Rifle Scopes Marine Corps Scout Snipers Choose Nightforce Optics

[Lowlight]

Marine Corps Scout Snipers Choose Nightforce Optics

MIL-SPEC ATACR 5-25x56 F1 Day-Scope​

For New Mk13 Mod 7 Sniper Weapon System​

Lavonia, GA, U.S. - (July 30, 2018) Nightforce® Optics today announced their MIL-SPEC ATACR™ 5-25x56 F1 riflescope will be integrated as part of the Mk13 Mod 7, .300 Winchester Magnum sniper weapons system, soon to be issued to Unites States Marine Corps Scout Snipers. The new rifle and scope combination is a completely new system from the M40 sniper rifle, which has been in service since the Vietnam War. The Mk13 Mod 7, .300 Winchester Magnum sniper weapons system and Nightforce MIL-SPEC ATACR 5-25x56 F1 day scope will provide increased lethality at extended ranges for the elite Scout Snipers of the United States Marine Corps.

Nightforce ATACR during training at Marine Corps Base Quantico,Virginia March 29, 2018. Photo by Monique Randolph identified by DVIDS. The appearance of U.S. Department of Defense DoD visual information does not imply or constitute DoD endorsement.​

"The increased capability of the newly issued Mk13 Mod 7 sniper rifle requires a scope that is as rugged, reliable, repeatable, and dependable as the United States Marines tasked with using it," said Nightforce's MIL-GOV-LE Business Development Manager, Tod Litt. "The Nightforce MIL-SPEC ATACR 5-25x56 F1 was chosen as the day scope to take full advantage of the rifle systems' competencies," he said.

"The optic features a Horus™ TReMoR3™ Reticle and provides operators with an integrated milliradian based grid that incorporates time-of-flight wind dots. Those dots are calibrated to the rifle and ammunition and aid in making quick, formula-free wind calls by judging direction and wind speed in miles per hour. The advanced reticle incorporates the Accuracy 1st speed shooting formula that makes engagement of moving targets easier and reduces engagement times for a substantial improvement in first round hits," Litt added.

"The Nightforce MIL-SPEC ATACR 5-25x56 F1 is an over-engineered, military-grade scope built with the military's extreme endurance in mind," stated Litt. "It offers numerous mission-critical features including the state-of-the-art Nightforce ZeroStop™ for elevation, a capped windage knob with windage limiter, 120 MOA/35 Mils of elevation adjustment, and the Horus TreMor3 illuminated reticle with Nightforce's Digillum™ illumination system," he said. "The fully, multi-coated ED glass results in superb light transmission, brilliant image rendering and exceptional color contrast for accuracy in virtually any conditions the Marines find themselves in."

"The new system is to augment the venerable M40 weapon system and I'm pleased the Corps chose a Nightforce to partner with the new Mk13 Mod 7," said Frank Galli, a former U.S. Marine Corps Scout Sniper himself and owner of the popular Sniper's Hide Forum. "Marine Snipers have used variations of the M40 for more than 50 years and by selecting the Mk13 and Nightforce day scope, this allows the Marines to truly capitalize on the necessities for longer engagement distance such as those in Iraq and Afghanistan," he said.

"Arming our Scout Sniper teams with an upgraded system that extends their range and lethality is a huge win," said Galli. "By identifying targets at longer distances, friendly troop locations are obscured, and enemy's obstacles become even greater. The Nightforce ATACR delivers rapid engagement capabilities even at extended distances, keeping our forces farther from harm," Galli added.

"The new Mk13 Mod 7, .300 Winchester Magnum sniper weapons system equipped with Nightforce MIL-SPEC ATACR 5-25x56 F1 riflescopes are ready to hit the fleet very soon," stated Litt.

For more information on Nightforce Optics, please visit www.nightforceoptics.com, or email Laura Evans, marketing communications, at [email protected].

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About Nightforce
As a leading manufacturer and marketer of premium sport optics and related products including riflescopes, spotting scopes and accessories, Nightforce builds the most rugged, reliable, and repeatable optics available. We are known for exceptional products, each built with painstaking craftsmanship. Each riflescope is crafted with such fanatical attention to detail it's expected to hold up to the most punishing conditions and last for generations. The legendary Nightforce quality testing involves impact tests and follow up inspections that ensure the riflescope is ready to perform to customer expectations and more.

Based in Orofino, Idaho, Nightforce has established an industry benchmark for the highest performing products. Nightforce optics have accompanied elite soldiers into battle, world champion shooters to the winner's podium, and helped hunters take the trophy of a lifetime.

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[Glassaholic]

This is much better news than the Sig Tango6 1-6 selection!

 

[_Windrider_]

This is much better news than the Sig Tango6 1-6 selection!

right?

 

[Glassaholic]

right?

