Maven, Leupold, Trijicon, NF

Nards444 · Nov 6, 2024

Looking for my first high end scope. Want to keep it to these 4 brands, been down a ton of rabbit holes already but have it narrowed down. I would consider myself a mid range shooter in the 300-500 range, with longest take on a deer being 700. So 7-800 yards is important. This is an out west gun where I have never shot anything under 300yds. Light properties are important, along with clarity and durability. We do a lot of turret work so that important.

These are all the same price relatively, with the Maven on the low end and the NF on the higher end.

Maven RS.5 maybe RS.3, 4-24x50
Trijicon Tenmile HX 5-25x50
Leupold VX5HD 4-20x52
NF NX8 4-32x50

Maven and Trijicon both have a 56mm reticle that looks attractive as well.

Sort of hesitant on boutique brands like Maven, only been around 10 years, long term warranty claims. NF almost falls into that, as well as being heavier and people not liking the reticle. Ive read some of the zero issues with Leupold, but dont know how much stock to put into it. The one brand I have not any rumor mill stuff from is trijicon

NateVA · Nov 6, 2024

Nards444 said:
Want to keep it to these 4 brands

Why?

Nards444 said:
Light properties are important, along with clarity and durability

Steiner T6Xi 3-18 has great low light performance (with great eyebox) at about the same pricepoint as an NX8 4-32. I believe @Glassaholic has done a review on it, though I'm tired as hell so I could be misremembering. Tradeoff is the reticle is thin for low-power shooting but if it's for mainly mid to long range hunting that's a nonfactor in my opinion.

Steiner T6Xi 3-18x56mm MSR2 Riflescope 5118

FREE SHIPPING on Steiner T6Xi 3-18x56mm MSR2 Riflescope 5118

www.eurooptic.com

Nards444 said:
Maven RS.5 maybe RS.3, 4-24x50
Trijicon Tenmile HX 5-25x50
Leupold VX5HD 4-20x52
NF NX8 4-32x50

To clarify, you're not buying a second focal plane scope for mid to long range hunting, right? Don't do that. Especially with optics whose magnifications go so high since with SFP the subtensions in the reticle for wind holds are only accurate on max magnification. You should be on 10-15 power when actually shooting at game to preserve FOV for spotting your impacts and followup shots. And yes technically you could do the mental math to know how much to multiply or divide your wind holds by but in a hunting situation that's a complication to avoid.

Nards444 said:
long term warranty claims. NF almost falls into that

NF warranties mechanical defects, just not accidental damage. I recently bought an ATACR F1 7-35 that will pull double duty as a hunting optic when I go out west to destination hunt once a year since I'm paranoid about zero shift. I put it on my VPP insurance with USAA which covers loss/theft/accidental damage. Now for $30/year I have the same coverage on my NF that my Vortex R3 6-36 has on it plus coverage for loss/theft in case some airport employee steals my Pelican or whatever.

oldrifleman · Nov 6, 2024

Of the 4 you have listed the only one I would even consider is Night Force. The ATCAR line is generally very good.

Nards444 · Nov 6, 2024

NateVA said:
Why?

Steiner T6Xi 3-18 has great low light performance (with great eyebox) at about the same pricepoint as an NX8 4-32. I believe @Glassaholic has done a review on it, though I'm tired as hell so I could be misremembering. Tradeoff is the reticle is thin for low-power shooting but if it's for mainly mid to long range hunting that's a nonfactor in my opinion.

Steiner T6Xi 3-18x56mm MSR2 Riflescope 5118

FREE SHIPPING on Steiner T6Xi 3-18x56mm MSR2 Riflescope 5118

www.eurooptic.com

To clarify, you're not buying a second focal plane scope for mid to long range hunting, right? Don't do that. Especially with optics whose magnifications go so high since with SFP the subtensions in the reticle for wind holds are only accurate on max magnification. You should be on 10-15 power when actually shooting at game to preserve FOV for spotting your impacts and followup shots. And yes technically you could do the mental math to know how much to multiply or divide your wind holds by but in a hunting situation that's a complication to avoid.

