Vortex Optics CQMR-1 MOA User Manual

Vortex Razor HD 1-4x24 Riflescope

CQMR-1 Reticle

At Vortex Optics, the need for high-performance,
precision optics is the driving force behind all
that we do.

That’s why we carefully built the Razor HD riflescope

TM

to provide shooters with the ultimate short and medium
range tactical riflescope. Specifically designed for the

5.56mm round (.223 Remington) and the popular AR15
platform, the Vortex Razor 1-4x24 riflescope with the
CQMR-1 reticle is a unique, compact high performance
scope intended for close range CQB situations as well as
longer range precision shooting out to 700 yards.

Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Adjustments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Mounting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Sight-in . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Shooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

Troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Vortex Service and Repair Policy . . . . . . . . . . 24

1

The Vortex Razor HD 1–4x24 Riflescope

Elevation

Adjustment Knob

Objective Lens

Battery Cover

Illumination Knob

Magnification

Adjustment Ring

Elevation Knob

Zero Reference

Line

Radius Bar

Windage

Adjustment Knob

MagView

Reticle Focus

Fast Focus

Eyepiece

Razor 1–4x24 Riflescope Specifications

Waterproof Yes

Fogproof Argon gas purging

Length 10.3 inches (261.2mm)

Mounting Length 6.4 inches (162.6mm)

Weight 20.2 ounces (628.3g)

Eye Relief 3.9 inches (99.6 mm)

Field of View 94.5–24.2 feet/100 yards (18–4.6°)

Reticle Style CQMR-1

Windage 200 MOA Total Travel

Elevation 200 MOA Total Travel

Turret Adjustment 24 MOA Per Rotation

1/4 MOA Per Click

Recoil Tested Rated for 50 BMG

Battery CR2032

1.3”

(33.0mm)

Dimensions

3.0”

(76.2mm)

2.0”

(50.8mm)

(Eyepiece)

1.7”
(43.2mm)

BDC

Reference

Marks

.5”

(12.7mm)

(3) Turret Cap

6.4” (162.6mm)

10.3” (261. 2mm)

(91.4mm)

Retaining Screws

Accessories included with the Razor HD

Flip cap lens cover with killFLASH

Cleaning cloth

Dual Use: Shooting Tactical / Hunting

23

®

ARD

3.6”

Riflescope Adjustments

Reticle Focus Adjustment

The Vortex Razor HD 1–4x24 riflescopes use a fast
focus eyepiece, designed to quickly
and easily adjust the focus on the
riflescopes reticle.

To adjust the reticle focus, look
through the riflescope at a blank white
wall or up at the sky. Turn the eyepiece
focus knob in or out until the reticle
image is as crisp as possible. Try to do
this quickly, as your eye will try to
compensate for an out of focus reticle.

Once this adjustment is complete, it is not necessary to
re-focus every time the scope is used. However, as your
eyesight may change over time you should re-check this
adjustment periodically.

Wa rn in g: Looking directly at the sun through a rifl escope or any optical

instrument can cause severe and permanent damage to your eyesight.

Windage and Elevation Adjustments

The Vortex Razor HD 1–4x24 riflescope incorporates
precision finger adjustable elevation and windage dials with
audible clicks.

Elevation

Adjustment Knob

To make adjust ments:

• Turn the adjustment dial in
the appropriate direction Up/
Down or Left/Right indicated
by the arrows.

• Move the dials in the
direction you wish the bullets
point of impact to change.

The Razor 1–4x24 riflescope

Windage

Adjustment Knob

uses clicks scaled in ¼ minute of angle measurements (MOAs)
so each small click will move the point of impact 1/4 MOA.
One full MOA equals 1.05 inches at a 100 yard distance: ¼
MOA will equal .26 inches at 100 yards, .52 inches at 200
yards, .78 inches at 300 yards, etc.

Example: At a 100 yard sight-in distance, it will take four clicks of

the knob to move a bullet’s point-of-impact 1.05 inches.

