Vortex Venom Problem

[Dennis1209]

Lately I'm having more gun related problems than Carter had liver pills. I was the Range Officer at a USPSA shooting match this weekend. I mention that because I couldn't duck and cover or conveniently and quickly protect my handgun Vortex Venom red dot optic and had to endure it. Anyway long story short. I managed to shoot the 1st stage and the optic dot was sharp and clear. It started raining cats and dogs for almost a solid two hours and me and everything on me got drenched [2-1/4 inches of rain].

Shooting the second stage I checked my red dot as usual to ensure it was still on. To my dismay, the red dot was there but, a couple hundred of other tiny little red dots were surrounding it also [a halo so to speak], covering most of the sight picture through it and it was useless. Having read the owners manual it states it is water proof, not water resistant. Given the circumstances and timing I suspect it has to be water related? Got home and took the battery cover off and didn't see any evidence of moisture inside. Took my heat gun [naturally had the heat level just lukewarm] and spent a considerable amount of time blowing it dry if there was any moisture in it; with no luck, nothing changed. 

I need that optic for these old eyes for the next match, so I went to order a new one and I'll send this one back for repair. I checked a lot of places and every Vortex Venom is on back order and no one has any in stock. With this virus going on, I have things on order that usually take days, now turning into weeks. So I assume it will be weeks getting that red dot repaired and returned. 

With my long drawn out explanation, is it probable getting drenched by rain can cause this 'halo effect"? If so, is there anything I can immediately do to correct it? Could moisture had made its way somehow into the viewing glass and could this be permanent? I received a suggestion from a buddy to put it in a tight container with rice for a week to draw out the moisture if that's the problem. Anyone ever experienced this problem?

Thanks Guys! 

[DaveTN]

Check this out from the Vortex website....

Quote

 

https://vortexoptics.com/troubleshooting

What does it mean if the dot is not a dot?

If the dot in your optic doesn’t look perfectly round, the distortion may be caused by the way your eye is perceiving the reflection of the LED inside the red dot, making it appear misshapen. This is called astigmatism. Most everyone has some degree of natural astigmatism. Here are a few ways you can tell if the distortion is caused by your eye or if there is a problem with the optic:

Take a photo of the dot with your phone. Face the optic towards a plain, dark background. Set the illumination at a reasonable intensity level for the environment (i.e. if you are indoors, don’t’ set it at the highest magnification as the dot may begin to bleed from being too bright for ambient light). Take a photo and compare what the camera is seeing to what your eye is seeing. If the shape is the same, then there may be a problem with your red dot.

Look through the dot with both eyes. If the dot changes shape from one eye to the other, the misshapen dot is likely caused by astigmatism.

Look through the red dot and rotate the scope on its optical axis. If the irregular shape maintains its position, it’s likely how your eyes are seeing the dot. If the irregular shape of the dot rotates with the optic, there may be a problem with the optic.

Note:The appearance of a starburst can be caused simply by having the brightness intensity too high for the environment. Turning the brightness up to the maximum brightness indoors or in low light is very likely to cause the dot or reticle to bleed or look like a starburst, regardless of whether or not you have an astigmatism and it is not recommended. Turning down the brightness in many cases will help the dot look crisper while still maintaining quick acquisition.

 

 

[Defender]

1 hour ago, Dennis1209 said:

Lately I'm having more gun related problems than Carter had liver pills. I was the Range Officer at a USPSA shooting match this weekend. I mention that because I couldn't duck and cover or conveniently and quickly protect my handgun Vortex Venom red dot optic and had to endure it. Anyway long story short. I managed to shoot the 1st stage and the optic dot was sharp and clear. It started raining cats and dogs for almost a solid two hours and me and everything on me got drenched [2-1/4 inches of rain].

Shooting the second stage I checked my red dot as usual to ensure it was still on. To my dismay, the red dot was there but, a couple hundred of other tiny little red dots were surrounding it also [a halo so to speak], covering most of the sight picture through it and it was useless. Having read the owners manual it states it is water proof, not water resistant. Given the circumstances and timing I suspect it has to be water related? Got home and took the battery cover off and didn't see any evidence of moisture inside. Took my heat gun [naturally had the heat level just lukewarm] and spent a considerable amount of time blowing it dry if there was any moisture in it; with no luck, nothing changed. 

