Introduction
We were delighted when we heard the news of Vortex introducing new riflescopes at IWA 2020. Even though the fair has been postponed, it is obvious from the specifications that the Razor HD LHT series riflescopes are designed for the European hunter. Why? Keep on reading to find out.
Vortex Razor HD LHT – a lightweight companion
After many years of wait, it is here – a Vortex hunting riflescope series with all the features that most European hunters appreciate having. The riflescopes come with a 30mm tube, a hunting reticle in the second focal plane, a lightweight chassis, an illuminated central dot, a useful 5x zoom factor 3–15x magnification range, an open elevation turret with a locking function, and 0.1 MRAD clicks. Just like the other Vortex optics named Razor, these are made in Japan.
Model Range
For now, two models have been introduced:
- 3–15×42 (available with MOA and MRAD clicks)
- 3–15×50 (only available with MRAD clicks)
The 3–15×42 model comes with an HSR-5i reticle in either MOA or MRAD configuration, depending on the click value chosen. The 3–15×50 riflescope is equipped with a G4i BDC reticle (MRAD).
The features of the Razor HD LHT series
LHT stands for Light Hunter Tactical, which describes the series perfectly. These are lightweight hunting riflescopes with some distinctive features of tactical riflescopes.
Both riflescopes are packed with the premium features of the Razor series. They boast great optical performance, with an image sharp from edge to edge. Chromatic aberration is cut to a minimum, and the colour fidelity is on a high level. With XR™ anti-reflective coating applied to the lenses, the light transmission is surprisingly high.
The chassis is made of a single-piece, aircraft-grade aluminium, robust enough to deliver absolute recoil resistance – you can mount it on hard-kicking rifles without fear. The tube measures 30 mm in diameter. 3–15×42 and 3–15×50 weigh 540 and 580 grams, respectively.
Interestingly, these riflescopes feature a locking focus, which means that the dioptre setting is lockable with a reverse locking ring. This feature was common in the past but is quite rare nowadays, used on fewer than 10 % of riflescopes. Anyways, it is useful to have, especially if you are the only user of the riflescope. Once the setting is set optimally and locked in place, you don’t have to worry about accidentally moving the dioptre during a hunt.
The elevation turret is of the tactical type, uncapped, while the windage turret is capped. To prevent unwanted movements of the elevation turret, Vortex implemented the locking function. It is simple to use – to unlock the turret, simply pull it out, and push it back in to lock it in place. Another interesting feature is the new zero stop feature which Vortex calls the RevStop Zero System. The parallax is adjustable and can be set from 20 m to infinity.
These riflescopes are equipped with a central illuminated dot with 10 levels of intensity. The illumination system is cleverly designed and differs from what we are used to having on other riflescopes. There is a button on the parallax turret which you must press for a few seconds to turn the illumination on. Once turned on, use the button to move from level 1 to 10. Once you get to the max. intensity, the dot will flash three times. Pressing the button from this point onwards will decrease the illumination until you get to the lowest level where the reticle flashes again. To turn the illumination off, hold the button for a couple of seconds. The illumination system is powered by a CR2032 battery.
The new LHT riflescopes impress with a generous eye-box which is welcome to have, especially in hectic hunting situations where getting on target quickly is crucial. The eye-box is also impressively wide, giving the impression that the riflescope’s tube is incredibly thin.
Conclusion
These are significantly lighter than all the other current Razor riflescopes in Vortex’s offer. For this reason, they are sure to attract the attention of the hunters looking for great optics. Each buyer gets a Vortex VIP warranty which is a cherry on the cake. Both are already available, priced 1200–1300 € (the model with the bigger objective lens is around 100 € more expensive).
Picture gallery
