Lot of opinions here, which is good, but not a lot asking the needed questions in my mind. I worked for Opticsplanet for 5 years and then for a scope manufacturer for 2 more. I've seen every brand listed here come back in returns for legitimate damage or manufacturer malfunction, but most were hunter error. Yes, Ive seen first hand and in person how manufacturers test scopes that come back that "don't hold zero" or don't accurately adjust elevation or windage. For the manufacturer facilities I've been at, almost all are hunter error (kinda makes you wonder if people even read the manuals on them).
For your build, you need to decide what your going to do the majority of the time, and what you want to stretch your limits to. A few questions that help narrow down choices...
-Do you hold over or do you spin? I prefer hold overs when hunting, but dial turrets at the bench. For my hunting scopes, I like capped turrets. I don't even like locking (exposed) turrets because I have had issues before and then your trusting a zero stop if your scope has one. If you want the rifle to be both, you will want locking turrets and a zero stop.
Question 1 leads to question 2
If you spin your turrets, what tube diameter meets your needs for range? If you plan on shooting no more than 500 yards-ish, a 1" tube can get it done, but a 30mm tube wont hurt. If you want to stretch it out if you're doing some paper or steel punching, a 30mm may be better. A 20 MOA base can make any 1" tube scope take you to 500 yards regardless. Keeping in mind usually, a 30mm scope will be heavier all thing similar, but not always
What magnification do you want? For most hunting, a 2-10x is plenty for me. I also try no to hunt over 500 yards. Some buddies like to dial up to 20x for whitetail and others use a 6x for varmint shooting. Its a personal preference, but a max mag of at least 10x-15X is plenty for most shooting under 500 yards and even over 500 yards in many cases.
Weight? Do ounces matter to you and how much? There are some great lightweight tough scopes out there and there are anchors
Do you want/like color amplification? This may seem odd, but many companies amplify certain colors, I prefer glass and coatings that do not amplify certain colors.
There's a few more questions to go along, but this may help you think about what you want and shoot over some more specifics. Some have pointed out you get what you pay for...well, that is not always the case anymore. There are direct to consumer companies that offer the same quality if not higher for much less than a national brand can sell for. Not too many of them, but they are out there and can be found with some quick google searches. Its consumer discretion at that point but if you want to PM me, I can share more thoughts there.
Back to your original post...out of those two choices, I would go with the VX5....but I would do some research on the direct to consumer companies as well before you buy. Lastly, when you buy, try to go to a store or order from a company and look thru the scope outside. Looking in a store isn't enough and most companies will give you 30 days to own the scope without mounting it and then can return if you aren't happy with it.
