Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Optics Nightforce scopes.

4th point,



You're assuming too much from the wording on the NF site. The SHV's are "waterproof" in the conventional sense of being sealed against atmospheric moisture, even with the turret caps off.

To my knowledge, no rifle scopes have had turrets that actually leak water since the mid-1990's. Before then, believe it or not, two kinds of scopes would actually ship considerable water when you dunked them: really cheap scopes, and some (not all) expensive European brands. Which is why some of those expensive Euro-scopes tended to fog inside when the turret caps were removed for adjustment in moist places, such as coastal Alaska, allowing humidity to invade the scope.

In fact, several optics writers had an interesting discussion with one of the higher-ups of a major German scope company during a factory tour in 1993. When we brought up that very point about their scopes fogging, the guy looked puzzled and said, "But vy vould you effer take the caps off?" (There were two reason for his question: First, he assumed his company's scopes would never need adjustment after initial sight-in, which was not true. Second, sighting-in in Germany is frequently performed on an indoor range, often by the gunsmith who mounted the scope. Quite a few German hunters have never sighted-in their own scopes, instead leaving the job to a "professional.")

I eventually grew weary of trying to persuade one European company to seal their scope turrets, so the next time they sent me one to test, I took the caps off and left it underwater until there was some H20 sloshing around inside before, the put the caps back on and sent it back. The American president of the company got ticked off, so I explained that I could not recommend their scopes to American hunters (who do sight in their scopes, and sometimes take the caps off in damp places) until they sealed their damn turrets. That happened within a couple of years, not just because of me but other American optics writers who told him similar things.

That is NOT the case with Nightforce SHV's. In fact I just dunked one in a sink full of warm water with the caps off, something I haven't done when testing scopes for several years now, because I haven't found a scope that really leaks (like that sloshing Euro-scope) since the 1990's. Dunking scopes in warm water expands the gas inside, soon forcing bubbles through any leak. The SHV did NOT bubble at all, despite leaving it underwater for five minutes, far longer than required for this test.

This is as waterproof as hunting scopes need to be, at least for those of us who don't plan on swimming 100 feet underwater to our hunting camp.

I have both the SHV 3-10X42 w/Forceplex and the NXS 2.5-10X42 Mil-Dot on rifles and used both this year.

Weight does not seem out of line, both rifles handle well, though neither is a "lightweight". There are small personal preferences with both that I'd change, but in a direct comparison and because of the hunting conditions I encounter, I slightly prefer the SHV, that being due to the Forceplex reticle.

If the SHV had a zero-stop and the NXS had the Forceplex, I couldn't make a choice.

That is NOT the case with Nightforce SHV's. In fact I just dunked one in a sink full of warm water with the caps off, something I haven't done when testing scopes for several years now, because I haven't found a scope that really leaks (like that sloshing Euro-scope) since the 1990's. Dunking scopes in warm water expands the gas inside, soon forcing bubbles through any leak. The SHV did NOT bubble at all, despite leaving it underwater for five minutes, far longer than required for this test.

JMCUBIC, can I have an "Amen"!

If those two things were done I don't think I could ask for a better hunting setup....at least in my world.

I have no performance issues with either one, and to have those small issues addressed would amount to having found perfection in a hunting scope.

I guess I'd go with the Forceplex in the NSX.

They really need to do the Forceplex in the 2.5-10 NSX....and/or a zero-stopped elevation on the SHV.

Nightforce’s solution to seeing the reticle in low light is illumination. Purely personal preference, but I prefer to not have an extra knob, battery and electrical function on my scope when I can get all the capability I need with good glass, which they have, and well designed reticle. No argument that their solution works, I prefer simplicity. I can live with the non-illuminated Forceplex which has a 5 MOA wide thin bar, 2.5 per side and .75 MOA thick main bars. If it had just a bit more windage reference and a bit thicker main bars I’d be very happy. Perhaps a tick mark at 2 MOA and a thicker 1 MOA bar starting at 4 MOA from the center?

Something like Leupold's Windplex........call it the ForcedAir.......God, I'm funny


I do like that idea, and no more complicated than that.

Nightforce’s solution to seeing the reticle in low light is illumination. Purely personal preference, but I prefer to not have an extra knob, battery and electrical function on my scope when I can get all the capability I need with good glass, which they have, and well designed reticle. No argument that their solution works, I prefer simplicity.

Something like Leupold's Windplex........call it the ForcedAir.......God, I'm funny


I do like that idea, and no more complicated than that.

Yep, dial elevation, hold windage...

I’m surprised more manufacturers don’t have plex reticles with windage marks only.