Nightforce NXS 5.5-22X56 or Huskemaw 5-20X50

rackcity24

Lil-Rokslider
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north dakota
Hey everybody, well I'm in the market for a new hunting/shooting scope. I'm having a custom rig built and I figure I should do an upgrade on glass. Currently I have a Vortex Viper 4-16X50 FFP, but I would like a little more zoom and better consistency. I've have access to the nightforce at a local shooting store that carries them and they seem like a heck of a scope. I don't have access to the Huskemaw though. I'm looking for a scope for good tracking that's reliable every time. I know there was a thread and some talk about these scopes this last year I just was looking for more ideas on scopes or situations I should be considering. I've heard nightforce is really good but I also heard a lot of it is paying alot for the name.. and I also heard huskemaw has really good glass but then I also heard the glass is overated also. Thanks in advance. And I would like to comment I have no preference for SFP or FFP I have both.
 
I have the Nightforce and there is no arguing, it is a great scope. It does come with a weight penalty. I have talked to people who have both and they recommend the Huskemaw just the same. What is your budget and what will be the main use?
 
Everyone knows NF makes great scopes. But I ran the 5-20x50 husky this year. I really tried to break it. The glass is shit but they dial and they are much lighter than the NF.


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I just picked up the NF NXS 5.5-22x50ZS a few months ago and so far it is a great scope. It is heavier than I wanted, but after lots of research I took the penalty to get the reliability.

I'll throw this out there for you to consider though. I feel like the 22x might be too much for general hunting in a 2FP. I just took an Aoudad at 420 yards with it and it performed well, but the narrow FOV was frustrating in the moment. I needed to hold for wind that was on and off so I was dialed to max for the reticle, but everytime I would adjust my rest or position getting set up I would completely lose the animal in my scope. I'd have to dial back, re-locate him, and zoom back in. I bet I did that 5-6 times laying awkwardly in those rocks and waiting on a clean shot. It worked out fine in the end b/c I had plenty of time, but that could have been a bad deal if I had been rushed.

I suppose I'm going to have to practice holding 2x for wind at 11 power for shots inside of 400-500 and see how that feels. But, I am considering dropping down to its little brother (NXS 3.5x15x50ZS).

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The glass is shit but they dial and they are much lighter than the NF.
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Ryan, could you elaborate on the glass quality a bit more? I keep hearing that it's shit, but in what ways and compared to what? The OP and I both have Vortex Viper 4-16s, is the glass a step up from that?
 
@rfurman24 My budget is roughly $2200, not an exact number but I wouldn't hesitate on the Nightforce NXS. I like to shoot and practice at semi-long range but main purpose would be for hunting. I like to shoot semi-long range, not far compared to some people on here but I am still learning and practicing, I should mention I didn't have a long range setup before. I'm looking for consistency when using the turrets as far as glass I'm used to the vortex viper. I wouldn't mind an upgrade on glass. As far as a hunting purpose it all depends how well I shoot with this new rifle. My shots have been from 100 yards to 800 yards. I just tried keeping the distance to about 450 yards with the old setup.
 
@rfurman24 My budget is roughly $2200, not an exact number but I wouldn't hesitate on the Nightforce NXS. I like to shoot and practice at semi-long range but main purpose would be for hunting. I like to shoot semi-long range, not far compared to some people on here but I am still learning and practicing, I should mention I didn't have a long range setup before. I'm looking for consistency when using the turrets as far as glass I'm used to the vortex viper. I wouldn't mind an upgrade on glass. As far as a hunting purpose it all depends how well I shoot with this new rifle. My shots have been from 100 yards to 800 yards. I just tried keeping the distance to about 450 yards with the old setup.

You can get a demo X5 for that. I think Ryan likes his pretty well. I like mine..
 
I just picked up the NF NXS 5.5-22x50ZS a few months ago and so far it is a great scope. It is heavier than I wanted, but after lots of research I took the penalty to get the reliability.

I'll throw this out there for you to consider though. I feel like the 22x might be too much for general hunting in a 2FP. I just took an Aoudad at 420 yards with it and it performed well, but the narrow FOV was frustrating in the moment. I needed to hold for wind that was on and off so I was dialed to max for the reticle, but everytime I would adjust my rest or position getting set up I would completely lose the animal in my scope. I'd have to dial back, re-locate him, and zoom back in. I bet I did that 5-6 times laying awkwardly in those rocks and waiting on a clean shot. It worked out fine in the end b/c I had plenty of time, but that could have been a bad deal if I had been rushed.

I suppose I'm going to have to practice holding 2x for wind at 11 power for shots inside of 400-500 and see how that feels. But, I am considering dropping down to its little brother (NXS 3.5x15x50ZS).

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If you had a FFP scope that would not have been an issue you could have held wind at "ANY" power and your hash marks would be the same . 22x is really zoomed in at 400 yards.
 
Everyone knows NF makes great scopes. But I ran the 5-20x50 husky this year. I really tried to break it. The glass is shit but they dial and they are much lighter than the NF.


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This coming from a guy that breaks everything from NF ATACR to Kahles 624i is a pretty serious stamp of approval.
 
If you had a FFP scope that would not have been an issue you could have held wind at "ANY" power and your hash marks would be the same . 22x is really zoomed in at 400 yards.


Ahhhh... yes. That is what I was trying to communicate to the OP when I said "I feel like the 22x might be too much for general hunting in a 2FP" and followed it up with a recent story to illustrate my point....
 
If it were me I’d considering stretching the budget a little and look at a March 2.5-25x52.


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I agree with the FFP as far as you guys are saying. I just mentioned SFP because that what huskemaw scopes have. At least the ones I saw advertised were SFP. I'm not much worried buy the added weight because my rifle set up should be 7lbs possible a little under. And to fire_9 and rfurman24 I have not heard of March before. But I will take a look at them. I really lean towards nightforce for the fact that I have a lot of gift cards/points for a store that carries Nightforce/Swarovski/Vortex/Zeiss.
 
If you can swing it get the X5. It's my favorite hunting scope. I don't get all crazy about ffp or sfp because I pretty much dial everything. People get all wrapped up on 'IF' this happens crap. Pick a scope get it on the rifle and learn how to use it at all distances and conditions.


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Ryan, could you elaborate on the glass quality a bit more? I keep hearing that it's shit, but in what ways and compared to what? The OP and I both have Vortex Viper 4-16s, is the glass a step up from that?

The 4-16 husky seems to be worse than the 5-20 Husky. It's bad enough that my wife was convinced her scope was fogged up the day she shot her buck with the 4-16. She made me look through it, and I said nope it's just a Huskemaw. The day I shot my bull I vividly remember saying to myself damn this glass sucks just before I broke the shot.
To your question about Vortex. I would say the Vortex might be a little better. The Husky has this weird effect where it looks super hazy on some days and looks OK on others. I don't know if its a light or overcast deal but its noticeable.
 
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