Maven, Leupold, Trijicon, NF

[JohnJohnson]

Something I have read in a few spots, hard to tell if its true like anything else. Some say that higher magnification scopes say a 5-25 will be better at say 12-15 then a 3-15 scope will be a 15,

That's just a fact for both image quality and eyebox. Scopes tend to have "sweet spots" in their magnification range where image quality, field of view, minimal mirage, depth of field in regards to parallax, etc is the best. As an example, the sweet spot on a NF ATACR 7-35 is around 12-18 power or so, whereas the sweet spot on a 5-25 ATACR is more like 8-9 power. As far eyebox it's going to be more forgiving on the lower powers if it has higher top-end magnification. I'll paste an excerpt from a recent review of "alpha" high magnification PRS type scopes that goes over it a bit. I'll also link the review since it goes over just general concepts of what "glass" even is in detail. And keep in mind the higher max magnification normally indicates more weight so it has its practical limits.

Alpha Class High Magnification 6-36/7-35 FFP Scope Review » OpticsThoughts

"Question for you, do you think the NF ATACR 7-35 became so popular in PRS because all the top shooters were now able to hit more steel using their scope at 35x throughout the course? Certainly not, where the 7-35 excelled was in the sweet spot for long range shooting, what I will call the Goldilocks zone of 12-18x give or take 2x on top or bottom, this magic magnification zone yields excellent FOV and depth of field (DOF) while also having magnification low enough to render the mirage dancing to a minimum, and the ATACR 7-35 offers outstanding IQ within this range."

 

[Nards444]

That's just a fact for both image quality and eyebox. Scopes tend to have "sweet spots" in their magnification range where image quality, field of view, minimal mirage, depth of field in regards to parallax, etc is the best. As an example, the sweet spot on a NF ATACR 7-35 is around 12-18 power or so, whereas the sweet spot on a 5-25 ATACR is more like 8-9 power. As far eyebox it's going to be more forgiving on the lower powers if it has higher top-end magnification. I'll paste an excerpt from a recent review of "alpha" high magnification PRS type scopes that goes over it a bit. I'll also link the review since it goes over just general concepts of what "glass" even is in detail. And keep in mind the higher max magnification normally indicates more weight so it has its practical limits.

Alpha Class High Magnification 6-36/7-35 FFP Scope Review » OpticsThoughts

"Question for you, do you think the NF ATACR 7-35 became so popular in PRS because all the top shooters were now able to hit more steel using their scope at 35x throughout the course? Certainly not, where the 7-35 excelled was in the sweet spot for long range shooting, what I will call the Goldilocks zone of 12-18x give or take 2x on top or bottom, this magic magnification zone yields excellent FOV and depth of field (DOF) while also having magnification low enough to render the mirage dancing to a minimum, and the ATACR 7-35 offers outstanding IQ within this range."

Thanks. Is there a spec/metric or something to look for to give you that sweet spot. Really Id hate to buy a 2.5-15 and its swee spot be 5-6 power. To me for what I do something in the 9-15 range would be better.

 

[N2TRKYS]

I’ve never had any issues with higher magnification scopes on hunting rifles, as far as finding game. The only time a high power will cause issues is in low light.

I find anything below about 6x to be worthless with a ffp scope. Sfp scopes are much better at lower powers than the ffp.

 

[satchamo]

Can’t speak for nightforce but I have a trijicon credo SFP/moa on my 243 and an Rs 1.2 on my 7prc and the trij is a great scope for the price but the RS1.2 is as perfect as a hunting scope as exists between the smaller 40 mil objective, the lower mag range, FFP and a very clean, hunting centric reticle. Add that to the fact that it’s passed the drop test with flying colors. I know it’s not on your list but I’d add it….

I’ll probably be outfitting my 243 with the rs1.2 in the near future for consistency across platforms.

 

[SloppyJ]

I really love my NX8 4x32 and I would pick that or the trijicon out of your list.

 

[Strider]

Throw a wrench in things. How about a Vortex Razor HD LHT.

No. From first hand experience they will fail you.

Also if you find yourself using your rifle scope often as a high magnification observation tool I would suggest a spotting scope. I get it's the west and there is wide open spaces with less people but it makes my skin crawl when guys are pointing guns at unknown objects. Not trying to throw shade just be safe out there and good luck.

 

[mxgsfmdpx]

Is turret work the dialing of your DOPE instead of holdover? Ensure you have some sort of ability to 'lock' in your zero or have a return to zero if the windage/elevation are not capped. If you are in the price range of the NX8, then I would highly consider going with the 2.5-20. As @MThuntr mentioned, starting at a higher magnification does limit your ability to maintain sight picture through recoil when shooting off of less than ideal supports. Additionally, you my find it harder to locate your target with the immediate 4x, especially with a busy background of trees, etc.

I like your overall premise and advice.

However, 4x on a hunting scope as the low end, with a properly designed FFP MIL reticle, is 100% not leading to anything being “lost” when compared to 2x on the low end.