By Dan Kidder Managing EditorFor years, hunters have appreciated the quality and customer service of Vortex optics. Many hunters who may have wanted to keep that reliability and warranty but also have access to higher end glass were forced to sacrifice weight and size to move into the tactical side of the Vortex house and go with their Razor line of optics.
Recognizing the need to provide true HD glass performance in a lightweight hunting scope, Vortex created the Razor HD Light Hunter; with all of the performance of a high-end scope without the weight and size.
By using a one-inch tube, Vortex has been able to minimize the weight of the scope, and by utilizing state of the art lens coating, still get light throughput comparable to their 30mm offerings.
The Razor HD LH comes in three configurations, 3-15x42, 2-10x40, and 1.5-8x32 and with either the HSR-4 or G4 BDC MOA reticles.
High Density (HD) low dispersion glass provides amazing resolution and clarity, with top-end color fidelity. The lenses are optically indexed to give better brightness and sharpness and computer-controlled alignment delivers true edge-to-edge clarity. The lenses themselves are coated with proprietary XRPlus multicoating to deliver better light transmission and multiple anti-glare coatings on all outside lenses, as well as ArmorTek to prevent scratching and provide resistance to dust and fog. The APO apochromatic objective lens system uses index-matched lenses to correct color across the entire visual spectrum.
A single piece aircraft aluminum one-inch tube houses the lenses and Precision-Glide Erector System. This system ensures the components in the zoom lens mechanism glide smoothly and cleanly through all magnification ranges. The tube is argon purged to prevent thermal shock and internal fogging as well as making the tube completely waterproof. The turrets have 55 MOA of adjustment and a side parallax adjustment from 20 yards to infinity.
Under the caps, the adjustment turrets are practically silent, but still provide ample tactile feedback to be able to count clicks. Zero can be reset with a simple screwdriver.
All of these features are packed into a lightweight 16.5 ounces and a short 13.5 inches on the 42mm model. This gives hunters the performance of a high end tactical scope without the weight.
A generous 3.8 inches of eye relief gives you multiple mounting options on a variety of weapons, and a 35.8-7.1 foot field of view at 100 yards gives shooters ample of awareness of what is going on down range.
The MOA reticles provide better ranged accuracy at unfixed distances and the ability to quickly calculate adjustments on the fly. Because they reticle is on the second focal plane, it will not enlarge when you zoom in, covering the target.
The HSR-4 is the ideal reticle for those who want enough information to utilize personalized ballistics, but prefer a clean look. A fine crosshair, coupled with MOA-based hash-marks (2 MOA spacing), promotes fast and accurate shots from close to extended ranges. The HSR-4 reticle can be used to effectively determine ranges, holdovers, windage corrections, and moving target leads. Ultra precision laser etching on the glass reticle ensures that minute of angle (MOA) specifications can be kept to the tightest tolerances possible. The fine center crosshair subtensions on the HSR-4 reticle were carefully chosen to provide the optimum balance between precision aiming and low light visibility.
And because the scope is a Vortex, it means that the best-in-class VIP Warranty covers it. Their products are unconditionally guaranteed. If the optic becomes damaged or defective, it will be replaced or repaired for you; no questions asked.