gen III Archives

Introduction

When I first saw the Vortex Razor HD Gen III 1-10, it was in that sexy marketing video you probably saw too. If I remember right, it was mounted on a precision carbine, kind of like a DMR rifle. Thus was born a quest for a perfect little DMR rifle wearing the 1-10 LPVO for a sight. This scope has moved down a chair as the new AMG 1-10 LPVO has recently been released. I’ll get to that one as soon as I can, but for today lets take a look at the Gen 3 version.

The Vortex Razor HD Gen III 1-10

host rifle the Desert Tech WLVRN, under that **Cole-TAC Python cover** is a **YHM Fat Cat suppressor**

Part of the allure for me of the Vortex Razor HD Gen III 1-10 is that its not just a low power variable optic (LPVO). With a maximum power of 10X, this scope can be used for reasonably distant engagements. Shooting even out to a kilometer can be done well with 10X. So having a medium carbine rifle that can engage targets at fifty-yards and as far as a thousand sounds enticing.

The Razor’s 34mm tube gives it a great deal of internal movement as well, making corrective travel of the erector pretty broad. The turrets are capped, but are easily adjusted should you wish to dial corrections for distant shots.

Vortex Optics, Razor HD, Gen 3, gen III, 1-10x24, ffp, lpvo, unboxing, box,

Illumination on the reticle is solely on the circle around the center. This translates to a bright red dot when the scope is at 1X, as much of the reticle detail is to fine to see at that power. But when the scope is zoomed into 10X, there is a great deal of reticle detail. This allows you to use holdover and wind corrections should you wish.

Aside from the scope itself, the Razor comes with a sunshade, battery, tools and manuals. All in a very nice package. Also, this scope came with Vortex’s Switchview throw lever.

Specifications

Magnification	1-10x
Objective Lens Diameter	24 mm
Focal Plane	First Focal Plane
Reticle	EBR-9 BDC (MOA)
Eye Relief	3.6″
Field of View	116.0′ – 11.7′ @100 yds
Turret Style	Capped
Tube Size	34mm
Adjustment Graduation	1/4 MOA
Travel Per Rotation	25 MOA
Max Elevation Adjustment	120 MOA
Max Windage Adjustment	120 MOA
Parallax Setting	150 yds.
Length	10.1″
Weight	21.5 oz

Vortex Optics, Razor HD, Gen 3, gen III, 1-10x24, ffp, lpvo, zro delta,

Mounting The Razor

I used a Zro Delta cantilever 34mm mount to install the Razor HD on top of my Desert Tech WLVRN. This allowed perfect eye relief and use of the picatinny sight rail on the receiver. Setting the throw-lever to the right spot was helpful to avoid it colliding with anything on the rifle.

After torquing everything down, opened up the rifle so I could do a little boresight job on it. This was quick and dirty as I knew I could easily correct it at the range.

Vortex Optics, Razor HD, Gen 3, gen III, 1-10x24, ffp, lpvo, desert tech, wlvrn,

On the Range

I’ve shot quite a bit with my WLVRN, so once I got the Razor zeroed it was a simple matter of seeing how everything else matched up. I zeroed the scope at 100-hundred yards on 10X, before shooting a couple groups to confirm.

A couple of my first immediate notations were how clean the image was through this scope. The optical clarity is fantastic, adding some definition to everything I looked at. The Switchview throw-lever was incredibly handy, dare I say a must have. I wish I had it on the 1-6 Razor I recently reviewed. I spent quite a bit of time changing magnification between different targets.

We also did a little bit of long-range shooting out in the desert, I say long-range but it was only with 5.56 55-grain ammo so really I wasn’t shooting much past four or five-hundred yards. It was certainly enough that I needed to make corrections and for that the Razor’s turrets were incredibly handy. I did notice though how much I would have preferred adjustable parallax.

Switching Host Rifles

The Razor HD might be a little much scope for a 22, but I don’t care. I figured it would give additional opportunity and perspective to shoot with the scope. So I mounted it to a Desert Tech Trek 22 rifle, a bullpup clone of the Ruger 10/22 outfitted with an Anechoic Anechox 22 suppressor.

Vortex Optics, Razor HD, Gen 3, gen III, 1-10x24, ffp, lpvo, — for a change, I also mounted the razor to a **Desert Tech Trek 22** (a 10/22 clone) seen here with an **Anechox 22 can**

The rimfire routine gave much opportunity to use the scope at closer distances obviously. The sharp imagery of the Razor HD made picking apart targets quite fun, and the detail of the reticle came in handy for holding corrections at distances you normally wouldn’t.

