Mountain Rifle Question: Nighforce NXS or NXS Compact

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Mudzbogger

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I will be buying a a new a new Sako finnlight in the next couple of weeks and purchasing a nightforce scope to put on it as this will most likely be my last hunting rifle I buy (my current one is almost 30yrs old so you get the idea). I have been usign a Leupold vx2 3-9 on my current rifle the entire time but am looking at two options for the new rig.

The first one is the standard nightfore nsx which is way bigger and heavier the compact but it has larger objective, better magnification etc, etc. The NSX compact is obvious light but still miles ahead of my leupold so either way to me they are both good choices so which one is better for a mountain rifle. I'm also thinking the velocity reticle as well.

What do you guys think?
 
Compact all the way. To maintain the efficiency of you mountain rifle, ie: light and manuverable. The compact will also keep the height above bore to a minimum by allowing the lowest possible mounting.
 
1899 said:
imo even the compact is a heavy scope. Why do you want a Nightforce scope?
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You know that's a really good question and hopeyfully one I can answer with my limited knowledge. I started the search for a new pea shooter a year ago as my sako av 300 bee is just getting to be a bit of a pain in the shoulder and the optics are in no way up to par any longer so I figured it's time. I love my sako's alway have so going to continue just a little lighter in caliber and weight.

On the optics side over the years my hunting buddys and I have reviewed a good number of scopes and in the beginning we all ran Leupolds as they were top notch but over the years their quality has faded so much so that for the most part our confidence in them in them has too. Just won't do it any more. Alot of the group has migrated over to the vortex brand as their go to for hunting and but they also use either a zeiss or a nighforce on their other rifles for the .range days etc. One thing I dont have over my hunting buddies is multiple rifles for each occasion (well i will still have my bee but will only use occasionally)

I+n doing my research on scopes that might fit the bill, almost all of them fell in the +20oz range so the nxs compact is right in there. The regular is definitly a big beast but if I want to use my rifle at the range for some longer shots may i benefit from it as its really less than a pound in the long run and still lighter than my current rig. I have had the opportunity to use all of them and for me the nightforce just feels right. I know which direction my buddies pointed me in but its a very small sample of people
Now here comes thelast kicker.. I am color blind and I can actually see the illuminated recticle in it as well lol.
 
Having gone so long with the same rifle. How about a update?? Refurbish, and buy a new scope for it, or do something about the recoil if its a issue. In 30 years recoil pads have come a long way, maybe lighter projectile or even a break.

A new mountain rifle is going to be light, kick heavily for caliber so you are in the same boat as the old rifle. Nightforce scopes are pricey, there are a lot of brands for half the price that are very good.

I own a lot so advocating not buying a new rifle, seems odd. It just seems that nightforce are more commonly used by long range and competition shooters, you dont sound like one.
 
A Leupold VX 3 2.5 - 8 x36 Weight (oz) 11.40 oz I haven't heard about the low quality of the new Leupolds but the 2.5-8x36 would be a perfect scope for that rifle IMO.
 
I love my NXS scope, but it's one and only flaw is that it is a tad bit on the weighty side.
I don't anticipate this being a real negative factor on a target rifle, but for a hunting rifle......wow, look at another brand name perhaps?
 
Varmit said:
A Leupold VX 3 2.5 - 8 x36 Weight (oz) 11.40 oz I haven't heard about the low quality of the new Leupolds but the 2.5-8x36 would be a perfect scope for that rifle IMO.
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X2, nothing wrong with a Leupold VX-3 that's for sure. Nightforce makes a good product but they will typically be heavier than a similar scope from certain brands namely Leupold, which seems to be counterproductive to your intended use. Example, a 6.5-20x50 Mk 4 weighs 22 oz. and a 5.5-22x50 NXS weighs 31 oz. That's over half a pound right there and one of the reasons I chose the Leupold.
 
Mountain rifle and Nightforce do not go together in the same sentence. Nightforce makes a great scope, they are rugged and have excellent tracking and reticles. They do not have amazing optics for their price. Their optics are great, but for their price they are average, not amazing. The cost is in the accuracy of their adjustments and their features. They are also heavy, 1.5 lbs for a scope on a mountain rifle when better optics exist at a lower price and lighter weight makes little sense.

Look at Swarovski, Zeiss or S&B in that price range. Same price, better optics, lighter weight. Also, look at Sightron.

If you are convinced that weight doesn't matter I would get something like the following, you are going to get far nicer optics at less cost. Nightforce has its place, I just don't think your application is it.

http://www.wolverinesupplies.com/details/8171/Schmidt-and-Bender-Klassik-3-12x42-A4-Reticle.aspx
 
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I have a nightforce 2.5-10 x32 on a rifle I just put together. It is very clear and 10x is plenty to shoot game out a long way out. Long is subjective but I shot a 2 point mulie this year at 287 meters with mine and I could clearly see 2 points through the scope. It's a bomb proof scope. If you don't mind packing the weight you won't be disapointed.
 
