Need everyone's opinion on this, pronto.

I got ruined in my benchrest and prairie dog days. Shooting at a target a little bigger than your fist at 1200+ yards requires the best glass you can buy. I never got over it.
Even with custom rifles, the glass usually costs close to the same as the rifle.
Light transmission is also important to me. I'll be the first to admit I've shot deer with just moonlight. (Depredation permits)
 
jrebel said:
I am of the mindset, buy the best glass you can afford. I would buy a $500 rifle and a $2,000 scope...that scope you have is an amazing piece of glass.
Click to expand...
Now that I have it mounted, I see what you mean. I was able to get the diopter and parallax just right and at 4x I had no issues planting the crosshairs off-hand on a steam stack half as high and a third as long as a deer. This stack was at least 250 yards out. 10x will do everything that the 223 Remington and the 68gr HHT are capable of.

I hate that mounting a scope is both the only way to really tell how it will look and the point of no return...unless you have one of those rubber ringed wood stocks to test scopes.
 
OutdoorEdventure said:
Arken is too new for me to give it two thumbs up. If you haven’t seen the abuse test NF runs on their scopes it’s worth looking up. I can’t outshoot my NF scope when there is an error it’s 100% user error.
Click to expand...
I've heard of them. That's what made me get this thing. I felt like having a scope like this means that I would never have to worry about hitting a tree on a hunt and worrying about losing your zero. And this thing from the moment it came out of its box felt like it was just built different than any other scope I've owned.
 
@Farleg
I decided to mount the thing, so now no returns. To my surprise, the edge to edge clarity issue had more to do with the finicky-ness of the eye box more than anything else. Once mounted, most of that stuff went away.

@jrebel
That 3.5-15 looks good, only thing is I'm attempting to lighten the rifle. My last scope was 24.27oz, this NXS 2.5-10 is 20.47oz, so almost 1/4lbs savings. Next up is a CarbonSix barrel, which should put this 7lb 10.6oz rifle (w/ can and optics) well under 7lbs full loaded!
 
Most of my hunting rifles that I don't plan on dialing with have Swaros mounted. I love the BRH reticle and can go to 750 easily without touching a dial. My "playing" rifles have everything from Arken to Nightforce. Nightforce is very hard to beat and I reckon, even harder to beat to death, they just don't have a reticle that I really like. Arken works well above it's pay grade with a very nice reticle. I'm also very pleased with my Athlon Midas Tac 6-24 but the new Bushnell XRS3 6-36 is my new favorite long range scope.

JM2C
 
I like the NP R-2 reticle on the Nightforce. Each stadia line is worth 2 moa of elevation. No dialing.
Same for Leupolds with Darryl Hollands ART conversion. 1.5 moa stadia lines. The Vortex is 1 moa at full magnification (24 power) and double ar 12x. Easy peazy...no dialing regardless.
 
Well, your mounted your committed.

I was going to ask how often dialling comes into the equation in your hunting.
Most reasonable scopes hold zero if treated reasonably.

The zoom range would suit me. The only Nightforce I've been behind is a SHV.

It only takes one good hunt to see what your missing with high clarity and lowlight performance. It only takes one hunt with a mishap with lesser quality glass to realise you were at a disadvantage with that optic.

We can't have it all but I hope you are settled on the NF and it serves you well.
 
You guys, the Leupold VX5HD & VX6HD series have some of the best glass I've seen. Easy eye boxes, light weight, probably lightest in the industry. There is a definition/richness of color to them that is unsurpassed. The CDS dial system and low pro turrets are fantastic. The VX6 line has the same glass, some other models, but mainly you get a VX5HD with the Alumina caps in the VX6 line.

The Bushnell Tactical Elite series, especially the DMR lines (I have the DMRII and DMRIII) are the easiest scopes to get behind, track like micrometers and are just the M'FN bomb, YO! Bushnell name doesn't scream confidence, but this Elite line is beyond awesome.

I am intrigued by the NightForce NXS 2.5-20X50. When the day comes I feel like overspending on something I'll give it a go...
 
BFD said:
You guys, the Leupold VX5HD & VX6HD series have some of the best glass I've seen. Easy eye boxes, light weight, probably lightest in the industry. There is a definition/richness of color to them that is unsurpassed. The CDS dial system and low pro turrets are fantastic. The VX6 line has the same glass, some other models, but mainly you get a VX5HD with the Alumina caps in the VX6 line.

The Bushnell Tactical Elite series, especially the DMR lines (I have the DMRII and DMRIII) are the easiest scopes to get behind, track like micrometers and are just the M'FN bomb, YO! Bushnell name doesn't scream confidence, but this Elite line is beyond awesome.

I am intrigued by the NightForce NXS 2.5-20X50. When the day comes I feel like overspending on something I'll give it a go...
Click to expand...
We've trashed a bunch of scopes back in the day, likely shapes my biases. Products have improved across the board.

I've seen crosshairs disappear, scope tubes crimp, slippage, completely fail to zero, much less hold one.

Hard kicking rifles with muzzle breaks, may require a different approach. Some have found it necessary to add a third ring. Just had a friend lose a scope on a very light .375.

There has been a difference in performance for me as price goes up, Leupold mark 4 tactical has preven a better optic than their Mark 3. Some Leupold satisfaction has come from their willingness to fix problems. I like my Nightforce a lot
 
Gday
Carl I couldn’t agree more on issues , it’s not pretty when out in the field & things go pear shape & had 2 many that I care to remember from falls to mechanical

Really it’s kiss no turrets no protruding throw levers yep keep your scope as clean as possible & a fixed power is better than most give credit to & even a 4 power fixed will get you a longway out
Yet we love gadgets on a whole & im guilty but I do believe some companies have got some very good abuse proof scopes others left a lot wanting
Nightforce are definitely tough scopes

simple observation I made on scopes that I’ve settled on my brand now is I like looking in the shadows of a forest & then look @ the branches & leaves in those shadows
When you can see the twigs & individual leaves you’ve got a really good scope & not many brands have passed those tests
But we also need to look @ eye relief for the individual as this may be a concern for them ( usually lop is to short on most rifles & we get a long eye relief scopes to compensate a lop issue )
Big bores are a classic yet I have a extended eye relief scope lol
But yes a scope is only as good as the rings that hold it in place & one that we should place a lot of importance on also

Cheers
 
HARPERC said:
We've trashed a bunch of scopes back in the day, likely shapes my biases. Products have improved across the board.

I've seen crosshairs disappear, scope tubes crimp, slippage, completely fail to zero, much less hold one.

Hard kicking rifles with muzzle breaks, may require a different approach. Some have found it necessary to add a third ring. Just had a friend lose a scope on a very light .375.

There has been a difference in performance for me as price goes up, Leupold mark 4 tactical has preven a better optic than their Mark 3. Some Leupold satisfaction has come from their willingness to fix problems. I like my Nightforce a lot
Click to expand...
Can you imagine my initial apprehension ordering the BUSHNELL brand of scope!? LOL
Bushnell screams pellet gun junk scopes I had at 10yrs old.
 
BFD said:
So, I skip all this drama and get Leupold VX5HDs for hunting and Bushnell Tactical Elites for FFP Range toys.
Click to expand...
I got a VX5HD 3-15x44, actually. I'll give Leupold one thing that I don't think anyone can't take from them: they know how to make a lightweight scope with excellent optical characteristics. Bushnell actually made my first 2-3 scopes. With that being said, I gotta take a look at the Bushnell Elite series you mention. If they're reliable in terms of zero retention and tracking, and they have a comparable scope to the NXS 2.5-10x42, I will definitely give them a shake.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top