I go back a ways in terms of firearms, but I wasn’t always knowledgeable about certain aspects of the hobby. For instance, scopes. When I started shooting, a scope was what my mom’s well-to-do cousin had on his fancy bolt-action Weatherby. I just didn’t have the wherewithal to add one to my .22 rifle. I was a newly-minted band director in a rural Indiana county, living on a 4-figure salary. So, I made do.
Times have changed and now optics (not just scopes) are prevalent and affordable. There is no reason why most shooters cannot add some type of optic to his or her gun, be it a handgun or long gun. What was a small planet of choices when I was younger has grown into a galaxy.
I have owned several Viridian scopes and red dots. I thought it would be nice to take a look at a couple of other Viridian products, so I emailed my contact at Viridian and they sent me a scope and a gun light/laser. (As stated, I’ve used their scopes and red/green dots for a long time, so I wanted to try something different).
The company makes, oh, I don’t know, four zillion products or so it seems. Their products include lights, lasers, cameras, scopes, law enforcement cameras, and other gear. When I do a quick look like I’m doing here I like to list everything a company makes, to familiarize our readers with the company and to maybe point out something they make that the reader may not have known about. For instance, I had forgotten that they sell holsters sized for popular guns with one of their lights mounted.
With Viridian, I believe I’ll break with that practice because they make SO many things. Let me simply insert a link to their site and you can check it out when you’ve finished reading this.
I had to narrow down what I wanted them to send, so I chose a scope and a light/laser combo.
The Scope
The scope they sent is their $139 Eon 3-9×40 SFP scope. There is nothing over the top with this scope – it is a simple, second-focal-plane variable-magnification scope with a 40mm objective lens. Second focal plane means the reticle stays the same size despite magnification. First F.P. has the reticle growing in size with the zoom, so it appears larger on your target. FFP scopes cost more as the manufacturing process is a bit more involved.
The reticle is fairly simple, too. I could see a tactical shooter or maybe a long-range competitor needing an illuminated, technically-involved reticle, but for my purposes, this duplex reticle suits me. I took a photo through the lens – it’s not the best but you will get the idea…
We see BDC marks added to a duplex reticle. Again, for my purposes, this will work fine. Our Hoosier deer woods ranges tend to be shorter than if we were hunting out west. So, I don’t need a very busy reticle – they tend to get in the way.
The scope has fully-coated lenses and is parallax-free at 100 yards. Rings are included. At not quite 12 ounces, this scope will not weigh you down.
I mounted it on my S&W 1854 .44 Magnum lever rifle. It’s a good fit for this rifle, since I will not be trying to drop a doe four hillsides over. Like I said, ranges are closer around here and this 3-9 variable fits very well. The 40mm objective lens lets in a lot of light.
If you want a scope that’s a bit more involved, Viridian makes eleven other models ranging in price from $71 to $1299.
The scope’s turrets are no-nonsense. They adjust ¼” at 100 yards.
Need a green dot? They make sixteen. How about just a riser or other gizmo? They have you covered. Check them out here.
The Light/Laser
I was interested in a light for my Taurus TX22 pistol – I never know when I’m going to have to dispatch a varmint from our chicken coop – and so I stuck the C5L on.
(See the extended mag? I’ll have 22 opportunities to eradicate the possum problem).
Not only is the C5L a very bright (adjustable, of course) light but it also has a built-in green laser. Green tends to be easier for us two-legged critters to see in the daylight than red scientists tell us, so that’s what they went with.
This light is simple but it really works… I do believe you could momentarily blind a bad guy once you have the button pressed enough times to get the light to display its brightest beam. Once you’ve done that, it will remember it the next time you turn it on via one of the ambi switches. You can also see, in the photo above, the right laser adjustment screw.
Here is the elevation adjuster:
Notice the funky “lightning” symbol – this light requires no replaceable batteries by the user. Instead, it comes with a cool, green USB cable that magnetically “grabs” the red dot on the left and begins the charge. Conceivably, you could put your pistol in a place close to a USB outlet every time you put it away and keep the lithium-ion battery charged all the time. Nice!
If you want info about this new model of this $229 C5L, go here.
Summing Up
This very quick look at a couple of Viridian products was not meant to deliver tomes of information to you, but hopefully, it has helped you learn a bit more about these items and the company.
Viridian makes good stuff – as I said above, I’ve used their red/green dots and scopes for years. They keep innovating and taking their technology further, which means that shooters will benefit from it. Their prices haven’t really changed much over the past inflation cycle which helps keep things affordable.
If you are looking to add a scope, green dot, light, or laser to your daily carry weapon (or any other weapon, for that matter), you might want to check them out. The best thing I can say is that their stuff works, and you have a limited lifetime warranty to protect you in the event of a failure. What’s not to like?
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