Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Optics Swarovski AV 3-10x42 vs Z3 3-9x36 on a NULA .338 Win.

Sounds like a good system. I like reticles too for the reasons you mention.

Shot my 3-10x42 out to 700 yds today, dialing with the stock turret as usual. At 700 I was about 4" low (meaning that I was "on" at 525 yards, dead center on my steel plate, but at 700 I was a few inches low)

I don't know it that speaks to a tracking error or a downdraft. I'll sort that out and report.

I have shot it to ~625 yds and it was on. That said it doesn't take much to move a bullet 4" at that range and there was a terrain change between 525 and 700 yards.

I dial turrets when I'm shooting targets or small varmints. I did use the reticle last weekend shooting at 991 yards with the S&B and was within 1/2 MOA.
I agree with your earlier post RE the NF. I think it would benefit from a 40mm objective, and still be a nice, trim scope.

I have the NF-




and while in my mind it is quite possibly the best scope for normal hunting rifles I have found for my uses, the SWFA SS 3-9x42 shown below offers similar performance and design but with a bigger objective. (sorry this is the best picture I have of it)...




From now on when I'm in the market for one of the little Nightforce's I will be buying three of the SWAF SS scopes instead.... fwiw

I looked at that scope, the SWAF, and did some research on it as well. I found a few disparaging reports and wanted to get something the first time that had good turrets. The NF has not disappointed.

I am curious as to the bad reports that you found as that has not been our experience or the experience of any that I know. We have had quite a few with over 5,000 rounds apiece on each scope. They are one of the only scopes who's tracking, return to zero, and durability has been equal to Nightforce IME....

Great info FO...

Just updating. I've been continuing to work out my AV. Today I was shooting at 400, 525, and 625 yards. I was also burning up some forming loads, so I took it back to the baseline 100-yd zero several times for closer-range position and offhand work. Point being, it got dialed all over. It tracks great. This on a Kimber 7 WSM flinging 162's at 3000+.

Just another update. I too my 7 WSM with Swaro 3-10x42 AV on a backpack hunt where things got banged around plenty. The hunt culminated in a 520-yd shot, which I dialed to using the stock turret and my "redneck CDS" system, essentially a sticker on top of the turret with yardages marked off. Nailed my deer first shot.

I also shot the rifle/scope a bunch this summer with 162's driven hard. Not crazy recoil but no patsy either.

Anyway, since these scopes get dogged as unreliable I'm just reporting my data point to the contrary.

Wonder if the OP has anything new to report...?

I sent the AV down the road and put the Z3 on one of my titaniums. The NULA has just been sitting around gathering dust, waiting for the right scope to come along. This morning, I picked up a Zeiss fixed 6 and plan on giving that a whirl.