Mudzbogger said:
I+n doing my research on scopes that might fit the bill, almost all of them fell in the +20oz range so the nxs compact is right in there. The regular is definitly a big beast but if I want to use my rifle at the range for some longer shots may i benefit from it as its really less than a pound in the long run and still lighter than my current rig. I have had the opportunity to use all of them and for me the nightforce just feels right. I know which direction my buddies pointed me in but its a very small sample of people
Now here comes thelast kicker.. I am color blind and I can actually see the illuminated recticle in it as well lol.
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I see. I can't say much about the Nightforce compact because I haven't had a chance to look at one. I can say that the Swarovski Z3 series, Leupold VX6 2-12x42 and Leica ER series would save a significant amount of weight and offer excellent optics. Good luck!
 
well...the nsx weigh,s half as much as your rifle lol you can,t really compare a nf to a vx 2 but a mk4 or mk6 leo would be closer HIGH end leo,s are certainly good enough for hunting and a lot lighter but high turrents get in the way when hunting look at the vortex razor hd gen 2 amazeing
 
Well ... Im putting this on my custom Rem Titanium , the package will come in at 7lbs . I specifically bought the NF NXS C458. I already have it , my rifle should be back in a couple of weeks. My first impressions are that its stunning

I have a thread running on these scopes in the optics forum already

http://www.sportoptics.com/nightforce-rifle-scope-C458.aspx

I will likely buy the March as well ... bit more cash but , Its the Cadillac of long range hunting scopes for the weight

http://marchscopes.com/hunting-25-25-x-42-scopes.html

Anyone that says a 7lb rifle is to heavy for the mountains ... needs to spend more time in the mountains
 
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I have purchased both a NSX 3.5-15 x 50 and a Leupold VX-6 3-18 x 44 in the last year.
The optics of the Nightforce I find are far superior to the VX-6 but it was just too large for a hunting rifle. It would be much better suited to a heavy barrel rifle for sitting in a stand shooting over a bean field, long range than my carry rifle.
I now have a compact on order which I hope will have the same quailty optics as the NSX and will have the size and weight that will suit my carry rifle much better than the NSX.
I can't express how disappointed I was with the VX-6 its first time out to the range.
 
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Nipigon Jack said:
I have purchased both a NSX 3.5-15 x 50 and a Leupold VX-6 3-18 x 44 in the last year.
The optics of the Nightforce I find are far superior to the VX-6 but it was just too large for a hunting rifle. It would be much better suited to a heavy barrel rifle for sitting in a stand shooting over a bean field, long range than my carry rifle.
I now have a compact on order which I hope will have the same quailty optics as the NSX and will have the size and weight that will suit my carry rifle much better than the NSX.
I can't express how disappointed I was with the VX-6 its first time out to the range.
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Brutal Leupold feedback these days ... sad

I have also had less than stellar experiences with leupold in the past year. I just sold 3 vx3's and a Vx1 ... completely lost confidence in the company
 
Like others have said, "mountain rifle" and "Nightforce" don't belong in the same sentence. You'd be hard pressed to beat a Leupold FX3 6x42, or an FXII 6x36 on a mountain rifle.
 
pilot2001 said:
Brutal Leupold feedback these days ... sad

I have also had less than stellar experiences with leupold in the past year. I just sold 3 vx3's and a Vx1 ... completely lost confidence in the company
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I have a very hard time believing that the NSX is optically "far superior" to the VX6. I understand that the new Nightforce has some coating changes (or recently had some) so it may have improved but the ones I have seen don't have anything optically on a VX6. I bought a VX6 after looking at a bunch of scopes and comparing some of them side by side. I've even compared it side by side to a Swarovski Z6 and the Z6 certainly wasn't "far superior" to the VX6. In fact I ended up buying the VX6 because it compared so favourably to the Z6. The only negative thing I can say is that the magnification adjuster ring was quite stiff in very cold weather. Do some reading on the VX6 and you will see that both owners and testers give it generally excellent reviews. in fact, I doubt you can find even one review that says the VX6 is anything but excellent optically.

You can look at some of my older posts where I slag on Leupold products because I feel they aren't that great for price vs performance. The VX6 changed my mind. I'd take a look through one before you write them off.

oh, one more thing - I also have a VX-II and looking through it in the evening at the range after just using the VX6 is like looking through a glass of ginger ale.
 
1899 said:
I have a very hard time believing that the NSX is optically "far superior" to the VX6. I understand that the new Nightforce has some coating changes (or recently had some) so it may have improved but the ones I have seen don't have anything optically on a VX6. I bought a VX6 after looking at a bunch of scopes and comparing some of them side by side. I've even compared it side by side to a Swarovski Z6 and the Z6 certainly wasn't "far superior" to the VX6. In fact I ended up buying the VX6 because it compared so favourably to the Z6. The only negative thing I can say is that the magnification adjuster ring was quite stiff in very cold weather. Do some reading on the VX6 and you will see that both owners and testers give it generally excellent reviews. in fact, I doubt you can find even one review that says the VX6 is anything but excellent optically.

You can look at some of my older posts where I slag on Leupold products because I feel they aren't that great for price vs performance. The VX6 changed my mind. I'd take a look through one before you write them off.

oh, one more thing - I also have a VX-II and looking through it in the evening at the range after just using the VX6 is like looking through a glass of ginger ale.
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I personally cannot comment on the vx6 ive never even held one. Leupold lost me before I ever got a chance to look at they're new stuff. I wont be looking for a review because I don't care.

Regardless of what Leupold is doing now , It dosnt matter because there are better optics out there in the price range. Leupold quality is suffering in a market that has produced a lot of very good competition in last 5 years. They're warranty is not as good as it once was, and neither is they're product.

They will be feeling the pinch for years to come. They are even losing they're military volume and that trend will also continue

They have done it to themselves , the damage is done. Even if they're new stuff is as good as some are saying, customers have... and are moving on
 
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