The Vortex Strike Eagle 1-8 is good all around midrange optics to put on an AR-15. The scope has a true 1 power which gives you the ability to use it like a red dot, keeping both eyes open without distorting your vision. Then, when the targets are further away, you can zoom the scope in to 8 power to get a good close up view at what you’re shooting at.
The MSRP price for this scope is $499.99, though you can usually find it for significantly less. I was not sent this scope, and received no discount in exchange for a review. My opinions are my own. Overall, I would rate this scope as a 8.5/10.
Unboxing the Vortex Strike Eagle 1-8
The scope was extremely well packaged and protected. It is suspended in the box with a couple pieces of foam on either end. Information about the Vortex VIP warranty was on the box. Their warranty truly is second to none. They take good care of their customers, and their customer service team always responds quickly to questions, and is very helpful. One such response is below, where they gave me additional helpful information that I didn’t even know I needed to know!
I was extremely pleased to see that the scope came with flip up lens covers on both ends of the scope. That was a pleasant surprise. The venue I bought it from didn’t have that listed, and it is an accessory I usually add to all my rifle optics. Additionally, the lens covers mean that its almost impossible for the glass to come scratched from shipping.
The Magnification
This scope does really well at the 1 power. As I mentioned above, you can use it like a regular red dot, and I can easily keep both eyes open without giving myself a headache. The throw lever on the magnification dial is also a really nice touch. If you don’t like it though, its threaded and you can remove it if you want. I personally love it, and it makes changing magnification levels really nice.
The eye relief isn’t as good at the higher power magnifications. You need to be closer to the scope at higher levels than you do at lower levels, otherwise you see a ring around the end of the scope. I didn’t love that. Once you get the eye relief figured out though, you’re good to go.
The BDC3 Reticle
The lighted feature
The scope has a knob to adjust how bright the light is in the illuminated reticle. I’ve used some scopes where the illumination can wash out the reticle. This wasn’t the case here. The lines and the center dot are all crisp and clear when illuminated.
Ranging Tool on the BDC3 MOA Reticle
The strike eagle has a ranging tool with tic marks for ranging, and they say its for a silhouette target. There are many different sizes for a silhouette target though, so I started doing some research.
I sent an email to their customer service people asking what size of a silhouette target is used for the ranging feature on the Strike Eagle scope. This was their response.
Thanks for reaching out and for the interest. We really appreciate it! Regarding your question, the specific silhouette used to design this reticle is the “NATO E-Type.” The most important dimension to know is the the height (40 inches). Then, if you’re curious, the width is 19.5 inches, head width is 8.5 inches and the head height is 10.5 inches.
Thanks again and please let me know if you have further questions. I’m happy to help however I can.
James from Vortex Optics | Sales & Technical
I went searching, and its pretty hard to actually find that target if you aren’t in the military or with the DOD. I only found one product available on amazon, but the target was technically 39.25″ instead of the full 40″. All others I found were much smaller though, 35″ or smaller. If you really want to try out the reticle, you’ll need to pick up some of the legit Nato E-Type targets.
Using the Ranging Tool in Real Life
The 40″ target this is based off is not necessarily what most people view as the torso. 40 inches is more accurately measured from the bottom of a person’s butt to the top of their head for an average sized adult. I tested it on myself, I’m 6’1″ and found that from the bottom of my butt to the top of my head is 41″. From my waistline to the top of my head is closer to 35″. So if you’re ever using this in a self defense scenario at range, measure from the butt to the top of the head with this ranging tool.
How does the Vortex Strike Eagle 1-8 BDC3 ranging system work for deer?
This reticle works fairly well for mule deer. Mule deer range from 3 to 3.5 feet (0.9 to 1 meter) tall at the shoulder, according to the Mule Deer Foundation, which is about spot on for the ranging system used. You might want to round down just a little bit, but you’re going to be pretty close, assuming you’re shooting with the standard .223. A whitetail buck is a little smaller, so you’ll want to round up the yardage as you’re ranging it with the ranging tool. A Sitka Blacktail deer, or a whitetail doe you probably don’t want to try to use the ranging tool at all. At that point, just pull out a range finder, or move closer.
Vortex Strike Eagle 1-8
Other Good Scopes for an AR-15
We’ve written an entire article on all of our favorite scopes for an AR-15 at various price ranges. You can spend about as much as you want to and get a decent scope, and, although this Vortex Strike Eagle 1-8 is great, there are a lot of much better scopes on the market.
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