I found that with the illumination on at 1X the scope was essentially like a red dot. With only the center circle illuminated at 1X the rest of the reticle is practically invisible. But when you zoom into the higher magnification all those details of the EBR-9 reticle become sharp and handy.

Vortex Optics, Razor HD, Gen 3, gen III, 1-10x24, ffp, lpvo,reticle, ebr-9, mrad, — Here you can see the EBR-9 reticle at around 5X and 10X, you can even see Delta Airlines in the background. DISCLAIMER: images through the scope almost always look better than the camera can show.

Optical Performance

I already mentioned the optics on this scope are great. Even as the daylight wain, I was surprised how good the picture was through this scope. The larger lenses and 34mm tube surely have something to do with good light transmission. This came as no surprise really, as Vortex Razors are well known for their quality glass and robust durability. People far harder on them than I and they are still kicking.

Usability

There is very little to mark against this scope when it comes to useability. In fact there is only one thing I would change, and that is adjustable parallax. Maybe I’m the only one who likes engaging far targets with LPVO’s, but it feels like a crime for this scope to not have adjustable parallax. I felt like I could easily engage targets at some pretty significant distances, I even did. But I really like the ability to refine the focus and parallax at those distances.
Other than that, the controls on the Gen III Razor HD are fantastic. The perfect amount of resistance on the control surfaces and the throw lever was the icing on the cake. I like the locking illumination control, preventing unwanted shifting of the knob. And the turrets are of course both classy and compact.

Value

The MSRP for this scope is not for the faint of heart, coming in at $4000.00. Luckily Vortex’s exorbitant prices are greatly tempered by retailers. It can be had at places like Optics Planet for $2190 which is much more reasonable. Which is within a hundred bucks of other great options like the Eotech Vudu 1-10. Obviously how much you want to pay depends on you and your budget, but you often get what you pay for in the optics market.

Vortex Optics, Razor HD, Gen 3, gen III, 1-10x24, ffp, lpvo, turrets, illumination, — both the turrets and illumination control are very precise and high quality

Closing Thoughts

As I expected, the Vortex Optics Razor HD Gen III is a 1-10 that I could run indefinitely. It has outstanding clarity and definition, a great history of robust service, and service from a company that cares for its customers. Little things like an included sunshade are also very nice. All in all the features on this scope make for an excellent weapon sight for anyone looking to to be accurate from close to medium ranges. It would be a great scope for an accurized carbine, or what all the kids call a DMR or RECCE rifle. It fits right into my collection of excellent LPVO options, maybe it will fit into yours?

-CBM

Click here to look at other LPVO options?

Introduction

It would be hard to have a conversation about modern sport and shooting optics without mentioning Vortex Optics. Few companies have done more to bring the features shooters want at a reasonable cost than the folks at Vortex. I remember when I was much younger, getting my first Vortex PST riflescope with a serial number of 000004. My experience with that scope and many others since have solidified my opinion of the product line. Today we are taking a look at a new to me rifle scope from company, the Vortex Optics Gen III Razor 6-36×56.

Vortex Optics, Razor Gen III, gen III, Vortex Razor, 6-36x56, Desert Tech, SRS M2, 338LM, Two vets Tripod, — the **Desert Tech SRS M2** and Gen III Razor mounted on the **Two Vets No Name V2 Tripod**

With a wide variety of optics from inexpensive scopes made in China to top notch scopes made in Japan, there is something for everyone. The extremely successful line of Vortex Razors has long held the standard as the most desireable Vortex optic to have. I’ve used the Gen I, Gen II and now the Gen III scopes, and I’m excited to share my results.

The Third Generation Razor

The evolution of the Razor line has brought a great deal of advancement. Whether it be the reticle options or the mechanical features, Vortex has put their best options into the Razor line. Built on a robust 34mm tube, the Razor 6-36 boasts a massive erector assembly with a first focal plane EBR-7D reticle.

Ten MRAD per revolution of the turrets gives the Gen II Razor quite the spread with maximum elevation travel of 36 MRAD. The locking turrets have a very interesting zeroing feature that makes for quick and precise zeroing of the turret without the disassembly typically needed. Standard features like illuminated reticle and a side focus/parallax adjustment round out the operation of the Razor.

To increase value, there are other included accessories as well like the typical sunshade, Defender rubberized flip-caps and an aluminum throw-lever. And of course the tools you’ll need to adjust and zero the scope.

