By now, it’s no secret that I’m a fan of Vortex scopes…
No matter who you are, they just seem to have an option that’s packed with value and at the perfect price point for you…
The Strike Eagle? Awesome scope if you’re on a budget…
The Viper? Super high value if you’re in the mid-range on price…
And now it’s time to look at their premium option, the Vortex Razor 1-6 Scope…
Now if you’re in a hurry, here’s my quick and dirty review:
The Vortex Razor 1-6 scope gives you INSANELY clear glass, INSANELY bright illumination, and one of the coolest reticles available (the JM-1 BDC designed by legendary shooter Jerry Miculek!). It’s an amazing scope, and I personally think it’s the best 1-6 scope on the market.
If you’re looking for more information than that then keep reading because in this review, we’re going to cover the following information about this scope:
- Lens Clarity And Reticle
- Magnification And Illumination
- Durability And Toughness
- Size Of The Scope
- Scope Accessories
- Pros And Cons
In the end, I’ll give you my final thoughts about this scope and you should have enough information to decide whether or not it’s the right scope for you…
Let’s jump into the review!
Lens Clarity And Reticle…
The lens clarity on the Vortex Razor is insanely good… In fact, it’s probably the clearest glass I’ve used on a scope.
No matter which magnification power you have it set to, it seems like you’re looking at a high definition image.
Vortex puts several special coatings on the lenses of these scopes… And it doesn’t matter if you’re in low light conditions or if it’s a bright sunny day outside, the sight picture is very clear.
In addition to that, the lens clarity is edge to edge… You don’t have any blurring around the edges of your sight picture the way you do with many other scopes out on the market right now, and everything you see is incredibly crisp.
3 Awesome Reticle Options…
The Vortex Razor 1-6 comes in 3 reticle options…
The first option is called the JM-1 BDC. This reticle is really cool because it was actually designed by Jerry Miculek and it’s built to be simple and fast.
If you’ve never heard of Jerry Miculek, he’s a legendary competition shooter, and he’s a guy I like to listen to when I’m trying to make improvements to my own shooting.
Anyway, the JM-1 BDC is what he uses on his competition AR-15s, and I personally think it’s an awesome reticle.
The center of the reticle is a red dot which can be used (when the scope is on 1 power) in a similar way to a red dot sight.
In addition to that, it has a built-in bullet drop compensator (or BDC) which allows you to range out to 600 yards very quickly.
The next 2 reticle options are the VMR-2 (MOA) and the VMR-2 (MRAD)…
Obviously, these reticles are almost the same with the only difference being that one has the features built-in MOA (minute of angle) and the other has the features built-in MRAD (milliradians).
Personally, I prefer using MOA because it’s just what I’m used to with scopes like this, but there are many shooters who prefer the MRAD system.
That all being said, the VMR-2 reticle is great for making windage corrections, range estimations, and estimating holdovers.
Of the 3 options, I recommend going with the JM-1 BDC reticle because I think it’s functional and fast, and I think it’s cool that Jerry Miculek helped design it.
Magnification And Illumination…
As you probably picked up on, the magnification range on this scope is 1 power to 6 power… I think that’s a great range of magnification for an optic because it gives you a lot of versatility.
You can use it on 1 power for quick shots on targets up close, but also zoom up to 6 power when you need to zero in on small targets in the distance.
In addition to that, this scope uses one CR2032 battery to illuminate the reticle, and I’m happy to report… the illumination gets super bright!
In fact, it’s the brightest I’ve seen on any scope, and honestly, it gets as bright as the reticle on a red dot sight does.
So in my opinion, you can run this scope (when it’s on 1 power) just as fast as you can run a red dot sight because your eye is able to quickly pick up the red dot in the center of the reticle.
Last, this scope gives you the ability to lock the illumination setting on whichever brightness you prefer, which is a cool little feature that I haven’t seen on many other scopes.
Durability And Toughness…
The Vortex Razor 1-6 is a very durable scope. The tube is made from a single block of high-quality aircraft-grade aluminum.
In addition to that, it has a hard-anodized finish that protects the scope from corrosion and also dulls out any glare that might reflect off of the optic.
That might come in pretty handy if you intend to use this scope as a tactical optic on a go-to rifle or as an optic to hunt with, and it’s something that I like.
The lens on the Razor is protected by what Vortex calls Armortek coatings. These coatings make the glass super tough and help protect against scratches.
I also really like the windage and elevation turrets on this scope. To start off with they’re capped, and they sit relatively low.
They also lock in place which means you have a good chance of holding zero even if they get bumped or knocked around a little bit.
Last, the razor is waterproof, fogproof, and shockproof. So it can be used in rainy, snowy, or wet conditions without any problems at all, and as I mentioned before, it can handle a few bumps here and there.
All in all, I’m very pleased with the quality and construction of this scope, and if you have any problems Vortex has an amazing lifetime warranty on their products.
Size Of The Scope…
The Vortex Razor is an average-sized low power variable scope. The objective lens is 24mm which helps give you an extremely good field of view.
When the scope is on 1 power, your field of view is about 115 feet (115.2 feet) at a hundred yards, and when the scope is on 6 power, your field of view is about 20 feet (20.5 feet) at a hundred yards.
In addition to that, the razor has a 30mm tube, which is what I prefer for a scope like this, and the eye relief is very generous.
It’s set at 4 inches which is actually a ton of eye relief, and that allows you a lot of leeway when you’re trying to mount this scope in the perfect position on your rifle.
The scope also has a very forgiving eye box which is great because it means you can use this scope to shoot from awkward shooting positions such as shooting under a barricade or shooting around a car.
The length of the scope is 10.1 inches which is average for a 1-6 low power variable optic, and the weight is 25.2 ounces.
To be honest, that’s a little bit chunky but considering the glass quality and ruggedness of this scope, I give it a pass for being slightly heavier than some other options.
Scope Accessories…
Included with the vortex razor, you get one CR2032 battery… so you’ll be able to run the illumination on your scope immediately.
You also get a lens cloth which you can use to safely wipe down the lenses on your scope. That said, you will need to pick up a mount to be able to use the scope on your rifle.
I recommend using the Aero Precision Ultralight Mount which is my personal favorite mount right now.
As the name implies, it’s a very lightweight scope mount which is good because this optic is a little heavier than some others…
…but it’s also a pretty tough mount that will hold up and keep your scope very secure.
Another accessory you might want to add to this scope is a throw lever. A throw lever allows you to switch from 1 to 6 power (and back) very quickly because it gives you more leverage when adjusting the magnification power ring on your scope.
If you decide to add a throw lever I recommend SV-3 Switch View Throw Lever from Vortex because it will fit this scope perfectly.
Pros And Cons…
Pros
- Insanely clear glass
- Awesome reticle options
- Super bright illumination
- Durable Construction
- Lifetime Warranty
Cons
- A little bit heavy (but not too bad)
- Its a premium optic with a premium price tag (if you’re looking for a great optic with a lower price tag check out the Vortex Viper)
Vortex Razor 1-6 Review – Final Thoughts…
In conclusion, I think the Vortex Razor 1-6×24 is an amazing low powered variable optic…
- The lens clarity is pretty much unmatched
- The reticles are awesome (you can get the one used by Jerry Miculek!)
- And the illumination is so bright it can be used like a red dot sight
To me, it’s pretty easy to see why so many people are singing the praises of this optic… So if you’re looking for a premium 1-6 rifle scope, I don’t think you can beat it.