Leupold mk4 vs nightforce

Rotaxpower

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I am planning on upgrading my bushnell 3200 tactical on my 700P and was looking at the 8.5-25 mk4 or the nightforce 5.5-22. What does the nightforce offer the leupold doesnt? The nightforce is about $350 more. Is it worth spending the extra on it? Sorry I am kinda of an optics newbie.
 
You get 65 MOA internal adjustment on the MK4 and 100 on the NXS. Illuminated reticle is also standard on the NXS where as the MK4 you need to pay extra for it. 56mm is also available at the same price on the NXS as the 50mm.
 
Well the scope got put on the back burner... Momma needed a 3D tv instead. I guess if momma isn't happy no one is in the house. Guess it will have to wait a couple months before I get a scope :(
 
i've owned both the mark 4 and have a nightforce. I liked them both for different reasons. glass on the mark 4 is warmer in colour i've found at max magnification. Both are equally clear but the colours seem warmer on the mark 4. The nightforce has the blue tone at max mag and that is to deal with mirage and i get why they have it but i liked the mark 4's colour best.

One reason i settled for the nightforce was for the laser glass etched reticle. Mark 4 has a wire reticle which i have had no problems with. The turrets on the nightforce have more of a positive click then the mark 4 i found.My nightforce has the MOA/MOA reticle and turret and the fact i can get 1/8th increments in the turrets. I had no problems with the mark 4 mil/moa for hold overs and calculations but there is some learning to do. Both are rugged and are great scopes.Both track(ed) 100%.I've had 2 nightforce scopes before i found the one i wanted. The first was the np-2dd and currently the np-r1. I settled with the np-r1. Couldn't get used to the dot and i liked the TMR reticle for holdovers so i went with the np-r1.I still feel the mark 4 tmr reticle makes the most sense in the design and is the best in the business. Instead of focusing on a cross hair, you are focusing on the opening of the crosshair which is your target. Brilliant design.Decide what factors you want in a scope and what kind of shooting you are going to do. My nightforce has the 1/8 turrets, MOA/MOA reticle/adjustments and 56mm objective which is nice over the 50mm of the mark 4 and the laser etched reticle. I am not a big fan of the np-r1 reticle and i found my shooting was better with the TMR but those factors lead me to getting the nightforce. I would buy another mark 4 hands down and i would also buy another nightforce. Can't go wrong with either in my opinion.
 
I have a Nightforce NXS 12-42 on my Remington 700 Varmint with a 20 MOA base.
I can get to 1050 yards with a bit of elevation to spare.
Apparently all Remington receivers are not created equal due to the outside diameter of the receiver ring. I'm told not all Remington 700 models can reach this far with the 308 Winchester. (often run out of elevation before 1000 with this NF with only 45 MOA up)
 
Go NF, Leupold is going down hill in my mind. I don't have a NF but have used a few. I have multiple Leupolds for my hunting rifles and a Mark4 Spotting scope. I have chosen to go with S&B and a Premier for my long range scopes, there awsome! but 2x the price of a NF. I will own a NF one day tho

My 2cents.

Matt
 
The Canadian Leupold service center is awsome.

Leupold tends to be a lighter.

But in the end, I like my NF scope better.

GC
 
personal preference is the biggest reason to choose one over the other. you won't make the wrong decision buying either one. I have had the Mark 4 4.5-14x50 and much prefer my NF 3.5-15x50. I just like it better.
 
I have two leupold mark 4 ert's and a nightforce nxs

The leupolds
-A lot Lighter .
-Front focal plan
-Better picture ( night or day ) . (This is an opinion , comparing both scopes side by side my eyes)
-Better warranty . (Never had a problem but its nice to know it is there.)

Nightforce
-Seems more solid (heavier construction)
-Higher magnification .

As far as performance goes all track perfectly.

To say one is better then the other I can't , both are amazing brands .

I think their is a lot of advertising hype and it best to go with what works for your eyes .

Hope that helps
 
I own both. Here's my $0.02.

NXS pros are the lower turrets, double turn reticle, illumination included and better reticle selection. Cons are that they entire eyepiece rotates as you change the magnification (which drives me bat#### crazy).

Mark 4 pros are, we'll, lower price and a separate power selector ring. Cons are the crappy choice of reticles, no pay extra for illumination and the slightly taller adjustment knobs

I have NXS on my 308 and 300WM. The Mark 4 is on my SAN and will be headed to the gopher patch next week. Better be some dammed gophers out!
 
They're both well made scopes with decent glass. The pros and cons of each have been listed already. My advice would be to try them both out if possible (preferably find someone at your range that has one or both, and actually get some trigger time looking through one), then decide which one you think will suit your needs better.
 
Did a bit of research on both...don't own either, but will soon. I think that I would go with the Nightforce...or should I say, "I WILL go with Nightforce." In my opinion, they have a better selection of reticles, and it seems that it's easier to get a matching reticle and turret set-up without having to opt for one of the more "advanced" Leupolds.

Just my 2 cents...
 
You may want to look at Sightron SIII scopes also. From what I have seen most owners rate them better than the Mark 4's, and some even say the glass is as good as the NF (though the NF turrets are better). For less money too.
 
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