Advice on the Nightforce ATACR?

[stinnett1981]

So I shoot F class and Tactical matches. I shoot a lot of steel on my own hunting ground and at a 550 yard range that im a member at. I just saved up the cash to buy a new scope for my new 47L. I have a custom .308 win that I shoot FTR with and I have a Bushnell XRS 4.5-30x50 34mm tube and the FFP G2 reticle. Its a great scope and works good for FTR because the G2 reticle is very fine and I can get a good precise shoot with it. My other custom rifle is a .223 rem and I have a Nightforce NXS 8-32x56 with the NP-2DD reticle. It has better glass than the Bushnell and it simply feels more solid and the clicks feel better. At first I thought the Bushnell had better glass until I focused the Nightforce in with that precise rear eye focus. I thought I had it focused until I had a nice clear day to really sit down and dial it in. Now this Nightforce is very clear and bright! With my type of shooting I really like FFP scopes. I have the money to buy the BEAST, but I dont like all the dumb crap on it! The .1mil lever and all the locking stuff. The ATACR is perfectly built! Its basically a NXS, but with ED glass and 34mm tube (nice and simple!). I wish the BEAST was exactly like the ATACR, but FFP. What im getting at... I think im just gonna buy the ATACR. I can use it at 12.5 power and 25 power for the reticle to be true. Can all you guys that own the ATACR chive in please and let me know how you guys like it. Also do you guys use the reticle at 12.5 and 25 power? All advice is appreciated! Thanks!

Jerod

 

[Alex Wheeler]

I own one, is the glass better than my 5.5x22? Not much. The 15-55x is a huge jump up in glass, while the atacr is not imo. I would want more power for f-class. The only reason to buy an Atacr imo is if you actually need the 120 moa of adjustment. I got one for my 338 and can dial 95 moa plus another 20 in the reticle. That is why you get one. Otherwise stick with the NXS for the money.

 

[stinnett1981]

I own one, is the glass better than my 5.5x22? Not much. The 15-55x is a huge jump up in glass, while the atacr is not imo. I would want more power for f-class. The only reason to buy an Atacr imo is if you actually need the 120 moa of adjustment. I got one for my 338 and can dial 95 moa plus another 20 in the reticle. That is why you get one. Otherwise stick with the NXS for the money.

Awesome! Thanks for the great info. Maybe I will buy 2 NXS 5.5-22X50 or 56 and call it a day. I can put my NXS 8-32X56 on my 47L and put the 2 5.5-22X50 on my .223Rem and 308Win. My Bushnell XRS has a 1 year bullet proof money back. I'm gonna mail it back and get my $ back. I hope Bushnell comes out with ED glass in the near future. They truly do make great scopes, but the glass quality isn't up to par with the other $1500+ scopes. The G2 reticle that GA Precision designed is the best reticle ever made IMO. Thanks again for the info.

 

[FeMan]

I have an ATACR on my LR tactical rifle (284 Win) and love it. I just finished building a much lighter rifle in 6.5x47 though for steel and am going to buy a FFP scope. Unfortunately Nightforce's options in FFP scopes are very limited. The 3.5-15 NXS with a FFP reticle would be fine but I want the 6.5 to be my long range backup and wish NF made a FFP scope in the higher magnifications.

 

[hkfan45]

Where does the s&b 12-50 fit into this decision? It's FFP and has a fov similar to the NXS at 8x.

 

[X-Caveman]

While I agree you can't go wrong either way, you ought to look through an ATACR yourself. Unlike the previous poster, I see a noticeable clarity difference between my ATACR and my other NFs (NXS 3.5-15x56 & BR 12-42). The field of view seems better, too & the black ring of scope tube that you see seems much smaller. Once you option up the NXS with the HS Zero Stop turret, the price jump isn't that great - maybe $350. My only complaint so far is that it gets a little tunnel vision at low magnification. Oh yeah, I got a good deal on mine by calling bullets.com.

 

[ohearchai]

OP, I shoot a little FTR, but it seems that the last few years I have shot practical/tactical matches a lot more. Run a NXS 12-42x56 NPR1 on the 308, but for practical/tactical matches, I run a FFP scope and imho it probably thats only way to go. Honestly you already have a decent F-class scope in the NXS, throw that on the 308, switch the XRS to the 223 and take a moment to look at some other options for the new 47L, such as the Kahles K624i, Razor HD gen2, a Steiner or a used S&B or Hensoldt. As for the ATACR, I was impressed with the quality of the new ed glass Nightforce is using in some of their newer models.

 

[stinnett1981]

Thanks guys for the replies. I still havent made the purchase. I did decide im gonna go with a FFP scope since I already have a NXS 8-32x56 NP2DD which Im gonna put on my 47 for F open. This was my first year shooting F class too and it was awesome. I actually only shot FTR and used my .308 with the Bushnell XRS. Im gonna return the Bushnell XRS and get my $ back since it has the 1 year bullet proof money back guarantee. The FFP I might buy tomorrow is the Nightforce F1. I think the 3.5-15x50 F1 with the FFP MLR2 reticle would be perfect for my .223 or .308 in tactical matches. I will probably put it on my .223 instead of my .308. When I get the $ back from returning the Bushnell XRS I will need a scope for my .308..... again. Lol! I will wanna shoot FTR with my .308 again because I did pretty good with it last year. I also grown attached to it since its my first custom rifle and it was used in my first F class season. Thats enough rambling on from me! What do you guys think about my decision(s)?

 

[X-Caveman]

They are blowing out the Vortex Razor HD Gen 1s right now. I know SWFA is trying to move them, as they hit me up for one yesterday. If you're going FFP, you may consider it. I like mine very much.

 

[stinnett1981]

Well I just made the purchase. I bought a Nightforce NXS F1 3.5-15X50 with the FFP MLR2.0 reticle. I bought it through Opticsplanet.com. They was the only place that had the F1 with the MLR2.0 reticle. I wanted to buy from sportsoptics.com, but they didnt have 1 in stock. So Im gonna put this new F1 on my .223 for tactical matches. I might even try it out for 600 yard FTR too. Im sure 15 power is plenty for 600 yards. Here is a pic of the rifle with my NXS 8-32x56 on it. Now I just gotta wait for the F1 in the mail and swap scopes. Thanks for the advise and have a great holiday season guys!