Hunting with a Nightforce Scope

[lpreddick]

Thanks to all of you for the input you have given. The rifle the scope will go on is an older model Remington action that i bought that was like new that was sent out to the fellow who has been building my rifles lately. It will be trued up and be in a light weight Manners stock with PTG bottom metal. The barrel i sent is a Brux #3 contour and will finish at 20 inches with a 12 twist chambered in 22-250. Stock will be painted and metal done in cerakote and have a Jewell hunting trigger. It should weigh in at about 6 1/2 pounds without scope. I have it pretty much narrowed down to a couple scopes.

1. Nightforce 3.5-10x32

2. Leupold VX 3 4.5-14x 40 or 50 with a illuminated duplex reticle

3. Leupold MK4 3.5-10x40 TMR reticle maybe illuminated?

4. Sighton ( new 1 out for this year ) 3.5-10 with the MOA reticle that is illuminated

Thanks once again for all the input guys. You all are a tremendous help for advice and gave me alot of info to think about. I know alot of you are seasoned hunters and have different opinions and thats what i like to hear. ;D

I'm a bit late adding my 2 cents. I varmint hunt exclusively and got a night force with the np2dd reticle and totally agree with it being superb, EXCEPT in low light or target in shade...the tiny dot is a little hard to find. I keep forgetting the retical can be illuminated...duh. On a lark, I bought a sightron 8-32 tgt dot and was totally amazed at the clarity. Compared it with NF 8-32 at 600 yds and the NF was just a little bit clearer. I will accept that since the sightron is very much less costly. I have 5 now and may sell one of my NF to buy more sightron.

 

[potatoe]

Holy old thread revival.

 

[timeout]

My favorite for when there is adequate time to dial is the NF 5.5-22X50 with zero stop and the NP-2DD reticle. Yes, it is heavy and at my age that begins to count for something. I have a couple of Leupold VXR's. One is a 3-9X50 on a .223 and the other a 4-12X50 on a Dasher. Both have the illuminated LRV reticle. The light intensity dials down dim enough for night time coyote hunting and then dials up bright enough for the brightest of sunshine hunting. On the 223 shooting 75 gr. Amaxes it worked out that the top dot on at 100 gives me almost dead on center dot 200 and bottom dot 300. I would not shoot this particular rifle further than 300 anyway. With my Dasher I can shoot out to 200 on the top dot and then need to compensate a little for 3, 4 and 500 yards when using the other two dots. For fast action whitetail hunting, I love the illuminated LRV reticle Leupold on my Dasher. Point and shoot = venison in he freezer.

 

[DennisH]

Look no further than the NP2-DD reticule, it will do all you want to do...
This was taken at 200 yards...

I agree with the above. I have Swarovski's but I use my NightForces for everything, even the same reticle that's shown above for competition and hunting.

Dennis

 

[Webster]

I won't argue with you JRS but a rifle with a 3-9 no turrets, zeroed at 100 yards is guess work at 300 yards when your talking your shooting at some animals the size of pop cans!! If this rifle was only to be used on game animals I would totally agree, but thats not the case here! The day I am too FAT and LAZY to pack as much as a 15 # rifle around I will quit the game, I see people all the time with huge back packs that must weigh 50# and belly ache if there rifle is over 6# ??? My rifle that I use on Varmints, ground hogs, red diggers and the occasional deer is a 6.5*284 f-class, I replaced the f-class stock with the HS Precision 20 minute rail with a 5-25X56 PMII Schmidt & Bender and harris bi pod total weight 16.4 lbs. Never a issue and whatever I aim at from 25-1000 yards is dead! and there have been a few well over 1K, to each his own I guess, a 2.5-10X32 NSX only weighs 19 oz and would make a great adjustable scope for the OP's needs but then again I suppose a 1X weaver on a chipmunk 22lr would also work ??? :-X :-X :-X

Why would you sight your rifle in for 100 yards? I have a 6BR used for GH. It's sighted in 2 1/4" high at 100 yards, it's 2 1/4" high at 200 yards, dead on at 275 yards, 3 inches low at 300 yards. If the shot is under about 225 yards I hold at the bottom of the chest. It's a center body hit. If you use a range finder and can put clicks on the scope it's a different story.

 

[Joey_Denis]

I am looking to purchace a Nightforce scope for varmint hunting here where i live. I have not had 1 of their scopes or ever looked through 1. I will be using it to coyote, ground hog and fox hunt with. Not sure which retical to choose and was hoping to get some opinions from those that use their scopes and do that type of hunting. I am looking for something that will be easy to pick up on the target and does not get lost easy if you know what i mean. Something that will draw your eye in if you need to get on it pretty quick. Thanks for any input you fellows have.

I have an shv with the moar. For what you are looking to do that is probably perfect.

 

[dragman]

For less money and equal quality consider the Leopold VX 6 3-18X50 illuminated varmit hunter, I have two and they are really unbeatable unless you go to high end German glass at twice the price S&B, Sworo, Zeis Victory, etc.. I also have several older models in my safe and none has ever had a problem including a 3x9 that is 35 years old.

equal quality to what? not a NF or an S&B.

 

[dragman]

I like the ATACR I have shot hogs at under 100 and shot at stuff out too 2000 yards. one scope that does it all just is a little heavy.

 

[Joey_Denis]

I like the shv with the moar