TESTED: Vortex Viper HD 3-15x44 Riflescope

Deer season is upon us and, like many folks, I’m changing riflescopes. After decades of hunting the Appalachian mountains, I’ll be staking out a lowland farm this year, and I’m adding a little more reach than what I previously had. That addition is the new Vortex Viper HD 3-15×44 SFP scope with the VMR-3 reticle.

Vortex did offer the scope for testing, which coincided nicely with my change of hunting venue. It also eased my decision-making process considerably since I could run it ahead of time. But the scope still had to perform. And perform it did, meaning it will be on a rifle for opening day. Let’s take a look at the Viper HD, how it works, and why it made the cut.

Vortex Viper HD 3-15×44 SFP Riflescope Features

The Viper’s 30mm tube has a bit more heft than the 1-inch model it replaced, but it also gives me more travel and supports a slightly larger objective lens than what I had. The increased magnification and larger objective lens may well cancel each other out when it comes to light transmission, but I tested it at dusk, and it gives me all the light I need for early morning or late afternoon shots. The illuminated reticle doesn’t hurt either. More on that in a moment.

The 3-15x magnification is plenty for where I’ll be hunting, and the anti-reflective coated glass is very clear. The HD system offers excellent resolution, reduced chromatic aberration, color-fidelity, and edge-to edge sharpness and light transmission.

The lenses also feature an ultra-hard, scratch-resistant ArmorTek coating for extra protection. The tube is argon gas-purged and O-ring sealed for all-weather performance. Being an old-timer, that’s important to me. I recall hunting in the 1970s and 80s without that all-weather protection. My dad insisted that we hunt in the rain, and it’s a good thing my Marlin 336 had see-through scope mounts because my K-Mart All Pro scope was constantly fogged up. I still have those same mounts on that same rifle. I have the scope too. It still works, but it’s been retired.

The housing is machined from a single block of aircraft-grade aluminum for maximum strength and durability. The Viper HD also features a corrosion and wear resistant matte anodized finish that also reduces glare and reflection.

The Controls

The fast-focus eyepiece dials in your target quickly and easily. This version of the Viper HD riflescope has an adjustable parallax knob to set the parallax exactly where it works for you. Once you set it, the scope will be parallax-free outside 20 yards. The magnification ring is firm, but not difficult to manipulate. The grip serrations make it responsive even in slippery conditions.

The Viper HD 3-15×44 SFP is only available in MOA, so the adjustment turrets reflect those values. The elevation turret is exposed for quick adjustments, while the windage turret is capped. Both dials are tactile with audible clicks. Each click is ¼ MOA. The dials are also serrated for a positive grip. I should note that the Viper HD instruction manual says the 3-15×44 model comes with a capped elevation turret, but this is erroneous. My scope’s elevation turret is not capped and is obviously not meant to be.

Finally, the scope includes the optional Vortex RevStop Zero System, which facilitates a quick return to zero after adjustments in the field. You can install or not, as you choose.

The Reticle

The VMR-3 illuminated reticle is precise while also being elegantly simple. I appreciate that. I neither want nor need a busy reticle on a hunting scope. The simple crosshair is subdivided by 2 MOA hashmarks, with a user-activated red dot in the center. The dot has 10 brightness settings, or you can choose not to use it at all. An easy-to-reach button on the left-hand turret activates the illumination and controls the brightness.

The Viper HD 3-15×44 is a Second Focal Plane (SFP) scope. That means that the reticle’s MOA adjustment hashmarks are only accurate at maximum magnification. On the other hand, the crosshairs and hashmarks will remain the same size no matter how you set the magnification, unlike a First Focal Plane model.

Range Time

The Viper HD 3-15×44 mounted easily, and we were soon off to the range. The responsive controls helped us zero quickly. Not wanting to overheat the barrel, we’ve actually taken three range trips to fire 40 rounds. Luckily, we had other business at the range, so it wasn’t a big deal. I normally wouldn’t fire nearly that many rounds zeroing and confirming a scope, but I needed more for this review, so there you go. Those extra rounds were made possible by the generous sponsorship of Ammo to Go.

The 3-15x magnification may be a little much for the .257 Roberts-chambered Remington 700 it rides on, but the 117-grain Hornady Superformance SST ammo gives the old girl some extra velocity and range. That’s what we zeroed with and that’s the ammo that will go to the field. The magnification wasn’t a problem zeroing at 100 yards and mapping out to 200. We had no trouble finding targets out to our expected range when it’s for real. It’ll be fine. Maybe not textbook, but I don’t really do textbook anyway. I do what feels right to me and this feels right. It’s worked since 1976, so I don’t see me changing now.

Final Thoughts

I’m excited about this new Vortex Viper scope. I just like it. The controls are easily manipulated, the glass is clear, and the reticle does what I want without a bunch of stuff I don’t. The construction is solid, so I don’t worry about possibly knocking it around just a bit in the woods. Even if I won’t be in the woods quite as much as I usually am this year.

Shooting the Vortex Viper HD 3-15x44 Riflescope

The Remington 700 Classic rifle I paired it with was my dad’s favorite deer rifle, and I like using it when I can. This scope is a clear upgrade over the old Redfield he used 30 years ago, which I’m just now getting around to replacing. Vortex makes quality optics, and I think this scope is no different. I’m confident that, as long as I do my part, this Viper HD scope will help me put venison in the freezer this fall. What more can I ask?