The CRPS & ORPS production division is a great place to compete and not have to worry about gear breaking your budget. One scope that has hit the market a few years ago that caught a bit of attention is the Vortex Diamondback Tactical. Due to some recent changes to scope classifications in the production class for 2019, this scope is now “production-approved.”
For the purpose of this article, we will be reviewing the 3-9×40 model in SFP (Second Focal Plane).
Features
- Exposed Target Turrets w/ Zero Reset
- Multi-Coated XD lens
- Nitrogen Purged
- Fast Focus Eye Piece
- Fibre Optic Radius Bar
- Turret Rotation Indicator Lines
Reticle
The Diamondback Tactical that we are reviewing features the VMR-1 reticle. It features graduated hash marks on both the horizontal and vertical cross hair lines to aid you with your “hold overs”.
Elevation
On paper the scope features 80 MOA of elevation, but my personal scope has 76 MOA of adjustment. To my knowledge this is not unusual, for some cases some scopes have slightly more or slightly less adjustment than advertised.
Glass
The clarity on the glass is very crisp and has good contrast. I have used this scope on my centerfire rifle out to 550m without any issues in clarity at full zoom. It is good glass for this price point. The clarity is better than the Cabela’s Covenant Tactical we reviewed in a previous blog post
Turrets
The turrets have a solid tactile “click” to them paired with a mildly audible “click”. It also feature a red fiber optic bead to indicate your “zero” mark. this can be quite useful when dialing multiple targets on an intricate stage.
Overall Build Quality
The overall build quality of this scope is on par with other scopes in this price point. it feels solid and is likely to give you many years of service. Speaking of which, one of the biggest things Vortex has going for them is the “Vortex VIP Warranty” program. It is essentially an “no questions asked” type of warranty.
Warranty – Personal Experience
I can personally attest to the fantastic service provided by Vortex Canada. I personally owned two Vortex scope. My first scope was a Crossfire Scout 2-7x. I had crushed the main tube because, unknown to me, when you add Loctite to your ring screws, it can throw off the torque reading. My scope had stopped tracking properly and the zero began to drift. I contacted Vortex Canada. they replaced it free of charge, no questions asked. I sold that rifle and scope combo.
Because of the great service, I did not hesitate to go out and buy the current scope we are reviewing. It was sitting on a centerfire rifle I had built, and then was going to be on a production rifle I had (Marlin XT22) last year, but due to its MSRP it would have bumped me up into “Open Division”. So I had opted to compete with a borrowed Bushnell Tactical fixed 10x.
This Scope has found a home in a set of low height Nikon A Series rings that sit on my Savage MKII Open Class Rifle.
This particular model is discontinued, but still available on many retailer’s shelves. It’s replacement, the new Diamonback Tactical FFP, has added onto the already great feature list. It has adjustable parallax and first focal plane. There is an upcharge for these new features so be aware.