Rifle Scopes Nightforce NX8 vs ATACR vs ???

R

Ravenous

Private
Minuteman
Mar 10, 2019
55
25
#1
Hey guys, long time follower but just decided to finally contribute, or take up your time depending on how you look at it. I'm looking for input on the Nightforce 1-8s or something similar. I have read the few comparisons that are out there and the consensus is the ATACR is obviously better glass and the reticle is better for holdovers since it has the grid.

I'm this will be replacing a Swarovski ZX6 1-6 on an 8.5" 300BLK rifle. I use it for flat range and hog hunting in FL. I've never been sold completely on the Swaro, I enjoy the eyebox and the reticle but have always felt it balances weird on the rifle and hate the illumination controls. I'm aware a 1-8 is way overkill on such a rifle but at this point this seems to be where the innovation is at. They are about the same size as the 1-4 or 1-6s. Weight and length are a main concern on such a small rifle, hence the consideration of the NX8, but I'm a big concerned with the eye box that people are saying.

I'm also curious about dot brightness as this is important. I've seen reports that the NX8 is brighter than the ATACR, and brighter than an Aimpoint. I've been running Aimpoints downrange for 15 years as well as some LPVOs and have NEVER needed a dot as bright as Aimpoint can get. That being said, it still needs to be daylight bright.

I know the Razor GenII-E is pretty amazing but it also tips the scales. Never messed with the Trijicon. Any other options out there to consider? Budget I'm trying to stay under 2k. I can get the above mentioned for under that price. Obviously the more I save the more I can spend on other gun parts.
 
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#5
Ok, I had both, so I feel like I can talk intelligently about them. First off, glass is very subjective, so I won’t compare the two. Just know the ATACR glass is ED, and it’s on par with any ATACR NF makes. It’s that good. BUT, I don’t feel the NX8 is far behind.
I keep hearing about this “tight eye box” on the NX8. I have to be honest, I never saw it. Not once did I snap the rifle into position and have to dick with it to find the reticle. I will say, I’ve been shooting the LPV’s for a couple years now, so I’ve messed with MOST out there. That said, I don’t see it being tight at all.
I genuinely believe the NX8 is 90% the optic the ATACR is. It’s also significantly less $$. How important that is to you, I can’t say.
As far as reticle: I think the NX8 is 100% usable as is. I had the mil/ dual capped version. I didn’t dial mine, and made hits out to the limits of the 5.56 round.
The ATACR has a full grid, almost H59 like reticle. More usable, but the NX8 certainly didn’t suck.
Brightness of dot: both are ABSOLUTELY daylight bright, that’s a non issue. If you can’t see the ATACR dot, your battery is dead, it’s not the scope.
So, the million dollar question: which did I keep, and which would I recommend? I personally kept the ATACR, and sold the NX8. But my reason may be different than yours.
I am LEO, and not only use these scopes at work, I’m a full time instructor. I teach LPV’s, and my gun rides around in a Razor, getting used rough. Students shoot it, etc. I went absolutely too end on my gun. The ATACR has that tiny bit at the very top that the NX8 didn’t. BUT...,, for a smaller build, hunting gun where weight is a factor, I’d go NX8. It’s a fantastic scope that checks a TON of boxes for its size and weight. At 17oz, it’s a GREAT 1-8, FFP option. I don’t hesitate for a second recommending it.
 
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#6
I have both. As said above, the ATACR is a slightly better scope, but on a SBR I would pick the NX8 any day. I agree about the eyebox not being particularly tight, but the ATACR's is bigger. The whole ATACR is a BIG scope even if it isn't that heavy. I think it would be perfect on a 16" gun, or on a 308, but when I had it on my 10.5, it almost felt like I had a whole other upper on top of my upper.
 
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#7
One more thing: I originally used my ATACR on my KAC SR-25, and my NX8 on my 5.56 guns.
The ATACR is a bigger scope, and felt great on a .308.
Since I sold off my NX8, my ATACR will do double duty on my SPR (5.56) and my .308 depending.
BUT, on a short gun, the NX8 will look and feel better.
 