The Sig selection by the US Army doesn't make much sense to me; however, the selection of the ATACR F1 5-25 for the Marine Sniper rifle makes a lot more sense.

 

[Trigger Monkey]

Yeah but is it Q520 good?

 

[K.B.808]

Yeah but is it Q520 good?

Haha it’s starting already!!!

 

[Trigger Monkey]

That thread is going platinum! In all seriousness, as a NF addi...user, I'm glad to see these scopes on the USMC's newest sniper systems.

 

[Baner]

Wonder why they didn't chose the Beast instead?.

Price maybe?, the turrets are better(larger, 0.2 klicks, both turrets are lockable instead of just the capped wind turret).

 

[_Windrider_]

Wonder why they didn't chose the Beast instead?.

Price maybe?, the turrets are better(larger, 0.2 klicks, both turrets are lockable instead of just the capped wind turret).

Because that lever for the .1 is retarded. Yeah I said it.

 

[Squat]

I haven’t seen a beast yet. I’m sure it is the best ever but is that worth 1000 more?

 

[Baner]

Because that lever for the .1 is retarded. Yeah I said it.

Yeah kinda useless feature for most use.

 

[308pirate]

the US Army doesn't make much sense

FIFY

 

[Squat]

FIFY

Where is the PBJ sandwich meme when you need it

 

[Sniperwannabee]

It's like the USMC was waiting to one up the USA haha

 

[Filthy fish]

Just bought same scope. Glad I chose a good one

 

[AMGtuned]

Thanks for the heads up @Lowlight, that's a sweet setup they've got now. I know I'd love to have one.

 

[FatBoy]

Nihtforces reticle hype is a bit much, but this is a proven combo. Shit loads of ATACRs on AX chassis and it works well. No doubt it's going to be an effective system once they actually start fielding it.

 

[whatsupdoc]

I Wonder what the diffrence between MIL-SPEC ATACR and regular ATACR is?

 

[_Windrider_]

I Wonder what the diffrence between MIL-SPEC ATACR and regular ATACR is?

I think the reticle is etched in crayon. At least that’s what I heard.

 

[PreparedShewter]

That's some funny ass shit right there!

 

[PreparedShewter]

I can understand why they did not choose the BEAST, but I wonder if they considered the 7-35 in their selection.
Government acquisitions are weird.......ya just never know.
Glad to see the Marines now have a magnum capability. Took them long enough to figure that one out.
Nightforce is certainly getting popular in the gov scene.

 

[_Windrider_]

I can understand why they did not choose the BEAST, but I wonder if they considered the 7-35 in their selection.
Government acquisitions are weird.......ya just never know.
Glad to see the Marines now have a magnum capability. Took them long enough to figure that one out.
Nightforce is certainly getting popular in the gov scene.

Personal opinion, given realistic engagement ranges and such, 7-35 is just too much. 5-25 is a perfect range fornhow that platform will likely be deployed.

 

[Fig]

The optics snobs can say what they want, but IMHO the NF scopes are some of the toughest ones out there. I’m pretty sure that durability (Marines are tough on their toys) was a factor in the choice. NF has some videos doing stuff to their scopes that make me cringe.

 

[5RWill]

The optics snobs can say what they want, but IMHO the NF scopes are some of the toughest ones out there. I’m pretty sure that durability (Marines are tough on their toys) was a factor in the choice. NF has some videos doing stuff to their scopes that make me cringe.

Who's unhappy about this or saying that NF wasn't a good choice? They're a phenomenal choice. I'm not familiar with many people, optics snobs included that don't like NF. I think in the realm of the PRS circuit they need a tree reticle at no cost, but it's certainly not going to hurt sales either way. Especially now.

This is well deserved though. NF has been the very staple of reliability and durability in optics for the last decade or so.

 

[RNWRKNP]

The optics snobs can say what they want, but IMHO the NF scopes are some of the toughest ones out there. I’m pretty sure that durability (Marines are tough on their toys) was a factor in the choice. NF has some videos doing stuff to their scopes that make me cringe.

It takes me awhile to work up the coin and I bought an ATACR about 2 months ago. Saw that endurance video that Lowlight postedand cringed big time??? Take me another year or so but going all Nightforce as I love the scope?

 

[MarinePMI]

I think the reticle is etched in crayon. At least that’s what I heard.

LOL! As the saying goes (as does the meme) "Everyone jokes about Marines drawing in crayon, until the shit hits the fan. Then Marines are suddenly fucking Picasso."

 

[_Windrider_]

LOL! As the saying goes (as does the meme) "Everyone jokes about Marines drawing in crayon, until the shit hits the fan. Then Marines are suddenly fucking Picasso."