NF warranties mechanical defects, just not accidental damage. I recently bought an ATACR F1 7-35 that will pull double duty as a hunting optic when I go out west to destination hunt once a year since I'm paranoid about zero shift. I put it on my VPP insurance with USAA which covers loss/theft/accidental damage. Now for $30/year I have the same coverage on my NF that my Vortex R3 6-36 has on it plus coverage for loss/theft in case some airport employee steals my Pelican or whatever.

Yes most likely FFP. Have a SFP on a mid grade SIG and not in love with it. Why not steiner, well to stay in budget looking at the military discount and the ones listed have the best, steiner is only 15% and they have a lot of busy MRAD reticles which I am not interested in.

Lastly Im to the point where I want to buy and the game could go on forever introducing new brands

Nards444 · Nov 6, 2024

oldrifleman said:
Of the 4 you have listed the only one I would even consider is Night Force. The ATCAR line is generally very good.

I would be getting the NX8

oldrifleman · Nov 6, 2024

Get the Leopold, better glass

NateVA · Nov 6, 2024

Nards444 said:
Yes most likely FFP. Have a SFP on a mid grade SIG and not in love with it. Why not steiner, well to stay in budget looking at the military discount and the ones listed have the best, steiner is only 15% and they have a lot of busy MRAD reticles which I am not interested in.

Lastly Im to the point where I want to buy and the game could go on forever introducing new brands

That's understandable I guess. In that case the NF NX8 4-32x50 F1 would be my pick personally for ruggedness and zero retention. Lot of scopes lose zero from simple stuff that can happen on a hunt. Get that scope, some properly installed solid scope rings, a loctited (or integral) scope base, and a bedded stock to guard against zero shift. The NF will not necessarily be the best "glass" for its exact pricepoint I'll concede. But a scope is an aiming device first.

oldrifleman · Nov 6, 2024

NateVA said:
That's understandable I guess. In that case the NF NX8 4-32x50 F1 would be my pick personally for ruggedness and zero retention. Lot of scopes lose zero from simple stuff that can happen on a hunt. Get that scope, some properly installed solid scope rings, a loctited (or integral) scope base, and a bedded stock to guard against zero shift. The NF will not necessarily be the best "glass" for its exact pricepoint I'll concede. But a scope is an aiming device first.

Yeah the NX8 would be a more durable scope, but you can't hit what you can't see.

Nards444 · Nov 6, 2024

NateVA said:
That's understandable I guess. In that case the NF NX8 4-32x50 F1 would be my pick personally for ruggedness and zero retention. Lot of scopes lose zero from simple stuff that can happen on a hunt. Get that scope, some properly installed solid scope rings, a loctited (or integral) scope base, and a bedded stock to guard against zero shift. The NF will not necessarily be the best "glass" for its exact pricepoint I'll concede. But a scope is an aiming device first.

Well spending the money I would to get good glass as well. Howver Im coming from mid grade Nikons and SIGs which are descent scopes, I mean if the glass is better then that Id be happy, but would be disappointed in less glass then a Nikon Monarch or Sig Sauer level stuff. However Ive always thought Nikon really hit high for what it cost.

AznTactical · Nov 6, 2024

As a Steiner TX6 3-18 owner I love the glass and eyebox but hate EVERYTHING else about it (turret lock/unlock, clicks, can't find all the elevation, customer service).

Nards444 · Nov 6, 2024

AznTactical said:
As a Steiner TX6 3-18 owner I love the glass and eyebox but hate EVERYTHING else about it (turret lock/unlock, clicks, can't find all the elevation, customer service).

Thanks. Yeah a quick look, they just look overly complicated for what I want.

powdahound76 · Nov 6, 2024

Look at the mk5 3.6-18 if you are even considering the vx5 4-20

Darn Good scope
PR1 mils
FFP

I used the vx5 3-15 hunting this year and very pleased with it.
Was to save weight for an arduous backpack hunt. Worked dandy.
Will go again next year for same.

