Help me choose new optics

gearoidol · 04-04-2014 11:27am #1

Hi I am looking for a new scope for paper punching and steel target work out to 1000 yards. It has to fill all of these criteria and im not sure one exists that does.

scope has to have moa reticle and moa turrents
turrets have to be exposed no caps
Only SFP
simple crosshair in moa similar to npr2
crosshair has to ultra fine so similar to npr2 on nf nxs 32x which subtends .062 moa cannot be over .1 moa
At Least 30x mag
Better Glass than an nxs
at least 65 moa of elevation travel
<€3000

so basically had an npr2 8-32x56 nightforce and going to replace it with an atacr but not sure if ill miss my 32x so i am looking at the alternatives.
the nxs 8-32 does everything on the list above but id like slightly better glass but cant find any other scope that does everything on the list

Does such a beast exist

Cass · 04-04-2014 12:34pm

Simply put - no.

Nightforce, March, Sightron are the only scope manufacturers that do good scopes with a magnification power greater than 25. None of them have 1moa hash marks at anything over 32 power (it's usually at around 20 - 24). The other issue being March are over €3000, but clearer glass, and Sightron are the same (no noticeable difference) as Nightforce

Sightron has 55 moa adjustments which is greater than NF and same as March in the same magnification range (IIRC). Only the 15-55 NF has the same mag and same adjustment, but no MOA reticle, and with only 3.7 times zoom the Sightron has it beaten. The March 8-80 has the highest rate of zoom/mag, 60 moa adjustment in elevation, clear glass, but NO moa hash marks at anything over their ranging mag (which i'm not entirely sure of).

You will need to pick the closest one to your needs and go with it.

gearoidol · 04-04-2014 1:50pm

yeah im just off the phone with March cass.It looks like a contender.I don't mind if the hash marks are in 1 or 2 intervals.Being second focal plane they are at 1 moa at 40x anyways so that's fine.Do you know anyone using them and are they worth the extra dough over an nxs I wonder?

Cass · 04-04-2014 2:06pm

gearoidol wrote: »

yeah im just off the phone with March cass.It looks like a contender.I don't mind if the hash marks are in 1 or 2 intervals.Being second focal plane they are at 1 moa at 40x anyways so that's fine.

Is that the 8-80 as i thought the 10-60 was set at 20x? I know it depends on the mag and reticle chosen.

Do you know anyone using them and are they worth the extra dough over an nxs I wonder?

I know three lads with them. Two are using the 10-60 and one using the 8-80. Never got to see through the 8-80 but he was using it for BR (rimfire) which frankly i think is massive overkill and i believe they have since got rid of it as anything over 40x for that discipline is excessive and pointless.

The 10-60 is a fantastic scope. Glass, imo, is comparative to Swarovski/Kahles and the mag range is beyond anything else out there. The reticle choices are good, and perfectly suited to the discipline you intend to use it for. They are light for the scope (some 8-10 ounces lighter than NF and even lighter than Sightron) so perfect for F-Class.

I never got to "play" with the scope as i wouldn't dare adjust someone else's scope. The only thing that put me off was the price tag. Both lads bought their scopes between 18-24 months ago and the cheapest one was €3,300. It's a huge amount of money. The difference in light transmission is slight. IOW i could not tell the difference but there was a difference. Between NF and Sightron none that i could tell with the naked eye.

If you want the absolute best in glass, mag, etc. then March is the one to go for. If you are not concerned with brand name or interested in handing out so much for a scope when both NF & Sightron would do the same job for half and 1/3 the money then look to them.

I cannot give you a definite "March is best" as i did not use it on a regular basis nor do i own one. So there could be cons i'm not aware off. All i can say is i have used and owner Nigthforce. For me they are the number one in target scopes for F-Class. Perfectly designed, functional, and keenly priced for what you get. I recently changed to sightron as the glass quality is little to makes no difference the same as Nigthforce, but at 1/3 cheaper than Nigtforce you loose no quality but save a lot of money (important in these times).

Never have i considered or even longed for a March. They are great no doubt, but for me the cost does not account for the higher mag (seemingly the only difference from other scopes).

With any luck someone with a March might be able to give a more detailed review of the scope.

gearoidol · 04-04-2014 6:09pm

Cass wrote: »

Is that the 8-80 as i thought the 10-60 was set at 20x? I know it depends on the mag and reticle chosen.

I know three lads with them. Two are using the 10-60 and one using the 8-80. Never got to see through the 8-80 but he was using it for BR (rimfire) which frankly i think is massive overkill and i believe they have since got rid of it as anything over 40x for that discipline is excessive and pointless.

The 10-60 is a fantastic scope. Glass, imo, is comparative to Swarovski/Kahles and the mag range is beyond anything else out there. The reticle choices are good, and perfectly suited to the discipline you intend to use it for. They are light for the scope (some 8-10 ounces lighter than NF and even lighter than Sightron) so perfect for F-Class.