I was listening to the Jocko Podcast the other day and he had Mike Sarelli on. They were talking about to he corps and everything they said is 1000% true. The marines have the method of turning boys into men down to a science. There is no one I’d rather have at my side than a Marine.

 

[Mooncake]

I think they made a good choice. I chose NF a long time ago as my go to brand and they have never let me down. I think I own 8 of them now from 1-4 to 7-35 and my favorite is whichever one I'm looking through at that moment. There's better glass, yeah, but I like knowing that if I run out of ammo I can pop off my scope and use it as a club haha.

 

[PreparedShewter]

I Wonder what the diffrence between MIL-SPEC ATACR and regular ATACR is?

As I understand it, the MIL-SPEC model assembled and tested to ensure it passes certain strenuous components of MIL-STD 810G such as the positive and negative pressure requirements to simulate depth. I think they also test for temp extremes.
As I was told, there is no difference in the actual performance of the scope compared to a commercial model, but if a commercial model were subjected to the extreme positive and negative pressures that the MIL-SPEC are, then half of them wold not pass the test. All MIL-SPEC scopes pass the MIL-STD 810G acceptance testing.

They apparently assemble the MIL-SPEC scopes with an epoxy to make them more airtight to withstand such pressures. And as a result, they are certainly more expensive. And this also makes them difficult to disassemble if needed.

I can tell you.....I beat the snot out of my commercial models. They are freaking SOLID.

I understand MIL-STD 810G.......some of it is utter ridiculousness......but its the standard for MIL use. My guess is that NF does the MIL-SPEC model to ensure they meet the stringent requirements of government contracting where it does not matter and is not worth the added cost/effort to the consumer for them to go through the extra work.

 

[Fig]

Bullshit! I’m goin’ With crayon.

 

[MarinePMI]

As I understand it, the MIL-SPEC model assembled and tested to ensure it passes certain strenuous components of MIL-STD 810G such as the positive and negative pressure requirements to simulate depth. I think they also test for temp extremes.
As I was told, there is no difference in the actual performance of the scope compared to a commercial model, but if a commercial model were subjected to the extreme positive and negative pressures that the MIL-SPEC are, then half of them wold not pass the test. All MIL-SPEC scopes pass the MIL-STD 810G acceptance testing.

They apparently assemble the MIL-SPEC scopes with an epoxy to make them more airtight to withstand such pressures. And as a result, they are certainly more expensive. And this also makes them difficult to disassemble if needed.

I can tell you.....I beat the snot out of my commercial models. They are freaking SOLID.

I understand MIL-STD 810G.......some of it is utter ridiculousness......but its the standard for MIL use. My guess is that NF does the MIL-SPEC model to ensure they meet the stringent requirements of government contracting where it does not matter and is not worth the added cost/effort to the consumer for them to go through the extra work.

Pretty sure that 810G/801D testing is done on sample items, not every item. Generally speaking, most items are rendered near inoperable after the battery of testing (which ever applies to the specific item being tested; not all tests are run on all items).

I had one of my systems run through 801D (shock/vibe) and while it survived (quite well in fact, so much so that the system still ran at full performance spec), but there was no way I'd ever deploy a system that had gone through the testing. No way in hell. The test is to confirm the ruggedness of the design and implementation, not each article that rolls off the factory floor.

 

[koshkin]

The Sig selection by the US Army doesn't make much sense to me; however, the selection of the ATACR F1 5-25 for the Marine Sniper rifle makes a lot more sense.

Is that because you do not like Sig or because yo do not think that is the right configuration for the weapon?

ILya

 

[supercorndogs]

LOL! As the saying goes (as does the meme) "Everyone jokes about Marines drawing in crayon, until the shit hits the fan. Then Marines are suddenly fucking Picasso."

And who doesn't want a writing utensil, one can eat?

 

[Fig]

And who doesn't want a writing utensil, one can eat?

They're delicious!

 

[supercorndogs]

They're delicious!

 

[Glassaholic]

Is that because you do not like Sig or because yo do not think that is the right configuration for the weapon?

ILya

I like Sig just fine, the configuration is what doesn't make sense to me.

 

[PreparedShewter]

Pretty sure that 810G/801D testing is done on sample items, not every item. Generally speaking, most items are rendered near inoperable after the battery of testing (which ever applies to the specific item being tested; not all tests are run on all items).

I had one of my systems run through 801D (shock/vibe) and while it survived (quite well in fact, so much so that the system still ran at full performance spec), but there was no way I'd ever deploy a system that had gone through the testing. No way in hell. The test is to confirm the ruggedness of the design and implementation, not each article that rolls off the factory floor.

During testing/eval, yes, samples are run through a sacrificial set of tests to verify compliance with the MIL-STD's. There are also clearing houses such as CRANE and Picatinny which do acceptance testing based on delivered items for performance on contract. I think NF is making sure that the product they deliver performs as good as the samples they submitted for eval during selection. Their MIL-SPEC line is just that. They know that it will perform as good as possible when it is being used downrange.

