Looking for scope 500 to 1500 yds on a 6.5 PRC. Was pretty set on a NF NX8 4-32x50 but have been reading a lot about eye box issues and am now leaning towards a Leupold Mark 5HD 7-35x56. I also like the added elevation adjustment range on the Leupold.
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NF NX8 4-32x50 or Leupold Mark 5HD 7-35x56?
- Thread starter Betedtf
- Start date
I've got/had both and find the eyebox issue to be a problem with proper gun fitment. I think the Mark 5 7-35x has very finicky parallax and as a result I took the 5-25x to Ko2M. I'm a very big fan of the NX8 for a hunting gun and have used it successfully in competition but view the Mark 5 and ATACR as peers, not Mark 5 and NX8.
The NX8 has 1 Mil less elevation as the Leupold. The eyebox is not finicky at all. The controls are better, smoother. It has a normal 10 Mil turret. It has illumination.
As I've said before, the NX8 is legit! Great scope that does so many things well. Love it
The NX8 issues are pretty well documented by a lot of people. For every person that says they have no issues with the NX8, you can find someone who says they didn't like it. You don't hear that with the MK5.
The eyebox is tight, that doesn't mean impossible. I ran XTRIIs in PRS for 5 years, so I'm familiar with working with a tight eyebox. Its great on the range with proper rifle set up. Where it drives you nuts is trying to run them on the clock from a multitude of positions. So I wouldn't touch one for competition use from that aspect alone. Glass distortion on the edges isn't nearly as bad in the 32x as it is in the 20x, but its still there. Toss in that shallow depth of field and having to constantly fiddle with parallax and it just seems to me there are a lot of better choices in that price point.
I ran a 32x in a PRS 22 match and couldn't stand it. I would take a MK5 or pretty much any scope from LOW over the NX8.
The eyebox is tight, that doesn't mean impossible. I ran XTRIIs in PRS for 5 years, so I'm familiar with working with a tight eyebox. Its great on the range with proper rifle set up. Where it drives you nuts is trying to run them on the clock from a multitude of positions. So I wouldn't touch one for competition use from that aspect alone. Glass distortion on the edges isn't nearly as bad in the 32x as it is in the 20x, but its still there. Toss in that shallow depth of field and having to constantly fiddle with parallax and it just seems to me there are a lot of better choices in that price point.
I ran a 32x in a PRS 22 match and couldn't stand it. I would take a MK5 or pretty much any scope from LOW over the NX8.
I recently bought a NX8 4-32x to sit on my custom 6.5. Absolutely ZERO issues with the eye box.
I have an NX8 4-32. What eye box issues? Getting ready to buy another for a 300 RUM build I'm finishing...
I wish I enjoyed box wine and McDonalds. Life would be so much easier. But, alas, the NX8 glass looks like crap to me 
NX8, 4x32 set up properly will run with anything, looks like it ran past everything here
So to make this a fair comparison, how many trophies have been won by MK5 shooters in the year or so the NX8 has been out..NX8, 4x32 set up properly will run with anything, looks like it ran past everything here
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Everything from Morgun King, Jon Pynch, and Jake Millard. Nick Gadarzi just won Jake and Jon's MDT NRL match that wrapped up yesterday. Just to name the easy stuff.
Honestly though, its not about that. I'm not a great shot, I win club matches, but not national stuff. A more talented shooter could win a match with my $600 RT25. It tracks perfectly, glass is decent and it has a nice reticle. There's no doubt that any decent scope above $1000 is good enough for the job, despite what minor flaws they may or may not have.
But if you ask which is better, then flaws get pulled into the equation. One scope has flaws that the other does not. Ilya Koshkin immediately dismissed the NX8 in his shorty review..he didn't care for the NX8 and he clearly liked the Vudu better.. WMJ308 also didn't like the flaws on the NX8. Many other people have posted as much as well. They weren't saying you cant hit a target, they were saying there were flaws in the design and execution of the optic. You can hit your target with both, which flaws are you willing to live with.
And equally important, pay for, when so many other optics at this price point dont exhibit these flaws.
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The MK5 feels like a piece of shit. It has gritty parallax and zoom adjustments. It has 10.5 Mil knobs. I can’t tell the eyebox “ease to get behind” from a S&B or Minox. Neither is as good as my Hensoldt. On that one you can acquire the image from all kinds of contorted positions. It’s not an issue. Neither is the edge distortion. It only happens when you move your eye off center at very low magnification, kinda like CA. It’s not distracting or disabling in any way.
Judging optics from the perspective of PRS is not fair. The NX8 is a hunting/target shooting scope, not a racing scope. Sure there are better scopes for competition but it’s sounds to me like the OP wants to target shoot out to 1500m with a 6.5PRC not run around from stage to stage with a 6GT.
Judging optics from the perspective of PRS is not fair. The NX8 is a hunting/target shooting scope, not a racing scope. Sure there are better scopes for competition but it’s sounds to me like the OP wants to target shoot out to 1500m with a 6.5PRC not run around from stage to stage with a 6GT.
Birddogg you seem to do nothing but lay around waiting for an opportunity to dog Nightforce optics. Shithouse scope reviews mean nothing to me.
I have one and compete with it, our local club all of a sudden has 6 NX8 4x32's and nobody is whining about tight eye box or any of the other bullshit you and a few keep playing like broken record.
