Rifle Scopes nightforce - worth the extra money vs others?

[drake22]

Looking for some advice on a scope. It seems the more I research the more I change my mind...

Plan on shooting 100-1,000 yards on steel and paper.

I've been comparing the Bushnell 3.5x21 vs the Vortex Razor. Recently I've thrown Nightforce into the mix. I like the F1 since its FFP, but think the extra magnification would be nice on the NXS.

I would like zero stop and an illuminated reticle. Obviously, if I can save a few bucks and put that into more ammo and range time that would be a win/win.

My preference would be to buy used to save a few bucks. Budget is about $1800, and I should be able to have my choice of the above scopes.

Thanks in advance, on the opinions and suggestions.


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[Irokcrawl]

Zero stop can be built into the base/mount. It's what many did with the older hensoldts. At 1800 you should be able to find a great optic whether it be a NF, used Steiner, Bushnell XRS, vortex razor, and quite a few others. Personally the only optics I will use from NF is the F1 and Beast and have a beast that will be here tomorrow. Ffp to me is important but for you it may not be and may not be needed; it does however simplify things in many cases and as long as you are not trying to shoot 1" groups on paper at 1k yards most ffp optics will be fine enough to do just fine. The NSX line can easily be beaten by many optics in the same price range imo but that's just it. My opinion and not nessasarly what's best for you.

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[Ryguy]

Currently, I have a Vortex, NSX, and a Sightron SIII mounted. The NSX has the finest reticle but not the clearest glass but is by far the most durable. The Sightron has the best glass but the worst reticle, very thick. The Vortex has a good reticle, decent glass and is more durable than the Sightron. Doing it over again and shooting 100-1000 yards, I would go with vortex. Now, having been to combat, the only choice would be Nightforce. If you anticipate now or in the future, the gun being put through austere conditions then Nightforce is the way to go on an $1800 budget.

 

[PRDRIVER]

I don't think you can go wrong with NF at that price point considering what else in currently in the market. Like has been said before the NXS line of scopes are extremely durable. The NXS have good resolution but the colors just don't pop like on a S&B, Premier, Kahles, Henstoldt, and some others. However, when you are shooting under heavy mirage, NF glass is fantastic.

 

[bp7178]

The illumination control found in any NF optic BLOWS. They went from what is really a non-field adjustable rheostat bullshit thing to a worthless pushbutton design. Really think how bad you need this feature. Not what type of shooting you intend on doing, or want to do, but ACTUALLY do. Daylight on flat ranges, don't need it. Besides, its poorly implemented on the NF optics anyway. I'd look hard at the Bushnell. Liberty Optics has great pricing on them.

 

[cramey74]

If you want a good deal on a Bushnell. Here ya go

http://www.snipershide.com/shooting/optics-sale/267595-bushnell-ers-3-5-21-g2-mil-dot-fde.html

 

[samnev]

I have 7 Nightforce NXS scopes and 3 Bushnell Elite FFP G2DMR 3.5-21X50 scopes. I really like the G2DMR but the NXS 5.5-22X56 remains my favorite. The poor location of the illuminated reticle on the NF and the lack of one on the G2DMR doesn't bothering me since I have never use it on the NF. But the decision is one only you can make. Just my opinion but I don't find the glass on the higher priced NF scopes that much better to justify the big difference in price compared to the NXS line.

 

[MosesTheTank]

F1 and 3.5-21 ERS

I have both the F1 and the 3.5-21 ERS. I have plenty of rounds downrange through both in all sorts of conditions. The glass on both is great. I prefer the F1 knobs, but not by much. I just find the NF to be faster, especially when my hands are cold and I can't see the knobs for whatever reason. Some folks prefer the Bushy knobs. They both have a zero stop and I will never buy another scope without this feature. The illuminated reticle of the F1 is a huge plus for me. As has been stated it is not easy to adjust. Out of the box is was far too bright. I first got a look at it in complete darkness and it about blinded me. I set it once and have never touched it again. Getting the cross hairs on a south Georgia hog at 2 a.m. at 300 yards and a crescent moon is not an option for me without an illuminated reticle (NV coming up next year). The Bushy is not illuminated, but I have never used it where I may have needed it. It picks up IPSC steel at 1,200 yards (and beyond) in foggy low light conditions just fine. The extra magnification versus the F1 provides a nice view of the splash. But with mirage you probably won't be able to make use of that extra power.

The Bushy customer service has been good in my experience. NF has been stellar. I stripped a scope ring screw and with a phone call NF sent me an entire set. There is a NF rep on here who will respond quickly. While on a shoot I misunderstood the zero stop on the Bushy and that same NF rep, who didn't know me from Adam, walked over and took his time to help me figure things out. I just can't imagine it being any better.

And a word about the toughness of a NF. I have twice done something that had me cringing and wondering how I was going to explain to NF what I had done while asking them to fix my scope. On both occasions I just hosed the scope off and found nothing at all wrong.

To answer your question, yes. The F1 is worth every penny.

They are both great scopes with a few differing features and at different price points. If you go Bushy I highly recommend Scott at Liberty Optics. The F1 is priced very well right now with many vendors. If you go with the F1 I recommend the Tenebraex covers. They are strong and easy to use.