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#8
VegasHKShooter said:
Ok, I had both, so I feel like I can talk intelligently about them. First off, glass is very subjective, so I won’t compare the two. Just know the ATACR glass is ED, and it’s on par with any ATACR NF makes. It’s that good. BUT, I don’t feel the NX8 is far behind.
I keep hearing about this “tight eye box” on the NX8. I have to be honest, I never saw it. Not once did I snap the rifle into position and have to dick with it to find the reticle. I will say, I’ve been shooting the LPV’s for a couple years now, so I’ve messed with MOST out there. That said, I don’t see it being tight at all.
I genuinely believe the NX8 is 90% the optic the ATACR is. It’s also significantly less $$. How important that is to you, I can’t say.
As far as reticle: I think the NX8 is 100% usable as is. I had the mil/ dual capped version. I didn’t dial mine, and made hits out to the limits of the 5.56 round.
The ATACR has a full grid, almost H59 like reticle. More usable, but the NX8 certainly didn’t suck.
Brightness of dot: both are ABSOLUTELY daylight bright, that’s a non issue. If you can’t see the ATACR dot, your battery is dead, it’s not the scope.
So, the million dollar question: which did I keep, and which would I recommend? I personally kept the ATACR, and sold the NX8. But my reason may be different than yours.
I am LEO, and not only use these scopes at work, I’m a full time instructor. I teach LPV’s, and my gun rides around in a Razor, getting used rough. Students shoot it, etc. I went absolutely too end on my gun. The ATACR has that tiny bit at the very top that the NX8 didn’t. BUT...,, for a smaller build, hunting gun where weight is a factor, I’d go NX8. It’s a fantastic scope that checks a TON of boxes for its size and weight. At 17oz, it’s a GREAT 1-8, FFP option. I don’t hesitate for a second recommending it.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the information on this. That is pretty much exactly the information I was looking for. I've played and worked with a lot of optics and just wasn't sure if the whole tight eye box thing was being overblown. I also run a training company but generally don't use the 300BLK rifle for that. Definitely thinking the NX8 is going to get ordered. I'll also be ordering the mil/dual capped version as I won't be dialing at all with this setup.
 
#9
Choid said:
I have both. As said above, the ATACR is a slightly better scope, but on a SBR I would pick the NX8 any day. I agree about the eyebox not being particularly tight, but the ATACR's is bigger. The whole ATACR is a BIG scope even if it isn't that heavy. I think it would be perfect on a 16" gun, or on a 308, but when I had it on my 10.5, it almost felt like I had a whole other upper on top of my upper.
Click to expand...
The balance issue, and just how it would look on such a small gun is certainly a concern. Sounds like the NX8 is the way to go. I may end up buying the ATACR to throw on my next planned shorty 308 build where it will be more suited.
 
#11
regency said:
I have both. Like most have said... ATACR is better on glass, reticle, eye box, and I would be willing to bet it is more rugged.

At the same time, the ATACR is overpriced at $2,800. I would say it is worth about $500 more than the NX8, but that is my opinion.
Click to expand...
Certainly interesting to hear the general consensus on these two scopes. I'll be looking at the ATACR for a different rifle where glass quality is going to make more of a difference. $2800 for a 1-8 is certainly a pretty steep asking price and would be hard to justify. Kind koi seems like Nightforce missed their mark with pricing on this one. Everyone seems to really like the optic but seems the price is always something that people don't agree with.
 
#13
lte82 said:
The Schmidt and Minox 1-8s are also very very good.
Click to expand...
I've used short dots in the past and enjoyed them quite a bit, but Uncle Sam was being billed for those. Never handled a Minox but have read a lot of good reviews on here about them. Although haven't really seen much in terms of their 1-8. Looks like that and the ATACR are a direct competitor. Tough to justify $3k on an 8x optic though. I asked about the ATACR because I can get Nightforce for considerably less than MSRP. But honestly if money wasn't a consideration I would probably go with the Minox from what I'm seeing. I think the dual focal plane reticles are something that fits these LPVOs perfectly, just too bad more companies aren't utilizing them.
 
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#14
Can't comment on the ATACR as I've not yet handled one, but I'll offer a dissenting opinion on the NX8:

I picked up an NX8 a few months back hoping it would replace my Trijicon 1-8x. I actually like the triji quite well - glass is fine (to my eye it's not the same level as my S&B 3-20US or NF NX8; but its price reflects that), the red reticle's illumination is reasonable and what I'd subjectively consider "passable" (no where near as bright as the NX8, but I've not had issues picking it up in training classes on extremely bright summer days here in KS), and the eye box is quite forgiving and easy to work with. The major complaint I have with the trijicon is its substantial weight. I'm not a happy camper at the end of a weekend running drills with the Triji atop a suppressed 16" gun.

The NX8, at 8oz lighter, is really quite attractive so I picked one up a few months ago and tossed it on my SR15. I love the compact size, love the weight, and love the illumination; but after last weekend's class I'm going to either put it on a different rifle or dump the optic entirely.

For standing positions, shooting while moving, bench rested, or lying prone off of a bipod the eye box is perfectly manageable. It's not great but it works. The common thread there, of course, is that in all of those positions I'm able to fully shoulder the rifle and achieve a consistent cheek weld. For more awkward positions (i.e. supine, working cover from kneeling or side prone, etc...) I find myself constantly fighting the eyebox and missing the Trijicon. Add in magnification (like when we went back to 200 and I used 8x for PID) and the eye box becomes even more difficult to manage.

