Scope for precision rifle

Hoag

Hoag

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I wasn't sure if I should put this in the Precision Rifle, or in the Optics section, but here it goes. I recently had a precision rifle built in .260 Remmington. It has a Remington 700 action, Timney trigger, 22 inch Lilja barrel all mounted on an Accuracy International AX Chassis. Make no mistake, I am the weak link in the system. The plan was to put a Nightforce ATACR on it, but reality set in, and I had to go with a Plan B (Vortex Optics PST 4-16x50 FFP). I am not competing, and I don't need to use the reticle to range with, so I could have gone with a second focal plane, and to be honest, for my uses, a SFP would probably work better.

I am looking at upgrading my scope over the winter. What ever I pick, I will be looking through with "middle aged eyes". I will primarily be shooting at a range with known distances. (Usually to 300m but occasionally longer.)

Here are the scopes I am considering:

Nightforce NXS 5.5-22x56 with Zerostop
Nightforce SHV 5-20x56mm
Swarovski Z5 5-25x52 (with Ballistic Drop Turret)
Steiner T5Xi 5-25x56 (This is the yet to be released lower cost alternative to the M5Xi)

Any suggestions / recommendations? (I am well aware of Nightforce's reputation, but I am leaning toward the Swarovski)

FWIW, here is what it will be going on:

i-VW2dVqm-M.jpg
 
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For what the rifle is, I would go with the NXS. I am a big Nightforce fan. Built like tanks and very precise scopes. Glass is very clear and with the middle aged eyes, good glass is nice to have. Also if you decide to branch out and try shooting unknown distance targets or try different shooting styles, I find the nightforce with the proper reticle will be more adaptable.

I have no opinion on the Steiner as you can't handle one yet and there won't be any reviews really of this model yet.

I personally hate the Swarovski turrets, always disliked the design. If you want a ballistic turret G Seven makes them for the NXS scopes.
 
I would go with the NXS the clarity the ease of adjustment and the versatility of the nightforce is second to none. I run an ATACR on my .338 lapua , a NXS 5.5-22x56zs on .300 win mag and SHV on another .300 win and plan on putting an shv on my sons 30.06 in spring. You will never regret spending the extra.
 
You might as well throw Sightron in the mix.

I was in the market for a new scope a few months ago and I really wanted a Nightforce NSX 5.5-22x50 but I could not talk myself into spending 2 times the price of a Sightron SIII 6-24x50. The glass is pretty much on par with NF and my Sightrons track perfectly.

Just something to think about
 
@ ranets,
What are your thoughts on the SHV?


Anyone have any thoughts or experience on the Gunwerks/Nightforce G7?
 
Yes, I'm impressed with Sightron scope. It is very close to Nightforce for half price. I love the Sightron reticle. A floating dot in the middle and hash crosshair. Recommend this scope if you usually shoot around 300m. If you plan to shoot over 500 yards and play with turrets over and over, then Nightforce is the best.
 
I just recently purchased the shv, but so far am impressed. I prefer the exposed turrets on the atacr and the nxs but as far as clarity and quality of glass it is typical nightforce crisp and clear. I only put the 4-14 shv on, so it may end up on the 30.06 with a 5-20 shv on the .300. The nxs and atacr are used for long distance shooting only and I purchased the shv strictly for hunting application.
 
The biggest issue with the Swaro and Zeiss optics is the lack of elevation and poor reticle choices. Their glass is very good.
IF a NF is out of the budget consider the S111 Sightron. They are not as structural as the NF scopes but the glass is good, the turrets very repeatable and they track very well. They also have addquate elevation.
Lets face it, just how many of us are rough enough to really warrant the ruggedness that the NXS line has to offer.
That being said if you can at all squeeze the pennies, you will never regret a NF scope.
 
If your just shooting to 300m and known distances. Why not keep the Vortex and save some cash. For your needs there is nothing wrong with it, but if you insist the NF NXS will suit you well, and they are always on the EE.
 
Just wondering why you don't have the ATACR on your list? The price is very close to the others that are on your list. It would be my vote from what's available right now. However if the new Steiner turns out to be what their saying it's going to be and we don't get bent over on the price to bad up here I will be picking up both a 5-25 and 3-15 model.
 