I need that optic for these old eyes for the next match, so I went to order a new one and I'll send this one back for repair. I checked a lot of places and every Vortex Venom is on back order and no one has any in stock. With this virus going on, I have things on order that usually take days, now turning into weeks. So I assume it will be weeks getting that red dot repaired and returned. 

With my long drawn out explanation, is it probable getting drenched by rain can cause this 'halo effect"? If so, is there anything I can immediately do to correct it? Could moisture had made its way somehow into the viewing glass and could this be permanent? I received a suggestion from a buddy to put it in a tight container with rice for a week to draw out the moisture if that's the problem. Anyone ever experienced this problem?

Thanks Guys! 

No real advice here, but I've heard the rice thing works or they also make a special bag for cell phones that has some kind of chemical in it that also is supposed to work well.  Id guess if it works for phones it should work here as well.

[WFM]

Not sure how quick you need a new Venom, but I bought a new one 1 1/2 weeks ago at Kings firearms in Columbia, Tenn. I did pay $30.00 to much, but I wanted it and it was in stock. Good luck.

[Dennis1209]

2 minutes ago, WFM said:

Not sure how quick you need a new Venom, but I bought a new one 1 1/2 weeks ago at Kings firearms in Columbia, Tenn. I did pay $30.00 to much, but I wanted it and it was in stock. Good luck.

Thanks, I'll immediately check it out!

[DaveTN]

It appears to me Vortex claims to have an excellent warranty. I have no information on their customer support other that they have responded quickly when I have emailed them with a question.

So it appears you shouldn’t have to pay to replace it.

The pricing right now is crazy.

Quote

 

OUR VIP WARRANTY IS ABOUT YOU, NOT US.

VIP stands for a Very Important Promise to you, our customer. We will repair or replace your Vortex® product in the event it becomes damaged or defective—at no charge to you. If we cannot repair your product, we will replace it with a product in perfect working order of equal or better physical condition.

You see, it doesn't matter how it happened, whose fault it was or where you purchased it. If you ever have a problem, no matter the cause, we promise to take care of you. You can count on the VIP Warranty for all Vortex Optics riflescopes, prism scopes, red dots, rangefinders, binoculars, spotting scopes, tripods and monoculars.

UNLIMITED LIFETIME WARRANTY

FULLY TRANSFERABLE

NO RECEIPT NEEDED

The VIP Warranty does not cover loss, theft, deliberate damage or cosmetic damage that does not hinder the performance of the product.

 

 

[Dennis1209]

22 hours ago, DaveTN said:

Check this out from the Vortex website....

 

Thank you very much Dave, I wasn't aware of that... I turned it on in automatic brightness mode and it did help some. It has been in a sealed Tupperware container with rice and a desiccant, and I have been checking it daily. This excessive halo I'm seeing seems to be slowly going away. It's almost like an optical allusion, with my corrective bi-focal's on it looks worse? Thanks again for your response!

[Dennis1209]

On 6/29/2020 at 1:03 PM, DaveTN said:

It appears to me Vortex claims to have an excellent warranty. I have no information on their customer support other that they have responded quickly when I have emailed them with a question.

So it appears you shouldn’t have to pay to replace it.

The pricing right now is crazy.

 

Just an update:

Yea I hear Vortex has an excellent warranty and customer service. I was impatient and didn't want to go through the hassle of boxing, mailing and waiting and waiting for the returned repair. Sealing it in Tupperware with rice and some descant did the job and dried it out in just four days, now works great again. I checked everywhere to purchase a replacement [Vortex Venom, not Viper] to use while waiting for repair if I sent it in. I couldn't find one anywhere.

In those four days I decided to get a Trijicon type II, 3.25 MOA, non adjustable to save a few bucks For my needs I don't need the extra bells and whistles. Made the 2 hour drive to Bass Pro in Nashville [which turned out to be much longer] and picked one up. Seems everything that is higher price is still available on the shelves, including the Walther Q5 SF I recently purchased. Picked a terrible day to go, torrential rain there and back, I-24 closed westbound and traffic bumper to bumper for miles at a standstill for who knows how long. 

Now I have a backup to use in USPSA when I shoot carry optics if I have a problem. Now if I could just find that dot consistently each time I point???

