A friend would like the setup I have with a Docter sight in an offset mount on a precision rifle (see below), but would also like something less expensive. The same mounting system can evidently be used with the Burris “Fastfire” or the Vortex “Venom” or “Viper.” What do people think of those three sights? I gather that the primary difference between the two Vortex sights is size—correct?

The biggest difference in the Vortex sights is that one uses a 2032 and the other uses a smaller hard to find battery. Buy the one that uses the 2032!

I've had one of each and have had zero problems with either. They IMHO very good sights for the money and everyone brags about Vortex warrantee. I personally would choose them over Doctor and most other similar sites other than the much more expensive Trijicon RMR. Where would you send a Doctor optic if it breaks?

I've bought a Docter for Vortex prices from CDNN before. I've seen Leupold Deltapoints for great deals too and recently scored two extra RMR's when Cabela's was blowing them out for $260ish.

Can't go wrong with a Burris FF if budget is a concern.

I have a Venom and so far it works pretty well. Mounting options specific to the Venom are somewhat limited if one isn't using a M1913 as a starting point. However mounts designed for the Burris Fastfire II/III are supposed to be compatible though I haven't tried them myself.

I have a Venom and it works well - I've used in on a Ruger MKII for bullseyes and it's now on my SCAR 17 in an offset mount with a Nightforce 2.5-10x as primary, very similar setup to yours but with an AADMOUNT scope mount and offset ring.

I had a vortex viper on a glock 34... after about 1000 rounds, it developed the dot flicker which is common in the open bottom battery mount dots. It might be fine for a rifle, but I upgraded to deltapoint pros on my pistols and have zero complaints thus far.

To your original question, the viper is smaller than the venom. It used to be the dot size was different, not sure if it is on the street yet, but a 6moa venom is coming... used to be only 3moa. I prefer the 6. The other big difference is that the locking screws on the viper make it problematic to adjust and run a sight behind the dot... again, not a problem on a rifle but a legit PITA on a pistol. The venom battery mounts from the top. Viper from the bottom. Venom *should* have less issues with dot flicker nor do you have to remove the dot to put a new battery in it. This is a value add in my opinion.

Thanks for the comments; very informative and just what I was seeking.

I don’t know about other similar sight options, just that Spuhr makes a dedicated mount for those models that screws directly to their scope mounts. That’s not the only consideration for something like this, but one we’re keeping in mind.

This is what I'm using on my SCAR.

http://www.aadmount.com/30mm/index.html

quote:

Originally posted by RHINOWSO:
This is what I'm using on my SCAR.

That is a good looking mount. I’ll have to keep it in mind.

for an inexpensive option you might consider the Warne RAMP system