Need advice choosing first scope - Atacr 4-20 vs 5-25

RHINO69 · Nov 7, 2023

I am putting together my first bolt gun (20" 6.5CM CTR). It is going into a KRG x-ray.

Right now I have the option to buy either a atacr 4-20x50 Mil-C or a atacr 5-25x56 T3. They are essentially the same price but I am unsure which to go with. The rifle will be primarily used as a range gun but possibly for hunting (hog/coyote, maybe deer?).

This is my first build so any advice would be appreciated. I know this is not an ideal hunting rifle, or bench rifle. I was looking to slap together a sort of hybrid to learn on.

Thanks

Ghosting · Nov 7, 2023

Which reticle do you like more? They are totally deferent types. You wont need a T3 for hunting but could use it for the range gun part.
I personally would go with the 5-25x56 T3 since you said it will more of a range use rifle. If it was hunting oriented I would and say the less magnification and less busy reticle 4-20x50 Mil-C would be my choice.

FuhQ · Nov 7, 2023

RHINO69 said:
I am putting together my first bolt gun (20" 6.5CM CTR). It is going into a KRG x-ray.

Right now I have the option to buy either a atacr 4-20x50 Mil-C or a atacr 5-25x56 T3. They are essentially the same price but I am unsure which to go with. The rifle will be primarily used as a range gun but possibly for hunting (hog/coyote, maybe deer?).

This is my first build so any advice would be appreciated. I know this is not an ideal hunting rifle, or bench rifle. I was looking to slap together a sort of hybrid to learn on.

Thanks

Being a newb, I would recommend going with the MIL-XT reticle over the T3, regardless of what NF scope you choose.

Sure, it looks cool and all, but that thing is WAY too busy, and you will never use it...Especially for hunting. "Whore-us" reticles are a stupid choice for like 99% of shooters. They're really tailored more to that 1% that wants something retardedly complicated, and even then, only about half of those people can actually use it to its fullest potential. Don't pay that stupid up-charge for a Horus reticle, just get a MIL-XT and call it good. You'll be more than happy with that.

I have an ATACR F1 5-25x56 MIL-XT and it's a great scope. If you want to save some coin, EuroOptic has a demo one (which are pretty much just open-box and brand new never mounted scopes) for a huge discount over MSRP. And it still carries the new NF warranty as if it was a brand new scope, because it's never been sold before. At this price, this is the route I'd go.

Like New Nightforce ATACR - 5-25x56mm F1 ZeroStop .1 Mil-Radian DigIllum PTL Mil-XT C616

FREE SHIPPING on Like New Nightforce ATACR - 5-25x56mm F1 ZeroStop .1 Mil-Radian DigIllum PTL Mil-XT C616

www.eurooptic.com

Drop it in a set of these rings, and you'll be good to go...

American Rifle Company M-BRACE 34mm Picatinny-Style Scope Rings Low

The American Rifle Company M-Brace Scope Rings will hold firmly without marring or indenting the scope, even under the heaviest recoil. The uniquely...

www.midwayusa.com

charnicus · Nov 8, 2023

Reticle aside, between the two, if glass is a priority the 4-20. Both are going to tunnel on the lowest mag setting just as an fyi. For less money you could consider the 4-16. Still plenty usable and very practical with the T3. I’ve had the 4-16 x3 MilR, MilC, T3, 4-20 MilXT, currently a 7-35 T3.

Cat pitch · Nov 8, 2023

Can't go wrong with Either.

robot89 · Nov 8, 2023

I have the 4-20x50 with a Tremor3. Very Happy with it. The 5-25 is also amazing.

RHINO69 · Nov 8, 2023

Ghosting said:
Which reticle do you like more? They are totally deferent types. You wont need a T3 for hunting but could use it for the range gun part.
I personally would go with the 5-25x56 T3 since you said it will more of a range use rifle. If it was hunting oriented I would and say the less magnification and less busy reticle 4-20x50 Mil-C would be my choice.