NateVA · Nov 6, 2024

Nards444 said:
Well spending the money I would to get good glass as well. Howver Im coming from mid grade Nikons and SIGs which are descent scopes, I mean if the glass is better then that Id be happy, but would be disappointed in less glass then a Nikon Monarch or Sig Sauer level stuff. However Ive always thought Nikon really hit high for what it cost.

You're not in danger of it being below those levels. The NX8 image quality will still hold up just fine against most things below $1700 or so I think. It's not the best image quality at its $2100 pricepoint or whatever but it's still good and will not hinder you.

Nards444 · Nov 6, 2024

powdahound76 said:
Look at the mk5 3.6-18 if you are even considering the vx5 4-20

Darn Good scope
PR1 mils
FFP

I used the vx5 3-15 hunting this year and very pleased with it.
Was to save weight for an arduous backpack hunt. Worked dandy.
Will go again next year for same.

I have. Nice scope. However ive read its the essentially the same glass just more money.

powdahound76 · Nov 6, 2024

Nards444 said:
I have. Nice scope. However ive read its the essentially the same glass just more money.

Not much more.
Glass might be close, Vx5 glass is darn good.
And FFP, nicer turrets, etc.

And I am far from a Leupold fan boi

Nards444 · Nov 6, 2024

powdahound76 said:
Not much more.
Glass might be close, Vx5 glass is darn good.
And FFP, nicer turrets, etc.

And I am far from a Leupold fan boi

Yeah thanks just trying to lay it out heard the glass is the same, but doesnt mean internals are or turrets

Birddog6424 · Nov 7, 2024

It's not a very good line up.

Going against the grain here, but a T6Xi would be my pick over all of those.

Nards444 · Nov 7, 2024

Birddog6424 said:
It's not a very good line up.

Going against the grain here, but a T6Xi would be my pick over all of those.

Looked at them. Not sure on ffp and their knobs and reticles are way to busy for me

chevy_man · Nov 7, 2024

Nards444 said:
Looked at them. Not sure on ffp and their knobs and reticles are way to busy for me

Time to learn...

The mark 5hd TMR is about as basic as it gets for reticles while still having enough to measure with.

Ffp mills is the way to go.

My 12 year old has figured out ffp and tactical turrets with Christmas tree reticles. You can also with some education and practice.

I put a vx-5hd on my walking rifle in the 3-15 htmr. It's sfp, but I'll rarely shoot it past a few hundred yards. It's more of the 3x at 50 yards in the trees scope with a mill reticle that's only usable at 15x if necessary.

Secant · Nov 7, 2024

A used 4-16x42 ATACR can be found in the PX for about $1800, is only 1 oz heavier than the NX8, and has better turret & glass too. I'd take that over anything on your list.
If you can forego illumination, a used 3.6-18 MK5 would be even cheaper, and lighter than the ATACR.

Crews · Nov 7, 2024

I have a triji credo 2.510x56. A departure from most discussion on this thread, but wanted to add that you shouldn’t rule Trijicon out if whatever scope you’re looking at has the features you desire. They’re good products for the $. A better “cheap” scope than all the others I’ve tried

Millron · Nov 8, 2024

Nards444 said:
Looking for my first high end scope. Want to keep it to these 4 brands, been down a ton of rabbit holes already but have it narrowed down. I would consider myself a mid range shooter in the 300-500 range, with longest take on a deer being 700. So 7-800 yards is important. This is an out west gun where I have never shot anything under 300yds. Light properties are important, along with clarity and durability. We do a lot of turret work so that important.

These are all the same price relatively, with the Maven on the low end and the NF on the higher end.

Maven RS.5 maybe RS.3, 4-24x50
Trijicon Tenmile HX 5-25x50
Leupold VX5HD 4-20x52
NF NX8 4-32x50

Maven and Trijicon both have a 56mm reticle that looks attractive as well.