So right now I look at the NX8 as really solid medium range scope that can be run up close in a pinch. From that perspective I may toss it on my 12.75" AR10 (whenever that gets out of ATF jail....) if I don't sell it. But for my SR15 I want an optic that's at home up close, but can be used at distance in a pinch. So right now I'm considering taking a few ounce weight penalty and trying the ATACR (I've not yet handled one, but most people speak highly of its eye box) or dropping down in magnification to a Kahles K16i.

As with any forum discussion though - I'm just some dude on the internet. So take my anecdotes and opinions with a grain of salt. Best of luck in your decision!
 
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#15
NX8 is a great scope for self defense, compact, clear, bright as a red dot. Eye box is tight when used in 3 gun matches and reticle doesn’t work well with precision shooting. Recently purchased a Kahles 1-6 with 3gr reticle and works great in all three areas. Red dots are daylight bright, fine reticle for precision shooting and varmint hunting, huge eye box. Something you may want to look at before purchasing. I am a Nightforce fan but in this category the Kahles works better for my needs. Both scopes are lightweight compared to most of the competition.
 
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#16
CNC_Holland said:
Can't comment on the ATACR as I've not yet handled one, but I'll offer a dissenting opinion on the NX8:

I picked up an NX8 a few months back hoping it would replace my Trijicon 1-8x. I actually like the triji quite well - glass is fine (to my eye it's not the same level as my S&B 3-20US or NF NX8; but its price reflects that), the red reticle's illumination is reasonable and what I'd subjectively consider "passable" (no where near as bright as the NX8, but I've not had issues picking it up in training classes on extremely bright summer days here in KS), and the eye box is quite forgiving and easy to work with. The major complaint I have with the trijicon is its substantial weight. I'm not a happy camper at the end of a weekend running drills with the Triji atop a suppressed 16" gun.

The NX8, at 8oz lighter, is really quite attractive so I picked one up a few months ago and tossed it on my SR15. I love the compact size, love the weight, and love the illumination; but after last weekend's class I'm going to either put it on a different rifle or dump the optic entirely.

For standing positions, shooting while moving, bench rested, or lying prone off of a bipod the eye box is perfectly manageable. It's not great but it works. The common thread there, of course, is that in all of those positions I'm able to fully shoulder the rifle and achieve a consistent cheek weld. For more awkward positions (i.e. supine, working cover from kneeling or side prone, etc...) I find myself constantly fighting the eyebox and missing the Trijicon. Add in magnification (like when we went back to 200 and I used 8x for PID) and the eye box becomes even more difficult to manage.

So right now I look at the NX8 as really solid medium range scope that can be run up close in a pinch. From that perspective I may toss it on my 12.75" AR10 (whenever that gets out of ATF jail....) if I don't sell it. But for my SR15 I want an optic that's at home up close, but can be used at distance in a pinch. So right now I'm considering taking a few ounce weight penalty and trying the ATACR (I've not yet handled one, but most people speak highly of its eye box) or dropping down in magnification to a Kahles K16i.

As with any forum discussion though - I'm just some dude on the internet. So take my anecdotes and opinions with a grain of salt. Best of luck in your decision!
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Certainly some good input. Interesting to say it's more of a mid range optic. I'm certainly a bit torn, obviouslyI'm just going to have to bite the bullet and try it out. If I don't like it, someone will be getting a good deal. The Kahles has also been a consideration for quite a while. I wish I would've bought that instead of the ZX6i when I did.
 
#17
Catahoula said:
NX8 is a great scope for self defense, compact, clear, bright as a red dot. Eye box is tight when used in 3 gun matches and reticle doesn’t work well with precision shooting. Recently purchased a Kahles 1-6 with 3gr reticle and works great in all three areas. Red dots are daylight bright, fine reticle for precision shooting and varmint hunting, huge eye box. Something you may want to look at before purchasing. I am a Nightforce fan but in this category the Kahles works better for my needs. Both scopes are lightweight compared to most of the competition.
Click to expand...
I've had buyers remorse with not getting the k16i ever since I bought the Swaro. I may have to take a look again as the eye box is something that consistently comes up, both with the NX8 and the K16i. The k16i seems to really cover all the bases except the length, which goes to the NX8. Decisions decisions
 
#18
Ravenous said:
I've had buyers remorse with not getting the k16i ever since I bought the Swaro. I may have to take a look again as the eye box is something that consistently comes up, both with the NX8 and the K16i. The k16i seems to really cover all the bases except the length, which goes to the NX8. Decisions decisions
Click to expand...

Let us know what you decide and I can have one or both going your way :devilish:
 
#21
hypno02 said:
The non-existent nx8 “eyebox issue” is the fakest news in optics.

ETA--It's the excuse G2Razor guys use to indirectly communicate their buyer's remorse.
Click to expand...

This is the feeling I get, too. If you're coming off of a red dot or SFP LPVO, the NX8 eyebox seems challenging.

If you're coming off high magnification FFP scopes, the eyebox is just fine.

I bought the ATACR over the NX8, but eyebox was nowhere near the determining factor.
 