 

[BigMahi]

I have both the F1 and the 3.5-21 ERS. I have plenty of rounds downrange through both in all sorts of conditions. The glass on both is great. I prefer the F1 knobs, but not by much. I just find the NF to be faster, especially when my hands are cold and I can't see the knobs for whatever reason. Some folks prefer the Bushy knobs. They both have a zero stop and I will never buy another scope without this feature. The illuminated reticle of the F1 is a huge plus for me. As has been stated it is not easy to adjust. Out of the box is was far too bright. I first got a look at it in complete darkness and it about blinded me. I set it once and have never touched it again. Getting the cross hairs on a south Georgia hog at 2 a.m. at 300 yards and a crescent moon is not an option for me without an illuminated reticle (NV coming up next year). The Bushy is not illuminated, but I have never used it where I may have needed it. It picks up IPSC steel at 1,200 yards (and beyond) in foggy low light conditions just fine. The extra magnification versus the F1 provides a nice view of the splash. But with mirage you probably won't be able to make use of that extra power.

The Bushy customer service has been good in my experience. NF has been stellar. I stripped a scope ring screw and with a phone call NF sent me an entire set. There is a NF rep on here who will respond quickly. While on a shoot I misunderstood the zero stop on the Bushy and that same NF rep, who didn't know me from Adam, walked over and took his time to help me figure things out. I just can't imagine it being any better.

And a word about the toughness of a NF. I have twice done something that had me cringing and wondering how I was going to explain to NF what I had done while asking them to fix my scope. On both occasions I just hosed the scope off and found nothing at all wrong.

To answer your question, yes. The F1 is worth every penny.

They are both great scopes with a few differing features and at different price points. If you go Bushy I highly recommend Scott at Liberty Optics. The F1 is priced very well right now with many vendors. If you go with the F1 I recommend the Tenebraex covers. They are strong and easy to use.

Thanks- I am in the same dilemma as the OP and this put things in perspective for me.

So for about $800 more the NF is illuminated, tougher, and backed with excellent customer service. Since you mentioned the rings, I noticed the NF comes with rings while the Bushnell doesn't (making it more like a $650 difference).

 

[Sako man]

I don't think you can go wrong with NF at that price point considering what else in currently in the market. Like has been said before the NXS line of scopes are extremely durable. The NXS have good resolution but the colors just don't pop like on a S&B, Premier, Kahles, Henstoldt, and some others. However, when you are shooting under heavy mirage, NF glass is fantastic.

Curious, but whats the advantage of NF glass in mirage? Seems like a good advantage.

Looking for some advice on a scope. It seems the more I research the more I change my mind...

Plan on shooting 100-1,000 yards on steel and paper.

I've been comparing the Bushnell 3.5x21 vs the Vortex Razor. Recently I've thrown Nightforce into the mix.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

NF is always a safe bet for reliability/ruggedness and tracking. That said I have never found the glass to be acceptable. But thats me coming from the ideals of photography not battle field experience, and that said wondering what the advantages in mirage are. For the price I really love the Steiners, glass is great and they are very very robust. But you will find brand loyalty for just about everything on the market. You can pick up some awesome deals on the hide here, look for a used Steiner 16x to match the capabilities of the F1.

 

[PRDRIVER]

Curious, but whats the advantage of NF glass in mirage? Seems like a good advantage.



NF is always a safe bet for reliability/ruggedness and tracking. That said I have never found the glass to be acceptable. But thats me coming from the ideals of photography not battle field experience, and that said wondering what the advantages in mirage are. For the price I really love the Steiners, glass is great and they are very very robust. But you will find brand loyalty for just about everything on the market. You can pick up some awesome deals on the hide here, look for a used Steiner 16x to match the capabilities of the F1.

It has got to be the coatings on the NF glass. It doesn't pop with color like some of the high end German glass, but using the NXS scopes next to a few High End European offerings, I found that when mirage kicked up, the NF was usable at a higher magnification than the other scopes. It may not have the most beautiful glass, but the NXS is robust, rugged, repeatable and just plain works well - especially when dealing with mirage.

 

[bh10]

Curious, but whats the advantage of NF glass in mirage? Seems like a good advantage.



NF is always a safe bet for reliability/ruggedness and tracking. That said I have never found the glass to be acceptable. But thats me coming from the ideals of photography not battle field experience, and that said wondering what the advantages in mirage are. For the price I really love the Steiners, glass is great and they are very very robust. But you will find brand loyalty for just about everything on the market. You can pick up some awesome deals on the hide here, look for a used Steiner 16x to match the capabilities of the F1.

Have you looked through the ATACR? I got to look through the NXS and ATACR yesterday and the ATACR was much better.

 

[Sako man]

Have you looked through the ATACR? I got to look through the NXS and ATACR yesterday and the ATACR was much better.

No I have not. However I have heard the same thing, in that the glass is very good on the ATACR. As well the BEAST has better glass than the F1 offerings. As you know the ATACR is a different animal. Going to the range in a few weeks with a buddy that just picked up an ATACR for his 338, I will check it out then.

 

[culater]

I am moving to nightforce due to my leppy taking a dive the other day.Cant hold zero at 100yds sending it in for new erector springs. Nightfore uses titanuim erector spring on thier scopes and will last much longer than other spings and is worth the 800 extra in my book

 

[terrell35744]

I had the bushnell and have a few NF F1's and SFP nxs the F1 are great scopes. I bought one of the bushnell 3.5-21 when they had that money back deal going on I didn't think the glass was very good, the locking knobs were annoying and it didn't track well so i sent it back for a refund. I got the F1 after that and it worked out great, tracking was solid ,glass is good and knobs are great. My scores at matches here in the Albuquerque area and raton sporting rifle match improve greatly. I just ordered my last one from Butch's reloading they have a sale running on them but call them to get the best deal that might make the F1 more competitively priced.

 

[sib1948]

If you need FFP go with the F1, but if SFP will suffice the ATACR is definitely the way to go!

 

[P7M13SC]

I bought a NXS scope from a fellow hide member that had a cross threaded sun shade. And damage to the top turret. I sent it back to NF service. Got a call back from Sonny the day they received it. I told him I bought it second hand. NO CHARGE! What is that worth?