Unfortunately I haven't looked through any of them. No where around me carries them in stock. I don't expect to land my favorite scope as my first pick, and since I am buying used, the savings makes up for not really being sure on what to get right now. And no matter what I get, it will work for me. I just wanted to see if there was an obvious choice between the two, and go from there.

RHINO69 · Nov 8, 2023

FuhQ said:
Being a newb, I would recommend going with the MIL-XT reticle over the T3, regardless of what NF scope you choose.

Sure, it looks cool and all, but that thing is WAY too busy, and you will never use it...Especially for hunting. "Whore-us" reticles are a stupid choice for like 99% of shooters. They're really tailored more to that 1% that wants something retardedly complicated, and even then, only about half of those people can actually use it to its fullest potential. Don't pay that stupid up-charge for a Horus reticle, just get a MIL-XT and call it good. You'll be more than happy with that.

I have an ATACR F1 5-25x56 MIL-XT and it's a great scope. If you want to save some coin, EuroOptic has a demo one (which are pretty much just open-box and brand new never mounted scopes) for a huge discount over MSRP. And it still carries the new NF warranty as if it was a brand new scope, because it's never been sold before. At this price, this is the route I'd go.

Like New Nightforce ATACR - 5-25x56mm F1 ZeroStop .1 Mil-Radian DigIllum PTL Mil-XT C616

FREE SHIPPING on Like New Nightforce ATACR - 5-25x56mm F1 ZeroStop .1 Mil-Radian DigIllum PTL Mil-XT C616

www.eurooptic.com

Drop it in a set of these rings, and you'll be good to go...

American Rifle Company M-BRACE 34mm Picatinny-Style Scope Rings Low

The American Rifle Company M-Brace Scope Rings will hold firmly without marring or indenting the scope, even under the heaviest recoil. The uniquely...

www.midwayusa.com

Appreciate this!

Cutout · Nov 8, 2023

The Tremor 3 is designed for rapid engagements at various distances in combat environments. For that purpose, it excels. But I would say for your application, unless you are familiar with the Tremor 3 and know how to use it, or you happen to just really like it, it's probably more clutter than you need.
Think of it like cockpits on a plane. The Mil-C is a Cesna. The Tremor 3 is an F18. The F18 is going to excel at combat flying if the pilot knows what he's doing, but it's not something you want to learn to fly on. Even if you are an experienced pilot, an F18 isn't the best choice of aircraft for every application.

tl;dr: Tremor 3 might not be the best choice for a beginner, but buy what makes you happy.

TheOtherAndrew · Dec 7, 2023

going with tremor as a first scope is asking to never have to learn true ballistics and to always have a slop factor of >1MOA. NF in general according to me isn't worth the money.

That said between a 420 (NXS?) and a 525 ATACR id pick the ATACR.
-------
other than not tremor pick whatever reticle suits you - its so hard to see a picture of reticle and try to consider how it'll really look through scope. Id pick milC but not confidently...which is why Ive never gone thru with purchasing a NF optic.

hafejd30 · Dec 7, 2023

TheOtherAndrew said:
going with tremor as a first scope is asking to never have to learn true ballistics and to always have a slop factor of >1MOA. NF in general according to me isn't worth the money.

That said between a 420 (NXS?) and a 525 ATACR id pick the ATACR.
-------
other than not tremor pick whatever reticle suits you - its so hard to see a picture of reticle and try to consider how it'll really look through scope. Id pick milC but not confidently...which is why Ive never gone thru with purchasing a NF optic.

The 4-20 is an atacr

I’d go with the 4-20 over the 5-25 in this thread

RKBArmory · Dec 7, 2023

Because you mentioned possibly hunting with it, I would choose the 4-20.
1. It's a little lighter.
2. It's a little shorter.
3. It has a lower bottom-end magnification.

iflyskyhigh · May 31, 2024

Sorry to revive an old thread, but I have the same 2 scopes on my radar. However mine will go on my .308 LRP bolt gun in and MDT LSS XL chassis.

Please save the .308 isn’t a LRP gun jokes. And no I’m not a boomer. Boomer adjacent, but not a boomer.

