Vortex Scopes

Any regular reader of my reviews will know that I rate optics from Wisconsin, USA-based manufacturer Vortex very highly; be it a straightforward, well priced red dot or a top-of-the-line magnified optic, everything they make oozes quality and is backed up by an absolute gem of a warranty. When you’re spending good money on a piece of glass you want to know it’s going to be with you for a considerable time, and the fact that Vortex offer their VIP Warranty which effectively says they will repair or replace your Vortex product in the event it becomes damaged or defective at no charge to you – it doesn’t matter how it happened, whose fault it was, or where you purchased it, means that your outlay is well protected.

I recently had a chance to take a closer look at their excellent Spitfire Prism Scopes; designed specifically for the AR platform (although they are equally at home on any railed platform), the Spitfires combine an impressive array of high-performance features into rugged, ultra-compact packages. When fast target acquisition in close to medium range shooting situations is a priority, the Spitfires excel. Laced with advanced features, the sophisticated prism-based design allows for a more compact optical system without sacrificing optical quality. Selectable red/ green illuminated reticles with five intensity levels to match specific conditions, are etched directly on the prism to assure consistent point-of-aim at all times, regardless of whether or not illumination is engaged.

See The Sights

The 1x and 3x magnification Spitfires benefit from a design that delivers a sharp image and allows for unique reticle designs; the DRT (Dual Ring Tactical) red/green reticle used is etched directly on the prism. They also have multiple anti-reflective coatings on all air-toglass surfaces to increase light transmission.

Both sights have a single-piece chassis which is compact and lightweight, but which is also fully shockproof; the rugged construction withstands both recoil and impact, and they are hard anodized with a durable low-glare matt finish. O-ring seals prevent moisture, dust and debris from penetrating for reliable performance in all environments, and nitrogen gas purging delivers fogproof, waterproof performance.

The sights come mounted at a lower 1/3 co-witness height of 40.4mm from the optic centre to base surface, but by simply removing the mount riser you can lower things to a 30mm mounted height. Adjustable brightness capability provides five levels of intensity with red and green illumination settings, and typical battery life is 250 hours at maximum brightness and 3000 hours at minimum brightness setting.

In the box you get two Picatinny Rails, a 2mm Hex Wrench, a 3mm Hex Wrench, a CR2032 battery and Flip Caps, so you have essentially everything you need from word go. The Spitfires are extremely easy to set-up and once zeroed are quick to come on target; all in all these are tough reliable sights and great value for money.

The Spitfires are on sale in the UK at £236.99 for the 1x and £277.00 for the 3x and if you’re in the market for a new rail mounted sight then I thoroughly recommend you check them out!

For more information on this and the other sights in the Vortex Optics line-up, along with stockist details please visit www. vortexoptics.com and for UK trade enquiries please contact [email protected].