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#23
phlegm said:
This is the feeling I get, too. If you're coming off of a red dot or SFP LPVO, the NX8 eyebox seems challenging.

If you're coming off high magnification FFP scopes, the eyebox is just fine.

I bought the ATACR over the NX8, but eyebox was nowhere near the determining factor.
Click to expand...
I use all of them, but this will be my first FFP LPVO. It all just boils down to training with it. Glad to see these posts though.

What were the determining factors to go with the ATACR?
 
#24
I went with the ATACR because it felt like a fine, precision rifle scope in a smaller package.
The glass is awesome, the illumination is Aimpoint bright, the reticle is great, it is on par with my other large ATACR’s, just smaller.
The NX8 is a great scope. I bought it first, and liked it just fine. It was exactly what I thought a LPVO should be. It’s compact, light (17oz), and the reticle is very usable. Nothing to complain about.
The ATACR just takes all of that and goes up the scale with it.
I battle on which scope to go on which rifle between my 4-16, and my 1-8. I know....FIRST WORLD PROBLEMS, but there is quite a bit of crossover.
In the end, my ATACR is my dedicated SPR scope for my 5.56 gun.
My 4-16 is on a gas gun.
 
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#25
Ravenous said:
I use all of them, but this will be my first FFP LPVO. It all just boils down to training with it. Glad to see these posts though.

What were the determining factors to go with the ATACR?
Click to expand...

I like nice things, and the ATACR goes well with my 4-16x and 7-35x.

Really, though, the size is balanced, the reticle is very useful, and it is mechanically interesting. Optical performance is great, too.

I've shot it from 20 feet to beyond 1000 yards, and it performs exceptionally well.
 
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#26
I happen to have both the NX8 and ATACR 1-8 with a fair amount of time behind them. I have been run n gunning them on my own a bit, so no legit comps this year to date. I am overall a bit more of a long range guy as of late and focus my funds on high end high magnification. That said, I have actually had some success hunting with the ATACR and its currently on my BAR DBM wood. Just for reference, I am currently also running an Accupoint 1-6 and a MK6 as far as LPVO. Most everything seems to have been covered however perhaps I can explain the light bulb moment I had with the ATACR. First, I have been shooting the ATACR with some team guy buddies of mine and they mostly love it. To back up a bit actually, I first checked them out at the NF booth during the Warrior Expo before they were released. It was a huge building, but I just could not get any performance benefit from the ATACR. That is aside from the reticle because I am personally a FFP reticle shooter and trying to standardize all of my optics accordingly. As a side note to this, the NX8 is offered in a "LE only" fully capped version, and I may think slightly differently if I had the exposed turret version. The exposed turret probably does explain the difference in recitle though. Back on track... So at the expo I was pretty down on the ATACR and thought it was ridiculous that it was so much heavier, larger AND more expensive with 0 gain! I even played with the eye box and did not notice enough difference. I guess to be fair, the ATACR was mounted crazy far forwards for some reason and I had trouble craning my neck to get proper relief. I put an order in for the NX8 capped version that night! Now to the part were I was out shooting with some high speed buddies and talking ATACR. That planted a seed, but I was still not convinced and had not recieved my NX8 yet. Finally the NX8 came in, and I got it all mounted up. I was in a honeymoon phase for sure, but I wanted to buy like 6 more and convert everything it was so awesome! But then I considered swapping it onto my ultralight mountain 6.5cm gun that currently runs a sweet 2.5-10. When I compared the 2 on paper, the NX8 dominated, but when I sat down with both of them for an hour or so to run some simulations out on my land with over a mile of view, it all came down to the parallax adjustment and reticle. For anything over 200M the NX8 really didn't look all of that good. It has a fixed parallax so that is somewhat to be expected (I am building to a point I swear.) Now I did find that I could adjust the diopter at distance and it would sort of function like a parallax to clean up the image, but then I had a weird fish eye on 1x that would be nearly unusable. Needless to say, I stepped back from it as a hunting option. Then came time to build yet another "Ultimate pig gun" and since I do have a bit of a NF hookup, and I am becoming a fan boy, I thought I would water the ATACR seed and put in the order. Once it arrived it felt SO heavy and dwarfed the NX8 so I felt I had made a VERY expensive mistake! I mounted it up, and got the eye relief spot on and the world opened up! first of all, The ATACR is on a 308 with no break, and having the extra eye relief over the NX8 is mandatory on this gun for me. I am pretty sure I would have been bitten by the NX8 several times by now if they were reversed. The eye box is more forgiving, but o man it is also somehow just magical. On paper the FOV is no bigger, but it just feels huge. More on par with my Accupoint in that way. It is well established that both are capable of being too bright for any environment on the highest setting, and both reticles look and function the same on 1X to me. A fairly perfect little, crazy bright red dot. I went ahead and began sighting in at 100M for the ATACR and began to realize that it was very comfortable making precision shots and actually being able to see my holes from that distance. That is not fully the case for the NX8 to my eyes. With the NX8 I feel that I have to strain a bit more to make such fine detail out. However I believe both have a fixed parallax at that distance. So I decided to stretch the legs of the ATACR a bit as I made reticle shots with my rifles dope out too 800 easily! AND THIS IS WHEN I FOUND THE MAGIC...... I do not understand the voodo that NF put into the scope, but it seemed about 98% or more focused all the way out to 3000M!? Once again, there is no parallax adjustment on this scope. once past about 300M it is a night and and day difference between the NX8 and the ATACR and I do not have to fiddle with the diopter at all. Perfect image at 1x and throw that lever to hit a perfect image just about anywhere on 8X. I brought out my 2.5-10 32 FFP Vortex that I had compared the NX8 to just to check. The ATACR offered 99% of the detail on 8x as the vortex did at 600m after fiddling with the parallax to get it just right. So I brought out a 3-18 mk6 with a horus reticle to compare. At 600M I felt similarly comfortable making a shot with the ATACR as the mk6 on 18X. I know this is not apples to apples, and of course I had a bit more detail on the leaves at 18x than the ATACR with its 8X magnification, but it still felt so clear to me. Anyway, I get it now. I am sure others millage may vary, but I am nearly regretting the NX8 now that I have been spoiled by the ATACR. This is only slightly countered by the gram counter in me. Crazy thoughts go through my brain about how many riffles I can convert to ATACR 1-8 now! LOL! I often wonder if Jeff Cooper would have stuck with the same scout scope concept if he had access to the ATACR (or NX8 for that matter.) I guess I should also mention that the ATACR is noticeably brighter at 1x on a half moon night than the NX8. The NX8 is on par with the Accupoint in low light, other than the Accupoint having a nearly useless dot in those conditions. All of that said, the ATACR is on a hunting rifle and my NX8 is on my SHTF gun. There are several reasons for that, but mostly weight. I have rambled enough, but I hope this helps someone :)
 
