Nightforce...the best or......?

[Tstroop]

I see a lot of Nightforce scopes for sale (just counted 11 on page 1-3)..I personally have never owned one although I have shot multiple 15-55comps.
My question is what are you replacing them with and why? I really like the new NX8 but don’t wanna be disappointed!

 

[Om606]

Kahles

 

[R.Morehouse]

March......I have more confidence in them holding POA. The fixed power March saves me a bit of weight, my gun has a 10.5lb weight limit. I use an older 36-55 EPZ for the same reason on a 17lb gun for LR BR. Chose the Kahles 624 for a 300wsm in an MPA chassis and find that scope as fine as any I have used. I have 1 NF 2.5-10 that is a real nice scope and have at one time had the comp. you spoke of and a few NSX's that were good scopes.....March on the comp guns.....It's that POA confidence thing.

Regards
Rick

 

[El Matador]

I just have 1 NF scope and I can say the glass is not anything to write home about. They are known for being a robust scope with very durable turrets and repeatable adjustments, which is important if you're dialing all the time. But the NXS is a $2000 scope and the glass is inferior to my $1200 Leupold VX-6. The clarity is definitely better than a low-end scope, it's just not that amazing. I would guess people are wanting to upgrade to the higher-end NFs or another brand for better optical clarity.

 

[chadwickz71]

Man i got to take up for NF a bit, we have several NF. Nxs, ATAC, Competition 15-55 etc. Just my opinion but i looked through lots of glass before going with the brand. Kicked out march i think because of shorter warranty if im not mistaken. never had any issue with the NF but have a friend that dealt with them on a old used second hand scope and they took care of him without question.

ATAC glass is pretty slick and is better at dusk than the NXS.

I myself am selling a like new Comp 15-55 here now. Not because i don't like it... im selling my benchrest gun and going a different build for hunting.

I would pick the scope that best fits your application, they probably all have little pros/cons etc.

 

[Tstroop]

I run multiple Vortex, Leupold and bushnell 6500 elite . Including a Golden eagle on my 17lb bench rifle.the bushnell 4.5-30 is fine but I feel paralax is maxed out at 600yards. That’s my only beef with it. I like marches 10-60. Everything but their non-transfer warranty. I like the 3/6-26/34x range but hate most companies reticles, really just like basic duplex maybe with some drops. “Dialing” scopes isn’t an issue with me. @El Matador ive seen not so hot reviews on the vx-6. But I’ve never looked into one.

 

[FatBoy]

Not implying this is the reason these scopes are for sale, but the longer you are around competition shooting the more you will see a lot of guys need to chase the next best thing. As they "outgrow " a piece of equipment they sell to fund the next piece.

I love it. Nightforce is my favorite mid-level scope. When guys sell them to buy their next best I usually get a good deal on a great optic with a lifetime warranty if I should need it. I have like 8, all bought used.

 

[Bill Norris]

Nightforce is a great scope, no doubt. I've owned several in the past. NXS and BR. But, my personal preference is Leupold. Just simply better glass for my eyes at least when it gets later over in the evening around dusk. Just my .02 cents.

 

[msinc]

I asked the same question many times in the past..."if they are so great why is everyone selling them??" I have a nephew that was a Marine sniper. He had the opportunity to test a lot of gear when he was at Quantico. He said vendors were constantly sending them stuff to try on the hope that they would like it and have to have it. Initially when I asked him about Nightforce he simply said, " they are junk". I pressed further as to why and he said they tried some once and the turrets wouldn't hold up to the constant up and down dialing. Seemed reasonable. Some time later which wasn't but a few years ago I ended up with one. I had no trouble with the turrets or tracking and it holds a perfect zero. I was disappointed with the glass at first in low light conditions. Finally, I tried to adjust everything and found that once I had the diopter, focus and power set for optimal it was a very nice scope in low light. It's no Leica or Zeiss Diavari, but it is definitely a viable hunting scope. This is coming from a guy that has spent more money on high end optics in the last 5 years than many folks take home salary.

