March benchrest or Nightforce Competition

[lawrence97]

Debating between a March BR 10-60x52 or NF 15-55x52. Has anyone had both side by side and put them to the test?
I know the technical specs are there such as 5moa vs 10moa per revolution, resettable zero vs none, 60moa total adjustment, lifetime vs 5yr warranty, etc.

But optically, mechanically, and price wise, who has had time to play with both and which do you consider superior and why?

Of two reticles offered by NF, what is the pick for fclass at 600-1000yards?

My use will be for 1000 yard Fclass.

Thank you for your responses.

 

[butchlambert]

I have had both, but not in the configuration you mentioned. My thoughts on the ones that I owned was the March is a much Superior scope. Warranty doesn't bother me as March is very fast turning theirs around. 5 years is a long time. If you have a defect, it will show up in the first 6 months that you own it.

 

[mrdocalavich]

I had a nightforce 12-42... sold it, bought a March...
March is by far the superior scope. Superior glass, superior repeatability, and much lighter. Nightforce is made to be indestructable...March is made for shooters...so, unless you are worried
that your scope might get run over by a tank, buy the March.

 

[Alex Wheeler]

Maybe I got a bad one, but I find the NF 15-55 clearer than my 10-60.

 

[gsg5pk]

I would be pick up NF Competition

 

[butchlambert]

I believe this is getting to be a Chev.-Ford type post. Most people that buy something can't stand to reveal that they made a mistake. I believe he wanted info from people that had used both.

 

[TonyR]

The Nightforce Competition has some advantages and disadvantages over the March 10X60X52 with the MTR-1 reticle I sold to buy it. Clarity seems pretty much the same. The March is lighter and has a broader choice of reticles but I can get back on the sight picture faster with the NF than the March. Which to get might depend on the application and the individual circumstances.

 

[bholcomb]

I had a Nightforce and sold it to get the March 8-80. All I can say is wow. The March is clearer than the Nightforce IMO and on a day when there is not much mirage you can take full advantage of all that magnification. At 600 yards, seeing bullet holes is not a problem and at a 1000 being able to put the crosshair dot in the x ring and not cover it up is awesome. I think both companies make outstanding scopes but at 1000 f class I would go with a March.

 

[Alex Wheeler]

I had both a March 10-60 and a Nightforce 15-55.
I had them at the same time.
I shot them both in three matches, same days, different relays.
The Nightforce, in my opinion, was significantly clearer and brighter and the eye relief much less critical than the March. The focus/parallax knob on the March is less sensitive than the Nightforce.
That Nightforce has the crosshair-dot reticle. The 1/8 dot is too big if you need to back the power down.
I sold the March at a $500 loss and bought another Nightforce 15-55 with the DDR reticle. The hash marks between the dots work great as a precision reticle. I'll have the reticle in the first one changed this winter.
Not afraid to admit I made a mistake with the March. It was actually the second one I owned and I didn't like either one. They're both gone.
The only possible advantages I see to the March are lighter weight and a wider variety of reticles. Nightforce will fix the reticle issue eventually and with a 17 pound weight limit I don't care about the weight.

I will second everything you said. I will be selling my 10-60 when the 15-55 comes out with a reticle I like.

 

[jghoghunter]

I'm with Dave on this one. Last weekend we had a nightforce competition and a March 10 by 60 set up side by side on a bench. The night force was hands down clearer than the March. And like someone said the recticle problem we'll get cleared up sooner or later.