x?

Considering either, and w/heavy duplex, is the VX2 noticeably better, in that low variable?

Can't even find a vx2 1-4 to buy right now anyway?

I have a drilling that I use for coyote hunting, it has a VX-1 1x4 and it works fine and I can shoot sub-MOA groups out to 200 yards with it. Nice scope.

I also have a combination gun that also after coyotes and it has a VX-2 1x4, the duplex crosshairs are finer in the center and the glass is slightly better mostly at the outer edges.

If I only had the Vx-1 I wouldn't look for anything else, if someone gave me a VX-2 I'd swap it in:-). I have a VariX-II, VX-II and a VX-2 1x4's and i think the VX-1 is a pretty good value.

Sportsmans Guide has matte, Duplex. Also at least one vendor on Amazon has one in stock.

When buying a scope with a smaller objective, like those on the Leupold 1-4x20 and 1.5-5x20, I would ALWAYS opts for the scope with better quality lens glass and coatings as a means by which to maximize the potential light transmission.

Although I am among the least sophisticated optic guy on this site, I would ALWAYS spend the extra $$ and buy the VX2 instead of the VX1 IF the scope was going on a 1st tier rifle. The slight increase in lens glass and coatings quality probably won't make a difference 99.9% of the time, but quality often leads to confidence and having confidence in my equipment gives me peace of mind. My usual argument for buying the VX2 in lieu of the VX1 is that if you amortize the difference in cost over the next twenty years, the different is almost certain to be less than $0.02 per day. For me, spending an extra $0.02 per day is a cheap infusion of confidence.

I believe that, optically speaking, the current VX1s are the same as the later VX-IIs that were sold from 2004 thru 2011, so they are excellent scopes. I have Vari-X scopes dating back before 1974, when Leupold started using an alpha character in the serial number, that are still in use and still capable of fine accuracy. They aren't as bright or crisp as the newer Leupolds with improved lens coating, but they were good in their day and a still good, just not quite as good.

Or so it seems to me.