Sort of hesitant on boutique brands like Maven, only been around 10 years, long term warranty claims. NF almost falls into that, as well as being heavier and people not liking the reticle. Ive read some of the zero issues with Leupold, but dont know how much stock to put into it. The one brand I have not any rumor mill stuff from is trijicon

I've tried all of those except for the Trijicon. If focused on the Maven I'd look at the RS.4 which is FFP. Its a shorter tube scope but Impressed with the one that I have for what I paid. I would suggest the Nightforce though for your use case. Guys on this forum are PRS oriented and will try to compare that scope to a 6-36 Razor, ATACR, XTR3 Pro etc. and thats not what that scope is about. Its a crossover type scope IMO and for that purpose it works exceptionally well. Its not a PRS scope because parallax is a little picky because of the relatively compact size and 8x erector but the glass is good. I think they have improved the glass formula on these quite a bit since early production. I have four of them and the last one I bought was about 3 months ago, It has better glass than the other three samples which are several years old. I consider it a 4-24 with the ability to go to 32X if conditions are perfect. to my eyes the lowlight capability is about the same as the Leupold VX-5 & VX6 models I have, but in a considerably more durable optic. I've had mine on several Hunting trips, banged them around in a truck, SxS, and never had a moments issue. I have 100% faith in that optic on a lightweight 300PRC. The 4-16 ATACR is probably even more durable and is battle proven but I like that extra top end power of the NX8 for shooting steel. I rarely use it while hunting but its nice to have for target identification. If your set on the Leupold I'd go straight to MK4 or MK5. The VX5 has nice glass but I personally don't think its nearly as durable as an optic.

346ci · Nov 8, 2024

I’m hunting with a Burris xtr3 scr2 and don’t feel held back by the reticle. The only thing I’d change is get the xtr3i for the illumination.

May be getting a vx-5hd for a friend’s deer rifle. If you decide to go with a Leupold, shop around. Their mark up is high.

notacos4u · Nov 9, 2024

Nards444 said:
Looked at them. Not sure on ffp and their knobs and reticles are way to busy for me

Your military discount on the Steiner is waaaay off. Have you looked at the MSR2 reticle on the Steiner? I have the 3-18 and love it. In the range your looking for, Steiner has the 5-30 and I know the glass on my 3-18 is really nice, forgiving, and shines in low light. If I was shooting 3-500, the low end wouldn’t be an issue with the reticle, plus they have illumination.

tacoman69 · Nov 9, 2024

Like other others said go ffp and mils. Pick the reticle you like between the trijicon or night force imo. They are more durable and reliable than other brands mentioned in this thread

Nards444 · Dec 8, 2024

Figured I would circle back for the next guy looking. Ended up at Cabelas twice to look at NF, looked at the 2.5-20 and 4-32 NX8. Feel and look of the scope looked like quality. the 4-32 tunneled really bad and I couldn't get to fit my eye very well, the 2.5-20 was better. They were both FFP scopes, and the cross hairs were useless, until cranked up half way, which is possibly expected on FFP. However comparing both of those to a Zeiss V6, glass was subpar compared to the Zeiss, was dark in a light up store. Didn't compare side by side but same day looked a Vortex venom and that glass was all of the NF. Bottom line here, I wanted to get the NF really bad, but I couldn't handle the $2k price tag for average glass and tunneling.

Ended up taking a runner on a Trijicon tenmile 4.5-30. Glad I did. Glass is clearer and brighter and is clear edge to edge, with no black ring like the 4-32 NF. To be fair the Trijicon does tunnel some at around 25 power, but again is expected. I got the MOA long range reticle, which Im not crazy about, but it is simple and uncluttered. Really like the scope. Dials move smoothly IMO, maybe not as crisp as the nightforce. Haven't shot yet, just mounted and played around with it outside. Trijicon also came with Neoprene scope cover, Tenebrex scope covers, sun shade and lens pen

Glassaholic · Dec 8, 2024

Nards444 said:
Looking for my first high end scope. Want to keep it to these 4 brands, been down a ton of rabbit holes already but have it narrowed down. I would consider myself a mid range shooter in the 300-500 range, with longest take on a deer being 700. So 7-800 yards is important. This is an out west gun where I have never shot anything under 300yds. Light properties are important, along with clarity and durability. We do a lot of turret work so that important.