[hipower]

Wish I'd known you were here. Even in all that rain, I would have come over. I'm about 7 miles from Bass Pro. But even so, I rarely go in there. 

Go in once or twice a year for the shirt sales. Thinking I need to go look for some new sandels' the soles of mine have split and all the strap seams have come apart.   

Edited July 9, 2020 by hipower

[Garufa]

Glad you got the Venom dried out.

I have one on a SW22 Victory and it’s a winning combination.  Happy I bought it when I did last fall after entirely too much time hand-wringing over the cost of a stupid little dot, but PSA had a deal that couldn’t be beat.  Should have bought two.

[Dennis1209]

1 minute ago, hipower said:

Wish I'd known you were here. Even in all that rain, I would have come over. I'm about 7 miles from Bass Pro. But even so, I rarely go in there. 

Go in once or twice a year for the shirt sales. Thinking I need to go look for some new sandels' the soles of mine have split and all the strap seams have come apart.   

When there I was thinking about the first time I went there shortly after I moved down here. I guess it must have been around 2010 or 2011? The wife and I made that long two hour drive, and when we got there, they were flooded and closed. Didn't hear or know a thing about it? Anyway, it was pouring so hard for so long I thought I was going to be a part of a repeat.

Their employees and myself had a hard time finding where their umbrellas were. We finally found them, they were tiny, cheap and not worth purchasing. You'd think they would carry decent beach type umbrellas at such a store. Anyway, I got drenched to the bone "running" 50 yards to the truck. Wet the entire way home and condensation constantly forming on the windshield. What a trip...

[hipower]

12 minutes ago, Dennis1209 said:

When there I was thinking about the first time I went there shortly after I moved down here. I guess it must have been around 2010 or 2011? The wife and I made that long two hour drive, and when we got there, they were flooded and closed. Didn't hear or know a thing about it? Anyway, it was pouring so hard for so long I thought I was going to be a part of a repeat.

Their employees and myself had a hard time finding where their umbrellas were. We finally found them, they were tiny, cheap and not worth purchasing. You'd think they would carry decent beach type umbrellas at such a store. Anyway, I got drenched to the bone "running" 50 yards to the truck. Wet the entire way home and condensation constantly forming on the windshield. What a trip...

Been there...done that. lol I think I have 5 possibly 6 umbrellas in my vehicle, and I'm sure they all qualify as cheap/not worthy. lol 

I have 3, 5 buck models from the Home Depot impulse jars by the registers, 2 old, old ones from my work days. Yellow and Black. But bigger than normal size. Cheap golfing umbrellas for a tournament giveaway.  Somehow I managed to grab a few for my better customers. And myself. Also 2 tiny ones, the little purse size things, my wife puts in front and back by the seats.

Just in the way really. They interfere with grabbing my cane most of the time. Also have several inside the house, as well as some stashed outside each door. My wife doesn't like to get wet. We were very wet in that 2010 Flood you mentioned.

I really should get a couple of good sturdy umbrellas though. Maybe just for show anyway. lol

Edited July 9, 2020 by hipower

[Dennis1209]

6 minutes ago, Garufa said:

Glad you got the Venom dried out.

I have one on a SW22 Victory and it’s a winning combination.  Happy I bought it when I did last fall after entirely too much time hand-wringing over the cost of a stupid little dot, but PSA had a deal that couldn’t be beat.  Should have bought two.

I'm starting to like those red dots. As we're all aware, most things gun related are becoming hard to get. I've found so far higher price items like expensive pistols, Trijicon red dots, etc. can still be found. 

Standing at the Bass Pro Shop counter examining that tiny little Trijicon one inch cube of steel and glass, that I could barely feel any weight. I thought to myself, Dennis, are you really going to fork out $500.00 + for that tiny cute little optic??? Don't even mention it to the wife, she wouldn't understand man logic.

[hipower]

Man Logic!! Are you really saying that?!?!? LOL!!!

[hipower]

24 minutes ago, Garufa said:

Glad you got the Venom dried out.

I have one on a SW22 Victory and it’s a winning combination.  Happy I bought it when I did last fall after entirely too much time hand-wringing over the cost of a stupid little dot, but PSA had a deal that couldn’t be beat.  Should have bought two.