The Razor HD 1–4x24 riflescope with the CQMR-1 uses
an elevation knob that is pre-calibrated to two popular loads
of the 5.56x45 mm round: the M193 and the M855. The
M193 calibration will also work well with most 55 gr. .223
Remington loads. After the rifle is sighted in and the turret
indexed, the elevation knob can be rotated to match the
yardage being shot.

45

Radius Bar

The Vortex Razor HD riflescopes incorporate the patented
Radius Bar to visually assist in

Radius Bar

keeping track of the correct turret
knob position at the rifle’s zero.
By watching the position of the bar
during field use, the shooter can
quickly verify the correct turret
knob position.

In a CQB type of situation, the shooter can also use the
Radius Bar as a quick visual aiming reference.

To benefit from the Radius Bar, the turret cap must be
indexed with the zero reference line on turret post. See the
Sight In section for details on indexing cap.

Variable Power Adjustment

Illumination Adjustment

The Vortex Razor 1–4x24 riflescopes use a variable intensity
reticle illumination system to aid in low light performance.
Illumination intensity levels will vary from bright to ultra low
intensity compatible with night vision devices at the lowest
setting.

The illumination knob allows for 11 levels
of brightness intensity; an off click between
each level allows the shooter to turn the
illumination off and return to a favored
intensity level with just one click. The top six
settings (6, 7, 8, 9, 10 and 11) are visible in

Illumination Knob

the daytime, depending on the background
color. Settings below 6 are for low light use when the user’s eyes
have adjusted to lower light levels. Lowest settings are for use
with night vision devices.

To change magnifications, turn the magnification ring to
the desired level. The patented
Vor tex MagView will provide
a low light reference for
magnification level.

67

MagView

To change the battery, unscrew outer cap with a coin. Remove
the battery and replace with a new one.

Parallax Adjustment

The Razor 1-4x24 series riflescopes are non-adjustable
for parallax correction and are set from the factory to be
parallax-free at 100 yards.

• At distances under 100 yards, parallax error is less than 1 inch.

• At distances over 100 yards parallax error is minimal; using
good consistent shooting form and cheek weld will prevent most
problems with parallax.

Riflescope Mounting

To get the best performance from your Vortex Razor HD
riflescope, proper mounting is essential. Although not
difficult, the correct steps must be followed. If you are

unsure of your abilities, it would be best to use the services of a
qualifi ed gunsmith.

Centering of the Reticle

The Vortex Razor HD riflescope is pre-set from the factory
with the reticle in the center of the adjustment ranges. If
you have changed the settings and wish to reset the reticle
to the center, this can be done easily:

1. Turn the dial (windage or elevation) fully in either
direction until stopped. Do not force the dial—as soon as any

resistance is felt, stop turning.

2. Carefully counting the dial rotations, turn the dial in the
other direction until stopped. Again, stop turning as soon as
resistance is felt.

3. Turn the dial back again half the amount of rotations
counted and that adjustment will be centered.

Rings and Bases

Following the manufacturers instructions, mount a high quality
base and rings to your firearm. The Vortex Razor 1–4x24
riflescopes require 30mm rings. Vortex Optics recommends
using premium quality rings mounting to a one-piece Picatinny
base.

Ring height for Vortex Razor HD 1–4x24 riflescopes will
depend on the firearm and mount being used. Consult the ring
and base manufacturer for suggested heights.

After this procedure is completed for both windage and
elevation dials, the reticle will be approximately centered.

89

AR15 style rifles will usually require a specialized extra-high
mounting height on a cantilever style mount. Most other
traditional rifle or shotgun applications will use a low or
medium ring height.

Eye Relief and Reticle Alignment

Sighting in the Rifle

Before the final tightening of the scope ring screws, adjust for
maximum eye relief to avoid injury from recoil.