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#27
Mr. Pimpbot 5000, I tried to format your wall of text so it's actually readable. Hope you don't mind.

A good day to you sir.

------
I happen to have both the NX8 and ATACR 1-8 with a fair amount of time behind them. I have been run n gunning them on my own a bit, so no legit comps this year to date. I am overall a bit more of a long range guy as of late and focus my funds on high end high magnification. That said, I have actually had some success hunting with the ATACR and its currently on my BAR DBM wood. Just for reference, I am currently also running an Accupoint 1-6 and a MK6 as far as LPVO. Most everything seems to have been covered however perhaps I can explain the light bulb moment I had with the ATACR.

First, I have been shooting the ATACR with some team guy buddies of mine and they mostly love it. To back up a bit actually, I first checked them out at the NF booth during the Warrior Expo before they were released. It was a huge building, but I just could not get any performance benefit from the ATACR. That is aside from the reticle because I am personally a FFP reticle shooter and trying to standardize all of my optics accordingly. As a side note to this, the NX8 is offered in a "LE only" fully capped version, and I may think slightly differently if I had the exposed turret version. The exposed turret probably does explain the difference in recitle though. Back on track... So at the expo I was pretty down on the ATACR and thought it was ridiculous that it was so much heavier, larger AND more expensive with 0 gain! I even played with the eye box and did not notice enough difference.

I guess to be fair, the ATACR was mounted crazy far forwards for some reason and I had trouble craning my neck to get proper relief. I put an order in for the NX8 capped version that night! Now to the part were I was out shooting with some high speed buddies and talking ATACR. That planted a seed, but I was still not convinced and had not received my NX8 yet. Finally the NX8 came in, and I got it all mounted up. I was in a honeymoon phase for sure, but I wanted to buy like 6 more and convert everything it was so awesome! But then I considered swapping it onto my ultralight mountain 6.5cm gun that currently runs a sweet 2.5-10. When I compared the 2 on paper, the NX8 dominated, but when I sat down with both of them for an hour or so to run some simulations out on my land with over a mile of view, it all came down to the parallax adjustment and reticle.

For anything over 200M the NX8 really didn't look all of that good. It has a fixed parallax so that is somewhat to be expected (I am building to a point I swear.) Now I did find that I could adjust the diopter at distance and it would sort of function like a parallax to clean up the image, but then I had a weird fish eye on 1x that would be nearly unusable. Needless to say, I stepped back from it as a hunting option. Then came time to build yet another "Ultimate pig gun" and since I do have a bit of a NF hookup, and I am becoming a fan boy, I thought I would water the ATACR seed and put in the order. Once it arrived it felt SO heavy and dwarfed the NX8 so I felt I had made a VERY expensive mistake! I mounted it up, and got the eye relief spot on and the world opened up! first of all, The ATACR is on a 308 with no break, and having the extra eye relief over the NX8 is mandatory on this gun for me.