I should have as well. Actually I didn't buy any and I'm regretting it. Beginning to want to try again with them. Only thing I have with slide cutouts is my Canik SF. Been thinking, but putting it off. Maybe for too long now.  

[Dennis1209]

10 hours ago, hipower said:

I should have as well. Actually I didn't buy any and I'm regretting it. Beginning to want to try again with them. Only thing I have with slide cutouts is my Canik SF. Been thinking, but putting it off. Maybe for too long now.  

I'm a relatively new red dot shooter with the same problem most have starting out; picking up the dot. I understand it takes time, patience and practice and is a perishable skill. 

Now having two red dots, one on my Canik TP9-SFX and on a Walther, I've noticed a difference in acquisition time between the two. The Canik has the Vortex Venom and Walther the Trijicon RMR. I pickup the Vortex dot faster for some reason, I attributed it to the sight itself. 

Watching a Youtube video not long ago, I discovered a guy with the same conclusion and observations, but it doesn't have much to do with the optic. There's something about the grip angle that's more natural in an accurate push out presentation? Like most things I thought it was just me?

I wasn't crazy about buying a Turkish gun but I wanted an affordable dedicated match gun for competition. I think I paid $450.00 total for the Canik TP9-SFX and I was pleasantly surprised in its construction and performance. Not one problem with it, save ammunition related problems with a bad batch. 

I blew my $1,200.00 government stimulus check stimulating Walther, for the tune of about $1,900.00. I found out what a crappy trigger feels like zeroing in both the Walther and Canik at the range at the same time. I never really notice differences just playing around manually feeling it. With a bench supported rest zeroing them in, the Canik trigger was smooth and crisp. The expensive Walther Q5 Pro Match is rough, scratchy and a hard pull.

The Canik came with three optic plates and a bunch of goodies. During my diligent research, the Walther also comes with three optic plates in the box, or so I thought. When I got my Walther it had no optic plates in the slots in the box and I was disappointed to say the least. I asked my LGS what's the deal on that and he said he would find out why. Long story short: We both checked it out and had difficulty finding an answer until much later when I finally got a response from Walther; that they stopped including them last May so as not to increase the cost of the gun. I could go to their website and order one free. It's buried so deep in their website I couldn't find it so emailed again. A few weeks later I finally got my one free optic plate. 

Shooting them both after zeroing the red dots, I was shooting the Canik much better. It was 92 degrees, high humidity and my hands were extremely sweaty. I have the Talon aggressive texture wraps on the Canik and I had a good solid non slip grip. The Walther I could feel it slipping around in my hand like a wet bar of soap. So, I'll be shooting my Canik at the USPSA match Saturday for a better score because my hands will be wet from the heat. 

Wow, this turned out to be a doctorial thesis. 

[Dennis1209]

11 hours ago, hipower said:

I should have as well. Actually I didn't buy any and I'm regretting it. Beginning to want to try again with them. Only thing I have with slide cutouts is my Canik SF. Been thinking, but putting it off. Maybe for too long now.  

Just a suggestion if you are trying to decide what red dot is right for you. There's this pistol instructor guy on Youtube under "Sage Dynamics". He's really experienced and knowledgeable, and has some great videos covering and testing many red dot brands, the pros and cons. You can tell he doesn't have a horse in the race and he tells it like it is. 

[Whisper]

24 minutes ago, Dennis1209 said:

Just a suggestion if you are trying to decide what red dot is right for you. There's this pistol instructor guy on Youtube under "Sage Dynamics". He's really experienced and knowledgeable, and has some great videos covering and testing many red dot brands, the pros and cons. You can tell he doesn't have a horse in the race and he tells it like it is. 

Note especially the durability section and which red dots they report with "no failures."  

[Guest BCR#1]

Sage Dynamics is the main reason why I bought a Holosun dot and not a Vortex.

Bill

[hipower]

4 hours ago, Dennis1209 said:

I'm a relatively new red dot shooter with the same problem most have starting out; picking up the dot. I understand it takes time, patience and practice and is a perishable skill. 

Now having two red dots, one on my Canik TP9-SFX and on a Walther, I've noticed a difference in acquisition time between the two. The Canik has the Vortex Venom and Walther the Trijicon RMR. I pickup the Vortex dot faster for some reason, I attributed it to the sight itself. 

