If you are planning on buying a budget riflescope chances are you stumbled upon the Vortex crossfire ii riflescope. Chances are you are also confused why are there so many models, what is the main difference between them! So, sit tight and enjoy the read.
Let me remind you that some of the mentioned model goes out of stock quite often beware of that. You can find these scopes have a reticle between-
- V-Plex
- Dead-Hold BDC
- V-Brite Illuminate.
We are going to take the Vortex Crossfire ii 3-9×40 Plex (MOA) as our core product –
Vortex Crossfire II 3-9X40 Review: Outlooks
Specifications | Magnification: 3 – 9x; Objective Lens: 40 mm; Eye Relief: 3.8 – 4.4 Inches; Exit Pupil: 13.3 – 4.4 mm; Linear FOV @100 yds: 34.1 – 12.6 ft; Length: 12 Inches; Weight: 15 Oz.
Optics Quality
The lenses of Vortex crossfire ii 3-9×40 is fully multi-coated. The lenses went through multiple different kinds of coating. All to ensure that the scope gathers enough light to provide clear images. Which it does tremendously well.
Forgive me for reminding you about the price of the scope every once in a while. Because keeping the budget in mind you can’t nitpick everything.
That aside the lenses actually performs quite good. But on max zoom, as we expected it lacks clarity and focus. The distortion sometimes becomes unbearable. But the image still stays pretty sharp and accurate.
Elevation And Windage
All of 3 optics in the crossfire ii series has capped, low profile, and finger adjustable turrets. All of them also have the zero-reset feature. The dials of crossfire ii turrets are mushy, not clicky at all. You almost can’t hear them locking in.
While performance testing the scope performed quite well. I didn’t expect from the scope to be accurate at 12x and I was right.
If you want a long-range scope that is accurate crossfire ii won’t cut the deal. But if you want a scope that will perform good in mid-range it will nail the coffin just right.
Reticles
Earlier we said the scope can have any of the 3 mentioned reticle. Our one had a Plex (MOA) reticle. Which I should add that I loved very much.
You will find a suitable reticle among them. For a better understanding, we will attach pictures of the reticle. We should add that choosing the pattern should be up to you. No one can determine your choice.
If you don’t feel comfortable with Plex go for BDC no pressure. But satisfy your needs. That is the priority here.
All of the reticle are in the second focal plane (SFP). What can we say, we didn’t expect it to have a First focal plane (FFP) to begin with.
Parallax
All 3 optics have a fixed parallax of 100 yards. All of them are also second focal plane scope. You can adjust the objective and parallax on these models.
- 3-12×56 AO, 30mm tube
- 4-12×40 AO
- 4-12×50 AO
- 4-16X50 AO
- 6-18×44 AO
- 6-24×50 AO, 30mm tube
100 yards of parallax is plenty enough if you don’t shoot at long-range. But if you want a changeable objective then you can opt for any version that we mentioned above.
Why Vortex Crossfire More Than Just A Budget Option?
First thing first have you seen any other company provide you with such a wide variety in a single model? I don’t think I have.
The point is crossfire ii series is not just your go-to budget option. It provides so many options in so many price ranges it’s absurd. You can get one for as cheap as 130$! They go as high as 300$.
Let’s not forget just how much the riflescope technology improved over the decades. A 150$ scope from today can go to toe to toe or beat a 500$ scope from 15-20 years ago.
Pros
- 3 reticles to choose from.
- Zero resettable turrets.
- Vortex’s lifetime warranty.
- Capped turrets.
- Fully weatherproof.
- Fast focus eyepiece.
Cons
- Low light performance is not that good.
- The lenses don’t hold in high magnification.
- Turrets almost have no audible clicky sound.
Vortex Crossfire II 3-9X40 Review Summary
The variety of this scope is out of charts. There is one version that suits a certain kind of person. Hunters and range shooters alike everyone has their preference and Vortex got them all covered.
If you are under the 300$ budget for a scope Vortex crossfire ii is an excellent choice.
We found that the differences between them are not that much. All features the same technical specifications. Except they vary in sizes depending on the model and vary on objective lens diameter.