I'm considering upgrading my scopes for varmint hunting, with .223 and .243. Anyone have any views on the relative merits of

Vortex Viper HS 6-24 x 50

Sightron SIII 6-24 x 50

Leupold VX-3 6.5-20 x 40

The prices "new" vary, with the Vortex in the $500+ area and the Sightron and Leupold in the $800+ range.

I don't have any experience with the exact models you have listed, so take this for what it's worth.

My experience is with the Vortex Viper 6.5-20x44, Sightron SII Big Sky 4-16x44, and Leupold VX3 4.5-14x40. I had both the 1 inch and 30mm tube versions of the Leupold.

I had eyebox issues with both the Vortex and the Leupolds. They were difficult to "get behind". All were very sensitive to head placement. Never had that problem with the Sightron.

All seemed to track well.

As far as glass quality, all were very good but the Vortex was at the bottom. The Sightron and Leupold were about equal to my eyes.

I did notice the 1 inch Leupold was noticably lighter than the rest. I had it on a Tikka 22-250.

The only one of the bunch that I still own is the Sightron.

The VX-3 6.5-20x40 30mm tube Leupold is far superior to the 4.5-14x40 for "easy to get behind" considerations. Its weakness is the significant change in eye relief over the power range. Not that it gets too short at high powers though, it's that it has too much at low power.

The SIII 6x24 is a great scope and would be my choice over the other two. I have two of them with the MOA 2 reticle which is excellent for precision work.

In my experience Leupold was always the safe bet till I bought a Sll Big Sky. Because of that I bought an Slll and couldn't be happier.

I'm considering 2 of those scopes as well. I'll be following along!!!!

The Vortex Viper is the only one that I own in that magnification and so far so good on a heavy barrel 22-250 it does well after a couple of hundred rounds. My expectation is that it will be fine for my needs with that rifle. I had to return the last Vortex I tried to sight in dead out of the box.

My Sightron's are on much more abused rifles and have provided several years of trouble free use with excellent performance - boringly dependable.

Leupold is a safe bet in just about every instance, the resale makes it an attractive purchase and they seem to be priced close to their competition lately.

I'd go with whatever suits you knowing that you may not get the same performance but that they all are good scopes and have very good warranties - if you are buying 2 id try two different models and stick with what works best in the field. Of course you may not want the hassle of getting rid of the loser - sorry no clear cut winner for me here.

I sold all my Nightforces and replaced them with SIIIs, if that tells you anything. Excellent glass and tracking.