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
55 gr. 5.56 mm round (also .223 Remington) and the
popular AR15 platform, Vortex Razor 1-4x24 EBR556 is a unique, compact high performance riflescope
intended for close range CQB situations as well as longer
range precision shooting out to 700 yards using the
patented Vortex EBR-556 reticle.
Vortex Service and Repair Policy . . . . . . . . . . 24
1
The Vortex Razor HD 1–4x24 Riflescope
Elevation
Adjustment Knob
Windage
Adjustment Knob
MagVie w
Objective Lens
Elevation Knob
Battery Cover
Illumination Knob
(3) Turret C ap
Retaining Screws
Zero Reference
Line
Magnification
Adjustment Ring
Radius Bar
Reticl e Focus
Dual Use: Shooting Tactical / Hunting
2
4
Fast Fo cus
Eyepiece
Razor 1–4x24 Riflescope Specifications
Waterproof Yes
Fogproof Argon gas purging
Lengt h 10.3 inches (2 69.2mm)
Mounti ng Length 6.5 inc hes (165.1mm)
Weight 20.2 ounce s (572.66 g)
Eye Reli ef 3.9 inches (99. 6 mm)
Field of V iew 94.5 –24.2 fee t/100 yards (18 –4.6°)
Reticle Style EBR-556
Winda ge 200 MOA Tot al Travel
Elevat ion 200 MO A Total Travel
Turret Adj ustment 24 MOA Per Ro tation
1/4 MOA Per Click
Recoil Te sted Rated fo r 50 BMG
Battery CR2032
Dimensions
2.0”
(78.7mm)
1.3”
(40.6mm)
3.0”
(53.3m m)
(Eyepiec e)
1.7”
(31.8mm)
.5”
(91.4mm)
6.4” ( 165.1mm)
10.3” (269.2mm)
Accessories included with the Razor HD
Flip cap l ens cover wit h killFLA SH® ARD
Cleaning cloth
3
5
3.6”
(12.7mm)
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.
Warning: Looking directly at the sun through a riescope or any optical
instrument can cause severe and permanent damage to your eyesight.
4
6
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 adjustments:
• 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.
Windage
Adjustment Knob
The Razor 1–4x24 riflescope 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.
5
7
Radius Bar
The Vortex Razor HD riflescopes incorporate the patented
Radius Bar to visually assist in 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
Radius B ar
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
To change magnifications, turn the magnification ring
to the desired level. The
patented Vortex MagView
will provide a low light
reference for magnification
MagVie w
level.
6
8
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 the
daytime, depending on the background
color. Settings below 6 are for low light
Illumination Knob
use when the user’s eyes have adjusted to
lower light levels. Lowest settings are for use with night vision
devices.
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.
7
9
Riflescope Mounting
To get the best performance from your Vortex Razor
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
qualied 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.
After this procedure is completed for both windage and
elevation dials, the reticle will be approximately centered.
8
10
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.
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.
9
11
Eye Relief and Reticle Alignment
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 riflescope’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.
12
10
Use of an adjustable set of feeler
gauges between a one-piece base
and at bottom section of the
riescope to square the riescope
(and reticle) to the base.
Sighting in the Rifle
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.
11
13
Range Sight-In
After the riflescope has been bore-sighted, final sight-in
should be done at the range using the exact ammunition
you expect to hunt or shoot with. The Razor 1–4x24
EBR-556 scope is specifically calibrated for the popular
5.56x45mm cartridge using 55 gr. bullets and a 100
yard zero range. The Razor 1–4 can be used with other
cartridges, but be aware that the bullet drop references
used on the EBR-556 reticle 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.
14
12
After the rifle has been zeroed at 100 yards, the elevation
and windage knobs should be re-indexed to their zero
indicators. This is a useful feature which allows you to
quickly and accurately keep track of elevation or windage
corrections dialed on the turrets in the field and quickly
return to an original zero point setting.
After completing the final sight-in:
• Loosen the three
elevation turret cap
retaining screws using the
2.0 mm hex wrench and
carefully rotate turret cap
until the “0” mark on cap
matches up with reference
line on turret post. Be sure
that the cap is turning freely
and that you don’t rotate the
Correct elevation and windage
cap placement.
actual turret mechanism.
• Re-tighten retaining screws using thumb and forefinger
on short end of hex wrench.
Repeat procedure with the windage turret.
After this adjustment, the turret cap zero marks will
correspond with the 100-yard zero on the rifle.
13
15
Shooting the EBR-556 Reticle
The Vortex Razor 1-4x24 EBR556 riflescope is
equipped with the patented Vortex EBR-556 MOA
glass etched reticle. Although this precision reticle has
been specifically designed around the 5.56x45 (.223
Remington) cartridge using a 55 gr. FMJBT bullet, it
can also be used with similar cartridges. Be aware that
the further other cartridges vary ballistically from the
5.56 round, the further off the bullet drop and windage
reference lines will be.
Because of it’s unique dual purpose design, the EBR-556
MOA reticle can be used at 1x magnification in CQB
(close quarters battle) applications or it may be turned up
to 4X magnification and used as a precision crosshair for
longer distance shooting.
These features are a function of the first focal plane (FFP)
reticle design used in this riflescope. Other benefits
to the FFP reticle are accurate use of the ranging and
windage features at all magnification levels and increased
reticle durability due to being located at the spring
suspended end of the internal erector tube mechanism.
Also, because of the reticle location a FFP riflescope
will have zero point-of-impact shift as magnification is
changed.
14
16
For distances inside of 50 yards
For CQB type applications, use the EBR-556 reticle at
1x magnification with a high intensity illumination level.
