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

Great pic Chet!

Buy whatever optic best works for YOU and run with it, whether its a Schmidt & Bender or a [bleep]' Barska!!!


What works for me may not work for you and vice-versa, but does that make it wrong????

IMO it doesn't make you wrong at all. I fell the same way and advocate buying whatever you want, not necessarily need.

[quote]You're quite the comedian dave....your schtick gets old. Maybe your S&B's, Zeiss Diavari's , etc are at their best in Canada, because that's not necessarily the case out here./quote]

Because his experience differs from yours you see the necessity to berate him?

Read 'em again, along with Prarie Goat's response and you figure it out.

The NF bashers are missing the boat here. My 2.5-10NF Compacts are easily the nicest hunting scope(s) I own. They weigh about the same, and blow away the Leupies I own/have owned over the last 35 years. I also use several Leupies and Conquests. But the best hunting scope I've used...all things considered...NF 2.5-10 Compact.

I've not used S&B or any of the $2,000 plus scopes. I'm just a poor hunter giving a report from a hunter's perspective.

Oh, and yes, I use a 3.5-15NF, and a 5.5-22NF on a couple hunting rifles. I don't see a problem. I like hitting schitt with the first shot, at 400-600.

They obviously work for 'ya Al.....seen pics of your sheep shot between the eyes! If I could shoot like that on a hunt I wouldn't use anything else either. Wouldn't want you shooting at me I know that much. Please understand I'm not bashing NF at all. They obviously have a heckuva product. My 52 year old eyes aren't good enough at dark thirty to reliably see all those hashes, dots, etc. I'm weird I guess.

You prefer to bash another poster with whom you don't agree.

You aint weird JG. All my scopes have duplex reticles of some sort. I've not looked thru a VX75...or whatever that is you got. I'm sure it's nice. I'll compare next winter, if things green up this year. I'll bring some extra bullets and let you spin some turrets that give you what you want EVERY time.

Funny enough, that sheep got killed at 275 yards [with a 100 yard zero] after dialing 1.5 moa on a VX3 4-5-14X40 (1") with an M1 dial. I very well may have the 2 best tracking Leupies in the history of man. That one, and a VX3 4.5-14X40LR with a M1. They both track perfectly, and I've posted "the box" tracking test results with both of them, here on this forum in the past.

I think the new VX3's are nice enough. I really like the NF Compacts tho, because I shoot 12 months a year at 200 to 600, and am constantly spinning turrets. I never have to guess with my NF's.

To the OP, yes...I say it's worth it.

I'm really interested in those rebarelled/modified T3's you've told me about........

You'll get to shoot the .284 with 5.5-22 NF.

Interesting that I saw this post as my bro and former teammate called me two days ago to discuss this very topic about a military sniper course he is currently running. They have 18 shooters IIRC. 12 have Nightforce/S&B/Bushnell HDMR's and 6 have Leupold MK4 3.5-10x40 M2's. The twelve with the NF's/S&B's/HDMR's are rocking it. Of the 6 with Leupolds, 2 have incorrect tracking. Almost all of the systems (M110's) are brand new with new Leupolds. The other scope are not new. This is almost exactly the "failure" rate that we see played out again and again with Leupolds. Not that all Leupolds have issues, or that they won't hold zero, but it is rare to see a Leupold hunting variable (the variable MK4's are nothing more than rebadged hunting scopes) that do not develop some issues after relatively light use.



If you want a Leupold that works get a fixed power Ultra M3A/MK4, MK 4 34mm, Locking turret, 6.5-20x50mm, or a MK8 1-8x. Initial testing seems to indicate that the newer MK 6's are doing well.


I do not have enough time on, nor have a large enough sample size to comment on the VX-6's. The one 1-6x24mm I had tracked very well for around 3k rounds of use. My buddy has it now and it is working fine.

To answer the OP's question- yes they are worth it. Positively and without a doubt.

Nightforce rules the roost for just plain working. Even some of the recent S&B's have started having problems. The 2.5-10x32mm is, in IMO, the best hunting scope made for 0-600 yards. The tracking, durability and reliabilty is simply unmatched.



For similar performance the SWFA SS's are downright great. We have more rounds on the 3-9x42mm versions than most people have seen shot in their lifetime. It is currently my pick for a hunting scope in that power range.

The people who buy them think so. The rest of us do not. ??

Your genuine, up to date experience, is going to ruin the Hunting Optics Forum.........

I've been shooting with Nightforce scopes on some of my hunting rifles for a few years now. Started out with an NXS 3.5-15x50 but found it too bulky for packing all day although the glass was wonderful.

Sold that scope to a guy who truck hunts and is happy as a clam with it. I bought a NXS 2.5-10x32, excellent scope for me and my application.

I think a guy will use what works for them within their own unique economic capability. Or with that individual's eyesight they can't tell the difference which negates the need for something better. Or they don't shoot enough for it to matter. Or...

From my experience and for my application the Nightforce is worth it.

Shoot what you like, shoot it well, and let your target sheets, freezer, or your trophy room do the talking.

I don't particularly pay all that much attention on "glass" and "clarity". I DEMAND correct mechanical function, long term durability, reliability, and stability of erectors day in and day out. As long as the glass is "good enough", than it is good enough.

I have never missed or witnessed a shot missed due to VX2 and up quality glass, however I have missed a bunch, and seen many more shots missed due to faulty erectors or loss of zero.


Glass and clarity are subjective. Mechanical soundness isn't.

This seems pretty sound advice to me....like getting the "horse" in front of the "cart"...where it belongs.

I've been using the 2.5-10x 32 for several years now. I couldn't be happier with the scope, it is clear enough for me and the lighted reticle worked great when I needed it, which is about two times in those years. As a long time Leupold user I can honestly say I am more pleased and impressed with this scope than with any of the dozens of Leupolds I have owned. Have also used several Swaros, both the 1" and 30mm models and I still prefer the NF. For me, worth every penny.

TRUE, TRUE, TRUE FRIEND!!