Nightforce Optics

[Quackaddict]

Hey guys, I have been spending some time researching Nightforce and I would like to get your guys opinions on a couple things.

Looking at a 5.5-22x50 for a heavy 243 rig. I use it to shoot varmints.

My first question is about the glass, is the 1700 price tag going to give me significant increases in brightness and resolution over the Bushnell 4200's im using right now?

Next is the reticule, the folks over on snipers hide say the MOA based reticles are best for varmints, but I really am looking hard at the NP-2DD version, can that setup be picked up quickly, such as in a coyote calling situation?

I appreciate any input guys, the ones I have looked through seem great, but not being able to work one over in any situation but a closed store makes me hesitant.

Thoughts?

 

[Terry]

I have two 12-42's with Mil-Dots. They are great for Prairie
Dogs. The Mil-Dots are hollow with a small center dot. They are better.

 

[Preacher]

Me along with a ton of other folks use that NP-2DD on long distance varmints with out one tiny problem showing up.. I've tossed every other reticule and replaced them with the NP-2DD and have never wished I didnt........
I just couldnt deal with all the clutter...

 

[serial # 001]

Well, Quackaddict, if the 4200 and the 6500 have the same quality of glass I can comment from experience. I compared a Nightforce with a 6500 in both the day and evening. There is no comparison. When I was about 550 yards the Nightforce was set on 12X while the 6500 needed 16X to see the same detail. As far as after sunset, the Nightforce lasted twenty more minutes after the targeted item disappeared in the 6500. They were both set on 12X because that's where the Nightforce started.

Maybe the Nightforce was cheating because it is a 56mm compared to the 50 for the Bushnell.

 

[k80skeet]

Simple Question simple answer. YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR!!!

 

[dtucker]

If you can get the Nightforce get it and don't look back. It is an all around better scope period plus has the lighted retical. If you choose to sell it for some reason the return is much better. They hold their value very well and sell quick.

 

[6BRinNZ]

Hi Quackaddict,

IMO once you start to deal with the better scopes I'm not sure that there are "significant" improvements, but yes there are improvements.

Comparing 1 glass to another may well come down to personal preference and the shooting conditions. I have put USO, NF and Leupold VX3 side by side and I couldn't pick a difference, however I am sure that optically they are all different. Also I didn't try them in low light...but that goes to my first point, if you aren't shooting low light then does it matter?

The R1 is a good NF reticle for fast MOA hold off - this leads me to the next thing, do you crank or hold off? If you are cranking a lot, then mechanical robustness (I went with a NF 5.5 - 20 x 56 for this reason) would be my first consideration, IMO all of the top end optics are very good but you have to have faith in the cranking.

Again reticle choice is about personal opinion and how you are going to use it...I went with the R1 as I prefer to hold off and I don't find the clutter a problem, but you can't argue with the statement on the NF site where the 2DD is very popular with target and varmiters alike.

I'm guessing that coyote hunting will have a lot of varying distances from shot to shot so a side parallax will make that easier.

Good luck.

 

[Quackaddict]

I crank more than I hold off. Pretty sure im gonna go with a NP2- DD reticle.

 

[TonyR]

No problem holding off with the 2-DD. If you are target shooting, you can hold the dot on the numbers or scoring rings. Otherwise, the gap between the dot and the cross hairs is calibrated in MOA at certain magnifications. Lots of detail of the NF website. I like it a lot for F-Class.

 

[sscoyote]

I have the 3.5-15x with NP-R1 that I will be sending back to NF for one of the Velocity reticles soon. Buddy of mine is using the Varmint Hunter's reticle for coyotes and has made many one-shot kills at long-range this past coyote season and last (440-650) using that tree reticle system. I have also used the ballistic (tree-style) reticles ever since the Burris systems came out and prefer them for field shooting due to the more direct system of windage reference they provide for.

 

[1953Longrangesniper]

Hi mate
I use the Nightforce NXS 12-42 x 56 with the NP-2DD reticle on a Remington 700 .243 Ackley Improved RifleCraft Custom in a H S Precision Tactical Stock with a Pacnor Target Match grade barrel , this rifle and Scope combination has and is used on varmints and small deer out to a 1000Yds with no problems at all , the Optics are very clear and I think the Bushnell compares very well to it, but I think the Nightforce just has the edge on clarity and performance, and it also has the advantage of the illuminated reticle, for low light conditions.

Go for the Nightforce if your funds allow ! you wont regret it.

Hope this assist you.

Regards
Steve

 

[serial # 001]

Simple Question simple answer. YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR!!!

This is stated by folks who don't have enough experience. You get what you shop for.

In the above comparison between my Nightforce and 6500, I included my Swarovski Z5 5-25X52. At 202 yards the Bushenll resolved the .270" line space line on 4 1/2X. The Swaro needed 5 1/2X. I sent it back and purchsed another. The same thing happened so I figured that is the way they are made. At about 500 yards where the Bushnell 6500 needed 16X the Swaro needed 17X. After sunset, it lasted a couple minutes longer than the Bushnell while the Nightforce continued for at least 15 more minutes. The Nightforce cost $1440 while the Swarovski cost $1675.

The value to me of the Z5 Swarovski is its light weight. It is lighter than either of the others.

 

[Travelor]

Unless you have the scopes side-by-side at the same time on the same day you are just providing opinions unsupported by empirical data.

Read this review: http://www.6mmbr.com/optics.html

It is just about as good as it gets in reviewing and comparing scopes. I have NightForce, Leupold, Weaver, and many other scopes. I really like the NightForce, but for the money my pick is Weaver T-24 or T-36 with a fine cross hair and target dot reticle.

George