Wish I shot with you, Ilya Koshkin, WMJ308 maybe y'all could straighten my ignorant ass out, but my NX8 is not holding me back
I have not "used" a Mark5 but did have a chance to get behind one and I will say the glass was superb. I was kinda surprised how I reacted to the glass. I also REALLY like the reticle but it is far too thick for me. The Mil-xt is a bit fine at low mag but I like it much better than the thick MK5 reticle.
*I assume it was the PR2-MIL reticle.
*I assume it was the PR2-MIL reticle.
Birddogg you seem to do nothing but lay around waiting for an opportunity to dog Nightforce optics. Shithouse scope reviews mean nothing to me.
I have one and compete with it, our local club all of a sudden has 6 NX8 4x32's and nobody is whining about tight eye box or any of the other bullshit you and a few keep playing like broken record.
Wish I shot with you, Ilya Koshkin, WMJ308 maybe y'all could straighten my ignorant ass out, but my NX8 is not holding me back
I don't dog Nightforce optics. They have a lot of great scopes.
Tons of guys have posted their thoughts on the NX8. There's plenty of both good and bad. So don't single me out for sharing my opinion, lots of people share that opinion, including some of the most knowledgeable scope reviewers on this forum. Shithouse reviewers I guess in your book, just because they don't like your scope.. But they are loyal to providing an honest review,, not to overlooking optic flaws because they like the brand. Side by side the NX8 is not as nice an optic as nearly every $1500 optic I've dropped it next to. The 32x was decent at least,, the 20x not so much.. Its a Nightforce for $2000, so its going to sell well no matter how nice it is or isn't. Plenty of guys just want the NF logo on the side. But its not great value compared to the other scopes at its price point. I also wish you shot around myself, Ilya, or Bill. We could drop some scopes next to yours and you could see for yourself.
I'm not all wrapped around the eyebox on the NX8, its crappy, but I shot behind a crappy eyebox for years. Its useable. Its that edge distortion and parallax that drives me nuts.
Making excuses for your optic and saying its great just because you can hit a target isn't what this discussion is about. This is a comparison thread to the MK5. You can hit a target with any decent scope. So if that's your only criteria, you could have saved some money.
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Damn! Like I said I wish I could hang with some knowledgable hard core optic critics like you and some others, save all that money and really be shooting the good shit.I don't dog Nightforce optics. They have a lot of great scopes.
scope. So if that's your only criteria, you could have saved some money.
I think glass is a lot of user preference.
How they use the setup..shooting a known distance from a bench or prone...hunting...prs/nrl stuff..all make a difference in what you want/need and even what you notice.
The setup itself...if the rig doesn't fit a shooter right, parallax and eye box issues etc are going to show more than a rifle that fits the shooter well.
End of the day, you almost need to actually spend time behind them and use them as you normally would. See what works for YOU. Issue is. 2k+ isn't something many of us can spend to test. Sure..sell it if you don't like it. That's several hundred dollars to try out a scope for a short while. It hurts and adds up quick.
My biggest reason for going NF for now is when I talked to a Leupold VIP rep and asked about the 7-35 PR2 he actually laughed and said sign up for the notification. Which I have been since the day they went live. Just the other day was the first time I got a notification about the 5-25 PR2. At 3am or something. Gone within a few hours.
Covid has affected tons of industries and the optic industry isn't exempt. I get it. But no ETA and no ability to place an order....NF gave me an ETA and let me place the order....I need a scope....easy decision for me. And NF gained a new customer....and Leupold may loose one. Just kinda salty over that phone call.
How they use the setup..shooting a known distance from a bench or prone...hunting...prs/nrl stuff..all make a difference in what you want/need and even what you notice.
The setup itself...if the rig doesn't fit a shooter right, parallax and eye box issues etc are going to show more than a rifle that fits the shooter well.
End of the day, you almost need to actually spend time behind them and use them as you normally would. See what works for YOU. Issue is. 2k+ isn't something many of us can spend to test. Sure..sell it if you don't like it. That's several hundred dollars to try out a scope for a short while. It hurts and adds up quick.
My biggest reason for going NF for now is when I talked to a Leupold VIP rep and asked about the 7-35 PR2 he actually laughed and said sign up for the notification. Which I have been since the day they went live. Just the other day was the first time I got a notification about the 5-25 PR2. At 3am or something. Gone within a few hours.
Covid has affected tons of industries and the optic industry isn't exempt. I get it. But no ETA and no ability to place an order....NF gave me an ETA and let me place the order....I need a scope....easy decision for me. And NF gained a new customer....and Leupold may loose one. Just kinda salty over that phone call.
I have run an NX8 4-32 on a Seekins SP10 and it’s current host, Tikka TACA1 6.5cm. Spuhr mounts on each. Zero issues. Was out today w the factory Tikka to 1200yds. Dial in the parallax fanatically, that is a weakness, but it can be overcome. At my purchase price, I have been very happy with the NX8 on two different rifles.
I prefer the glass in my nx8 4-32 to the three 3.6-18 mk5s I've had. I know thats not the scope you asked about but that is my experience. I shot my first match with the nx8 last weekend and had no trouble getting behind it. Kept it on 20 power for most of the day.
It's a personal thing..... look through both, and if possible shoot with both before you buy. I have two F1 ATACR's (5-25 and 7-35) and an older NXS and am very happy with them. I also have a MK5 5-25X56... I like it too. I had a chance to shoot an NX8 4-32 at a local range.... I did not care for it but I only shot 10 rounds. That was probably not enough time for a fair comparison and I'm sure I could have gotten used to it but it did not grab me like the ATACR's or the MK5 have. I suggest that you put just as much thought into the reticle.