I am pretty sure I would have been bitten by the NX8 several times by now if they were reversed. The eye box is more forgiving, but o man it is also somehow just magical. On paper the FOV is no bigger, but it just feels huge. More on par with my Accupoint in that way. It is well established that both are capable of being too bright for any environment on the highest setting, and both reticles look and function the same on 1X to me. A fairly perfect little, crazy bright red dot. I went ahead and began sighting in at 100M for the ATACR and began to realize that it was very comfortable making precision shots and actually being able to see my holes from that distance. That is not fully the case for the NX8 to my eyes. With the NX8 I feel that I have to strain a bit more to make such fine detail out. However I believe both have a fixed parallax at that distance. So I decided to stretch the legs of the ATACR a bit as I made reticle shots with my rifles dope out too 800 easily! AND THIS IS WHEN I FOUND THE MAGIC......

I do not understand the voodo that NF put into the scope, but it seemed about 98% or more focused all the way out to 3000M!? Once again, there is no parallax adjustment on this scope. once past about 300M it is a night and and day difference between the NX8 and the ATACR and I do not have to fiddle with the diopter at all. Perfect image at 1x and throw that lever to hit a perfect image just about anywhere on 8X. I brought out my 2.5-10 32 FFP Vortex that I had compared the NX8 to just to check. The ATACR offered 99% of the detail on 8x as the vortex did at 600m after fiddling with the parallax to get it just right.

So I brought out a 3-18 mk6 with a horus reticle to compare. At 600M I felt similarly comfortable making a shot with the ATACR as the mk6 on 18X. I know this is not apples to apples, and of course I had a bit more detail on the leaves at 18x than the ATACR with its 8X magnification, but it still felt so clear to me. Anyway, I get it now. I am sure others millage may vary, but I am nearly regretting the NX8 now that I have been spoiled by the ATACR. This is only slightly countered by the gram counter in me. Crazy thoughts go through my brain about how many riffles I can convert to ATACR 1-8 now! LOL! I often wonder if Jeff Cooper would have stuck with the same scout scope concept if he had access to the ATACR (or NX8 for that matter.)

I guess I should also mention that the ATACR is noticeably brighter at 1x on a half moon night than the NX8. The NX8 is on par with the Accupoint in low light, other than the Accupoint having a nearly useless dot in those conditions. All of that said, the ATACR is on a hunting rifle and my NX8 is on my SHTF gun. There are several reasons for that, but mostly weight. I have rambled enough, but I hope this helps someone.
 
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#29
A mate had the ATACR 1-8 for a bolt 308 shooting primarily pigs, from 5m distance out to 500m.
He just sold it and mounted a swaro z8 1-8 which he is finding a lot better for hunting purposes. He shoots anywhere between 300-800 pigs year depending on the season/weather so has a good idea of what works well or not as well.
I have a kahles k16i for the same use (pigs) and would not change it for anything else on the market atm.

The only minor differences between the z8i and k16i is the extra 2x, reticle (I prefer the SM1 circle for close work), length, and slightly more robust build on the k16i.
 
