Binoculars are complex products which require passion and time to understand. The number of varieties you can choose from and the amount of specifications you must consider would be pretty overwhelming.
Even if you are a survival enthusiast, I thought it would be worthwhile to look into binoculars. Most preppers are well-aware that they must
Since there are so many variations in the market, I thought it would be helpful to make comparisons between 2 products. In this article, it would be between the Vortex Optics Crossfire II and the Vortex Optics Diamondback.
Vortex is one of the best gun accessory manufacturer in America, and the company is rapidly growing. The products which Vortex has come up with are high-quality, greatly affordable and are effective too.
The comparisons would be primarily based on how it performed, rather than what is it made of. This is because most binoculars are made from different materials, but they may perform with almost the same effectiveness.
| Product Image | Product | Price | Configuration | Weight | Lenses | Eye Relief | Fast Focus Eyepiece | Benefits |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
  | Vortex Optics Crossfire II Riflescope | Check Price on Amazon | 4-12×44 | 1.1 pounds | Anti-reflective and fully multi-coated lenses | Long eye relief | Yes | Perfect for scouting activities and in-door practice for air rifle. Works better for shorter range scope. |
  | Vortex Diamondback Riflescope | Check Price on Amazon | 4-12×40 | 1.35 pounds | Fully multi-coated lenses | Short eye relief | Yes | Suitable for scoping long- range shot (100 yards and above) and on-the-go hunting. |
Vortex Optics Crossfire II Riflescope
Introduction – The Vortex Optics Crossfire II Binoculars is known to be one of the best rifle scopes for hunting. The full name of the binoculars is the Crossfire II 4-12×44 BDC (MOA) Riflescope (CF2-31015).
This riflescope is built for both hunters and shooters alike. It’s made for Tactical Shooting. You won’t be disappointed with the high level of performance and reliability which this rifescope can deliver.
Configuration – In the Crossfire II lines, there are many configurations for the binoculars. One of it is the 4-12×44 Crossfire II riflescope.
If you are using these binoculars for hunting, make sure that the reticle is the Dead-Hold BDC reticle which is excellent for hunting or shooting at a number of ranges.
Characteristics
Scope’s Dimension – It has a volume of 14.4 inches x 3.1 inches x 2.6 inches.
Weight – The total weight of the scope is 1.1 pounds.
Lenses – The lenses are anti-reflective and fully multi-coated. They are capable of providing the user a bright and clear view of the surroundings.
Scope Turrets – The capped reset turrets are finger adjustable with MOA clicks that will be able to reset to 0 after sighting in.
Body of the Scope – The body of the scope is a single piece tube that is constructed from aircraft grade aluminum. This can help ensure that the binoculars has high strength and it’s shockproof.
The body would be sturdy too as it is a hard anodized single-piece aircraft-grade aluminum tube.
Features
Long eye relief – The Vortex Optics Crossfire II Binoculars come with a long eye relief and a really forgiving eye box.
Fast focus eyepiece – The binoculars will allow you to be able to quickly get your sight picture and acquire your target. The binocular’s fast focus eyepiece will allow you to quickly and easily focus the reticles.
Resettable MOA Turrets – A resettable turret allows you to make visual reference on a non-target scope. The turret lets you visually confirm the adjustments especially if you have a ballistic chart geared to that load.
The adjustment turrets are calibrated to the cross hairs and not to the external frame of the scope.
Dead-Hold BDC MOA Reticle – We have a customized dot design which helps with eliminating guesswork for holdover and windage corrections. This feature will be useful if you shoot at varying ranges, where estimating holdover is one of the main concerns.
There are even second focal plane reticles that are located near the scope’s eyepiece, behind the image erecting and magnifying lenses. With this reticle, it does not visually change in size when you vary the magnification. With the Second Focal Plane reticles, the objects which you see always maintain the same appearance.
Waterproof and Fogproof – The body of the Crossfire II riflescope is O-ring sealed and it is purged with nitrogen. There will not be any form of water vapour forming on the scope.
Drawbacks
Do not use this as a scout style rifle – This scope is excellent for shooters, but it is not made for scouting. This model only has an eye relief of 3.9 inches. If you use a higher magnification, the riflescope may not be able to maintain a clear view when you are on higher magnification.
If you are looking to do scouting, you should opt for the Vortex crossfire II model CF2-31002, which has a magnification x objective lens of 2 – 7 x 32 (Scout). This model has an eye relief of 9.75 inches, which is specifically made for a forward mounted scope with longer eye relief.
Image may be poor at further range – An image fixed at 100 yards may be rather poor. You may need to add some modifications to the scope to fix this. For example, you can use spaltterburst targets to help with it. Alternatively, you can try adjusting the eye relief to clear up the ‘fuzzy’ target.