These are all the same price relatively, with the Maven on the low end and the NF on the higher end.

Maven RS.5 maybe RS.3, 4-24x50
Trijicon Tenmile HX 5-25x50
Leupold VX5HD 4-20x52
NF NX8 4-32x50

Maven and Trijicon both have a 56mm reticle that looks attractive as well.

Sort of hesitant on boutique brands like Maven, only been around 10 years, long term warranty claims. NF almost falls into that, as well as being heavier and people not liking the reticle. Ive read some of the zero issues with Leupold, but dont know how much stock to put into it. The one brand I have not any rumor mill stuff from is trijicon

Based on your criteria I would choose the NF NX6 3-18x56

seriously though, for taking shots on deer out to 7/800 yards do you really need more than 18x

others have mentioned the ATACR 4-16 which is a great crossover scope. The NX8’s are nice scopes but a bit more finicky and with mushy turrets, but great illumination. If you really want higher mag with those brands you should look at the Leupold Mark 5HD 5-25x56.

chevy_man · Dec 9, 2024

My Dad happened to grab a Maven 5-30. We both liked it better than his nx8's (he has 3, 2.5-20 and 4-32).
We both decided that it's plenty good enough for the $. I'm not a big fan of the reticle, but he put it on a 223AI and was hitting prairie dogs at 700 yards so it does it's job.

Ffp mill. Neither of us has used a moa scope in 10+ years.

tacoman69 · Dec 9, 2024

chevy_man said:
My Dad happened to grab a Maven 5-30. We both liked it better than his nx8's (he has 3, 2.5-20 and 4-32).
We both decided that it's plenty good enough for the $. I'm not a big fan of the reticle, but he put it on a 223AI and was hitting prairie dogs at 700 yards so it does it's job.

Ffp mill. Neither of us has used a moa scope in 10+ years.

I'm surprised I love that reticle. But I also hate trees

Mcgivro · Dec 11, 2024

As someone said early on, you should really consider Steiner. I have/had NF, Trijicon, and Leupold, and my Steiner is easily #2 behind NF, and not by much.

nrspence · Dec 11, 2024

oldrifleman said:
Get the Leopold, better glass

To my eye the NX8 line has better glass then the Leupold MK5.

oldrifleman · Dec 11, 2024

Loved the ATCAR line but to me the NX8 line just does not do it!

notacos4u · Dec 11, 2024

Nards444 said:
Figured I would circle back for the next guy looking. Ended up at Cabelas twice to look at NF, looked at the 2.5-20 and 4-32 NX8. Feel and look of the scope looked like quality. the 4-32 tunneled really bad and I couldn't get to fit my eye very well, the 2.5-20 was better. They were both FFP scopes, and the cross hairs were useless, until cranked up half way, which is possibly expected on FFP. However comparing both of those to a Zeiss V6, glass was subpar compared to the Zeiss, was dark in a light up store. Didn't compare side by side but same day looked a Vortex venom and that glass was all of the NF. Bottom line here, I wanted to get the NF really bad, but I couldn't handle the $2k price tag for average glass and tunneling.

Ended up taking a runner on a Trijicon tenmile 4.5-30. Glad I did. Glass is clearer and brighter and is clear edge to edge, with no black ring like the 4-32 NF. To be fair the Trijicon does tunnel some at around 25 power, but again is expected. I got the MOA long range reticle, which Im not crazy about, but it is simple and uncluttered. Really like the scope. Dials move smoothly IMO, maybe not as crisp as the nightforce. Haven't shot yet, just mounted and played around with it outside. Trijicon also came with Neoprene scope cover, Tenebrex scope covers, sun shade and lens pen

If you paid MAP or even close for the trijicon, a Nightforce, Steiner, Zeiss, Leupold (although harder to find in stock) or any of the scopes, you definitely overpaid… all those companies have killer military discounts. And for the Steiner, the MSR reticle is a lot less “cluttered” if your looking to stay away from a tree reticle.

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