Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Optics SWFA VS Nightforce...

What wouldya run? Just bone collectin? Thank ya

Nightforce. 2 out of 4 swfas had tracking error, I tested. 3-15 and 20x fixed failed

I have several of bof and prefer the SWFA unless I need an illuminated reticle. That comparing the SWFA 3-9x42 vs the Nightforce 2.5-10x32 or 42.

Leupold Jud.

For killing, I prefer the MQ reticle to anything NF makes.

Jordan, I don’t want 1 thing to do with reticle bullshit, not a thing, period, if I got time to range and count shiit, I got time to dial... reticle doesn’t mean shiit, that’s why I forceplex’d

plain old mildot works great for that type of attitude.

So perhaps I shoulda asked, which of the 2 had the most precise “clicks”? Fuuck you guys make shiit difficult... god damn... who in this fuucking world wants to count (dots) in a reticle while killin??? Haha 😂😂

I don’t want to count dots/slashes etc. I wanna range, dial, shoot... windshield doesn’t mean shiit, though LarryO want the greenhorns think that shiit means something... you fuuckers need to get out and hunt... good fuucking lord this place is amazing...

3x9 an 10x did great. 3x9 has pretty darn good glass too

Jesus Christ, no wonder why I do my own shiit, I don’t want dots, slashes, blah blah fuuckin blah. I want upper end 20x, simple plex crosshair sfp. Seems easy

Ahh. Didn't know 20X. No experience versus. At all.

And....What are you drinkin? Me? OGD. Bonded. 100 MF'in Proof.

Sightron S-Tac duplex 4-20.

I've drank the 6X and 10X SWFA koolaid, but I have to agree that if you have time to count mil marks you have time to dial. I only use the mil-quad reticle's elevation marks for goofing around and don't see the point for using them for elevation. Wind on the other hand.....

I'm not good enough to confidently hold (or dial) for wind on a critter, but playing around at the range I can see the advantages to windage hold off.

This thread should have been titled: Read My Mind. Too funny.

Ya or better yet, "for folks that hunt", rather than, " folks that wish". You're right!!😂😂

I never said a thing about holding elevation with the reticle. There are a few reasons I prefer the MQ to any of the NF reticles, but holding elevation ain’t one of ‘em. I’ve put a lot of pounds of meat on the ground with the MQ, and I rarely ever use the elevation hashes for killing. The windage hashes get used, and the bold outer posts get used. If a guy prefers one of the NF reticles, I’ll not argue. Just stated my preference, is all.

Agreed. It works pretty well for point-and-shoot, too, which accounts for a fair bit of the killing I do.

I find the hollow diamond mil quad reticle hard to aquire in "busy" backgrounds compared to mildot or my preferred lrhs. The swfa click detents are good enough but not on par with the best. You will not have a zero stop on the swfa.

Pretty much the swfa does everything you need and nothing you don't.....but they are not my favorite. I own 5 or 6 of them.

Zeiss v4.

You’re welcome.

I'll take the 4.5-18x LRHS/LRTS

I like the NF SHV 3-10x42 with the illum. Forceplex

If I'm hunting more open terrain I like the NXS 2.5-10x42 with illum. mildot.
I use the SWFA 3-9x42 with milquad, but honesty prefer an illum reticle. An illuminated dot would be preferable than the entire damn reticle though...

Diesel burnin Dave, I couldn’t find one yesterday with the reticle I wanted

So I think we’re pretty close in thought. My two favorites are the NF 2.5x10 NXS and the 3x9 SS. I don’t use the reticle at all for holder, but I do use it for windage hold offs. I simply dial to where I wanna hit and go about my life. They’re both under 20 ounces and I’ve not had a bad one yet.

I do like having a solid windage mark though. I could be fine without it I guess but it’s nice to have the aiming point, for me. The old 3-12 Bush is good too.

I’m a hunter and those two allow me enough magnification to hit elk further than I would ever try so until something else comes along that’s my pick.

Oh and the SFP doesn’t bother me with the NF really since if I’m taking it long I’m turning it up to 10 most likely anyhow so I live with that little concession and I like the illum.

Just my thoughts.

I had an 3-10 SHV with Forceplex (non-illum) and I have a 3-9 SS. I think the 3-10 SHV with illum Forceplex would be ideal.

+1 I grabbed one of these last year when Doug got a few in and have been really pleased with it.

I figger if I need to dial, I’ll have time to dial, just can’t like busy reticles. Forceplex is what I like. Hate the 56mm, wish they made the 5-20 in 50

You really need 20x top end Jud?

