Re: Nightforce NXS 3.5-15 or 5-22 X 50 ???
<span style="font-weight: bold">Range report:
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Well, I can safely say that the scope/ XCR combination is a success.. Right out the gates, at 50 meters, I hit the 8" square steel plate on the first shot. Nothing amazing - just a laser down the bore before hand lined it up - worked a treat though. No comments about groupings etc as yet as I was pushed for time this weekend so didn't finely tune my zero. I did make adjustments, and the NF NXS was a dream to do so. Very, very confident adjustments confirmed with results.
<span style="font-weight: bold">Scope:</span>
Very clear, 5.5x (minimum magnification) was great. I was worried 5.5x could still be a bit much for minimum power but it was totally fine. The 22x power (max) on the other hand, while it was very nice magnification and not "too much" I did find that the difference in eye relief from the lower powers (say, 16x and below) was quite significant.. more or less a pain in the ass. At 22x power I found myself having to shift my eye and or body to find the correct position. Theoretically, though, I know most would not hunt on this power unless you're really lining up the perfect long range shot - but it is worth the mention that you need to be precise with your positioning for max power.
The second issue was, of course, parallax. I found that my eye naturally focuses on the subject before the reticle, so if the parallax is significantly off course (by ~30% or more) then I found that my eye was adjusting for this and focusing on the subject. This, in turn, meant the reticle was blurry and (being so fine) was practically invisible. It's a tricky trade off having such a high power scope and wide 56mm objective - you just have to be on top of this. It is an issue, if ignored. In time, I suspect when dialing a target in it will become more natural and fluid.
<span style="font-weight: bold">Brief note on the XCR:</span>
SOLID. My first rifle and all I can say is the punch of the .308 is nothing but solid. I found the Limbsaver Buttpad was a savior on this gun - recalling the metal fist feeling of the old .303 in my shoulder the last time I was at the range. The gun was outstanding in transport - light, compact, ready to go. A couple of times I was able to quickly pull it out when in the ute and have a crack at a hare or two.
Cracker combination, and weighs not that much more than my mates .22LR Anschutz. Very happy. A note, for the thread - the 3.5 would be a great scope. I love this scope but 22x is tricky to use with the change in eye relief. I'm very willing to bet this gets easier with practice and is not so bad for the long range veteran but I'm just new to this - first impressions can be important.