Shoot with both eyes open for maximum speed in target
acquisition. Your eye should view the reticle as simply a
large illuminated central dot.
EBR-55 6 at 1x
Note: Heavy non-illuminated lines extend vertically and horizontally in
the eld of view to ensure that the shooter still has a rapid aiming point of
reference in case of battery failure.
15
17
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
175 yards.
For distances 200 yards and beyond
EBR-55 6 at 4x
For distance shooting applications, use the EBR-556 reticle
at higher magnifications. With the FFP design used in
the Razor 1-4x24 any magnification will allow use of the
ranging and holdover features, but setting the scope at its
highest 4x magnification will provide the greatest accuracy
level. The EBR-556 reticle is calibrated to give the shooter
accurate bullet drop compensation from 100-700 yards as
well as 10 mph wind drift hold-offs.
The main crosshair intersection of the EBR-556 reticle
should be zeroed at 100 yards (see Range Sight-In
instructions). Due to the flat trajectory of the 5.56mm
round, this will allow the central crosshair to be used
effectively from 0-200 yards on man sized targets.
16
18
Note: If you are using the EBR-556 for precision shooting at small
targets, be aware that there is not a 200-yard drop line. When
shooting at 200 yards using center crosshair, the bullet will drop
approximately three inches
when the rie is zeroed at 100
yards.
The five horizontal
lines below the central
crosshair provide holdover references at 300,
400, 500, 600 and 700
yards.
Close-up of EBR-556 Reticle
EBR-556 Drop Reference marks
Use at 0–200 Yards
EBR-55 6 at 4x
— Use at 300 Yards
— Use at 400 Yards
— Use at 500 Yards
— Use at 600 Yards
— Use at 700 Yards
19
Using the EBR-556 with Other Calibers and Loads
Although the Razor 1-4 EBR556 uses a reticle calibrated
specifically for the 55gr. 5.56mm round, it can still be
easily used with many other popular calibers and loads.
MOA drop numbers used on the reticle are listed below.
Generating a custom ballistic drop chart for other calibers
and loads being used will allow the MOA drops to be
compared for compatibility.
EBR556 Reticle
200 Yar ds – No drop numb er supplied
300 Yar ds – 4.4 MOA
400 Yar ds – 8.0 MOA
500 Yard s – 12.5 MOA
600 Yar ds – 18.4 MOA
700 Yard s – 25.8 MOA
Example
The following drop chart for a .308 (7.62mm) Sierra
165 gr. HPBT bullet shot at 2700 fps. was generated
on a ballistic website (JBM Ballistics). As you can see,
the drops are quite close to those used on the EBR-556
reticle. Up to 500 yards, the difference is generally 1/2
MOA or less, and for many applications would allow the
reticle to be effectively used with the Sierra .308 HPBT
165 gr. bullet.
18
20
Custom Drop Chart for Sierra .308 165 gr.
Range
(Yard s)
0
25
50
75
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)
—
-2.5
-0.2
0.2
-0.0
-0.4
-0.9
-1.4
-2.0
-2.7
-3.4
-4.2
-5.0
-5.8
-6.7
-7.6
-8.5
-9.5
-10.5
-11.6
-12.7
-13.9
-15.1
-16.3
-17.7
-19.0
-20.5
-22.0
-23.5
19
21
Ranging Distances with the EBR-556 Reticle
There are several unique man-sized ranging features
used in the EBR-556 reticle. By matching a man’s
shoulder width (or any other object spanning 19
inches) to the most closely matched reticle image,
approximate range can be determined. The following
estimations are based on an average 19-inch shoulder
width. These range estimations will also work with
any other object spanning 19 inches.
100 Yards
The outer ring dimension
of the illuminated circle
(19 MOA) approximately
corresponds to 19 inches (a
man’s shoulder width) at
100 yards.
19”
200 Yards
The inner ring dimension
of the illuminated circle
(8.8 MOA) approximately
corresponds to 19 inches (a
man’s shoulder width) at
200 yards.
20
22
300 Yards
300-yard drop reference
line width (5.7 MOA)
approximately corresponds to
19 inches (a man’s shoulder
width) at 300 yards.
400 Yards
400-yard drop reference
line width (4.7 MOA)
approximately corresponds to
19 inches (a man’s shoulder
width) at 400 yards.
500–700 Yards
The ne inner line section
approximately corresponds to
19 inches (a mans shoulder
width) at these yardages: 500
(3.8 MOA), 600 (3.1MOA),
700 (2.7 MOA).
500-yard example shown.
21
23
Estimating 10 MPH Wind Drift with the EBR-556 Reticle
The EBR-556 reticle also helps estimate wind drift using
the following references:
100 to 200 Yards
Due to minimal 10 mph wind drift, no reference is provided.
300 Yards
Flat sides of the inner ring.
(2.9 MOA)
10 MPH Win d Drift
400 Yards
Corners between the flat
bottom of the circle and the
outer circle diameter.
(6 MOA)
10 MPH Win d Drift
22
24
500 Yards
Outer edge of the thick
horizontal line section.
(8 MOA)
10 MPH Win d Drift
600 Yards
Outer edge of the thick
horizontal line section.
(10.4 MOA)
10 MPH Win d Drift
700 Yards
Outer edge of the thick
horizontal line section.
(12.9 MOA)
10 MPH Win d Drift
25
Maintenance
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 riescope. Disassembling of
riescope may void warranty.
24
26
Troubleshooting
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.
25
27
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 service@vortexoptics.com.
Vor tex Opt ics
2120 West Greenview Drive
Middleton, Wisconsin 53562
USA