nightforce alternative???

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fullthrottle8

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looking for a scope for my next fifty.

I have a night force 8-32 50mm. It cost me just over $2000. For that kinda money I expected a little more out of it.

My two main complaints concern the side paralax adjustment and the focus.

It is really annoying that the paralax adjustment is not labeled like many other scopes are. It is way more convenient to adjust the paralax when when the yard adjustment is labeled. Are there very many scopes made that do not have the paralax labeled??

Adjusting the focus is a real pain in the ass. You have to back off the lock ring and than try to adjust the focus well holding the scope with two hands in order to stop from changing the magnification at the same time. All this well trying to look through the scope at the same time to find what works best for your eye. That is if you can even find what works best!! I have yet to find a spot were the focus is actually correct. But yet i have no problems finding a correct spot with any of my other scopes. I have herd of a few other people also having the problem that they run out of adjustment before then can find a spot that works. Does anyone else have this problem with there night force??

For the cost of this scope i am not impressed with how it functions, or rather how it dosent function and everything is a pain to try and adjust, if you can ever even get it adjusted!!

For my next scope i plan on spending around that $2000 but this time i want more bang for my buck!!! What is a high quality and properly functioning scope for around that price!!
 
fullthrottle8 said:
looking for a scope for my next fifty.

I have a night force 8-32 50mm. It cost me just over $2000. For that kinda money I expected a little more out of it.

My two main complaints concern the side paralax adjustment and the focus.

It is really annoying that the paralax adjustment is not labeled like many other scopes are. It is way more convenient to adjust the paralax when when the yard adjustment is labeled. Are there very many scopes made that do not have the paralax labeled??

Adjusting the focus is a real pain in the ass. You have to back off the lock ring and than try to adjust the focus well holding the scope with two hands in order to stop from changing the magnification at the same time. All this well trying to look through the scope at the same time to find what works best for your eye. That is if you can even find what works best!! I have yet to find a spot were the focus is actually correct. But yet i have no problems finding a correct spot with any of my other scopes. I have herd of a few other people also having the problem that they run out of adjustment before then can find a spot that works. Does anyone else have this problem with there night force??

For the cost of this scope i am not impressed with how it functions, or rather how it dosent function and everything is a pain to try and adjust, if you can ever even get it adjusted!!

For my next scope i plan on spending around that $2000 but this time i want more bang for my buck!!! What is a high quality and properly functioning scope for around that price!!
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I think some clarification may be in order here. First...the reason why distance is printed on AO (adjustable objective) scopes is because there is room to print it while most side parallax scopes don't have the room (many high end rifle scopes don't have the distance printed on them). Having said that, this distance marking is just a very approximate and in many cases is not accurate in real distance measurement. The intent of the adjustment is to look through the scope and turn the adjustment until the sharpest image is obtained. This will result in zero or near zero parallax error. Another method to confirm this is moving your head up and down or side to side and if the image shifts against the reticle then you still have parallax error and you need to tweak this adjustment. Second...the focus adjust that you seem to be referring to to is likely the ocular lens adjustment. This is the eye piece screwing in or out and may have some impact in focus of your target/image but you are using it wrong. This adjustment is to focus the reticle only. Unscrew the rear most serrated ring then look up at the sky or a background that your eye won't try to focus and turn the eye piece in or out until the reticle is sharpest for your eye. When this is achieved then lock down the eye piece with the lock ring (use only your hands). You should not have to change this unless your eyes change with age or another person uses your scope. Phil.
 
Blygy said:
If you find one let us all know please.
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X2
I had two NF 5.5-22, a Leupold MK4 in 6.5-20 and still have a NF 3-15 and a USO 3.2-17. Based on this experience MY #1 rated scope so far as for bang for the buck is the Nightforce. They always functioned properly, had excellent optics and are light compared to most of their competition(except the Leupold).
If there is a better scope out there for that price, I haven't seen it, but let us know because I'll sell'em all and retool.
Ivo
PS. I think you may have an issue with the focus as Pof Dent mentioned.
 
NF is over rated and over priced. I have one and I will probably not buy another unless is it selling for around $1000. I too was not impressed.
Give IOR a look, even the new Trijicon tactical is comparable NF and its half the price.
 
