NF nx8 vs Zeiss v8 vs swaro z8i vs S&B pm II ultra short

[sethwilliamd]

I have built a Light weight (mostly carbon fiber) Lr308 or ar 10 that is 6.6 lbs. I will use it mostly for hunting but it will also be my gateway into target shooting and later competitive shooting. I’m coming from a 5-25 pst gen2 which was just ok but what I really didn’t like was I really missed my lower magnification. So I’ve decided on either the NF 2.5-20 (I’m banking on a sfp announcement Monday), Zeiss v8 2.8-20, the swaro 3.5-28 and the s&b 3-20 or exos 3-21. I really don’t want a 3-18. I like being able to quickly acquire a target in the field as well as being able to reach out and touch it. Now I know everything has better glass than the NF but that isn’t the concern, my concern are things like durability (if crap happens like it falls off the tailgate while I’m setting up will the scope still be ok.) , repeatable (will the scope hold it’s zero after spending a day on a 4
Wheeler on a washboard road), eyebox (How easy is it to get on target), field of view, and reticle that doesn’t disappear in the trees without illumination and customer service . I also prefer sfp as I hunt in the timber and would prefer to dial long distance anyway. Two questions of money is no option which of those are you choosing and is twice the price for what I am doing worth it ?

 

[Blue Sky Country]

Welcome to the Hide, man.

If you want the best possible assistance on gear specific inquiries, the gear specific boards are the way to go. In your case,

Observation & Sighting Devices

Discussion of optics and sight devices for precision shooting

www.snipershide.com

Not that this is the wrong board... Not at all. But those of us who are hanging out in the Pit usually already have BAC levels at around 0.04% or higher...

 

[Inifinty]

10 lb piston ARfell 4 feet off a counter and landed on the ATACR illumination dial. Subsequently left a crescent cutout on the linoleum floor with not a scratch to the nightforce.

Took it like a champ. Not sure the result would have been the same if it was the rifle with the S&B pmII. Maybe but the nightforce are tough.

 

[powdahound76]

Dude. Most of us on the pit dont drop below %0.04 BAC. Except the pussies and the commies.
And Veer because he doesnt imbibe.

We would have a seizure and need an ambulance.....

Not really.

Good call and advice.

And OP, cool lookin rig.

 

[deersniper]

Im a big fan of the 2.5-20. I know some people here don’t like it and the 4-32 gets better reviews.

I had a 2.5-10 on a AR that got used and abused every day for years till I switched to a different scope for mils. That 2.5-10 never missed a beat or lost zero.

I vote Nightforce all the way

 

[sethwilliamd]

Welcome to the Hide, man.

If you want the best possible assistance on gear specific inquiries, the gear specific boards are the way to go. In your case,

Observation & Sighting Devices

Discussion of optics and sight devices for precision shooting

www.snipershide.com

Not that this is the wrong board... Not at all. But those of us who are hanging out in the Pit usually already have BAC levels at around 0.04% or higher...

Thanks for pointing me in the right direction. didn't mean to ruffle any feathers

 

[sethwilliamd]

Im a big fan of the 2.5-20. I know some people here don’t like it and the 4-32 gets better reviews.
View attachment 7227349View attachment 7227350

I had a 2.5-10 on a AR that got used and abused every day for years till I switched to a different scope for mils. That 2.5-10 never missed a beat or lost zero.

View attachment 7227348

I vote Nightforce all the way

View attachment 7227351

Have you had any issues with the Eyebox, DOF, or Parallax? i have major concerns about being able to identify targets quickly in the timber

 

[Blue Sky Country]

Thanks for pointing me in the right direction. didn't mean to ruffle any feathers

You cool, bro... I was just ribbin' ya...

 

[Inifinty]

Not the zoom you're looking for but I've found trying to solve too many requirements with one solution isn't always the best path. For work in the woods on an AR10 the ATACR 1-8 is the huckleberry.

The thick lines pointing to the center dont get easily lost even when facing sunset while looking at the back side of shaded brush. The NX8 1-8 would be similar but with less forgiving eyebox might be a challenge on the larger AR.

Tough as nails.

 

[sethwilliamd]

Have you had any issues with the Eyebox, DOF, or Parallax? i have major concerns about being able to identify targets quickly in the timber

Also is the Eyebox tight at 2.5 or only when you zoom in at 20?

 

[tickridge]

dropped my rifle out of my 20 foot treestand with s&b scope scope hit step on way down rifle stuck barrel first in mud dented objective slightly. cleaned barrel shot gun at 100 yard target hit same spot as when sighted in only saying

 

[deersniper]

Also is the Eyebox tight at 2.5 or only when you zoom in at 20?

Maybe I’m not critical enough. I didn’t have any issues with my 2.5-20. I sold it when I switched to mils. I am waiting on a backordered mil xt 2.5-20. I hvs a 4-32 incoming and will probably order a couple more 2.5-20s. If I didn’t need the 2.5 and size/weight for hunting I would run more atacr 4-16s. They are real nice also.

 

[Blue Sky Country]

dropped my rifle out of my 20 foot treestand with s&b scope scope hit step on way down rifle stuck barrel first in mud dented objective slightly. cleaned barrel shot gun at 100 yard target hit same spot as when sighted in only saying

Damn man! I feel the same pain as you did when you dropped it... Shit, it happens to the best of us, all of us too.

 

[sethwilliamd]

Ended up with a Schmidt 3-20 ultra short in sfp . Best combo of reliable, glass, tough, feature, tracking etc. the swaro has the best glass imo but only had 47 moa of adjustment. the Zeiss glass to me was yellow, and I didn’t like the 36mm tube, or the reticle. as well the image imo degraded when zoomed. The nf I don’t think was a bad scope, decent glass for the money, decent turrets for the money. however without a sfp option the reticle was far too small. (which is why Imo I think many people feel they have a eyebox problem all the way through the power range and not just at high power, and that would explain why the problem doesn’t impact the 4-32 nf nearly as bad. but that is just supposition I’m not an glass engineer) Nf had the best warranty but I’ve been assured Schmidt takes a beating and they take care of customers even with the 30 year warranty which I was told bey europtic was only 30 years because German law doesn’t allow longer ?‍. Either way they are built like tanks so I’m not too worried. I’m putting it on NF 20 moa 194a ultralight mount