Suggest me a Nightforce alternative

RangerPark

RangerPark

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This post ended up being much longer than I anticipated. If you're interested in an intelligent discussion about higher end scopes please read on.

I love Nightforce scopes. Over the years I've owned the following:
- NXS 1-4x24 FC-3G C451
- NXS 2.5-10x42 IHR C483
- NXS 2.5-10x42 LV600 C484
- NXS 3.5-15x50 MOAR C429
- NXS 5.5-22x56 MOAR C434
- NXS 8-32x56 MOAT-T C509

They were all great scopes. I ended up selling most of them as they didn't fit my current shooting needs. Follows is the main reasons I either sold them or kept them:
- NXS 1-4x24 FC-3G C451 - Capped turrets, loved the reticle, good ballistic match for .308, but 4x wasn't enough magnification for me. Sold it.
- NXS 2.5-10x42 IHR C483 - ZS turrets, loved everything about that scope, best scope in the NXS line by far, best turret clicks I ever felt on any scope, perfect except for the IHR reticle, I didn't find it versatile enough. Sold it.
- NXS 2.5-10x42 LV600 C484 - Capped turrets, I still own this scope, LV reticle is a perfect match to .308 and .375 H&H to 600 yards, definitely a keeper.
- NXS 3.5-15x50 MOAR C429 - Great scope, too much weight for the magnification range. Sold it.
- NXS 5.5-22x56 MOAR C434 - My first Nightforce scope. Currently sitting on a .223 bolt, doesn't hold a candle to the 2.5-10x42 line, except for the extra magnification, overall also a keeper though.
- NXS 8-32x56 MOAT-T C509 - Preferred the thinner reticle, however center only illumination was a downer. Too much magnification, if there's such a thing, I found myself dialing back too often because of mirage. Also only ranges at 22x power for some reason. Sold it.

My favorite Nightforce scope is by far the NSX 2.5-10x42 series. Best turret clicks on a scope with ZS turrets, Digillum makes all other lighted reticles feel archaic, PTL is standard which is nice, clearest glass in the NXS line, and best of all it weighs in at 20 ounces.

So after selling my NXS 2.5-10x42 IHR C483, I'm in the market for a NXS 2.5-10x42 MOAR C458. The only thing holding me back is the current Canadian MSRP of $2567. It's also funny how stocking Canadian Nightforce dealers don't offer free shipping, except for Prophet River every now and then.

So it's time to start looking at alternatives. My requirements are:
Exposed tactical turrets, preferably MOA. Zero Stop and crisp clicks are a bonus here.
Tactical style illuminated reticle, definitely nothing duplex style. Nothing too crowded either.
30mm tube preferred, definitely no 1 inch tubes, 34mm ok but they usually end up being too heavy.
Weight at around 20 ounces, nothing over 24 ounces.

I'm struggling to find a complete package at 20 ounces. All the scopes that have the features I want are much heavier, all scopes that respect the weight limit are lacking in features. I'm not sure the NXS 2.5-10x42 MOAR C458 can be beat, regardless of price.

Go ahead and suggest me an alternative. I've looked at everything Leupold, Burris, Bushnell, Steiner and Vortex have to offer, nothing else comes close.

There are some serious alternatives for the money out there, but I've found none that can compete at 20 ounces.

Thanks for reading! RP
 
CurtisWedm said:
I really like my Nikon black fx1000.
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The new Nikon FX1000 line of scopes is very appealing. They have all the features of much more expensive scopes at a competitive price. I took a long look at those. Snipershide has good info on them. I don't think they can be beat for the price. Ironically the deal breaker for me was FFP only. I know that should be considered a positive thing. Reviews put them similar to Vortex PST Gen2 for glass quality, for less money, so that's good. They're on the list.
 
RangerPark said:
This scope is very interesting. I hope it's the start of a new 8x line for NF. A 2-16 or 3-24 with a decent weight would definitely have my attention. I've had the 1-4 NXS before, had no use for the 1x, would likely be the same with the 1-8.
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Don't have to use 1x if you don't want to, the beauty of a variable power optic.
 
I'm curious as to what you didn't like about the versatility of the IHR reticle. I have a Nightforce with the MOAR reticle and love it. I'm looking at another one, but it has the IHR and to me it seems as though it should have outer crosshairs at least twice as heavy as they are. They appear as though it would be easy to lose them in lower light, or against a busy background. What was your take on the IHR?
 
My take on the IHR is that it's a pure bred hunting only reticle. I had it on a .375 H&H and it couldn't have been a better fit. If all you're going to do it point and shoot this is the reticle for it. Illumination is center crosshair only which would take care of any low light situation.

I now have an LV600 on that .375 and I had the IHR on a .308. The IHR is a weird mix with ZS turrets. Sure you can dial in but when you see your shots hit you can only guess what correction you need. That's why I ended up selling it. The IHR reticle would be perfect on a capped turrets scope, ZS turrets are overkill for it. I ended up going with a C458 in this case, Prophet river was very helpful in the matter.
 
Thanks for that info. I probably should have mentioned that hunting is my primary purpose for this scope; the gun is also a .375, coincidentally enough.:) This would strictly be a point'n'shoot outfit, can't see ever twiddling with the turrets in the field. The scope is non-illuminated, and that reticle without illumination just seems too light.
 
RangerPark said:
My take on the IHR is that it's a pure bred hunting only reticle. I had it on a .375 H&H and it couldn't have been a better fit. If all you're going to do it point and shoot this is the reticle for it. Illumination is center crosshair only which would take care of any low light situation.

I now have an LV600 on that .375 and I had the IHR on a .308. The IHR is a weird mix with ZS turrets. Sure you can dial in but when you see your shots hit you can only guess what correction you need. That's why I ended up selling it. The IHR reticle would be perfect on a capped turrets scope, ZS turrets are overkill for it. I ended up going with a C458 in this case, Prophet river was very helpful in the matter.
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We sure appreciate the business!!!!
 
Leupold VX6HD 3-18x44 TMOA? 19oz
March 3-24x42? 21.5oz - also available in FFP

I don't have any experience with the above, but I too have a similar weight requirement, and am looking at options. For the moment I'm satisfied with the vortex razor LH 3-15x42 at just under 16oz, but it lacks illumination, zero stop, and tactile turrets.

Appreciate the discussion, tagging in.
 
I’m in the same boat....have had 8 NF NXS scopes including the 2.5-10 with both the IHR and MOAR. Down to just the 5.5-22 series and looking for another one.... current NF pricing is tough, but I can’t decide on a substitute...
 
Colquhoun said:
I’m in the same boat....have had 8 NF NXS scopes including the 2.5-10 with both the IHR and MOAR. Down to just the 5.5-22 series and looking for another one.... current NF pricing is tough, but I can’t decide on a substitute...
Click to expand...

This thread has been running for a while. I sold the last of my Nightforce scopes this week. I moved to the Leupold VX-6HD series. I'm done with cluttered reticles. I've been enjoying the simple duplex reticle with the firedot.

Quick review on this thread:
https://www.canadiangunnutz.com/forum/showthread.php/1760993-Leupold-vx5?p=15181020#post15181020
 
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