IOR is fine.. but a two year waiting period for warranty on way too many of their scopes pretty much excludes them from my safe..

I haven't looked at the Trijicon yet.. but I will check them out..
 
I am very happy with my Trijicon scope. Its as heavy as the NF and the fiber optic retical is great. The only thing I wish is that, the retical could be a little finer. But for the price, I can live with.
 
Night Force is alright, I got one from the State, several year ago, it had an Eye lash inside the glass, while most dealer won't send for Warrenty, just because I got it from state, but a friend of mine ask one of the dealer to send it down for Warrenties, I guess if dealer wanted to do something to help they would, otherwise pay the extra or ask them for favour.
NF are OK for the price, of course they not to top Dog, but it ok, and you Are Right MightyHunter, there are better one out there...
Sing
 
If you are constantly adjusting the ocular lens then you are doing something wrong. Refer to the nightforce manual for initial setup and then you shouldn't have to touch anything except the side focus for different ranges/magnifications.
 
Check out the new Vortex Razor and Viper line of tatical scopes. Vipers are in the $1000 price range, and the Razor is over $2000. I have seen both, looked through them but no real world experience yet, and they seem like very good glass and features for the price. I will hopefully have one of the new Vipers in a month or two, will try to post a report then.
 
P of PDent said:
I think some clarification may be in order here. First...the reason why distance is printed on AO (adjustable objective) scopes is because there is room to print it while most side parallax scopes don't have the room (many high end rifle scopes don't have the distance printed on them). Having said that, this distance marking is just a very approximate and in many cases is not accurate in real distance measurement. The intent of the adjustment is to look through the scope and turn the adjustment until the sharpest image is obtained. This will result in zero or near zero parallax error. Another method to confirm this is moving your head up and down or side to side and if the image shifts against the reticle then you still have parallax error and you need to tweak this adjustment. Second...the focus adjust that you seem to be referring to to is likely the ocular lens adjustment. This is the eye piece screwing in or out and may have some impact in focus of your target/image but you are using it wrong. This adjustment is to focus the reticle only. Unscrew the rear most serrated ring then look up at the sky or a background that your eye won't try to focus and turn the eye piece in or out until the reticle is sharpest for your eye. When this is achieved then lock down the eye piece with the lock ring (use only your hands). You should not have to change this unless your eyes change with age or another person uses your scope. Phil.
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Looks like there is more room on the night force to print the yardage than there is on my Bushnell but yet they seemed to manage it quite well???

I have tried adjusting the "ocular focus" many times and even e-mailed nightforce a few times. The problem is that when you have the parlax and the ocular focus adjusted at 100 yards it's fine but then when you adjust the paralax for a target at say 500 yards the reticle is no longer in focus. It's all but impossible to have the retical and the target in focus at the same time. Once you get the paralax set at 500 yards (using the method of moving your head but the reticle should not move on the target) than reset the ocular focus to a point were it's close but not looking as clear as most of my scopes it's ok fo r500 yards. But as soon as you move to a target at a different range it's all fuked again!!

All my other scopes work so quickly and so well. My nightforce is the most expensive one i have yet it is the hardest to work with.!! I have two friends who are also unhappy with the performance of there nightforce scopes. One has it on a 338 lapua and the other on the new savage 308.
 
The NEW bushnell 6500 are very comparable with the high end LEupold or NF: I just check one out the other day at Wholesales&sport, it look very nice: 4.5-30X50mm. for haft the price as NF
 
GunBoy said:
Night Force is alright, I got one from the State, several year ago, it had an Eye lash inside the glass, while most dealer won't send for Warrenty, just because I got it from state, but a friend of mine ask one of the dealer to send it down for Warrenties, I guess if dealer wanted to do something to help they would, otherwise pay the extra or ask them for favour.
NF are OK for the price, of course they not to top Dog, but it ok, and you Are Right MightyHunter, there are better one out there...
Sing
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So what you are admitting to is you illegally imported a ITAR controlled item (scope).
Then #####ing because a dealer may not have jumped to your rescue when you allegedly had a problem. The way you continually slam dealers and brag about your illegal imports and exports I guess it is no wonder.
I can NOT think of ANY NF dealer that would refuse to assist you in getting warranty, so lets be honest here , WHO did you approach to help you with your alleged warranty problem???
I have serious doubts that P&D, TSE, Hirsch or Corelanes would not have helped you and I KNOW you did not contact me, and that is about it for Authorized NF dealers in Canada.
Some meat with this gravy would be nice.
 