To make the adjustment:

1. Set the riflescope to the middle of its magnification range.

2. Slide the riflescope as far forward as possible in the rings.

3. While viewing through the riflescope in a normal
shooting position, slowly slide the riflescope back towards

the shooter’s face—paying attention to the field of view.

as the full view is visible

, stop.

Just

4. Without disturbing the front-back placement, rotate the
riflescope until the vertical crosshair exactly matches the

vertical axis of the rifle. Use a reticle leveling tool, plumb

bob, or an adjustable set of feeler gauges placed between a

one-piece base and the flat bottom of the rif lescope’s center

section for this procedure.

5. After aligning the reticle, tighten and torque the ring

screws down per the manufacturer’s instructions. Use

caution and do not over-tighten.

Square the riflescope to the base using flat feeler gauges.

Bore Sighting

Initial bore sighting of the riflescope will save time and
money at the range. This can be done using a mechanical
or laser bore sighter according to the manufacturer’s
instructions. On some rifles, bore sighting can be
accomplished by removing the bolt and visually sighting
through the barrel.

To visually bore sight a rifle:

1. Place the rifle solidly on a rest and remove the bolt.

2. Sight through the bore at a target approximately 100 yards

away.

3. Move the rifle and rest until you can visually center the

target inside the barrel.

4. With the target centered in the bore, make windage

and elevation adjustments until the reticle crosshair is also

centered over the target.

Note: If you are using rings which permit windage adjustments, make

your initial bore sighting windage adjustments with the rings as much

as possible.

Use of an adjustable set of feeler

gauges between a one-piece base

and fl at bottom section of the

rifl escope to square the rifl escope

(and reticle) to the base.

10 11

Range Sight-In

After bore-sighting the riflescope, select the exact
ammunition you expect to hunt or shoot with and go to
the range for the final sight-in. The Razor HD 1–4x24
riflescope with CQMR-1 reticle and BDC elevation turret
knob is specifically calibrated for two popular loads of the

5.56x45 mm cartridge: the M193 and M855 using a 100
yard zero range.

Note: The Razor HD 1–4x24 CQMR-1 rifl escope can be used

with other cartridges, but the bullet drop references marked on the

elevation turret may not accurately match.

Before range shooting, be sure the reticle is in focus (see

Reticle Focus Adjustment).

1. Following all safe shooting practices, fire a three-shot group
as precisely as possible.

2. Next, adjust the reticle to match the approximate center
of the shot group (see section on Windage and Elevation
Adjustment).

3. If the rifle is very solidly mounted and cannot be moved,
simply look through the scope and adjust the reticle until it is
centered on the fired group.

4. Carefully fire another three-shot group and see if the bullet
group is centered on the bullseye.

If necessary, make another adjustment to the riflescope
and fire another group to verify zero. This procedure
can be repeated as many times as necessary to achieve a
perfect zero.

After the rifle has been zeroed at 100 yards, the elevation
and windage knobs should be re-indexed to their zero
indicators. This will allow you to accurately keep track of
the elevation or windage corrections dialed on the turrets
in the field and quickly return to an original zero point
setting. The elevation knob must be indexed at zero to use
the BDC references on the elevation knob.

After completing the final sight-in:

• Loosen the three elevation turret cap retaining screws
using the 2.0 mm hex
wrench and carefully rotate
cap until the 100-yard mark
on cap matches up with the
reference line on turret post.

Be sure that the cap is turning
freely and that you don’t rotate
the actual turret mechanism.

• Re-tighten retaining
screws using thumb and
forefinger on short end of

Correct elevation and windage

cap placement.

hex wrench.

Repeat procedure with windage turret, aligning the “0” mark
with indicator line.

After making this adjustment, the turret cap’s position will
correspond with the 100-yard zero on the rifle.

12 13

Shooting with the CQMR-1 Reticle

Once the Razor HD 1–4x24 riflescope with the CQMR-1 reticle
has been sighted-in at 100 yards and the turret caps indexed, it is
ready to be used in the field. The following suggestions are based
on using the Razor HD 1-4x on an AR15 style rifle chambered in
either of two popular 5.56mm loads (M193 or M855).

