So I called the "local" dealer to check if C248 2.5-10 42mm Nightforce was in stock before I drive 180 miles round trip. Anyway he said he thinks they discontinued the MOAR reticle, and he did not have any in stock. But the X5 Swarovski was less industrial looking, and a better scope. I was in the car at the time, so I said I would look them up when I got home. SWFA has the X5 series in stock, something like $3300-3500. No wonder why.......

yeah. Less 'industrial looking' costs........

better in what way ... ....?

Better for the dealer to sell................

Ive yet to meet a guy behind a gun counter who has more than redneck knowledge of optics and firearms.

I'd probably trust them less than the average bum living in a tent down by the bridge.

The MOAR is still made.

The C429 is in stock at Euro Optics. Save the big drive. Call and ask for Jason and have it delivered to your doorstep.

http://www.eurooptic.com/nightforce-nxs-35-15x50-zero-stop-moar-c429.aspx

$3300-3500!

Spend that on a hunting rig - it better say 4x4 on it!

I'll believe it after the match shooters run them through the wringer,and the military gives a huge contract and abuses them a few years. Until then.....

There is no reason that Swaro could not build the same scope or even a slightly superior scope to a Nightforce by just buying a NF and reverse engineering it . If that is a big deal for Swaro then no one should buy any of their products.

Yea...and while they are at it...they should build the fence and have Mexico pay for it.

Are you saying that Swarovski cannot build a tactical scope as good or better then NF?

I thought I was big time for popping out 1800 for the nightforce, double that is crazy. I can't see a scope costing 3500. The gunshop is a high end place, so I guess a lot of their clientele can lay down big money at will.

Yep and Yep. The true power of advertising can never be measured . I don't think it will do anything better then the NF except maybe in the glass department.

They haven't yet.

Neither has anyone else.

have you looked at the new tactical scope they are building? Do you not think that Swaro who can build lightweight hunting scopes with great optics cannot build a 30oz bruiser? They are after the NF market albeit with a price 2 x what a NF is. I am not saying it is better or not I am just saying they can build one, it remains to be seen if people will pay the price

For them to be able to build something and willing to do something is two separate things.....which was oldelkhunters point. Swarovski is capable of building any scope made if they wanted to. It's isn't a cure for cancer it's building scopes.

depends on what he means I guess, better for him or better for you. NF is better for you if you want it to hold zero and track correctly. I second the Eurooptic comment they are easy to deal with and very helpful, just don't call them too often a man can go broke associating with that crew.

The new Swarovskis have a completely new adjustment and erector system, considerabling beefed up over any of their previous scopes. I attended a "test" shoot last May, where around 10 shooters put the new scopes through their paces over several days, shooting out to a mile with rifles chambered for various rounds, including several .300 Winchester and .338 Lapua Magnums. There were no failures and as far as everybody could tell the scopes tracked perfectly, whether when sighting-in on paper or shooting distant gongs. Usually during similar shoots at the same range (I’ve been there three times now) at least one or two scopes bite the dust somewhere along the line. Whether the Swarovskis are as tough as Nightorce of some other scopes remains to be seen, but it was an impressive start.

Anyone ever see a Swarovski test like the scope in this torture test??

https://vimeo.com/114881326

A VX-6 would be in pieces after something like this.

They just came out with the scope

Sounds like the same guy here in NM that works at SWH and tells everyone Vortex is better than Nightforce. Ignorance is bliss I guess.

Several years ago when Bush was still president, a soldier was about to deploy out of Fort Hood, which is nearby. He was issued a rifle with a Leupold which did not work.

He put out a request for help and I had a Nightforce 5.5-22x50 on a backup rifle that I could spare, so lent it to him for his deployment. While deployed, his vehicle hit an IED and rolled over. He was thrown so hard against his rifle, the barrel bent. After he recovered, he was issued a new rifle, and put the NF back on. It worked perfectly for the remainder of his deployment.

When he returned, he brought the scope back to me, but asked if he could buy it. Of course, I said yes. That convinced me of the NF durability and they have never let down.

Thanks but excuse me if I don't hold my breath waiting for Swarovski to duplicate the NF test.

