8-80X56 MARCH SCOPE
- Thread starter farmer44
- Start date
Joe R
Gold $$ Contributor
I understand why its getting mixed reviews. I have a March 10-60X and when I go from 50X to 60X there is substantial darkening, but its still very usable. I got to look through a 8-80X in September when Kelbly came down to Houston. I decided that it didn't really add much to what I already had, so I bought another 10-60X for my other rifle. But that is a very personal choice, I am 60 years old and wear bifocals, another person may come to a different conclusion. My advice to you is you need to look through one before deciding either way.
Kindest regards,
Joe
Kindest regards,
Joe
blairf
Gold $$ Contributor
I have one and have used it in a few F-T/R comps.
It tracks perfectly, the elevation and windage knobs are firm and responsive, and the glass is super clear, albeit - a bit darker than my other S&B scopes. The darker field of view has NOT been a problem for me at all - most folks think that the scope is bright, according to what I have read. I am just used to the S&B, perhaps.
IMO, this scope is perfect for my use in F-T/R, and I could not be more satisfied. The weight is +/-30 oz., which is pretty light and helps with being within the required weight limitations.
I will be buying another from Kelbly's soon to use in my next F-Class build.
What negatives have you read?
Blair
It tracks perfectly, the elevation and windage knobs are firm and responsive, and the glass is super clear, albeit - a bit darker than my other S&B scopes. The darker field of view has NOT been a problem for me at all - most folks think that the scope is bright, according to what I have read. I am just used to the S&B, perhaps.
IMO, this scope is perfect for my use in F-T/R, and I could not be more satisfied. The weight is +/-30 oz., which is pretty light and helps with being within the required weight limitations.
I will be buying another from Kelbly's soon to use in my next F-Class build.
What negatives have you read?
Blair
Joe R
Gold $$ Contributor
By the way, a friend has a March scope for sale that you may want to consider http://forum.accurateshooter.com/index.php?topic=3856469.0
Joe
Joe
I don't have one but I have a friend who does and as said here they get dark quick above 50x I own a 10-60 and in all honesty I wished I'd saved 500.00 and had gotten the new NF competition scope. I can turn my scope back to 50x and the new NF maxed out is still brighter and clearer than my March. From all I've learned over optics to get brightness you need a much larger tube and a bell equal to the magnification rating of course this info comes from birders using spotting scopes. I honestly don't see where 80x is needed or even practical.
My advice would be find someone who has one and look thru it. Then look thru a NF.
My advice would be find someone who has one and look thru it. Then look thru a NF.
Joe R
Gold $$ Contributor
The March 8-80X has a 34mm tube.
Is it bright enough to use for F/TR on sunny days? Yes. On cloudy days? Maybe, maybe not. Is it worth the extra $500 over a 10-60? You can only answer that. How tight is money for you? For some guys $500 is chump change, for others is serious money.
Is it bright enough to use for F/TR on sunny days? Yes. On cloudy days? Maybe, maybe not. Is it worth the extra $500 over a 10-60? You can only answer that. How tight is money for you? For some guys $500 is chump change, for others is serious money.
farmer44 said:
I'll weigh in here because I have the NF Competition. I will warn you that it also noticeably darkens above 45x. I've never looked through a March so I can't make any comparison there. With the NF, it's very bright and clear up to 45x. Going above 45x is like putting on sunglasses. No clarity is lost, the image is still as crisp as always, but it is indeed darker. I suggest looking through them both side by side OUTSIDE before making your final decision.
Joe R
Gold $$ Contributor
Here's my take on scopes. 6X magnification from the base is well established by Swarovski and March. It works. I had a Swarovski Z6 5-30X and now have a March 10x60. Nightforce still hasn't caught up. If they had, their 15-55X would have been 15-75X. For March to make an 8-80X would require a huge leap forward, a jump of 10X from the base. I would love it if it were to happen but I have to see it to believe it and so far the 8-80X is a step forward but not all that I would have hoped for. I would love to see an 10-80X that really works in all conditions.
For F/TR shooters, it seems to me that the March 10-60 is the best compromise at this point in time. It works well for 100 yard load development and it is very usable for the 1,000 yards regardless of cloud cover or mirage. I'll take a 60X that I can use anytime to an 80X that I can only use on rare occasions.
