Alright, as promised, my full review of the Nightforce ATACR 1-8, from unboxing to the range.
First off (and I didnt take pictures unfortunately), the package includes the NF 1-8 scope, PTL knob (if you choose to install it), NF three way tool with basically everything you need to adjust anything on the scope, install the PTL etc, lens cloth with baggie, 2 (two) trim rings in case you want to run the turrets uncapped, they protect the threads against damage, front and rear Tenebraux flip up covers that rotate (same as the other ATACR scopes), instructions, NF stickers and such, etc. The scope was well packaged and showed up with no damage. While I usually leave the quality control NF stickers on the scope (person that signed it), you will have to remove this one to install rings or a mount, and it came off without any fuss. The battery is already installed for the illumination and I mounted it up on my Scar 17 SBR with an ADM Delta 34mm mount with 0 MOA elevation built in.
Fast forwarding to the range for zero since I dont see any point in a paragraph about playing with it inside my house. I brought about 100 rounds of Federal 150 gr FMJ that comes in the Red boxes as my stash of ZQI and Magtech/CBC had run out, so this was some of the first testing I had done with it, and the Scar does NOT like it, but I got it dirt cheap and it isnt steel core so it can be used indoors in the summer. Zeroing the Scar was a cinch as first round hit about 1 inch low on the dot, but I quickly found out this ammo was not going to group nearly as well as the M80 ball stuff I had used in the past. Dialing up about 1/2 mil ended up being the center of the "group", and attached is the second group I did to verify zero. It wasn't pretty, but wasn't nearly as bad as the Lab Radar results showing over 200 fps spread with an SD of 50 (cold bore round kicked, would have been worse otherwise). I took the lows and highs out to get a better "average" to plug into my shooting software and ended up with about 2530 FPS on a 75 degree day today. Loosen the two top screws with the supplied Nightforce tool, set the zero, and its ready to go! Attached are a couple pictures putting my phone up to the scope, and I admit, they are absolutely terrible, but the phone scope didnt fit behind it, so thats the best I can offer. Flawless picture at 1x and 8x, no issues with edges, parallax, any blurriness whatsoever, and had no problem spotting my 30 cal shots at 100 yards on paper. With 1 inch circles on paper, the center dot just of the scope just about covered the dot on the paper, but I didnt have any issues aiming at all. Illumination flipped on for fun showed no issues seeing the dot in VERY bright daylight with no cloud cover. Due to the rather disappointing consistently of this ammo, I didnt waste any more at 100 yards, and pushed out to my first target, which is 700 meters (about 750 yards).
This is where this sweet 3 MOA ammo drove me nuts, as with Magtech and ZQI, it. was 1.5 MOA ammo with 2 inch groups at worst, and rarely missed at 800m, where as today, I didnt bother pushing beyond 700 knowing it would just get worse. On the upside, the glass was crystal clear at both targets, and I had a change to test out the turrets, reticle, etc. Shooter called for 8 mils of elevation and 1 mil for windage with a 5-8 mph crosswind. I always hold for windage, but the 8 mil dial got me perfect on height, however 1 mil was a bit far for crosswind, which is common at my spot due to the targets being in a valley and varying wind between shooting spot and target. Holding half mil got me a nice "ding", and about 80% for hits today, which I contribute again to the ammo, where as with previous loads, 95-100% were never an issue. Just to verify the ammo, the guy shooting with me today (heard in the spotting videos often) had a 16 inch scar with a Leupold MK6 3-18 and had the same issues with consistency, and that gun has made hits at 1000m with good ammo. Dialing to zero and holding for elevation achieved similar results, however I prefer to dial, so other than playing around, I went back to the 8 mil dial and continued to shoot. So far, zero issues with the scope, glass, and I cant tell any issues with clarity, parallax etc. It is very similar to the Razor 1-6, other than having another 2x and a different reticle. I will say, much like the Leupold MK6 1-6, there is an area around the center dot before it gets to the crosshairs that can make small target holds a bit tricky for wind, as the target at 700m was partially covered by the reticle, and id personally just prefer a mil crosshair setup, but I ended up dialing .5 mils for wind just to keep the dot on the target instead and it was no longer an issue. If an option similar to the NX8 reticle comes out with standard crosshairs and mil hashes, I will likely switch as I dont use the Christmas tree setup, and prefer a less "busy" reticle. That being said, so far everyone ive shown it to loves the reticle and prefers that setup.
The last group I did (shown in the above video) was a fast fire video meant to show how quickly you can get back on target. Even at 8x zoom with a 308 rifle, staying on target was super easy, and fast follow up shots went right where they should have. I will take it out again in a week or two and try some better ammo, which id imagine will get me some better results for accuracy, however I am COMPLETELY satisfied with the scope, and will be leaving it on the Scar.
Disclaimer - Usually the Phone Skope stuff looks MUCH better, but the iPhone X with the dual cameras has been making it a pain in the ass with switching back and forth, or freaking out with too much zoom, so relying on the spotter zoom, it is picking up a ton of mirage. Apparently there is a better software program to use that doesnt let the phone auto adjust, so hopefully I will get a chance to try it next time.
