Vortex Venom vs Viper

Thinking about buying a new scope? Not sure which one to choose? If so, you've come to the right place.

This article compares two of the newest optic devices on the market.

As you read along, you want to consider each scope's pros and cons based on the firearm that you carry and what you use it for.

What is a Vortex Scope?

Vortex scopes are made by Vortex Optics. The company designs high-quality firearm optics devices and sells them at different price levels, which makes them affordable for most firearms enthusiasts.

Vortex Optics recently introduced a couple of flagship products, 'the Viper' and 'the Venom', into the red dot sights market.

Both of them have red dots that make it easier to aim at your target, various brightness levels, and prolonged battery lives. The two scopes are also conveniently light.

Nonetheless, each of the Viper and the Venom has its own uses, advantages, and disadvantages. That is to say that while one of them could be suitable for certain purposes and in specific settings, the other may not be.

You should consider how this will impact you based on your specific needs and preferences.

About the Vortex Viper

First of all, here are the main characteristics of the Vortex Viper:

Battery Life: These devices utilize a single CR2032 battery. The battery's life lasts for a maximum of 30,000 hours and 150 hours on the lowest and highest power settings, respectively.
Brightness: The dot has multiple brightness levels that you can adjust. As mentioned above, its battery's lifespan is 150 hours on the highest power setting and 30,000 on the lowest one.
Dot Features: The Vortex Viper has a small red dot for sight. The central dot's minutes of angle (MOA) is 6. Apart from that, there isn't anything else that's on the reticle.
Dot Size: For a fast target acquisition, the Vortex Viper has 6-MOA dots.
Max Elevation Adjustment: The maximum adjustment for elevation is 120 MOA.
Max Windage Adjustment: In the same vein, the maximum windage adjustment is 120 MOA.

The Vortex Viper's characteristics make it particularly suitable for handguns. However, some of its features might not work well with certain devices or shooting activities.

Pros and Cons of the Vortex Viper

Just as with any other gun scope, the Vortex Viper functions in a great manner when it's deployed in the appropriate environment, but it also has its own shortcomings.

You may want to keep these pros and cons in mind as you decide on whether or not to purchase this optical tool.

Pros

Firstly, the following are some of the main advantages that Vortex Viper users enjoy:

Brightness: You can pick between multiple light-intensity levels. To adjust the brightness, all you have to do is press the up and down arrows on the side of the device.
Speed: Thanks to the Vortex Viper's 6-MOA red dot diameter, you can quickly acquire your target. Additionally, this highly-effective tool is simple, small, and doesn't weigh much.
Weight: The device's lightness makes it convenient to transport and carry around. It weighs a mere 1.03 ounces, which is less than a tenth of a pound.

In short, these pros make the Vortex Viper especially ideal for handguns. Yet, you could still attach it to rifles and other types of firearms.

Cons

The most noteworthy downside to this optical tool is that it only allows you to zoom in at a distance of 25 to 50 yards. It is inefficient for aiming at a target that's farther than that since the red dot becomes big enough to block it.

As mentioned earlier, you could mount the Vortex Viper on your rifle. With that being said, Vortex Optics has visual gadgets that are more suitable for rifles and long-range shooting.

About the Vortex Venom

The Vortex Venom is another device that's offered by Vortex Optics. It has the following attributes:

Battery Life: Just as with the Vortex Viper, the Vortex Venom's battery life ranges between 150 and 30,000 hours, depending on the power level that you set it on.
Brightness: It has 10 different brightness modes.
Dot Features and Size: The Vortex Venom's has a 3-MOA dot. In comparison to the Viper, the Venom's smaller dot size doesn't block your target from longer distances (up to 100 yards). However, this means that aiming at an object isn't as quick and easy as it is with the Viper.
Max Elevation Adjustment: 130 MOA.
Max Windage Adjustment: 100 MOA.
Weight and Compactness: The Vortex Venom is very compact and only weighs 1.1 ounces (or 0.07 pounds).

If you are looking for an optical tool to attach to your rifle, the Vortex Venom should be one of your main options.

Nonetheless, it may not work well for shooting at targets that are more than 100 yards away.

Pros and Cons of the Vortex Venom

There are several advantages and disadvantages to using this firearm optic.

Pros

The Vortex Venom is a great tool for the following reasons:

It has 10 brightness levels that you can adjust.
The device is light and compact. You could seamlessly mount it on your rifle or carry it with you.
Rifle owners are able to aim at objects from a distance of 50 to 100 yards without compromising the accuracy of their view or shooting precision.
The small dot size doesn't block targets that are far away.

Having said that, some of the Vortex Venom's pros can also act as downsides.

Cons

Although the small dot size allows you to point at distant targets, the dot, in of itself, might be hard to see.

Another disadvantage to using a Vortex Venom is that its target acquisition is slow. This is because pinpointing a 3-MOA dot towards an object is more difficult and time-consuming than doing so with a bigger 6-MOA dot.