So if money is in your budget, the March 10-60x52 is the best that is out there IMO. YMMV
Kindest regards,
Joe
For F/TR shooters, it seems to me that the March 10-60 is the best compromise at this point in time. It works well for 100 yard load development and it is very usable for the 1,000 yards regardless of cloud cover or mirage. I'll take a 60X that I can use anytime to an 80X that I can only use on rare occasions.
So if money is in your budget, the March 10-60x52 is the best that is out there IMO. YMMV
Kindest regards,
Joe
I have not played yet with a Nightforce 15-55X Scope but I have had a 12-42X BR in the past and it was adequate for Benchrest out to near 600yards that I shoot but the rifle being a switch barrel / switch stock back to a varmint outfit I found the Nightforce too heavy and difficult to keep making front focal changes out in the field so I bought a March 8-80X which was noticeably lighter and much easier to adjust with the side focus. The optics were a vast improvement under all light conditions.
Since that initial purchase of the 8-80X March I have purchased two more March Scopes and equally impressed with all.
The Varmint / Benchrest outfit now wears a 5-50X March and is overall a better combination. The 8-80X March has been relocated on a dedicated Benchrest Rifle. A third dedicated Benchrest Rifle used for medium range now has a 10-60X March. All scopes have a Sunshade and the MD Disk which I use under very strong and bright light conditions to improve sharpness around the middle of the day. I have not experimented with lens filters as yet and would like to at some stage under varying conditions.
Of all three I rate the 8-80X as the best, the 5-50X comes in second and the 10-60X comes last. I would not buy another 10-60X unless funds were really tight and I really needed another March Scope, I would find the extra and buy an 8-80X which isn't that much dearer than the 5-50X and far more useable under a variety of conditions, weight is only a few ounces different. All three have excellent eye relief compared to my old Nightforce.
If I get the chance I would love to trial the new Nightforce 15-55X against the March but I think I already know which would win out the test.
At competition shoots I have attended the majority of scopes used are the 12-42X Nightforce BR and I get heaps of requests for shooters asking to look through the March, all comments have been along the lines of "nice scope", "gee, I can see why you don't use a Spotting Scope" meaning I can see my shot placements usually unless the Mirage is extremely bad.
Everyone is different so these are just my views.
Since that initial purchase of the 8-80X March I have purchased two more March Scopes and equally impressed with all.
The Varmint / Benchrest outfit now wears a 5-50X March and is overall a better combination. The 8-80X March has been relocated on a dedicated Benchrest Rifle. A third dedicated Benchrest Rifle used for medium range now has a 10-60X March. All scopes have a Sunshade and the MD Disk which I use under very strong and bright light conditions to improve sharpness around the middle of the day. I have not experimented with lens filters as yet and would like to at some stage under varying conditions.
Of all three I rate the 8-80X as the best, the 5-50X comes in second and the 10-60X comes last. I would not buy another 10-60X unless funds were really tight and I really needed another March Scope, I would find the extra and buy an 8-80X which isn't that much dearer than the 5-50X and far more useable under a variety of conditions, weight is only a few ounces different. All three have excellent eye relief compared to my old Nightforce.
If I get the chance I would love to trial the new Nightforce 15-55X against the March but I think I already know which would win out the test.
At competition shoots I have attended the majority of scopes used are the 12-42X Nightforce BR and I get heaps of requests for shooters asking to look through the March, all comments have been along the lines of "nice scope", "gee, I can see why you don't use a Spotting Scope" meaning I can see my shot placements usually unless the Mirage is extremely bad.
Everyone is different so these are just my views.
Here's what I wrote for my facebook group back when I first got the Nightforce. Hopefully you'll enjoy it:
I'm going to repost this for any new guys interested in reading it.
Burris vs Leupold vs Nightforce
Took the new Nightforce Competition 15-55x52 out to some countryside today (11/9/2013) to look at stuff. I was shocked. At 900 to 1000 yards, I can see power lines and clearly see the individual lines on max power. On min power at the same distance, I can see much more than I expected. Tomorrow, I'm going to get it out beside my other scopes and do a clarity comparison. I'm super impressed with it so far.
I was looking at a house and barn that were out by the power lines. around 900-1000 yards estimated. Had to turn the parrallax almost all the way out to focus. It was out there. I could see well enough to look inside the windows. If there had been a man door facing me, I could have easily seen a doorknob. I don't think I could've quite made out the keyhole, but there were only garage doors facing me anyway. I was trying to locate a mailbox in the hopes of reading a name or address on the side of it but no such luck. If one had been present, and I had a more stable rest, I'm confident I could've read it. But I just had the scope in my hands, not mounted to a rifle, and kinda used a 2x4 as a makeshift monopod. But it was REALLY hard to hold still. I would buy another of these scopes in a heartbeat if budget allowed.
