Vortex Razor AMG UH-1 Holographic Sight Review

John reviews the “The Huey” aka the Vortex Razor AMG UH-1 Holographic weapon sight.
Editor’s Note: Read AmmoLand’s review of the all-new Vortex AMG UH-1 Gen 2 with video found here.

U.S.A. –-(Ammoland.com)- Vortex Optics is known for their high-quality optics at a low price point. I have had multiple optics made by Vortex. From their Venom to their Viper for my handguns and the Sparc and Strike Eagle for my rifles, over the years I have been very happy with their optics.

I recently built a new rifle and moved my EOTech 512 holographic sight from my SBR to the new carbine. For a while, my SBR has been sitting there begging for a new optic. I decided it was about time that I went ahead and throw an optic back onto my SBR. There are many choices for optics on the market right now, and the decision as to which optic to get was driving me crazy.

Vortex Razor AMG UH-1 Holographic Sight

One optic that people kept mentioning to me was the Vortex Razor AMG UH-1 Holographic Sight. Since I loved to run the EOTech 512 on my SBR I decided to go ahead and try this optic out since it was also a holographic sight. So, I went ahead and acquired one to try out to see what all the fuss is about when it came to this optic.

When it arrived, it was well-packaged. I opened the box and took out the Vortex Razor AMG UH-1 Holographic Sight. The first thing I thought was, “Wow, this thing is big!”

The Huey, as it’s referred to by Vortex, feels heavier than what it really is. It weighs in at 11.8 Oz which is only .2 oz is heavier than my EOTech 512, but for some reason, it just feels heavier than the EOTech. One thing I can say for sure is that Vortex built a robust optic. Vortex made the housing out of high-quality airplane grade aluminum. It can take a real beating without affecting the performance.

Vortex used coats of ArmorTek on the site window of the Razor AMG UH-1. What the coating does is make the windows of the optic very scratch resistant. It is similar to the scratch resistance that you find on safety glasses in industrial complexes. It should not scratch in most instances. Vortex refers to this as scratch-proof, but everything can be scratched under the right circumstances. Vortex also coated the glass in the optic with an anti-reflective coating which makes the shooter’s view brighter.

The glass on the argon gas purged Vortex Razor AMG is clear and high quality. The quality of glass that a manufacturer chooses to use in the production of the optic can make or break the sight. Vortex chosed to use high-quality glass which seems to be a tad bit better than they have used in their previous optics. The glass on the sight is a little bit clearer than the glass on my EOTech 512. It is comparable to the glass on my Holosun HS510C.

Vortex included a built-in quick release mount on the Razor AMG UH-1. It quickly attaches to any Picatinny rail. The mount holds the optic in place solidly on the rails with minimal movement once adjusted. After firing 500 rounds, I check to see if the mount moved at all and it was in the same position as I originally installed it.

Vortex powers the Huey with an included a CR123A battery, but it can also use an LFP123A rechargeable battery that can be recharged by connecting a USB cable to the micro USB port that Vortex built into the side of the optic. I don’t have very many complaints about this sight, but one I do have is that Vortex decided to include an CR123A battery instead of an LFP123A rechargeable battery. Although the CR123A can run longer than the LFP123A without being recharge/replaced I think it would have increased value of the optic package if Vortex included a rechargeable battery instead of or addition to a standard CR123A battery.

A CR123A battery will last approximately 1500 hours inside the Vortex Razor AMG UH-1. The optic has an auto shut off after 14 hours, but this shut off can be disabled by the user if they so choose. When the CR123A battery gets down to 25 hours left the optic will pulse when turned on until the user cancels the pulsing by cycling between one of the 15 brightness settings of the sight.

The Vortex Razor AMG UH-1 uses an ERB-CQB holographic reticle. I prefer the reticle on my Holosun optic because it is a little bit clearer to see than what Vortex used, but it isn’t a lousy reticle by any means, and I do prefer the ERB-CQB holographic reticle over the reticle that is on my EOTech 512.

Vortex did do something cool with the ERB-CQB holographic reticle. The center dot Is used to zero the optic between 25 yards and 400 yards. There is a little triangle at the bottom of the reticle that is for engaging targets at 10 yards or less. The system works pretty well. I was able to engage targets at 50 yards then instantly pick up targets at 5 and 10 yards. I have no complaints here.

I was shooting my SBR under the bright sun, and the reticle was easy to see. Comparing the optic to the Eotech 512, it was easier to pick up under the sun. It was also easier to see the reticle in the bright Sun then it was to see the reticle on the Holosun optic. Vortex used an XR Plus coating which could explain why the reticle is easier to pick up in the bright sun, but I think this is probably because the Vortex Razor has a more massive hood than the other two optics I brought with me when testing out the Razor AMG UH-1.

The operator can adjust the 1 MOA Razor AMG UH-1 for windage and elevation. One rotation of the knob is equal to 16.5 MOA. Out of the box it was way off. I was shooting way left. I don’t expect an optic to be zeroed correctly right out of the box but the amount of windage I had to adjust for was pretty striking. It was a quick fix though, so I can’t fault the optic too much here either.

The Vortex Razor AMG UH-1 Holographic Sight comes in matte black to lessen light reflection off the optic. It also uses FHQ Technology to eliminates stray light emissions from the optic. This elimination of light helps to mask the location of the shooter. This masking means nothing for the range or sports shooter but is everything for people who will depend on this optic for their duty rifle.

The Vortex Razor AMG UH-1 Holographic Sight does come with a lifetime VIP unconditional lifetime warranty. The cool thing about this warranty is that it is fully transferable. The user also doesn’t have to hold onto any receipts or fill out warranty cards which is great for me because I never really fill out those cards and I rarely (never) keep receipts.

Overall is it a great optic that gives my EOTech 512 a run for its money and beats it. If the optic were a little smaller, like the EOTech XPS2, I would put this optic on my home defense gun. If you don’t mind the size, then there aren’t too many drawbacks with the Razor AMG UH-1 Holographic Sight. Vortex produced a work ready optic at a fair price which at the time of this writing has an MSRP of $600 and a street price of $499.

Readers can check out the Vortex optic at www.vortexoptics.com.

About John Crump

John is a NRA instructor and a constitutional activist. He is the former CEO of Veritas Firearms, LLC and is the co-host of The Patriot News Podcast which can be found at www.blogtalkradio.com/patriotnews. John has written extensively on the patriot movement including 3%’ers, Oath Keepers, and Militias. In addition to the Patriot movement, John has written about firearms, interviewed people of all walks of life, and on the Constitution. John lives in Northern Virginia with his wife and sons and is currently working on a book on leftist deplatforming methods and can be followed on Twitter at @crumpyss, on Facebook at realjohncrump, or at www.crumpy.com.