I never got to "play" with the scope as i wouldn't dare adjust someone else's scope. The only thing that put me off was the price tag. Both lads bought their scopes between 18-24 months ago and the cheapest one was €3,300. It's a huge amount of money. The difference in light transmission is slight. IOW i could not tell the difference but there was a difference. Between NF and Sightron none that i could tell with the naked eye.

If you want the absolute best in glass, mag, etc. then March is the one to go for. If you are not concerned with brand name or interested in handing out so much for a scope when both NF & Sightron would do the same job for half and 1/3 the money then look to them.

I cannot give you a definite "March is best" as i did not use it on a regular basis nor do i own one. So there could be cons i'm not aware off. All i can say is i have used and owner Nigthforce. For me they are the number one in target scopes for F-Class. Perfectly designed, functional, and keenly priced for what you get. I recently changed to sightron as the glass quality is little to makes no difference the same as Nigthforce, but at 1/3 cheaper than Nigtforce you loose no quality but save a lot of money (important in these times).

Never have i considered or even longed for a March. They are great no doubt, but for me the cost does not account for the higher mag (seemingly the only difference from other scopes).

With any luck someone with a March might be able to give a more detailed review of the scope.

thank you very much appreciate the effort in above.

Cass · 04-04-2014 7:07pm

Sent you on a PM there. Contact him and have a chat. Will give more precise info on the March.

ak204 · 05-04-2014 11:01am

How old is the nf nxs you are looking at. New nf has better glass .and have a good reputation for tracking. Lifetime warranty. March is supposed to be good I never looked at one. I think there is only a 5 year warranty on them .Smith and bender good scope too very clear but I think they carry a 3 year warranty and a 30 year parts warranty. That's for parts not labour. Good luck with finding a scope. As for me I bought last year nxs 12x42x56 npr2 great scope.

Look at new nxs nf . Changed there glass in 2011 v good a lot clearer. I have nxs 12x42x56 npr2 great scope. All other scopes carry bad warranty. March 5 year warranty. for the price not long enough. Smith and bender I think 3 year warranty and a 30 year parts warranty.

MarkWolff · 11-04-2014 5:04pm

Nightforce 15-55 competition has the ED glass.
Ticks all your boxs

Cass · 11-04-2014 5:19pm

Seems to. Reticle FCR-1 is accurate at 40 power so that ticks the box that most others don't (you wanted it at anything over 30x)

What price are they? Around €2,000 - €2,200 or so? Over a grand cheaper than March.

MarkWolff · 11-04-2014 6:42pm

Cass wrote: »

Seems to. Reticle FCR-1 is accurate at 40 power so that ticks the box that most others don't (you wanted it at anything over 30x)

What price are they? Around €2,000 - €2,200 or so? Over a grand cheaper than March.

Got mine in for just under €2k.
The first generation have 5moa per turret revolution, the gen 2 have 10moa per turn but loose out slightly on windage range.
Great glass, a huge leap over the NXS.

gearoidol · 12-04-2014 12:32pm

MarkWolff wrote: »

Got mine in for just under €2k.
The first generation have 5moa per turret revolution, the gen 2 have 10moa per turn but loose out slightly on windage range.
Great glass, a huge leap over the NXS.

very interested in this ,the 5 year warranty on the march has me abit frightened ,especially splashing out that kinda cash.Any downside on the competition Mark ?

gearoidol · 12-04-2014 12:35pm

Cass wrote: »

Seems to. Reticle FCR-1 is accurate at 40 power so that ticks the box that most others don't (you wanted it at anything over 30x)

What price are they? Around €2,000 - €2,200 or so? Over a grand cheaper than March.

cass would I be right in saying @ 100 yards that the ftr-1 subtensions at 30x would be about .024 of an inch and the nxs npr2 @ 32x would be about .062 of an inch ? in other words the ftr1 is about 1/3 the reticle thickness of the npr2

Cass · 12-04-2014 12:46pm

So it says. Now i have never used or seen the 15-55, but that is why i gave the link. They seemed to have addressed the weight of the scope (about time), the thickness of the reticle, placed 1/8th adjustments as standard. IOW all the things that a true competition scope should have.

Hillhunter · 18-04-2014 10:18pm

Jeepers gaeroid , didn't you buy a great scope 2 weeks ago ?
HH

gearoidol · 18-04-2014 10:36pm

Hillhunter wrote: »

Jeepers gaeroid , didn't you buy a great scope 2 weeks ago ?
HH

That was just a temporary stop gap and also I've discovered there's a nasty smell of Waterford off of it :-p

Hillhunter · 18-04-2014 10:44pm

gearoidol wrote: »

That was just a temporary stop gap and also I've discovered there's a nasty smell of Waterford off of it :-p

The fella I bought it off was minging too , talk soon

FISMA · 23-04-2014 1:51am

gearoidol,
I think you should call the companies and talk to them.

I wanted to buy a Night Force and called them on an unrelated question. After a few minutes of conversation, they were able to better address my needs than I realized with another scope, which was cheaper.

You seem to have done your homework so maybe someone at the factory could help you out more.

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