Laupold Mark 4 or Nightforce

NINJABABY

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I am thinking to get into long range shooting at range and can't decide which way to go between mark 4 or nightforce.


Any advice with the people who have used both of them will be of great help.
 
I have used both without a doubt Nightforce has better glass. That being said I own two Mark 4's because of weight and price. Nightforce are heavy scopes compared to MK4's. I don't think that the optics are significantly better on the Nightforce. I also got a very good deal on both my MK4's, If I had the money and the price was close I would buy a Nightforce.
 
I have used both and will buy Nightforce over Leupold from this point on. If you plan to really stretch out a gun you're limited by only having 65-85 MOA adjustment on the MK4 as opposed to the 100 on the NXS.
 
I was happy with my Leupold until I looked through a NF....granted it was double the price so not a fair comparison....before that I was happy with my Bushnell until I looked through a Leupold, and was happy with my Tasco until I looked through a Bushnell....notice a trend here.....I've sworn off looking through high end scopes....already had to tell the wife the last NF I bought was "not that expensive"
 
I was happy with my Leupold until I looked through a NF....granted it was double the price so not a fair comparison...."

I am confused. A 6.5x20x50 MK4 with illuminated reticle is about $1900.00 currently which is about $125.00 MORE $$ than a 5.5x22x50 Nighforce scope which comes standard with illuminated reticle. We sell both.
How is that double the price? Were you comparing a VX per chance?
 
I am thinking to get into long range shooting at range and can't decide which way to go between mark 4 or nightforce.


Any advice with the people who have used both of them will be of great help.

The Nightforce offers you more reticle choices AND matchs their reticle with turrets that are in the same unit of measure. So MOA reticle scope come with MOA graduated turrets, or Mil with Mil turrets.
The Mk4s are good scopes but Leupold only offers them with Mil reticles and MOA turrets. They claim that they will have Mil , Mil scopes at some point in time.
The NF scopes ARE heavier than the Mk4s, they also have more elevation and a neat option called a zero stop.

Optically I find the NF has s light edge, but you really have to be used to high end glass to notice it.

Warranty is about the same. Price when comparing same options is about the same.

Resale of a NF is higher. You find very few NF scopes in the EE in comparison.

The Mk4s have WAAAAY better lens covers available however. But are spendy.
 
I've had a chance to use some Leupold Mark 4 products, and was going to put one on my rifle from ATRS. Rick made a couple of simple, articulate points about the benefits of a NF over a Leupold in the same price range.

I don't regret it at all, and was quite happy that he made the suggestion.
 
Nightforce, was out shooting with a friend this last weekend who has a leupold. Told him to come up 1/2 MOA elevation. His response was, I can only come up a full MOA, thats what the turret is set to. Not sure the model # of his scope but be aware that at even 400yrds, 1 MOA or even 1/2 moa adjustments is IMHO way too much.
NF ths year will have the 1/8 MOA turrets on its scope hopefully.
 
Nightforce have better glass, I won't argue that and am considering getting one for my new Edge. Price, well, put someone's feet in the fire and those can move.
Unless you are useing a first focal plane scope, turrets and reticles are only going to match at one given power level. By the same token a milli-radian reticle will match a MOA turret at one given power. For interests sake, a TMR reticle measures out to a quite useful 2 MOA when a 8.5-25 is set at 21.5. A 6.5-20 lines up at 17.25 or thereabouts.
 
If you have an NXS 5.5-22 and your reticle is accurate at 11 power, you can half the distance between hashes/dots etc at 22 power, and double them at 5.5. You are not limited to only one power...
 
If you have an NXS 5.5-22 and your reticle is accurate at 11 power, you can half the distance between hashes/dots etc at 22 power, and double them at 5.5. You are not limited to only one power...

You can say that about any reticle. Half is double, double is half. My point is that haveing the turrets marked in the same increments as the reticle is not an absolute. Turning the power down makes a Mil-dot scope into an MOA scope. Either way, you have to do some things right for it to work.
 
You can say that about any reticle. Half is double, double is half. My point is that haveing the turrets marked in the same increments as the reticle is not an absolute. Turning the power down makes a Mil-dot scope into an MOA scope. Either way, you have to do some things right for it to work.

I don't really understand how it will turn a Mil-Dot reitlce into an MOA reticle, but that's not what I'm getting at. I can agree with the rest of it though!
 
Azazle,

This all just for fun, but I'll take a crack at explaining it. You already know that halving the magnification doubles the spaceing between the hash marks, right? So here's the thing, I want a mildot spacing to grow into a MOA spaceing. One mil is 3.6 inches at 100 yards, but I want it to measure 1.047" X 4 = 4.18" (4 MOA) The ratio between what I've got and what I want is 3.6/4.18 = .859 Since the relationship between the magnification and subtension is inverse; 25 X .859 = 21.49 Set the power ring of a 25 X Mark 4 to 21.49 power and the spaceing is now 4 MOA. 'Course, for my uses a 4 MOA spaceing isn't widely useful, but a 1/2 Mil spaceing like a TMR gives a 2 MOA spacing that is some good to me. Dial elevation and hold wind in a pinch.
 
I am confused. A 6.5x20x50 MK4 with illuminated reticle is about $1900.00 currently which is about $125.00 MORE $$ than a 5.5x22x50 Nighforce scope which comes standard with illuminated reticle. We sell both.
How is that double the price? Were you comparing a VX per chance?

Yeah, that was the point I was trying to make...started out with a $150 Tasco until I tried a $400 Bushnell....then I tried a $900 Leupold......then I tried a $2000 NF......I'm scared to look anything more expensive than that...I've already got more invested in glass that I'd want to admit to the wife..:D
 
you never said what modle of night force so i will assum the NXS series in 8-32 or 12-44 x 56

in which i tell you to save the other 500 and buy a Schmidt & Bender PMII 5-25x56
 
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Pretty sure the reticle is accurate at 22 power, not 11

It depends on the reticle. My NP-1RR is 22 power for rangefinding and 11 power for the hash marks.

Dogleg I know it's all in fun and I don't mean to sound disrespectful etc. by any means. I understand the math well enough to understand it can be done, but I didn't believe you could physically adjust a scope to the point in which it could be considered MOA between hashes on a MilDot reticle. I honestly don't even like using my scopes on other powers than what is suggested as you cannot guarantee the accuracy of the dial. To be fair it's rare I'll attempt to use the reticle for holdover as it is.
 
Nightforce............... still working on saving up for it though. Was going to get a Mk4, but started comparing it to a nightforce, and my mind was made up pretty quick
fwiw
 
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