Being a .308 not really shooting past 1100 yards. Not concerned about weight as it’s more of a PRS style gun, and rifle is getting rebarrreled with a heavy barrel in the near future.

I’ve seen some say the 5-25 tunnels and some say it doesn’t. Does the 4-20 tunnel?

Is one definitively better than the other in any of the common areas of concern.

I’ve read just about all the reviews I can find on here and other forums, but can’t seem to find a lot comparing these 2.

charnicus · May 31, 2024

The 4-20 tunnels yes.

hafejd30 · May 31, 2024

The 4-20 is more like 5.5-20 with tunneling. Only atacr in that range that doesn’t is the 4-16

iflyskyhigh · May 31, 2024

Thanks for quick replies.

Since weight and size are not an issue, and assuming all other variables are equal between the 2, any other downside to going with the little extra magnification and larger objective that I’m not considering?

hafejd30 · May 31, 2024

iflyskyhigh said:
Thanks for quick replies.

Since weight and size are not an issue, and assuming all other variables are equal between the 2, any other downside to going with the little extra magnification and larger objective that I’m not considering?

The 5-25 is known to have the worst glass in the atacr family. I’ve owned all the other atacr and currently own the 7-35.

The 4-16 is the perfect compact DMR style hunting/gas gun optic. The 4-20 adds size to only slightly more magnification on the top end. The 4-20 also has the taller turrets compared to the 4-16

The 5-25 is known to be the worst optically. The 7-35 is known to be the best. My 7-35 doesn’t lag much behind my ZCO 527

If size and weight are not an issue and if your looking at new pricing then check out a used 7-35 atacr in the for sale section here. There’s usually a few in there and I’d recommend the MIL XT reticle.

If I could only own 2 NF it would be the 4-16 and 7-35. Both excel at their respective categories. I didn’t feel that way with the 4-20. It added a much larger optic for not much more magnification

BuildingConceptsllc · May 31, 2024

Man, if you want some mag then I'd go with the 525. It depends more on how you will shoot it. If you're mainly shooting groups, then get the 525 if you are shooting active stuff like comps then the 420 may be better because you aren't going to use higher mag anyway so you can see more .

Xycod · May 31, 2024

Can’t speak for the f1 5-25 but can for the f2 model, awesome glass but it definitely tunnels bad on 5x, should have been a 6-25. Still tunnels on 6 but is doable and around 6.5-7 it’s the full fov from there to 25x. The 4-20 does the same thing with 4x being the worst. 4 vs 5x not really a difference imo, 20x vs 25x is definitely a bit of a difference. Size is a wash, not enough difference to matter imo and if you want smaller/lighter go elsewhere.

iflyskyhigh · Jun 1, 2024

Thanks for the input, much appreciated.

I’m looking at a 7-35 ATACR for another rifle, and the 4-16 ATACR peaked my interest, but I don’t think it’s the right optic for the .308.

iflyskyhigh · Jun 1, 2024

hafejd30 said:
The 4-16 is the perfect compact DMR style hunting/gas gun optic. The 4-20 adds size to only slightly more magnification on the top end. The 4-20 also has the taller turrets compared to the 4-16

I’m actually looking at the 4-16 ATACR or 4-32 NX8 for a DMR style AR I have. It’s punching paper, banging steel, shooting prairie dogs gun.

carbonbased · Jun 1, 2024

iflyskyhigh said:
I’m actually looking at the 4-16 ATACR or 4-32 NX8 for a DMR style AR I have. It’s punching paper, banging steel, shooting prairie dogs gun.

Shit, little pdogs? Between those two a 4-32 all the way (for me, at least). I like magnification for PDs and am often on 18-20x and frequently higher.

Buy a new one as older ones may suck as it appears NF stealthily improved it through the years.

From what I’ve gleaned by reading, the 7-35 is a better overall optical bet in the NF lineup, but I can’t personally vouch as I don’t have one.

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Need advice choosing first scope - Atacr 4-20 vs 5-25

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