As I understood it, NF did not test each and every scope to the MIL-STD, but the positive and negative pressure components were very critical to ultimate performance and they built the MIL-SPEC to ensure those components were met and passed.

I spoke at length with more than one of their MIL/LE guys at various events that they attended. All of them very knowledgeable and have actually taught classes to specific units of which I was privy to attend. I speak with Sonny on a regular basis and that guy is a freaking Rockstar as are Bill and Todd. Bill and Todd have been at this for years and are a big reason I converted over to NF a few years ago as I used to not feel so hot about them as I seriously struggled with using a SFP the way we did back in the day (all the old Nightforce scopes on Mk13's and such were SFP). NF has certainly come full circle and I truly believe its because of people like Bill, Todd and Sonny who listen to end users and do their best to convey design requirement criteria to their R&D Team so that they develop what end users need/want. I will say we have seen some cool stuff behind the curtain.

As I said.....Nightforce is shit hot in gov circles right now and I think this USMC announcement is just the tip of the iceberg.

 

[jackinfl]

What are the specs of the MK13 MOD 7?

 

[Glassaholic]

What are the specs of the MK13 MOD 7?

It looks like a version of the AI AX chassis in 300 Win Mag, not sure whose barreled action that is...

 

[Covertnoob5]

It looks like a version of the AI AX chassis in 300 Win Mag, not sure whose barreled action that is...

I was told it’s a Stiller action. By someone very much in the know.

 

[MarinePMI]

I was told it’s a Stiller action.

Pretty sure that particular person doesn't want some of this stuff posted on the internet. And yes, I figured he (and at least NoLegs24) would end up pretty high on the board at Cody. Good shooters, the both of them.

 

[Covertnoob5]

Pretty sure that particular person doesn't want some of this stuff posted on the internet. And yes, I figured he (and at least NoLegs24) would end up pretty high on the board at Cody. Good shooters, the both of them.

Edited. Thanks for pointing that out, sorry don’t want to get anyone in trouble, just trying to share knowledge.

 

[Sniperwannabee]

It takes me awhile to work up the coin and I bought an ATACR about 2 months ago. Saw that endurance video that Lowlight postedand cringed big time??? Take me another year or so but going all Nightforce as I love the scope?

anyone have a link to the video?

 

[Fig]

I didn't see what Lowlight put up. These two are the ones I was thinking about, and there is another NF video where the guy takes the scope off, throws it down range, remounts it, and shoots the same POI. It's not as extreme, but still impressive.

From my Dad and hunting all my life I treat my scopes like they were made of brittle stuff that would shatter at the slightest bump, and if you bump it it's going to loose true. Obviously that's not the case, but it's not bad to be in the habit of protecting your optic.

 

[Gooldylocks]

I didn't see what Lowlight put up. These two are the ones I was thinking about, and there is another NF video where the guy takes the scope off, throws it down range, remounts it, and shoots the same POI. It's not as extreme, but still impressive.

From my Dad and hunting all my life I treat my scopes like they were made of brittle stuff that would shatter at the slightest bump, and if you bump it it's going to loose true. Obviously that's not the case, but it's not bad to be in the habit of protecting your optic.

My favorite part was the super technical term.. "very big spike"

 

[Mooncake]

Man, it's hard to watch somebody use a scope as a hammer. I wonder if they'd sell me that 5.5-22 for a $100? Looks like it still works.

 

[Glassaholic]

I didn't see what Lowlight put up. These two are the ones I was thinking about, and there is another NF video where the guy takes the scope off, throws it down range, remounts it, and shoots the same POI. It's not as extreme, but still impressive.

From my Dad and hunting all my life I treat my scopes like they were made of brittle stuff that would shatter at the slightest bump, and if you bump it it's going to loose true. Obviously that's not the case, but it's not bad to be in the habit of protecting your optic.

Dang that was impressive, I wonder how many other scopes could go through that, of course they shot at short range and not on target so hard to see how well the scope held zero, but impressive nonetheless, I always knew NF scopes were built like tanks, but this kinda proves it. Reminds me of the PROOF Carbon Fiber durability test they did, I'll post below

 

[Covertnoob5]

Think this is the other one someone was looking for.

 

[cummins cowboy]

the 5-25 is too much scope anyways, much less the 7-35. the problem I see is they are adding so much weight to the system. not a big fan of the horus reticle either. 3.5-15 would have been my choice. plenty of scope for 1000 and beyond.

 

[Mooncake]

the 5-25 is too much scope anyways, much less the 7-35.

You must have better eyes than me. I was just looking at a 30" round target at 1800yds with 35x and I didn't think I had too much scope at all.