Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Optics Nightforce - are they worth it

Kind of interesting, seems like the bulk of competition shooters use them, but the military uses Leupold Mark 4, and the prices of both aren't something you won't notice shelling out for.

Also you see nightforce in for sale a good deal, so it seems like a lot of people try them and end up selling them.

Personally I've done well with Leupold 6.5-20x which are half the price

I've only fiddled with a couple of them for a grand total of 4 days. I personally don't see their place in a hunting scope. Too much crapola to fiddle with, real big and heavy, but I can see their merits on the range/competition. Glass in my VX6 is just as good or better.

How do you like the VX-6 ?

I haven't seen one yet - I wish they made them in higher magnification models that topped out around 20x.

I'm really wanting to get a 6.5-20x 40mm this time for a stalking gun for lopes. But those Nighforce both cost and weight twice as much - kind of nuts.

Love the 2-12 model. CDS is very repeatable still after about 250 rounds. I haven't seen the 3-18 yet though.

Huh, didn't know they had a 3-18 model, this stupid Ipad doesn't view Leupolds site too well so I didn't check them out there - I was looking at Cabelas for info.

Spotshooter
The Leupold 3-18X is in the MK6 line of scopes. On a side note the Army is moving away from th MK4 3.5-10 (M24) and moving to the MK4 6.5-20 M5 with a 34mm tube (M2010). Army Special Forces use S&B, Nightforce and Leupold (used least ).
Like JGRaider said Nightforces are heavy and bulky, with only fair optics, but they are stout. I can see using them on a purpose built longrange rifle, but not a hunting rifle.

nightforce has added quite a few new features to their scopes recently, high speed turrets and the best zero stop of any scope manufacturer. alot of diehard NF users have and continue to upgrade their older models for new ones with the added features. thus more used scopes on the market. They have also added alot of new reticles. NF isn't really a hunting scope. but they do make the best long range hunting scope out there. if you are cranking the dials I highly recommend NF. leupold doesn't cut it for consistent tracking and repeated up and down adjustment. some will disagree I don't care most people haven't really put a scope truely through its paces in this manner.

I think the optics on the NF scopes are quite good, I think many people feel they should have similar optics to the top end zeiss and swaro hunting scopes, which are priced about the same. keep in mind those rugged adjustments and better internals is part of what you are paying for. NF also holds its value extremely well. They are also very very easy to get behind and have a very forgiving eyebox, which I CANNOT say about leupold.

After going through four Swarovski z5 5-25X52 before I kept one, there is no way the Swarovski z5 is in the same league as the Nightforce 12-42X56 that I had. During the day all four of them are not as good as my 6500 for resolving detail. When I compared my 6500 side by side with my Nightforce, withboth set on 30X, by looking at leaves and twigs about 150-200 yards away I thought they were about the same. But at 521 yards with the Nightforce I could see the lines and spaces of my line chart with the scope set on 12X. The lines are about 1/4" black lines and white spaces. The Bushnell needed 15 1/2X while the Swarovski came up the rear needing 16 1/2X. There was about this same difference in low light performance, maybe more.

Maybe all four of the z5's were the worst Swarovski ever made and the Nightforse was the best one ever made. Does that explain all the z5's needing 25% more magnification to show the same detail at range? Could it be Swarovski folks really haven't had experience with Swarovski and Nightforce scopes after all?

Often I think of what Jim Carmichael told me: "Most gun writers do thier shooting with a typewriter." I think most internet posters echo what other internet poster post without having real world experience.

cummins, please tell us about your vast experience with a VX6 as compared to a NF.

give me 5 years maybe then leupold will actually have produced enough for me to even see one in a store they were announced 2 years ago and still aren't stocked in good numbers at stores. I used leupold for the features not because I really liked them very much. I switched my long range rig to nf and couldn't be more happy

In other words, you haven't a clue what you're talking about, at least in regard to a VX6. I've had one almost a year.

I got my vx 6 3-18x44 last week. They are not on the leupold online catalogue. Very nice scope for the money. I rate it a hair below Z3 and have 0 knowledge on night force.

JG, why do you have to be such and obnoxious ass?? I really don't care how much you like your VX 6. the man asked about nightforce, not leupolds. I gave my opinions of my NF. you on the other hand wish to make the topic into how little I know about the VX6. you have shown similar patterns of insults toward me in other posts. I don't get it. I am sorry you are having a bad day and hold grudges against people for so long. This is a place for people to come and look for information, hopefully some of it can be informative, uplifting, and entertaining. insulting me and telling me I don't have a clue is doing none of that. hopefully you don't live your life off line in such a fashion. I wish no ill will toward anyone goodness sakes its just a web forum.

He asked if a NF is worth it or not. I don't think NF's are hunting socpes so I say no they're not. I have nothing against you personally, but you say many things that aren't true. People come here looking for info, and I agree with you on that. They just need correct info, not guessing or speculating. I like lots of stuff, not just the VX6, but glass wise it's at least as good as a NF.

IME this isn't true, especially with a VX6:


This isn't either, once again RE VX6:


You're right though, not really worth arguing about. I'm one of those "present the facts" and let it be sorted out kind of guys.

JG has helped me on many different optic choices. He does know what he's talking about and does back up his facts.

Nightforce's eye boxes are better than Leupold ? Which ones are you talking about ? The worsat eye boxes I've ever seen on a Leupold were on my ancient 7.5XAO and the old 3-9X33 Compact. The 3-9X33 Compact has the same eye box lenth as the little 32mm NF as far as I can tell. All of the VariXIII's and VX3's I've played with had more, usually alot more.
Leupold's don't track well ? Really ? Again, which ones ? The US Army uses nothing but Leupolds. It uses several models, including the new Mk8's. Even the US Marines use the new Mk8 on such things as their Mk.19 Automatic Grenade Launcher and the M2 .50 Caliber Heavy Machine Gun. E

I agree about Leupold's catalogs and web site not being current, and with some errors.

I have a VX-6 2-12x42, a Z3 4-12x50 BT and a Z5 3.5-18x44. To me, the VX-6 is as good as the Z3 and gives the Z5 a serious run. I like the VX-6 duplex better than the Z3 and found the Z5 duplex much too thin for hunting. It was so bad, I spent another $125 and a trip back to Swaro for a retro #4 German. Right now, the Z5 needs to go back for repair. The BT turret is held on the scope by two small plastic clips. One broke, so now that assembly is held in place by one small plastic clip. They'll fix it gratus, but it's a pain to remove the scope, lose zero, send it back and start over. Oh well, at least Swaro and Leupold have great CS.

I've used a Nightforce, don't own one. They're very good, but bulky and heavy, and their reticles are way too complicated for me. For hunting, I'd go with something else. I like a good, medium heavy duplex and a dedicated elevation turret for what I do.

DF

Might go with the newer Mark4 6.5-20x but I'll need a good cross hair for speed goats and pdogs.

There is a guy who posts here who goes under the name of "Formidilosus " who is an active duty military sniper who has seen every scope currently used by military snipers. He said recently that Nightforce scopes are the only ones that are basically problem free. He also said that Leupold variables have the highest failure rate of all the scopes they currently have in use.

Eremicus
The Army does not use Leupold exclusively. Sniper rifles in our armsroom have S&B, Nightforce and Leupold scopes. I have been active duty for quite a while now and am fairly familiar with all of them (Not much time on a 2010 or with the S&B).

RDFinn I agree with Formidilosus that the Leupolds are the most problematic of our scopes. The MK4 LR/T 3.5-10 M2 that come on the M110 are the worst.