Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Optics Has anyone tried a Vortex 1x24

Has anyone had experience with a Vortex Crossfire II 1x24 "Muzzle Loader" scope? I know the Crossfires are made in China and it is a low dollar scope. A couple of years ago I ordered one to mount on a very light weight driven game rifle, from an optics retailer in Slovenia, (I live in Romania), believing the info on the Vortex website, that the scope weighed 8 ounces. Surprise! When I unboxed it, it felt much heavier than 8 ounces. On the scale, it is a bit over 8 ounces. I was pissed. It is a BIG hassle mailing packages out of Romania, so I just put it away, resigned to absorbing my losses.
Today, I dug it out and fiddled with it a little. The optics are very bright, the turret clicks are better than some, not as good as others and being a fixed power, there's theoretically less to go wrong with it..I'm thinking about setting it up in QD rings to try a couple of boar hunts in the fall
My questions are: Any problems sighting it in? Did the scope hold zero? Any complete failures? Thanks, Ron

Didn't know they existed, and now it seems they're gone. I don't know offhand of any state that only allows 1x scopes for MLs, either they allow scopes, or they don't. Here, anything goes during the regular ML season, but scopes are illegal during the Mountaineer Heritage season, which is for stickbows and sidelock MLs without scopes only. The reg says "scopes" so other optics theoretically are legal.

Since you're stuck with it, might as well take a swing. Only advantage I can see over the prism sights we've been discussing is that it probably will look better on a sporter, which is no small thing actually. Weaver used to make a 1x shotgun scope, and Bill Weaver was reportedly a deadly quail killer with one equipped with a big dot and mounted on an autoloader.

BTW, I looked at the Bushnell prism you mentioned and it has possibilities. I'm always futzing around with something, so I may dream up a "need" for one now that red dots are losing their luster for me somewhat.

Let us know how it goes.

After Covid-19, if I survive, I am going to get the best glasses that I can to help with my astigmatism. I love my Holosun red dots but hate that flaming ball dot, as on all red dots that I look through. I have my PA Cyclops on my Browning stainless X-Bolt, 30-06. With the Cyclops it only weighs 7 pounds, 3 ounces. so the weight of the PA doesn't hurt that rig that bad. As I said, making hits is easy with that set-up. I think I like the retical a bit better on the Bushnell because I can see the dot better than I can see the chevron on the PA. I wish the Prisn sight makers would make some models specifically for bolt action hunting rifles to get the line of sight lower. But, I am sure that will not happen, too small of a niche. Even the "Low" mounts on any of the prism scopes are a bit higher than I mount my scopes. As far as Guns and accessories go, If I only had what I "needed", life would be very boring for me. RJ

There were some states that used to allow optical sights with zero magnification on muzzle loaders. Things have loosened up to dumb down the sport for the masses, no longer a primitive season but just a muzzle loader season.

Utah used to have the 1x law on Muzzy hunts, When they did away with that law, Vortex dropped the 1x scope. When the law changed you could pick up a 1x scope for $20 around here. I had one for a couple years on my muzzy gun and liked it okay. It was clear and was easy to sight in and held zero just fine. It did not have the tunnel effect like some of the older 1x scopes I had looked through and hated. All the rifle hunters had a fit when Utah changed the law because they said it made us muzzy guys to deadly. All the while the rifle guys were extending there range out to 1000 yards or so with range finders and dial turrets etc. Seemed a bit hypocritical to me. Every faction of hunting has extended range considerably in the last 10 years.

I have no time for all that Who Struck John myself. It's one thing to want to give the game a fair chance, but the whining about who uses what is almost always a bunch of self-serving bs by folks who see this as a competition or want the woods all to themselves, like trout fiisherman who want to ban spinning rods. Blah blah blah, they can all kiss my old fat azz.

I learned that I have stigmatism by mounting a red dot sight on an AR. I found the Vortex 1X24 on clearance for $50 and thought that it would serve as a suitable 1X sighting system for those who can't use a red dot.

It seems to be a well made scope for such a purpose,...much more precise than open sights.

Bristoe, thanks for your comments. RJ

Have 3 of them, love them on a turkey shotgun, the field of view is amazing. I had a leupold 2x7 turkey scope on my shotgun and felt even on 2x the field of view was too restrictive. With the vortex you can shoot both eyes open. No problems yet. Give it a try

I have one and seems to make things look farther away for some reason. Maybe I’m just used to looking through magnified scopes and it’s my eyes playing tricks on me.

I totally agree.

people tend to stereotype “soccer moms” as being overly dramatic, busybodies but IME plenty of hunters fit this bill.

How many times has some change to regulations “ruined” hunting?

I get how some changes are pretty dramatic and rally should involve reconsidering how certain seasons are laid out.

To elaborate on the Vortex 1X24 a bit more. As mentioned, I selected it to fit on an AR-15 because stigmatism prevents me from using a red dot sight. It's not a heavy scope by todays standards, but it comes in at 11 ounces.

The things I like about it especially, is its large objective lens and its 3.8" of eye relief.

The eye relief allows it to be mounted on an AR forward enough that it doesn't obstruct the charging handle.

The large objective lens combined with it being a 1X scope allows you to get on target very quickly. I used a Monstrum Slim Profile Series Scope Mount and it positions the scope so that when I pull the rifle to my shoulder, the sight picture is directly in front of my eye. I don't have to look for it.

The sight image itself fills up the entire objective lens. There's no "looking through a tunnel" effect.

It feels very natural to use the scope with both eyes open.

There's many variable scopes these days which typically range from 1-4 in magnification. Some are very good. But if you're interested in nothing but a non magnified 1X scope, the Vortex 1X24 works better than the 1X setting on most short range variable scopes.

The only thing which would make me like the scope any better is if it was a couple of ounces lighter. But even so, it's far from being a heavy weight scope. It's just not exceptionally light.

The only problem is, Vortex has discontinued the scope. But if you can find someone that still has them in stock, you can probably buy it at a severely discounted price. I think they cost somewhere around $160-$170 when they first introduced them. I bought mine new for 50 bucks.

They're a very good choice for people who can't use a red dot or for people who prefer a typical non magnified sighting system on an AR.

Tastes are subjective. But to my eye the Vortex 1X24 scope and the Monstrum slim profile mount makes for a clean looking setup on a basic AR-15.

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Very clean looking Bristoe. When I get my Superlite, I will give my 1x24 a try for driven game hunts. RJ