Watching a Youtube video not long ago, I discovered a guy with the same conclusion and observations, but it doesn't have much to do with the optic. There's something about the grip angle that's more natural in an accurate push out presentation? Like most things I thought it was just me?

I wasn't crazy about buying a Turkish gun but I wanted an affordable dedicated match gun for competition. I think I paid $450.00 total for the Canik TP9-SFX and I was pleasantly surprised in its construction and performance. Not one problem with it, save ammunition related problems with a bad batch. 

I blew my $1,200.00 government stimulus check stimulating Walther, for the tune of about $1,900.00. I found out what a crappy trigger feels like zeroing in both the Walther and Canik at the range at the same time. I never really notice differences just playing around manually feeling it. With a bench supported rest zeroing them in, the Canik trigger was smooth and crisp. The expensive Walther Q5 Pro Match is rough, scratchy and a hard pull.

The Canik came with three optic plates and a bunch of goodies. During my diligent research, the Walther also comes with three optic plates in the box, or so I thought. When I got my Walther it had no optic plates in the slots in the box and I was disappointed to say the least. I asked my LGS what's the deal on that and he said he would find out why. Long story short: We both checked it out and had difficulty finding an answer until much later when I finally got a response from Walther; that they stopped including them last May so as not to increase the cost of the gun. I could go to their website and order one free. It's buried so deep in their website I couldn't find it so emailed again. A few weeks later I finally got my one free optic plate. 

Shooting them both after zeroing the red dots, I was shooting the Canik much better. It was 92 degrees, high humidity and my hands were extremely sweaty. I have the Talon aggressive texture wraps on the Canik and I had a good solid non slip grip. The Walther I could feel it slipping around in my hand like a wet bar of soap. So, I'll be shooting my Canik at the USPSA match Saturday for a better score because my hands will be wet from the heat. 

Wow, this turned out to be a doctorial thesis. 

First, I really love my PPQM2, and would love to get into the Q and SF series, but budget precludes that.

Secondly, I am glad to see your comments on the Canik SFX. I do give the trigger the edge, however slightly over the PPQ. As far as shooting, for me it's about even. Grip and feel when shooting, to me is a draw. Grip tapes I'm coming around to. I purchased a Canik Shark here and was about to remove the tape. Until I shot my T100 without the tape and the Shark with tape. There is quite a difference. I really liked that Shark. It's a blast on the range.

Not saying I'll add grip tape to all my pistols, but will be adding to a few.

The only red dot I have at the moment is a Burris FastFire lll, and don't know if it's compatible with the Canik mounts. I haven't checked it out yet.

Hopefully over the next few months, I'll have the opportunity to do some experimenting with red dots and find out for myself.

Edited July 10, 2020 by hipower

[Dennis1209]

23 hours ago, BCR#1 said:

Sage Dynamics is the main reason why I bought a Holosun dot and not a Vortex.

Bill

Yea, based on his video, other reviews, the features and especially the price; I have other pistols screaming they want one on them too...

I never considered one because of the recall and problems they had when they first came out.

[Dennis1209]

19 hours ago, hipower said:

First, I really love my PPQM2, and would love to get into the Q and SF series, but budget precludes that.

Secondly, I am glad to see your comments on the Canik SFX. I do give the trigger the edge, however slightly over the PPQ. As far as shooting, for me it's about even. Grip and feel when shooting, to me is a draw. Grip tapes I'm coming around to. I purchased a Canik Shark here and was about to remove the tape. Until I shot my T100 without the tape and the Shark with tape. There is quite a difference. I really liked that Shark. It's a blast on the range.

Not saying I'll add grip tape to all my pistols, but will be adding to a few.

The only red dot I have at the moment is a Burris FastFire lll, and don't know if it's compatible with the Canik mounts. I haven't checked it out yet.

Hopefully over the next few months, I'll have the opportunity to do some experimenting with red dots and find out for myself.

The charcoal color and texture of the Talon grips looks terrible and unappealing on the grip in my opinion. But, later on this morning at my USPSA competition, when my hands are wringing sweat; I'm going to think to myself, who cares; it's not slipping around in my hand. Hoping to hear, "TWO ALPHA" all day long