 

[JimPag]

Since I started shooting SR score in 2013 I have bought and sold probably 75 benchrest scopes. I have owned 11 March scopes, sold a straight 50 and have 10 left. 3 are High Masters. I hear people complaining about the warranty BS. I could care less if they have no warranty. I never had one go bad. They are nice scopes. Some of the older ones were a little dark because they used 2 different coatings at one time and one coating was clearly better than the other. The HM are a little brighter by not by a long shot. I've owned 2 Kahles K1050's. Sold one the other is heading back to Austria as we speak. Not clear at all. Milky white cloudy murky not so clear glass. Hope they do something about it. Built like a tank, holds POI probably better than anything out there. I've owned 5 NF Comp 42's. Real good scope. Bright, clear holds POI well. Owned 3 BR 12-42's. Built like a tank also, glass is not bad. Not as clear and Bright as a 55 Comp but it holds POI very well. Owned 5 15-55 Comps. 3 of the original 2013 models and 2 newer ones. Best optics out of all of them. Clear and bright. A NF rep told a gunsmith friend of mine that there was a problem with them and they had a fix for them. They fixed the problem and you never hear anything anymore about the 55 Comps not holding POI. I never had a POI issue with any of them. Just lucky I guess. If you look at the IBS SR equipment list there are more people using NF scopes and winning with them than anything else. I've owned 3 Valdada scopes. They are built like a tank, they are clear and bright and they hold POI very well. I just like more power than a 36 or a 40X.

 

[newbieshooter]

I run multiple Vortex, Leupold and bushnell 6500 elite . Including a Golden eagle on my 17lb bench rifle.the bushnell 4.5-30 is fine but I feel paralax is maxed out at 600yards. That’s my only beef with it. I like marches 10-60. Everything but their non-transfer warranty. .........

@Tstroop Looks like March has changed/updated their warranty terms?:

 

[Tstroop]

@FatBoy i wondered if that’s what I would find.
@JimPag I understand the benchrest equipment list I just included the NF comp to get a true comparison. Along the lines of hunting scopes the warranty is a concern. Benchrest rifles are treated like newborns compared to a hunting rig.
@newbieshooter very interesting!!

 

[jimmymac]

@JimPag I understand the benchrest equipment list I just included the NF comp to get a true comparison. Along the lines of hunting scopes the warranty is a concern. Benchrest rifles are treated like newborns compared to a hunting rig.

While the rifles themselves get treated well, the scopes get hammered as they are subjected to the recoil of many thousands of rounds.

 

[Tstroop]

While the rifles themselves get treated well, the scopes get hammered as they are subjected to the recoil of many thousands of rounds.

Understood as I put 1/2k rounds a year on mine. But dropping it out of the tree stand vs falling over in the case raises a concern haha not saying i make that a habit but things happen!

 

[john pruitt]

I only own one night force but I love mine

 

[bcarico]

@Tstroop buy me a NX8 too, I been wanting one bad for my hunting rifle. I would have already bought one but I’m not a fan on FFP and woods hunting. The retical disappears in low light on low power. It’s very tiny on low power in all FFP scopes I’ve owned.

 

[6fatrat]

March

 

[Tstroop]

@Tstroop buy me a NX8 too, I been wanting one bad for my hunting rifle. I would have already bought one but I’m not a fan on FFP and woods hunting. The retical disappears in low light on low power. It’s very tiny on low power in all FFP scopes I’ve owned.

Yeah I had a Vortex pst gen 2 and found the same thing. But damn the look nice lol

 

[Tstroop]

So the conclusion I’m coming to is it’s really just a preference thing, and some folks are always trying the next best thing! Thanks fellas!

 

[JimPag]

@FatBoy i wondered if that’s what I would find.
@JimPag I understand the benchrest equipment list I just included the NF comp to get a true comparison. Along the lines of hunting scopes the warranty is a concern. Benchrest rifles are treated like newborns compared to a hunting rig.
@newbieshooter very interesting!!

TJ before I got into the br scene I was into hunting rifles and lots of them. I had rifles chambered from 22 Hornet to 460 WBY mags. I owned a bunch of scopes from Leupold, Zeiss, Kahles, Weaver, Nikon, Schmidt & Bender, Docter Optics and NF. Most of my bigger calibers that I had like the Rigby's and bigger Weatherby's always wore a 1.5-6 scope either the S&B or Kahles. The medium calibers that I had 338 Win Mag, 340 WBY or 375 H&H I'd put a variable Leup or a NF. The small calibers like a 30-06 or 300 Weatherby either a fixed 4 to 6x Zeiss or a 2-7 Kahles or Nikon. The smaller varmint stuff usually a 6.5-20 Leup. I've been retired since I was 42 so I had lots of time to do what I wanted and you would find me at the range just about everyday shooting something. In all the years of shooting I have had great luck with scopes. There hasn't been one time that I had to return a scope back to the factory because it screwed up. I've been really lucky with scopes thank Christ.