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#30
Pimpbot5000 said:
I happen to have both the NX8 and ATACR 1-8 with a fair amount of time behind them. I have been run n gunning them on my own a bit, so no legit comps this year to date. I am overall a bit more of a long range guy as of late and focus my funds on high end high magnification. That said, I have actually had some success hunting with the ATACR and its currently on my BAR DBM wood. Just for reference, I am currently also running an Accupoint 1-6 and a MK6 as far as LPVO. Most everything seems to have been covered however perhaps I can explain the light bulb moment I had with the ATACR. First, I have been shooting the ATACR with some team guy buddies of mine and they mostly love it. To back up a bit actually, I first checked them out at the NF booth during the Warrior Expo before they were released. It was a huge building, but I just could not get any performance benefit from the ATACR. That is aside from the reticle because I am personally a FFP reticle shooter and trying to standardize all of my optics accordingly. As a side note to this, the NX8 is offered in a "LE only" fully capped version, and I may think slightly differently if I had the exposed turret version. The exposed turret probably does explain the difference in recitle though. Back on track... So at the expo I was pretty down on the ATACR and thought it was ridiculous that it was so much heavier, larger AND more expensive with 0 gain! I even played with the eye box and did not notice enough difference. I guess to be fair, the ATACR was mounted crazy far forwards for some reason and I had trouble craning my neck to get proper relief. I put an order in for the NX8 capped version that night! Now to the part were I was out shooting with some high speed buddies and talking ATACR. That planted a seed, but I was still not convinced and had not recieved my NX8 yet. Finally the NX8 came in, and I got it all mounted up. I was in a honeymoon phase for sure, but I wanted to buy like 6 more and convert everything it was so awesome! But then I considered swapping it onto my ultralight mountain 6.5cm gun that currently runs a sweet 2.5-10. When I compared the 2 on paper, the NX8 dominated, but when I sat down with both of them for an hour or so to run some simulations out on my land with over a mile of view, it all came down to the parallax adjustment and reticle. For anything over 200M the NX8 really didn't look all of that good. It has a fixed parallax so that is somewhat to be expected (I am building to a point I swear.) Now I did find that I could adjust the diopter at distance and it would sort of function like a parallax to clean up the image, but then I had a weird fish eye on 1x that would be nearly unusable. Needless to say, I stepped back from it as a hunting option. Then came time to build yet another "Ultimate pig gun" and since I do have a bit of a NF hookup, and I am becoming a fan boy, I thought I would water the ATACR seed and put in the order. Once it arrived it felt SO heavy and dwarfed the NX8 so I felt I had made a VERY expensive mistake! I mounted it up, and got the eye relief spot on and the world opened up! first of all, The ATACR is on a 308 with no break, and having the extra eye relief over the NX8 is mandatory on this gun for me. I am pretty sure I would have been bitten by the NX8 several times by now if they were reversed. The eye box is more forgiving, but o man it is also somehow just magical. On paper the FOV is no bigger, but it just feels huge. More on par with my Accupoint in that way. It is well established that both are capable of being too bright for any environment on the highest setting, and both reticles look and function the same on 1X to me. A fairly perfect little, crazy bright red dot. I went ahead and began sighting in at 100M for the ATACR and began to realize that it was very comfortable making precision shots and actually being able to see my holes from that distance. That is not fully the case for the NX8 to my eyes. With the NX8 I feel that I have to strain a bit more to make such fine detail out. However I believe both have a fixed parallax at that distance. So I decided to stretch the legs of the ATACR a bit as I made reticle shots with my rifles dope out too 800 easily! AND THIS IS WHEN I FOUND THE MAGIC...... I do not understand the voodo that NF put into the scope, but it seemed about 98% or more focused all the way out to 3000M!? Once again, there is no parallax adjustment on this scope. once past about 300M it is a night and and day difference between the NX8 and the ATACR and I do not have to fiddle with the diopter at all. Perfect image at 1x and throw that lever to hit a perfect image just about anywhere on 8X. I brought out my 2.5-10 32 FFP Vortex that I had compared the NX8 to just to check. The ATACR offered 99% of the detail on 8x as the vortex did at 600m after fiddling with the parallax to get it just right. So I brought out a 3-18 mk6 with a horus reticle to compare. At 600M I felt similarly comfortable making a shot with the ATACR as the mk6 on 18X. I know this is not apples to apples, and of course I had a bit more detail on the leaves at 18x than the ATACR with its 8X magnification, but it still felt so clear to me. Anyway, I get it now. I am sure others millage may vary, but I am nearly regretting the NX8 now that I have been spoiled by the ATACR. This is only slightly countered by the gram counter in me. Crazy thoughts go through my brain about how many riffles I can convert to ATACR 1-8 now! LOL! I often wonder if Jeff Cooper would have stuck with the same scout scope concept if he had access to the ATACR (or NX8 for that matter.) I guess I should also mention that the ATACR is noticeably brighter at 1x on a half moon night than the NX8. The NX8 is on par with the Accupoint in low light, other than the Accupoint having a nearly useless dot in those conditions. All of that said, the ATACR is on a hunting rifle and my NX8 is on my SHTF gun. There are several reasons for that, but mostly weight. I have rambled enough, but I hope this helps someone :)
Click to expand...

@Prebanpaul check this out. I can't wait to check mine out.
 