My thoughts
Vortex did a great job in manufacturing the Vortex Optics Crossfire II Riflescope. The eye box and eye relief may be great, but this scope may not fair too well for long-range targets.
For this price, I am sure you will pleasantly surprised at how well this scope can function.
Vortex Diamondback Riflescope
Introduction – The full name for this rifle scope is the Vortex Optics Diamondback 4-12×40 Second Focal Plane Riflescope. Just like the Vortex Optics Crossfire II Riflescope, the Vortex Diamondback Riflescope is one of the multiple configurations in the Diamondback lineup.
Purpose – If you are looking for a riflescope for big game hunting, varmint hunting or even shoot in the long-range, you can opt for the Vortex Diamondback Riflescope.
Characteristics
Riflescope Volume – The volume of the riflescope is 9.1 inches x 9.1 inches x 9.1 inches.
Riflescope Weight – The weight of the riflescope is 1.35 pounds.
Lenses – The lenses are fully multi-coated, where they should be capable of giving crystal clear and bright images even in different lighting conditions. This means that you should be able to see clearly in different lighting conditions.
Body of Scope – The body of the riflescope is made from a solid one-piece tube with a hard anodized finish. This helps make the riflescope shockproof and durable too.
Features
Uses the Dead-Hold BDC reticle – The Dead-Hold BDC reticle is excellent if you want to hunt or shoot at varying ranges, where estimating hold-over would be one of the main concerns.
Fast Focus eyepiece – The fast focus eyepiece allows the user to have fast and easy reticle focusing.
Metal Precision Turrets – The metal on the metal precision turrets allows you to zero reset after you sight-in. There is even a precision glide erector system which helps ensure accurate tracking and repeatability.
Fogproof and Waterproof – The riflescope is O-ring sealed and it is purged with argon. With this, the riflescope should be fogproof and waterproof.
Dead-Hold BDC MOA Reticle – This reticle is a customized dot design which is meant to help you eliminate guesswork on holdover and windage corrections.
This reticle is really helpful if you would like to hunt or shoot at varying ranges, where estimating holdover is a concern.
The Second Focal Plane (SFP) reticles are located near the scope’s eyepiece, which is behind the image erecting and magnifying lenses. Similar to the Vortex Optics Crossfire II Riflescope, this reticle helps you ensure that there are no visual changes in size when there is a change in magnification.
My Thoughts
The Vortex Diamondback Riflescope is definitely the classic go-to hunting scope. The image quality and build quality are really good. To top it off, the riflescope has turrets and fast-focus eyepiece which makes it really easy to use.
With the riflescope, you should be able to sight-in easily. It is definitely one of the top picks.
Vortex Crossfire vs Diamondback Riflescope
Look and Feel of the Riflescope – Both riflescopes are machined in the same location and are made with almost the same materials. The looks of both riflescopes are highly similar. Not much comparisons can be made in this aspect.
Size – The Size of the Diamondback Riflescope is bigger, where it has a volume of 9.1 inches x 9.1 inches x 9.1 inches.
As compared to the Vortex Crossfire, it has a volume of 14.4 inches x 3.1 inches x 2.6 inches.
Weight – The weight of the Diamondback Riflescope is heavier, which weighs 1.35 pounds. The Vortex Crossfire weighs less, which has a total of 1.1 pounds.
Since the weight of the riflescope plays a huge role in determining how efficient the riflescope is, I would recommend that you spend more time to consider this. If the gun weighs heavier, it would be harder to aim at an object without external assistance.
Lenses – The Lenses for both scopes are both really good. But, the Diamondback slightly has an edge over the Crossfire II because it gives better optical clarity and brightness.
Also, the Diamondback tend to fair better for situations of scoping long-range (such as 100 yards and above). The Vortex Crossfire tend to be worse for scoping long-range because of the poorer image quality that it projects.
Durability – Both of the Diamondback and Crossfire II are made from anodized aluminium. Both are equally solid and should be able to withstand a beating.
Overall Comparison – The Vortex Crossfire II is more suitable if you are doing sniper activity, which is a situation where longer eye relief will give you an edge. It’s definitely suitable if you use it for indoor practice for your air rifle.
The Diamondback is more suitable for situations when you are hunting on the go. It should be able to acquire target much faster and better even when you are moving.
Concluding Thoughts
I hope that this comprehensive review and comparison gave you an idea of which is the better riflescope. It really depends on your personal preference, budget and overall feel you have towards the riflescopes. I do hope that the comparison helped clear some doubts as to which riflescope you should purchase.