Scope comparison: 9/10/2013 I took out my 3 best scopes and did a side by side comparison looking at a bench rest target at 100 yards. Temperature was mid 30's to low 40's so no mirage. Overcast cloudy day so the brightness of the scope itself was really noticeable without any bright sunlight to enhance it. The three scopes were:
Burris Black Diamond 8-32x50 with 30mm tube
Leupold Competition fixed 36x45 (I think 45. Might be 42) with 1" tube
and of course the new Nightforce competition 15-55x52 with 30mm tube.
No shooting was done so no tests on tracking, return to zero, or any of that. Just an observation of clarity and brightness between the three.
Burris vs Leupold: The Leupold had the edge in magnification obviously which to my eyes made the target easier to be seen. But magnification aside, I honestly have to say they are tied dead even for clarity and brightness. The Burris has a larger objective and tube, but the Leupold makes up for it with better glass I guess. I could not distinguish a difference in brightness or crispness of the target between the two. The white target appeared to be bright white but had a sort of white halo around the perimeter. All black edges of the target rings and sighter boxes were nice and crisp. This was exactly the same for both scopes.
Burris and Leupold vs Nightforce: I turned the Nightforce down to 32x and 36x respectively for this comparison to keep it fair. The Nightforce was instantly noticeable as being brighter and clearer. The white halo was completely gone around the edge of the target. Nightforce was definitely better than the other two.
In my opinion, and for my uses, the Nightforce is the hands down winner. Not only is it clearer and brighter, but it can also keep increasing in magnification far past the other two and is just as bright and clear on max power as it is on min. People in other reviews have complained about the fussy eye relief on the Nightforce. It's roughly 3.5" of eye relief. Same as my other two within a quarter inch. They say it's touchy to maintain eye relief on max power. No shit. It's a 55x with a 52mm objective. That's the nature of the beast. Hold still. Problem solved! In case you don't realize the implications of what I just said, it means on a gun that you shoot free recoil, it's no big deal. On a gun that you shoot with a consistent cheek weld, it should also be no big deal. On a gun that you shoot standing off hand with zero support of any kind at a moving target.... It's a 55x! Nobody would do that. I guess I don't understand what they're whining about.
In summary, I'll make this analogy:
Have you ever hooked up a DVD player to an analog CRT TV in your bedroom? (Yeah, those "really old" ones with a picture tube) It actually has a really good picture! You sit there watching your movie thinking: "this is such a great picture I don't know why we ever upgraded from this. It's so clear, I'm not missing a thing. way better than that old grainy stuff we used to watch before these came along" Well, that is my Burris and Leupold scope.
Then you decide to get some popcorn. You walk through the living room where your wife/kids/whoever are watching a movie on the big screen HD plasma with a blu ray and 7.1 surround sound. There's a gun battle going on and you feel like you're in the middle of it. You tuck and roll behind the couch to take cover. Popcorn is forgotten. You think to yourself: "holy crap! This picture is so clear, I'm pretty sure I don't see things this clearly with my own eyes in real life. Now I remember why I upgraded. Duh." Yep, you guessed it. That's the Nightforce.
I'm going to repost this for any new guys interested in reading it.
Burris vs Leupold vs Nightforce
Took the new Nightforce Competition 15-55x52 out to some countryside today (11/9/2013) to look at stuff. I was shocked. At 900 to 1000 yards, I can see power lines and clearly see the individual lines on max power. On min power at the same distance, I can see much more than I expected. Tomorrow, I'm going to get it out beside my other scopes and do a clarity comparison. I'm super impressed with it so far.
I was looking at a house and barn that were out by the power lines. around 900-1000 yards estimated. Had to turn the parrallax almost all the way out to focus. It was out there. I could see well enough to look inside the windows. If there had been a man door facing me, I could have easily seen a doorknob. I don't think I could've quite made out the keyhole, but there were only garage doors facing me anyway. I was trying to locate a mailbox in the hopes of reading a name or address on the side of it but no such luck. If one had been present, and I had a more stable rest, I'm confident I could've read it. But I just had the scope in my hands, not mounted to a rifle, and kinda used a 2x4 as a makeshift monopod. But it was REALLY hard to hold still. I would buy another of these scopes in a heartbeat if budget allowed.