#31
Pimpbot5000 said:
I happen to have both the NX8 and ATACR 1-8 with a fair amount of time behind them. I have been run n gunning them on my own a bit, so no legit comps this year to date. I am overall a bit more of a long range guy as of late and focus my funds on high end high magnification. That said, I have actually had some success hunting with the ATACR and its currently on my BAR DBM wood. Just for reference, I am currently also running an Accupoint 1-6 and a MK6 as far as LPVO. Most everything seems to have been covered however perhaps I can explain the light bulb moment I had with the ATACR. First, I have been shooting the ATACR with some team guy buddies of mine and they mostly love it. To back up a bit actually, I first checked them out at the NF booth during the Warrior Expo before they were released. It was a huge building, but I just could not get any performance benefit from the ATACR. That is aside from the reticle because I am personally a FFP reticle shooter and trying to standardize all of my optics accordingly. As a side note to this, the NX8 is offered in a "LE only" fully capped version, and I may think slightly differently if I had the exposed turret version. The exposed turret probably does explain the difference in recitle though. Back on track... So at the expo I was pretty down on the ATACR and thought it was ridiculous that it was so much heavier, larger AND more expensive with 0 gain! I even played with the eye box and did not notice enough difference. I guess to be fair, the ATACR was mounted crazy far forwards for some reason and I had trouble craning my neck to get proper relief. I put an order in for the NX8 capped version that night! Now to the part were I was out shooting with some high speed buddies and talking ATACR. That planted a seed, but I was still not convinced and had not recieved my NX8 yet. Finally the NX8 came in, and I got it all mounted up. I was in a honeymoon phase for sure, but I wanted to buy like 6 more and convert everything it was so awesome! But then I considered swapping it onto my ultralight mountain 6.5cm gun that currently runs a sweet 2.5-10. When I compared the 2 on paper, the NX8 dominated, but when I sat down with both of them for an hour or so to run some simulations out on my land with over a mile of view, it all came down to the parallax adjustment and reticle. For anything over 200M the NX8 really didn't look all of that good. It has a fixed parallax so that is somewhat to be expected (I am building to a point I swear.) Now I did find that I could adjust the diopter at distance and it would sort of function like a parallax to clean up the image, but then I had a weird fish eye on 1x that would be nearly unusable. Needless to say, I stepped back from it as a hunting option. Then came time to build yet another "Ultimate pig gun" and since I do have a bit of a NF hookup, and I am becoming a fan boy, I thought I would water the ATACR seed and put in the order. Once it arrived it felt SO heavy and dwarfed the NX8 so I felt I had made a VERY expensive mistake! I mounted it up, and got the eye relief spot on and the world opened up! first of all, The ATACR is on a 308 with no break, and having the extra eye relief over the NX8 is mandatory on this gun for me. I am pretty sure I would have been bitten by the NX8 several times by now if they were reversed. The eye box is more forgiving, but o man it is also somehow just magical. On paper the FOV is no bigger, but it just feels huge. More on par with my Accupoint in that way. It is well established that both are capable of being too bright for any environment on the highest setting, and both reticles look and function the same on 1X to me. A fairly perfect little, crazy bright red dot. I went ahead and began sighting in at 100M for the ATACR and began to realize that it was very comfortable making precision shots and actually being able to see my holes from that distance. That is not fully the case for the NX8 to my eyes. With the NX8 I feel that I have to strain a bit more to make such fine detail out. However I believe both have a fixed parallax at that distance. So I decided to stretch the legs of the ATACR a bit as I made reticle shots with my rifles dope out too 800 easily! AND THIS IS WHEN I FOUND THE MAGIC...... I do not understand the voodo that NF put into the scope, but it seemed about 98% or more focused all the way out to 3000M!? Once again, there is no parallax adjustment on this scope. once past about 300M it is a night and and day difference between the NX8 and the ATACR and I do not have to fiddle with the diopter at all. Perfect image at 1x and throw that lever to hit a perfect image just about anywhere on 8X. I brought out my 2.5-10 32 FFP Vortex that I had compared the NX8 to just to check. The ATACR offered 99% of the detail on 8x as the vortex did at 600m after fiddling with the parallax to get it just right. So I brought out a 3-18 mk6 with a horus reticle to compare. At 600M I felt similarly comfortable making a shot with the ATACR as the mk6 on 18X. I know this is not apples to apples, and of course I had a bit more detail on the leaves at 18x than the ATACR with its 8X magnification, but it still felt so clear to me. Anyway, I get it now. I am sure others millage may vary, but I am nearly regretting the NX8 now that I have been spoiled by the ATACR. This is only slightly countered by the gram counter in me. Crazy thoughts go through my brain about how many riffles I can convert to ATACR 1-8 now! LOL! I often wonder if Jeff Cooper would have stuck with the same scout scope concept if he had access to the ATACR (or NX8 for that matter.) I guess I should also mention that the ATACR is noticeably brighter at 1x on a half moon night than the NX8. The NX8 is on par with the Accupoint in low light, other than the Accupoint having a nearly useless dot in those conditions. All of that said, the ATACR is on a hunting rifle and my NX8 is on my SHTF gun. There are several reasons for that, but mostly weight. I have rambled enough, but I hope this helps someone :)
Click to expand...
I just got the NX8 and noticed the poor clarity at 100 yds. I would love to have the ATACR, but I just don't think I can spend the money
 
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#33
918v said:
What do u mean by poor clarity? Do you know how to use a scope?
Click to expand...
Um yes. As mentioned above the lines become much more soft and trying to zero at 100 yards was very difficult because I almost had to guess where the center dot was. That's after making the best possible adjustments with the Diopter.
 
#34
Powdermonkey4 said:
A mate had the ATACR 1-8 for a bolt 308 shooting primarily pigs, from 5m distance out to 500m.
He just sold it and mounted a swaro z8 1-8 which he is finding a lot better for hunting purposes. He shoots anywhere between 300-800 pigs year depending on the season/weather so has a good idea of what works well or not as well.
I have a kahles k16i for the same use (pigs) and would not change it for anything else on the market atm.

The only minor differences between the z8i and k16i is the extra 2x, reticle (I prefer the SM1 circle for close work), length, and slightly more robust build on the k16i.
Click to expand...
I ran the K16i for a while and liked the scope a-lot.
 
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