Not as good as expected - Vortex Viper HS 4-16x44mm Rifle Scope, 30mm Tube, Second Focal Plane

I own (or have owned) a lot of optics over the years. Currently I own two of these Vortex Vipers in 4-16X44 with the duplex reticle. I do think they are a good optic for range work however they fail as a hunting scope compared to several others I own in the same general price range. In fact I own at least two other brands in the 4-16x category that cost less and deliver a much better hunting scope. The glass is clear and the eye relief and eye box are acceptable however the field of view is poor and low light performance is no better than other scopes I own that cost hundreds less. I like the parallax adjustment knob (it works very well) but the power ring has no built in throw lever (not even a small one) which makes it hard to determine your magnification setting in low light. I think my biggest complaint is the large black circle around the image you see when looking through the ocular lens. I own several other brands and while some others also have a black ring the Vortex is excessive. If I had it to do over again I would not have ordered these two scopes even if they had been on sale which was the case at the time.