If you are using a different rif le and ammunition, your results

Note:

will differ somewhat, but still be close. For help with a different
application, see Using the Razor HD with Other Calibers and Loads

For distances inside of 50 yards

.

Maximum performance will come
from using the Razor HD set at the
lowest 1x magnification and shooting
with both eyes open using the heavy
outer crosshairs and illuminated
center crosshair section to quickly
center the target. Actual point-

1x at 25 Yards

of-impact will typically be 1–2 inches below the crosshair
intersection from 0–15 yards.

For distances inside of 50–175 yards

More magnification may be used if
desired and main crosshairs should be
used in a dead-on hold. Actual point­of-impact will typically be .2 inches
below the crosshair intersection at 50
yards, dead on at 100 yards and 2.4
inches below crosshair intersection by

4x at 100 Yards

175 yards.

14 15

For distances 200 yards and beyond

Use the BDC elevation turret.
Although any magnification can
be used, best accuracy will be
obtained at 4x. After estimating or
lasering the distance to the target
(see Ranging Distances with the
CQMR-1 Reticle), simply dial the

4x at 400 Yards

elevation turret counter-clockwise in the up direction until the
correct range number scale matches up with the zero indicator
line on scope body. Two scales are provided:

• Green numbers match 62 gr. M855 5.56mm ammunition.

• Copper numbers match 55 gr. M193 5.56mm ammunition.

Once the correct range number and indicator line are
matched up, the shot may be
taken using a dead-on hold
with the center crosshair. After
completing the shot, return the
elevation knob to the original
100-yard zero location by
turning the knob down in a
clockwise direction—the knob
should only require a partial
clockwise turn to get back to original zero. Aligning the
Radius Bar and the riflescope tube will help to quickly locate
zero location.

Using the Razor HD with Other Calibers and Loads

Although the Razor 1-4 CQMR-1 uses an elevation turret
knob calibrated specifically for two particular loads of

5.56mm ammunition, it can still be easily used with many
other popular calibers and loads. For example, most 55 gr.
loads of 5.56 ammunition will work well with the M193
references.
Listed below are the MOA drop numbers for the yard
reference marks used on the elevation turret cap:

M193

200 Yards – 1.75 MOA

300 Yards – 4.25 MOA

400 Yards – 7.5 MOA

500 Yards – 11.75 MOA

600 Yards – 17 MOA

700 Yards – 23.5 MOA

M855

200 Yards – 1.5 MOA

300 Yards – 4 MOA

400 Yards – 7.25 MOA

500 Yards – 11 MOA

600 Yards – 15.5 MOA

700 Yards – 21.25 MOA

Generating a custom ballistic drop chart for other calibers
and loads being used will allow the MOA drops to be
compared for compatibility.

Example

The following drop chart for a .308 (7.62mm) Hornady
168 gr. AMAX bullet shot at 2700 fps. was generated on
a ballistic website. As you can see, the drops are close to
that of the M855 marked on the Razor HD 1–4 CQMR-1
elevation cap. Up to 600 yards, the difference is 1/2 MOA
or less, and for many applications would allow the turret to
be effectively used with the Hornady .308 168 gr. bullet.

Custom Drop Chart for Hornady .308 168 gr.

Range

(Yards)

100

125

150

175

200

225

250

275

300

325

350

375

400

425

450

475

500

525

550

575

600

625

650

675

700

Drop

(MOA)

-0.0

-0.3

-0.8

-1.3

-1.9

-2.5

-3.2

-3.9

-4.6

-5.3

-6.1

-6.9

-7.7

-8.5

-9.4

-10.3

-11.2

-12.2

-13.1

-14.1

-15. 2

-16.3

-17.4

-18.5

-19.7

16 17

Ranging Distances with the CQMR-1 Reticle

The CQMR-1 reticle can be used for approximate range
estimations using a simple formula:

Target Size (Inches) x 100

Measured MOA

Approximate Range (Yards)=

To use this formula, you will need to know the size of the
target or nearby object in inches. Begin by turning the
magnification up to 4x. Using any part of the inner crosshair
with listed MOA dimensions (diagram below) to match up
to target object, estimate the number of MOAs spanned by
the object. Depending on the size of object, you may have
to visually estimate by comparing to 1/2 or 1/3 of a listed
subtension specification.