Scope comparison: 9/10/2013 I took out my 3 best scopes and did a side by side comparison looking at a bench rest target at 100 yards. Temperature was mid 30's to low 40's so no mirage. Overcast cloudy day so the brightness of the scope itself was really noticeable without any bright sunlight to enhance it. The three scopes were:
Burris Black Diamond 8-32x50 with 30mm tube
Leupold Competition fixed 36x45 (I think 45. Might be 42) with 1" tube
and of course the new Nightforce competition 15-55x52 with 30mm tube.
No shooting was done so no tests on tracking, return to zero, or any of that. Just an observation of clarity and brightness between the three.
Burris vs Leupold: The Leupold had the edge in magnification obviously which to my eyes made the target easier to be seen. But magnification aside, I honestly have to say they are tied dead even for clarity and brightness. The Burris has a larger objective and tube, but the Leupold makes up for it with better glass I guess. I could not distinguish a difference in brightness or crispness of the target between the two. The white target appeared to be bright white but had a sort of white halo around the perimeter. All black edges of the target rings and sighter boxes were nice and crisp. This was exactly the same for both scopes.
Burris and Leupold vs Nightforce: I turned the Nightforce down to 32x and 36x respectively for this comparison to keep it fair. The Nightforce was instantly noticeable as being brighter and clearer. The white halo was completely gone around the edge of the target. Nightforce was definitely better than the other two.
In my opinion, and for my uses, the Nightforce is the hands down winner. Not only is it clearer and brighter, but it can also keep increasing in magnification far past the other two and is just as bright and clear on max power as it is on min. People in other reviews have complained about the fussy eye relief on the Nightforce. It's roughly 3.5" of eye relief. Same as my other two within a quarter inch. They say it's touchy to maintain eye relief on max power. No shit. It's a 55x with a 52mm objective. That's the nature of the beast. Hold still. Problem solved! In case you don't realize the implications of what I just said, it means on a gun that you shoot free recoil, it's no big deal. On a gun that you shoot with a consistent cheek weld, it should also be no big deal. On a gun that you shoot standing off hand with zero support of any kind at a moving target.... It's a 55x! Nobody would do that. I guess I don't understand what they're whining about.
In summary, I'll make this analogy:
Have you ever hooked up a DVD player to an analog CRT TV in your bedroom? (Yeah, those "really old" ones with a picture tube) It actually has a really good picture! You sit there watching your movie thinking: "this is such a great picture I don't know why we ever upgraded from this. It's so clear, I'm not missing a thing. way better than that old grainy stuff we used to watch before these came along" Well, that is my Burris and Leupold scope.
Then you decide to get some popcorn. You walk through the living room where your wife/kids/whoever are watching a movie on the big screen HD plasma with a blu ray and 7.1 surround sound. There's a gun battle going on and you feel like you're in the middle of it. You tuck and roll behind the couch to take cover. Popcorn is forgotten. You think to yourself: "holy crap! This picture is so clear, I'm pretty sure I don't see things this clearly with my own eyes in real life. Now I remember why I upgraded. Duh." Yep, you guessed it. That's the Nightforce.
XTR
F-TR obssessed shooting junkie
Talk to some people who use them. No matter what it is, max magnification is advertising, and not used very often if it is over 45x, that's why NF had the issues with reticle subtensions in the 2013. It's fine at 55x, but it covers too much of the target where people end up using it at 40 to 45x
I personally know and shoot with two very good F-TR shooters who switched from March 10-60s to NF Comps in the last yr. Both finished very high at Phoenix. (w/o looking at scores I think in the neighborhood of top 10 to 15 for both).
I personally know and shoot with two very good F-TR shooters who switched from March 10-60s to NF Comps in the last yr. Both finished very high at Phoenix. (w/o looking at scores I think in the neighborhood of top 10 to 15 for both).
I shoot my 8-80x at 80x most matches, especially midrange matches. At LR matches, I tend to dial back to 60x at times. I rarely shoot my scope on less than 60x unless I want to use the 40x power on sighters(MTR) to help with sighters.
Maybe I got lucky with a bright/useable 8-80x March.
Maybe I got lucky with a bright/useable 8-80x March.
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