Specifications

Vortex Optics Gen III Razor 6-36×56
Length	15.3 Inches
Weight	45.1 Ounces
Power Magnification	6-36 X
Tube Diameter	34 Millimeter
Objective lens Diameter	56 Millimeter
Reticle Focal Plane	1st Focal Plane
Turret Click Value	1/10 Milradian
Turret Travel per Rotation	10 Milradian
Total Turret Travel	36.1 Milradian
Eye Relief	3.5 Inches
Reticle	EBR-7D MRAD Glass Etched Reticle
Lenses	XR Coated HD lenses
Battery	Lithium CR2032 cell

On the Range

For testing the Razor Gen III, I would mount it to a Desert Tech SRS M2. The SRS does particularly well in the heavy hitting 338LM, and if the Razor could perform well with a heavy hitter it would certainly do for my day to day shooting.

Mounting

To mount the big Razor, I would use a set of Vortex 34mm rings, just to keep things uniform. Setting the rings on the 30 MOA tapered rail of the SRS would give me the ability to get better use of the Razor’s 36 MRAD of travel.

After leveling the scope, I torqued the screws down to ensure a solid connection. I then pulled the bolt from the rifle so I could boresight the rifle using my toolless method. With the rifle and scope ready for the range, I grabbed some 338 ammo and my Athlon Velocity Pro Chronograph and headed to the range.

Zeroing

The first shot from the rifle was on paper as I expected, but would require refinement. This is where the Gen III turrets would come in very handy. In the tops of each turret there is a finger adjustable sub-turret, basically a turret within a turret. With the simple loosening of a single screw, you can unslave the inner turret from the main outer turret. With clear graduations marked on the end, you can adjust the exact amount needed to zero the rifle. All this while the main turret stays locked on zero.

Both the elevation and windage turret have a push/pull locking feature. This is a tried and true feature for many manufacturers, and it works well here too.

After zeroing the scope, I fired a few shots to confirm zero. I aimed at the bullet hole from my first shot, and to my great satisfaction, the hole only slightly opened after my second shot. With zero confirmed I figured I would attach the throw-lever to assist in switching back and forth while viewing targets.

Optical Clarity

With the scope mounted and zeroed, I started paying great attention to what I was seeing downrange. It didn’t take long to really appreciate the optical clarity of the Gen III Razor. Using 36X for shooting groups at 100 yards almost seems like cheating, picking which side of a bullet hole I was going to aim at. This of course after adjusting the diopter at the rear of the occular housing.

the EBR-7D reticle, hard to do scope images justice through pictures

Picking out distant objects also assured me of the detail visible through the Razor. The fine points of the EBR-7D reticle allowed very precise measurements and placement on target. This was even more appreciable because of the accuracy of the SRS, making tiny differences apparent on paper. Looking at equipment in the distance you could see details like flaws in paint and textures in welds from great distances.

One thing that was really impressive was how clear the razor was even at max power. Most scopes, even those in the top end of quality suffer varying amounts when they are at maximum magnification. The Razor seemed to be less affected by this phenomenon, as even at max-power it provided a great image.

Pros and Cons

There were only a few things I found that I disliked about the Gen III Razor. First off, it does feel a bit heavy. But that’s a very subjective, this could be seen a good thing for competitors that like adding weight. Ten ounces heavier than some of its competitors.

My one gripe about the turrets was the push/pull locking feature. The click isn’t quite as definite as I would have preferred, certainly not a deal breaker but worth noting.

On the positive side, the Razor is a beast of a scope. It has amazing power and feels like you could drive nails with it. The image and clarity are outstanding, making long-range engagements easier. The turrets are precise and reliable making corrections perfectly, as well as with the reticle. It does all this for less than some of its close competitors like the Nightforce ATACR 7-35 and the Kahles K328i.

Report Card

Optical Performance (A)– the edge to edge clarity at all power settings was beautiful, the bright clear image was sharp at every power setting.

Turret Execution (B+)– very large and strong turrets with positive and audible clicks, very defined for accurate corrections, and bonus points for the zeroing feature.

Reticle (A)– I’ve always liked the EBR reticles, and this one is a perfect blend of versatility without being too obtrusive.

Durability (A)– This scope feels like it’s overbuilt, and made to last like a tank.

Accuracy (A)– Click values and reticle movement are on point, allowing for perfect corrections

Value (A)-With a street price around $2999, the Razor offers comparable performance to the ATACR 7-35 and K328i for significantly less.

Final Thoughts

I’ve always liked the Vortex Optics brand, and the Gen III Razor only gives me more reason to like them. The Razor 6-36×56 might not be what most consider an entry level scope, but it gives a shooter nearly everything you could ask for and at a reasonable price. Whether it be for a PRS competition rifle, or for a police sniper rifle, the Gen III Razor gives the steady and accurate performance you seek.