Once you have an accurate MOA reading, use the formula to
calculate distance.

CQMR-1 Subtensions
of Center Crosshair

50 MOA

0.5 MOA Dot Diameter

2 MOA0.75 MOA

Maximum accuracy in ranging will be obtained by
calculating MOA measurements as closely as possible and
will depend on a very steady hold. The rifle should be
solidly braced using a rest, bipod or sling when measuring.

Example using Close-up of Center Crosshair

20 MOA 30 MOA

1 MOA Gap

Ranging a 6-foot target (72 inches) at 30 MOAs to get 240 yards.

72 x 100

30 MOA

18 19

240 Yards=

Maintenance

Troubleshooting

Cleaning

The Vortex Razor riflescope requires very little
routine maintenance other than periodically cleaning
the exterior lenses. The exterior of the scope may be
cleaned by wiping with a soft, dry cloth.

When cleaning the lenses, be sure to use products that are
specifically designed for use on coated optical lenses.

• Be sure to blow away any dust or grit on the lenses
prior to wiping the surfaces.

• Using your breath, or a very small amount of water or
pure alcohol, can help remove stubborn things like dried
water spots.

Lubrication

All components of the Vortex Razor HD are permanently
lubricated, so no additional lubricant should be applied. If
possible, avoid exposing your Vortex riflescope to direct
sunlight or any very hot location for long periods of time.

Note: Other than to remove the turret caps, do not attempt to
disassemble any components of the rifl escope. Disassembling of
rifl escope may void warranty.

Sighting-in Problems

Many times, problems thought to be with the scope are actually
mount problems. Be sure the mounts are tight to the rifle and
the scope is secured so it doesn’t twist or move in the rings.

An insufficient windage or elevation adjustment range may
indicate problems with the base mount, base mount holes drilled
in the rifle’s receiver, or barrel/receiver alignment.

Check for Correct Base and Ring Alignment

1. Re-center the scope reticle (see Centering of the Reticle).

2. Attach bore sighter, or remove bolt and visually boresight rifle.

3. Look through the scope. If the reticle appears way off center

on the boresighter image or when compared to the visually
centered target when looking through rifle’s bore, there may
be a problem with the bases or rings being used. Confirm
that correct base and rings are being used—and in the proper
orientation.

Grouping Problems

There are many issues that can cause poor bullet grouping.

• Maintain a good shooting technique and use a solid rest.

• Check that all screws on rifle’s action are properly tightened.

• Be sure rifle barrel and action are clean and free of excessive
oil or copper fouling.

• Check that rings are correctly torqued per the manufacturer’s
instructions.

• Some rifles and ammunition don’t work well together—try
different ammunition and see if accuracy improves.

20 21

Vortex Service and Repair Policy

Unconditional Lifetime Warranty

Vortex Optics wants you to shoot
and use your Razor HD riflescope
under any conditions with
complete confidence—that’s why
our warranty is straightforward
and simple:

Unconditional Lifetime

• Fully transferable

Warranty

• No warranty card needed

• No receipt needed

Rest assured, if this riflescope should ever require repair, all
you need to do is contact Vortex for absolutely free service.
Call 800-426-0048 or e-mail [e-mail].

Vor tex O pt ic s
2120 West Greenview Drive
Middleton, Wisconsin 53562
USA

vortexoptics.com

Patents Pending
Dual Use: Shooting Tactical / Hunting