Vortex Viper Problems, Things To Be Aware Of!

The Duo red dot from Vortex called Viper and Venom is not a new name in the industry. They have been part of the community for a long time now. Unfortunately for new buyers, not a lot of people are talking about the cons of buying this optic for their handgun.

So, what are the Vortex Viper red dot problems that you should be aware of? That’s a very good question. Let’s find out the answer together.

The Biggest Problems Of Vortex Viper

While there are several ways of nitpicking the Vortex Viper red dot, these are the problems that I feel like you should absolutely be aware of.

Windage And Elevation Setting

The position of the windage and elevation adjustment buttons are quite nice. While it’s not ergonomic, it’s perfectly fine for tuning the sight to zero every once in a while. And that is where the issue lies.

The sight refuses to zero. This was an issue with the Hex Wasp as well. Which makes it annoying, to say the least. If you are facing a similar issue and know for a fact the mounting is perfect, then you might want to seek a warranty. Windage and elevation should work normally. If it doesn’t, there is something wrong with the optic.

Smaller Field OF View

Compared to Vortex Venom, this one has an even smaller field of view. While I love this sight for how compact it is and how easy it is to focus on the target, it still is quite small.

And there is no other way of sugarcoating it. You either want to get yourself accommodated with the smaller field of view or you want to go for something else with a larger lens.

You Cannot Adjust The Reticle

Which is unfortunate. The Vortex Viper Comes with a 6 MOA red dot reticle. It’s a big and robust reticle size perfect for a handgun. While it allows you for faster target acquisition, you cannot adjust the reticle on your whim.

I can understand that a lot of shooters might want an adjustable reticle or something else totally, but that’s my personal preference. If your personal preference doesn’t match the reticle Viper comes with, then you will look into other options. Simple as that.

Dot Color

A lot of modern dot reticle sights come in green instead of red. Some even dip their toes in other colors such as orange and yellow. But years ago, it was all red everywhere.

If you were looking into Holosun sights and stumbled upon the Viper and thought that it comes with a green dot, you are dead wrong. Just like zero variation of the reticle, the color is also fixed at red. Which is great for some and a bummer for others.

Size

It’s a very compact and lightweight optic suitable for everyday carry. This is a really good thing. I enjoy compact sights a lot and love how fast they are. But the size limits the usability of a sight.

You cannot mount this on an AR or SMG for good measure. You are limited to handguns as smaller sights won’t be able to render targets at medium range properly. So, if you are looking into this sight for anything besides handguns, might as well keep looking for something else.

Battery Life

The stubborn battery life issue strikes here once again. A lot of red dots, and I do mean a lot! Doesn’t deliver what they promise. Some promise 60k, some even 80k hours of battery life. The Viper promises 30k hours on the low setting and they didn’t give an estimate on the high setting.

But unfortunately, some shooters have faced ridiculously low battery life. Some complained they got only a week out of this! That’s unacceptable! Luckily, this issue isn’t common and most of the time it’s an issue due to the battery. If you change the battery it should fix the issue. If it doesn’t, a warranty is the only way.

It Turns Off Automatically

When you are in the zone and just landing all the shots and having fun, all of a sudden your sight says, sike! You would be angry beyond understanding. And I can sympathize with that.

And that’s exactly what some users went through. Their optic just turns off in between shots and then you will need to turn it on again. And when I tried to find out a bit more, some of them said that it was due to poor battery contact and some said the battery and contact were fine.

In that scenario, you can only blame Vortex. They should have been more careful during QC and made sure things like that never happened. But don’t worry, they do have a great warranty service.

Vortex Viper VS Venom Red Dot Sight

Which one is the best? Between the two, it will come down to if you prefer a lighter, more compact, and smaller field of view optic. If you do, then your obvious choice is the Viper.

But if you want a bit larger field of view, then you should go for Venom or Aimpoint Comp M5, Holosun 507k, etc.

Conclusion

While the Viper does a lot of things right, it also does a lot of things wrong. But these Vortex Viper red dot problems don’t make this sight useless or unusable. It’s far from it.

Viper still is one of the best compact and lightweight handgun sights. The value it packs for the price is impeccable. At the end of the day you will need to make compromises and it will depend on whether your compromises are in the favor of Viper or against it.

That’s all for now. Hopefully, your life has fewer problems than the Viper. Jokes aside, I hope to see you on the next one as well. Till then, take care and have fun.