If they hold up they hold up you saw what Mule Deer posted above. You think [bleep] NF has the market on reliable scopes ? You think Germans can't figure out what makes a NF scope tougher then a regular weight scope? Let me just say another thing, it better be tougher for 2x the price.

You having a bad day? I said that I would not hold my breath waiting on Swarovski to duplicate the NF torture test, and I won't! There is no point in getting all worked up over that comment unless you own stock in Swarovski.

Having a bunch of gun writers shoot them off the bench for a few days is a very weak measure of durability, take a look at the video again. If your sure of the big S improved durability then get back to us with something more solid than "shooting off the bench and tracking correctly" as a durability test, even Leupolds will do that once in a while.

No just saying that for double the price and putting their reputation on the line they better make at least an equal product.

Why? They haven't yet. They've made scopes with turrets for years and none of them work correctly.

Do not misunderstand- the X5 is new and built and designed different than their hunting scopes. It may or may not be a solid scope- time will tell. Or not. The X5 was built solely as a hunting optic, with no interest from Swarovski to get into the military market. That means the user group best situated to test it and know what it will do (long range competitors), won't use it at all...

What's funny isthose that question why scopes built to actually work weigh so much and are generally bulkier and why can't hunting scopes work...... Here's your hunting scope actually built and tested to be reliable. Ironic what the product turned out to be, huh...?

I am going by the weight of the scope which is much more then any 30mm scope they currently make . I would think that with the weight issue out of the way they would know how to beef it up inside and out. I thought they might have been going after the tactical market did not realize this was just a hunting scope.

If they have to double the price to get the same performance...the result is not an equal product.

so I think we all go thru a phase, I even own some scent loc products! Its tough when you look back as see all the money you have wasted on supposed better products. Where I hunt what can a swarovski do that a $299 sWFA cannot?

When you say " The new Swarovskis have a completely new adjustment and erector system, considerabling beefed up over any of their previous scopes." are you only speaking of the X5 line?

Where you hunt, what can a $299 SWFA do that a $179 Redfield cannot do?

At their price point, I'm rather curious how many Swarovski will actually sell.

When guys can drop considerably less coin on a SWFA SS, Bushnell LRHS, or even the NightForce scopes that have proven to be rock solid, it's going to be extremely tough IMHO to move a considerable number of them to make it worth while to Swarovski one would think.

Swarovski's reputation of excellence in their binos and spotters is well deserved. Their scopes have never showed me much and I've owned a few.
Was a self-professed Zeiss whore for years myself but have learned through experience that pretty glass is far from the holy grail In a working riflescope.

I have no need for a 20 oz scope with a really busy reticle for shooting a deer at 2-300 yards and the same holds for an Elk. What I buy is my business and I usually get what I pay for as well.

Good Question but there are a lot of people willing to drop the coin we shall see if they are around in a few years.

RHClark,

Yep, am only referring to the X5's.

RHutch,

When most people ask, "What's the best scope for X$?" they usually mean the best optics. Some, like you, eventually learn the best optics don't mean much when the scope doesn't result in a hit because it broke down mechanically.

It will be interesting to see if the X5 scopes combine both. As for the price, quite a few people are willing to pay for similarly priced March, Schmidt & Bender, etc., scopes. Swarovski isn't trying to compete with SWFA or even Nightforce. As always, they're aiming at the high-end market.

Whatever

for a hunting rifle there is very little to be gained with any of the high scopes.lots of nice 300-400.00 scopes out there that work just as well. now if you are going to hunt at 1000yds or more you will see the differents in what you pay for.

Uhhhh....no. Thanks for playing.

Lots of conjecture from folks who haven't even seen the Swarovski X5 in person, let alone fielded it.

FWIW, There was a YouTube video of a guy throwing his Swarovski Z6 in a pond overnight, then dragging it behind his UTV all over his ranch. He then shot it with a shotgun at fairly close range. It held zero through all of the above. The video isn't up anymore, but discussion about it still exists.

http://www.longrangehunting.com/forums/f18/swarovski-torture-tests-videos-65599/

Take it for what it's worth, it was on the Internet, so it must be true.