Vixen 5-20x50 Rifle Scope SF Plex Reticle 5834

Vixen 5-20x50 Rifle Scope Review

We have done plenty of reviews on Vixen rifle scopes lately, and let us just start out by saying that there's a good reason for that.  The overall build quality and optical performance of these rifle scopes is very assuring, and we think there's a bright future in store for VIxen's rifle scope lines.

The Vixen 5-20x50 is a lot like some of the other long range rifle scopes from Vixen that we've run-down lately, and is a good example of what you get for your money with this company.  The 5-20x50 has a one piece anodized aluminium body that is completely waterproof, and purged with nitrogen to prevent internal fogging.  Of course, at this price, you'd be crazy to buy a scope that didn't have the utmost protection from the elements.  The anodized coating is of the highest quality, nearly identical to the anodizing found on Nightforce, Zeiss, Swarovski, and others.  

At 13.75 inches long, this scope is actually quite light, weighing in at just over 28 ounces.  That being said, there is undoubtedly some heft to the Vixen 5-20x50, which also speaks to quality.  Moving parts (focus ring, side focus parallax adjustment, magnification ring, and illumination knob) all maintain the same close tolerances and attention to detail that we've seen on the other Vixen scopes in this price range, and we are overall very pleased.  

The reticle illumination on the Vixen 5-20x50 has 11 brightness settings, but they are not necessarily 11 seperate settings.  Instead, the Vixen rifle scope illumination system is more of a resistor system, where the reticle switches on at the "1" setting, and increases slightly with brightness as the illumination knob is turned, all the way up to the highest setting at 11.  The advantage here is that you're not relying on one of eleven arbitrary settings to guide you in low light.  Instead, you can find the exact brightness that works for you.

One of the major differences with the Vixen 5-20x50 when compared with the other long range scopes in the Vixen lineup is the presence of high-profile target turrets.  The turrets are still covered by tastefully simple turret caps, but the turrets themselves are over an inch high with very clear markings. The turrets are also marked in such a manner that you can tell how many rotations you've gone past zero, on both the windage and elevation turrets.  This is a useful and thoughtful feature that should be present on more scopes.  Adjustments of 1/8 of an inch at 100 yards (1/8 MOA) should keep you on target out to 600 yards and beyond.

The side focus parallax adjustment ranges from 40 yards to infinity, and is marked at 40/50/60/75/100/150/200/300/500 yards and infinity.  Both the quick focus ring on the eyepiece and the side focus parallax work well together.  A note on the illuminated reticle - the dot is very small, so if you can't see it in the image above, try zooming in.  We believe that the illuminated dot in the center of the reticle is as small as it could possibly be.

As far as optical performance, you have to understand that this scope is at a level in both price and performance where it becomes harder and harder to distinguish differences between two different scopes.  That being said, the clarity and sharpness on the Vixen 5-20x50 is excellent.  Color bias is very true to life.  There is no rolling ball at any magnification, and the sharpness goes nearly to the edge of the sight picture, we're comfortable saying 95%.  At low magnification, there is no hint of chromatic aberration, but it does become slightly more noticable on high-contrast targets at high magnification.

The Vixen 5-20x50 is an excellent example of what a well built, high performance, long range rifle scope should be.  It may lack a lot of the tactical appointments that you'll get by spending twice as much on a pure tactical long range scope, but it's not trying to be something it's not.  We don't necessarily see this as the definition of benchrest scope.  To us, this is a top of the line scope that would be perfect for an open range large caliber hunting rifle, with the capability to take large game at distances over 500 yards.  

All Vixen Rifle Scopes are 100% manufactured in Japan and protected by Vixen Optics' Lifetime Unconditional Transferrable Warranty.  

We are an authorized Vixen Sport Optics dealer, and stock the full catalog of Vixen rifle scopes.