The ATACR was actually my first choice, and would still be my preference. It is a little more money than the others. I didn't include it because if I find myself in a position to afford it, then I will buy it and not look back.

(I had set aside roughly $2.5k for a scope, but one day, I saw that Wolverine Supplies got in a shipment of Sig Sauer P226s. Within minutes, my scope budget was about half of what it used to be.)
 
Hoag said:
The ATACR was actually my first choice, and would still be my preference. It is a little more money than the others. I didn't include it because if I find myself in a position to afford it, then I will buy it and not look back.

(I had set aside roughly $2.5k for a scope, but one day, I saw that Wolverine Supplies got in a shipment of Sig Sauer P226s. Within minutes, my scope budget was about half of what it used to be.)
Click to expand...
Obvious answer. Buy half a scope.


I'm in no position to talk about long range optics. I just picked up a Leupold VX-R 1.25-4x20 Firedot and that's the most money I've spent on a scope so far. My Mark AR Mod 1 is 3-9x30 and that's the most magnification I've got.
 
alberta tactical rifle said:
The biggest issue with the Swaro and Zeiss optics is the lack of elevation and poor reticle choices. Their glass is very good.
IF a NF is out of the budget consider the S111 Sightron. They are not as structural as the NF scopes but the glass is good, the turrets very repeatable and they track very well. They also have addquate elevation.
Lets face it, just how many of us are rough enough to really warrant the ruggedness that the NXS line has to offer.
That being said if you can at all squeeze the pennies, you will never regret a NF scope.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the input. I bet this rifle looks familiar to you guys.
 
Nightforce NXS would be my first choice. Please consider the 8-32x56 - I rarely meet people who regret the extra magnification. A back-up plan would be Sightron Siii 8-32x56.
 
Never regretted my decision to upgrade my Vortex PSTs to Nightforces. Night and day difference. Might be a little overkill for 300m, but for a long day of shooting, you will definately notice a lot less eye fatigue. Rick at ATRS is great to deal with as is Peter at Hirsch. I snagged one used on the EE and a second new. If you dont want to hit the price of a new one, Sightron is a great lower price alternative.

I wouldnt limit yourself with a ballistic reticle, it will only end up working out at odd distances with certain loads. Get a nice mil or moa reticle and learn what your come ups are. Then you can use the reticle as a ballistic hold over for any load or set of conditions you are shooting. I love my NP-R1 reticles in my Nightforces. Use them to hold all the way out to 800m. Had to use the dial and reticle to get to a mile on Saturday.
 
I'll post a bit more on this when I get home from work, but I can strongly recommend the NXS 5.5-22x56 with zerostop.

I had plenty of play in my budget, and I ended up with four of these scopes, one for each of my .338's and .50's.

Built like a tank, glass is very clear, and you can be 100% confident of your adjustments, they are very precise and totally repeatable.

For reticle, I would advise against a bdc reticule, they severely limit your potential to tune the rifle and loads, and never seem to work 100%. Go with an MOA reticule, or Mil if that is what you get your turrets in. Always try to math your reticule with your turrets, forget mil-dots. For NF, I can't say enough about the MOAR reticule, having the ability to count exactly moa to adjust your shot has seriously improved my shooting and my ability to call for others, it is just natural, no math to do. Shot landed 2.25 MOA over on the scope? Dial 2.25 MOA over. Bang, done!
 
Thanks for all the input (and insight) everyone. It looks as though I will need to revise my list based on this thread, a couple PMs and a couple conversations at the local range.

So, here goes nothing. My new list would be (in no particular order):

  • Nightforce ATACR (This was my original plan and what I have always wanted.)
  • Nightforce NXS with Zero Stop
  • Sightron SIII
  • Steiner T5Xi (I want to find out more about it, but from what I have read, it is AMAZING and less than $2k) and finally for a "dark horse" that I never expected to include
  • Vortex Razor HD (Gen 1 or 2)


The Swarovski is off the list. Despite reports of great glass, there were too many people saying that the turrets were less than ideal especially for a scope in this price point.

The plan is to do this over the winter, so I'm not in a time crunch.
 
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