Ya I like a little more power fos, sfp too

#Metoo sometimes......22X actually.....

aalf, you're the only guy I've ever seen who lugs a bench around deer hunting.......

Easier than a tower blind.....

Haha that’s awesome

Just plex?

Not sure what Zeiss calls it #20 or zplex or something.

I’ve got a 4-16x44 with the plex. Crankin’ style turrets.

I like it simple.

Money not a factor I would take NF everyday and twice on Sunday.

have killed [bleep] with the:

lrhs 3-12, lrhsi 4.5-18

shv 3-10 parallax MOAR

nxs 2.5-10x32 mil-r and velocity 600. and x42 MIL-r


swfa 6x, 3-15 ffp and sfp, and 3-9 mil quads

all my go to rifles have a 3-9 mil quad nowadays.

Once I know for sure the new Kimber Montana is on its way to me I would like to try the 3-9 mil quad but they are on backorder last I checked.

I have killed the hell out of elk, coyotes, deer, etc with both Nightforce and SWFA scopes.


SWFA






NIGHTFORCE




SWFA


NIGHTFORCE


SWFA


NIGHTFORCE


NIGHTFORCE



They both work great. Pick one that has the features, and magnification range you like the best.

The value of the SWFA scopes seems absolutely unbeatable. If money was not an issue, Nightforce would be in the mix for me. Money is always a concern for me, so SWFA fixed scopes are pretty much always the obvious choice. I was skeptical of fixed power scopes when I first tried one, now I have them on all my scoped rifles.

MacKay,

Great day in the morning, you shoot that one in the jugular? 😂🤣

Dave,


Pretty close.. I shot her right below the ear. There was a big herd of cows all bunched up right at 400 yards. They would not break away from each other, so it was a waiting game. Finally one stuck her neck out and I put a 175 grain SMK about 1 inch low of the ear hole which was my aiming point. As you can tell from the pic, it was an instant Bang-Flop and then she started leaking!

Nothing like a big heavy Sako TRG and a Nightforce. Made it pretty easy.

Judman:

Between this and the SWFA threads, it appears that you're fishing pretty hard.

I know I'm not the "Big" fish you're after, but I'll tickle the bobber a little.

I've ran both the SHV Forceplex and MOAR, and NXS MOAR's. I've also ran 3-9 HD, 6x and 10x SWFAs. I like them all, and they've all been top notch as far as reliability.

I like the glass, size, toughness, and looks of the NF SHV; and while I've never had an issue with the turrets of an SWFA ghost turning, the capped set up of the SHV does eliminate one more thing to check before taking a quick or close jump shot, if that's a consideration for the rigs it's on.

As far as reticles, I do prefer the mil quad to anything NF offers, and I don't find it slow or cumbersome to use; in fact, I find that often I don't bother dialing in the field, but viva la difference. Maybe it's because I used a mil-dot Leupold that couldn't be trusted for dialing for a long time.

I've dialed and hunted a Forceplex SHV a lot and don't/wouldn't feel like I'm missing out that much if I was constrained by horrible circumstances to use that scope for all of my big game hunting. On max X the duplex junction is 2.5 moa, which works as a nice reference for wind holds when dialing.

Seeing as how you like a duplex and SFP, as it seems you already well know, it's tough to beat the NF. We've dialed a bunch on a few of the Forceplex SHV on some heavy recoilers and have yet to experience or hear of any hiccups.

I'll add that I've been running a SWFA 1-6 HD on a 375 h&h, and I've found it to be much more useful than a SFP duplex for both close and long range shots. On 1.5X the doughnut is like a large peep; very quick and intuitive. On 6x you have the great Milquad for longer shots. The turrets can be run capped or exposed, and you get 10 mil per turret rev. I have 1 in my safe to mount on a 300 yd ML. The illumination is very well done.

Thanks for a good well rounded report starbuck. It’ll be riding on a sporter weight 300 prc. Gonna go shv. Besides haven’t seen a swfa shot with a 12 gauge yet. 😂😂😂

That SWFA 1-6 is a very pleasant surprise. From 1x to ~2.5x is real nice on the low end and then go to 6x for the longer stuff. For a rifle where 6x is plenty and pointing at moving critters or very quick shots is really the game this would be a great choice. Not a choice for a 300 PRC.

Don't forget - or being used as a hammer.

I do like those 1x6’s SS’s as well. Pretty slick scope.

hard to love a big giant donut blocking ur FOV through the middle power ranges.

couple that with the major bleed through when you light up the reticle at 6x

turrets are the same mush burgers as the 3-9

no zero stop

not daylight bright

23 oz

ez pass.