Ya, hows about some meat with this gravy!! an were the f__k is my apple pie!!!

As annoying as this nightforce scope can be, i seriously doubt that the bushnell 6500 is even in the same league as the nightforce or high ende leupold!!!!!!

I can say this because I own them both!! Actually i like my bushnell 4200 tactical with tactical turrets better than i like my bushnell 6500.

The bushnell are a nice scope and they are much easier to get into focus than the nightforce. But they are still just a bushnell and they'll never be a nightforce or an high end leupold!!!

But for what i paid for my nightforce i expected it to work better than it does. But lets not get crazzy and start comparing it to a bushnell. That's like trying to tell me that your VW beetle is gona out run a stealth bomber!!

Does leupold make a scope around the $2000 mark that is as high as quality as the nightforce but easier to make adjustments on??? This is what i would really like to know.

I don't give a #### if bushnell is half the price!! I want something for between $2000 to $2500 that is high quality and easy to adjust when compared to the nightforce.

Don't get cheap on me here people!!!
 
If your budget is the $2000-2500 mark then the Leupold mk4 6.5-20x50 would fit in easily(I believe they are around $1800-2000) OR if you want to step up to the $3000 mark now your in the world of Premier Reticles, S&B and USO. If you can't find something in that range that you like there is always the Hubble telescope, a bit heavy for a hunting rig but should serve you well off a bench;).
 
We dropped IOR because they break at a ratio of about 100 to 1 compared to Nightforce. Yes, 100 to 1, not 100% and we have files. And when they break they might not fix them as in the case of a new 4-28X56 which we sold to Eg Begg, V-Bull Precision, which was returned to IOR, unused, only to be advised that it was abused! These scopes were well-publicized as faulty and was the final straw. We sent Ted Gaillard's scope back many months ago and it was returned, unopened and now another dealer is trying to have them fix it. It takes well over 300 days for them to repair and return. Another owner finally got his scope back after waiting a year or so and the reticle was crooked!

We do, however, have some IORs for sale at cost. For warranty, good luck.

It is withing the realm of possibilty that Nightforce is better-built than IOR. Strangely, Nightforce is kicking serious butt in the market place and we have almost no complaints, so we welcome this amusing thread.

Kindly,

Peter Dobson
ex-IOR dealer
 
fullthrottle8 said:
Ya, hows about some meat with this gravy!! an were the f__k is my apple pie!!!

As annoying as this nightforce scope can be, i seriously doubt that the bushnell 6500 is even in the same league as the nightforce or high ende leupold!!!!!!

I can say this because I own them both!! Actually i like my bushnell 4200 tactical with tactical turrets better than i like my bushnell 6500.

The bushnell are a nice scope and they are much easier to get into focus than the nightforce. But they are still just a bushnell and they'll never be a nightforce or an high end leupold!!!

But for what i paid for my nightforce i expected it to work better than it does. But lets not get crazzy and start comparing it to a bushnell. That's like trying to tell me that your VW beetle is gona out run a stealth bomber!!

Does leupold make a scope around the $2000 mark that is as high as quality as the nightforce but easier to make adjustments on??? This is what i would really like to know.

I don't give a s**t if bushnell is half the price!! I want something for between $2000 to $2500 that is high quality and easy to adjust when compared to the nightforce.

Don't get cheap on me here people!!!
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The Leupold MK 4 will come close in overall quality, but 25 power is max at this time. Also Leupold does not match their reticles with their turrets, so you are stuck with a mil graduated reticle and 1/4 moa turrets. This does not bother some, but it really annoys me.
The new Vortex Razor HD has great glass but few reticles, and the 1s i have handled did not have as positive clicks as the NF does, they are a bit more $$ than the NF by a few hundred $$.

Have you considered that there may be something defective with your particular NF scope?
I have several 8x32s in my personal collection and have not found the problems you are experiencing other than the no markings on the parallax knob, which means nothing to me.
It may be worth having the NF warranty guys check it for problems. We see extremely few NF scopes that have any problems, but that does not say they do not exist.
 
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