Vortex Viper Red Dot vs Venom – Which One is Better?

When it comes to sights, the house of Vortex is a popular and high-quality brand, producing a great number of riflescopes, red dots, rangefinders, spotting scopes, and more. If you’re in the market for a new mini Red Dot sight, you may be wondering about the differences between the Vortex Viper red dot vs Venom. Read on to find out what each one is used for and which one could be suitable for you.

A Word on MOA

Before we get into the comparison, let’s examine what MOA, or Minute of Angle, is. The term is often mentioned, but if you’re new to shooting, you may not completely understand it yet. It describes the accuracy that your dot provides and is an angular measurement of 1/60th of a degree. Every 100 yards, one MOA will spread about one inch, so it will spread one inch at 100 yards, 2 inches at 200 yards, 3 inches at 300 yards, and so on.

So, if you need to calculate a 300-yard target and your dot is 3 MOA, you need to think in 9-inch increments, as 3 MOA times 3 inches comes to 9 inches. It’s easier to think about MOA than ‘clicks’, and most scopes will adjust 1/2 MOA per click, although some will do more or less than this. Make sure you know exactly how your scope works, so you’ll easily be able to find how many clicks a certain adjustment takes.

The Vortex Venom

There are two models of the Vortex Venom available: the 3 MOA and the 6 MOA dot option, the former being a finer dot model that offers greater accuracy and good target acquisition. The Venom’s housing is designed to be very durable and features machined aluminum, and the lens is multi-coated and provides both clean vision and a wide view. At a length of 1.9 inches, the Venom weighs 1.1 ounces.

Some main features are the 1 MOA windage and elevation adjustments that help to make the Venom suitable for many different distances, ten brightness settings available both in manual or auto mode, and scratch-resistant and anti-reflective coating on the lenses. What’s more, it’s parallax-free, helping you to aim at greater distances, and offers 130 MOA Maximum Elevation Adjustment and 100 MOA Maximum Windage Adjustment.

Pros and Cons

As a high-quality tool, the Vortex Venom has many advanced features and is suitable for both handguns and rifles. One of its main advantages is the top-loading battery that enables you to use it for a prolonged time in the field, although its CR 1632 battery can sometimes be hard to find on the market.

Another key feature is the location of the brightness controls, which are recessed into the body. This means you won’t accidentally touch and change them while using the sight. Even though the Venom’s body is slightly bigger than the Viper’s, it can be a good choice for many shooters due to its versatility.

The Vortex Viper

In contrast to the Venom, the Viper red dot is only suitable for handguns and is available in one 6 MOA version. It also features shock-proof aluminum construction, multi-coated lenses, 1 MOA windage and elevation adjustments, and is parallax-free. It’s slightly smaller than the Venom at 1.8 inches, but also weighs 1.1 ounces, or 2.1 ounces if used with the Picatinny mount.

Because the red dot has a 6 MOA dot option, it will cover six inches at 100 yards, and its window is 24.1mm wide and 18mm high. The adjustment graduation is 1 MOA and there is 120 MOA Maximum Elevation Adjustment and 120 MOA Maximum Windage Adjustment.

Pros and Cons

The Viper is a slightly more compact option and could therefore work well for someone seeking a small, sleek unit that’s still powerful and accurate. The bright red dot is easy to spot, no matter the background or lighting conditions, and the CR 2032 battery is easy to find on the market. However, you have to remove the Viper to reach and replace the battery, which can take more time.

Vortex Viper Red Dot vs Venom: Which One is Better?

Because they are designed and manufactured by the same company, the two sights are very similar, so there is no clear winner. The quality and performance are almost identical, and they are both durable and shockproof. Which one you choose will depend on your needs. If you have a rifle, you will need to go for the Venom, but if you are worried about finding battery replacements, you should purchase the Viper.

Accuracy 

While the Venom is available in 3 MOA and 6 MOA dot options, you only have the 6 MOA option with the Viper. The increased MOA makes it easy to acquire targets, but the Venom’s 3 MOA option improves accuracy. Other than this, the quality is very similar and the only way to compare their function in real-time is to test them both on the same weapon.

Battery

The Viper comes with a CR 2032 battery, which is easier to find on the market and lasts 150 hours on the highest setting and up to 30,000 hours on the lowest. However, it is slower to replace the battery on this model. The Venom’s CR 1632 battery may be trickier to source, but it lasts for the same amount of time and can be replaced quickly.

Price 

As the two types of sights are very similar, they don’t vary greatly when it comes to the price. Both come with the Vortex guarantee and are designed to be long-lasting and shockproof. When making your decision, price should not be your main consideration, as the differences are minimal, and your sights should last for a long time.

The house of Vortex offers a range of great products, including several mini Red Dot sights. When evaluating the Vortex Viper red dot vs Venom, the main considerations are accuracy, battery, and size. Because the products are very similar, the easiest way to make a decision is to test them both out on your own weapon, allowing you to experience them in action. Whichever one you choose, you are guaranteed to be delighted with the high-quality performance.

Joseph Fox

Joseph Fox

Joseph Fox writes on a variety of topics ranging from reloading ammunition to gun cleaning. He has been featured on various publications like thetruthaboutguns, Sofrep & many more. Joseph is also the founder of Gunloading, where he reviews different types of reloading & firearm products available on the market.