ND:

We've joked that the 1-6 HD SWFA should be called the 1-2 or 6; as you've pointed out, the middle X's aren't the best. But, it still serves a purpose for a rig that is intended for close up shots, but might also see use on longish shots.

Bleed through - I haven't noticed this being an issue on my examples.

Zero stop - With 10 mil per rev, on the rigs I use and/or intend to use them on, I haven't found the need to go more than 1 rev; as such, I haven't found the lack of a zero stop to be troublesome. But, I can see the need of a guy was going to run it with exposed turrets and spin more than 10 mils regularly.

Daylight bright - With the heavy doughnut and or the Milquad on 6X, I haven't had the need or desire to use the illumination for anything but the margins of the day.

Mushy turrets - I agree with you there; it's not an NF, or even a Classic. I was weaned on Leupolds, so maybe I've just been conditioned to accept mushy turrets. However, they have tracked well, and overall I'll accept the mushy turrets so long as they continually do what they're supposed to.

For now, there's a few rigs in my battery that might get switched to the 1-6 as I like what they have to offer for certain situations. However, I'm never afraid to upgrade or try something that fits a niche better, so I'd like to read about scopes that you've found to be a better option.


I was excited to pick up an NF NX8 1-8, but the reviews seem to be less than stellar.

.

LMAO!!!!!! Bingfinggo

better for what?

i won't pull some bs and quote 87,000 rounds down range on multiple samples of every single LPVO ever made

but i've owned over the last decade or so.

swfa 1-4 classic and HD (classic still on the 22lr but the eye box sucks and the mag rings the wrong way) hd is pretty tanky for a 4x and it's pretty long and had the dumb donut, not daylight bright )

swfa 1-6. already covered.

bushnell 1-6.5 and the 1-8.5 (8.5 is a beast and still has wonky reticle and not daylight bright) see below for 1-6.5

vortex razor e 1-6
viper 1-4 (didn't seem very durable not daylight bright ez flip)

nightforce nxs 1-4 (pretty good scope, not stoked on 4x, probably shoulda kept it)
borrowed and mounted my buddies nx8 1-8 for a month this year.

and then a fair bit of borrowing at ranges and on hunts
swaro 1-6 (did not like the reticle for my use, don't trust swaro on durability)

trijicon 1-4 (chevron is not a good reticle for my use)


my aunt worked at eotech so pretty extensive time with the vudu 1-6 ffp and the 1-8 sfp. i like the 1-6 a fair bit.. except the don't of death.

1-8 is sfp.. dead on arrival, dumb reticle.



being completely honest, as of 2020 i have buying fatigue. none of the above are really that great. the nx8 was probably the closest.. i added this part last. phones dying. will update later. basically tho it's a tight eyebox and narrow depth of field.

the razor 1-6 had two major knocks, first i didn't like the bdc reticle at all. i'm sure the mrad reticle would be fine. and it weighs about 5oz too much. the weight for me killed it. and at the time i made a couple hundred on the flip. wasn't sad to see it go. don't trust vortex for durability. thanks formidilosus.

the bushnell smrs 1-6.5 is the closest to what i want for weight, ability to hold zero and track and reticle that works on 1x. still have it. use it daily. killed a lot of critter with it. for what i got in it money wise it's fine.

Starbuck

You may want to give the Trijicon Accupower (or the Credo now) 1-8x28 a try.

Good shootin 👍👍

You're welcome...

You owe me about half a cup of coffee.

😂

Haha oh god damn er that’s funny!! 😂

ND:

Thanks for taking the time to share your LPVO experiences.

Jordan:

Thanks for the recommendation. I'll give it a look.

Judman:

I apologise for taking your thread on a tangent.

NP. Make sure you look at the MRAD, red illum model, if looking at the Accupower.

No apologies necessary man, its the www, we all have our opinions and know what works for us..

LMFAO

🦫

What scopes do you actually have experience with, dialing for range, shooting at long distances, that brings you to this conclusion? What kind of range finder do you run?

thanks

Jud doesn't dial or use reticles..... he gives them the death stare and they keel over....
Oh crap.... Jud gonna get me...

Dial elevation, hold wind. Wind is rarely consistent and a lot more of an art than elevation. There's a reason why not one single competitor dials wind. The PRS comps are tightly timed events. Speed and accuracy win the day, same as hunting. Also, when feeling out the wind call, I like knowing where its at on the critter, it helps cheat the hold, and also gives a visual on the adjustment. I rarely would take a hunting shot giving up the critter (my term for holding significantly off the animal).

I’ll sick mch on ya!! 😂😂

Oh crap..... another week in the bunker.....