The perfect hunting scope.

Does the perfect hunting scope exist?


  • Total voters
    136

pathnz

FNG
Joined
Apr 10, 2024
Messages
28
The March F 3-24x42 is actually pretty close to perfect I believe

I have experienced good zero retention (tested) in several years of hard field use (my scope has remained on the same zero on the same rifle for several years now. I have not had to reset the turrets. This has been used for recreational and professional hunting, thousands of rounds. I check zero regularly and it simply does not shift).
Features are about right
Adjustments are accurate and repeatable
Light and very compact
30mm tube, not 34 or 35
Low pro adjustments
Excellent zero stop design
FML1 reticle is good - simple, clear, precise yet functional at lower magnification. Thick outer bars are only 6MRAD from centre on windage and above centre and very visible in low light at low power, 0.1MRAD centre dot is very precise and the "floating dot" is uncluttered.


What stops it being perfect?
March insist on making everything an 8x or 10x zoom ratio. I understand that this compromises some aspects of the optical design - the eyebox etc are more finicky than would be necessary were it a 3-18x. This is only a problem in comparison - you get used to it and it doesn't hold you back.
It is rarely usable over 18x anyway.
Windage is not capped
Elevation is not locking (although mine has never shifted)
Parallax is a little finicky (probably due optical compromises)
Thin inner portion of the reticle could be 0.1mrad rather than 0.07 which would increase visibility in low light
Japan-based company with a poor quality importer in NZ means service is less accessible if required
Cost
 

WKR

WKR
Joined
Jun 14, 2019
Messages
1,935
The March F 3-24x42 is actually pretty close to perfect I believe

I have experienced good zero retention (tested) in several years of hard field use (my scope has remained on the same zero on the same rifle for several years now. I have not had to reset the turrets. This has been used for recreational and professional hunting, thousands of rounds. I check zero regularly and it simply does not shift).
Features are about right
Adjustments are accurate and repeatable
Light and very compact
30mm tube, not 34 or 35
Low pro adjustments
Excellent zero stop design
FML1 reticle is good - simple, clear, precise yet functional at lower magnification. Thick outer bars are only 6MRAD from centre on windage and above centre and very visible in low light at low power, 0.1MRAD centre dot is very precise and the "floating dot" is uncluttered.


What stops it being perfect?
March insist on making everything an 8x or 10x zoom ratio. I understand that this compromises some aspects of the optical design - the eyebox etc are more finicky than would be necessary were it a 3-18x. This is only a problem in comparison - you get used to it and it doesn't hold you back.
It is rarely usable over 18x anyway.
Windage is not capped
Elevation is not locking (although mine has never shifted)
Parallax is a little finicky (probably due optical compromises)
Thin inner portion of the reticle could be 0.1mrad rather than 0.07 which would increase visibility in low light
Japan-based company with a poor quality importer in NZ means service is less accessible if required
Cost
Yeah if they made it a 3-14 instead of 3-24
And capped the windage
And had better customer support....
Then it would be great but thats a whole new scope we are talking about now 😆
 

Beetroot

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Jan 12, 2023
Messages
153
Location
New Zealand
Yeah if they made it a 3-14 instead of 3-24
And capped the windage
And had better customer support....
Then it would be great but thats a whole new scope we are talking about now 😆
What's wrong with the customer support?

Seems like the guys who bought the dual focal plane 1.5-15 didn't have any issues getting their reticles replaced recently.

I've not heard anyone having issue with March CS.
 

pathnz

FNG
Joined
Apr 10, 2024
Messages
28
In NZ the importer won't send things back for repair work - you have to do it yourself and it's a pain to send firearm related optics via courier or post, especially to Japan and back. I heard of someone destroying a March that needed repair and claiming insurance to replace it rather than trying to send it back.


Anecdotal of course.
 

X0311

FNG
Joined
Oct 6, 2023
Messages
10
I voted no. However, I am very happy with the NF NXS 2.5-10x scope. I have them on my four "serious" lightweight hunting rifles. The size and weight is good and it fits neatly on both my two Barrett Fieldcrafts and my wife's Kimber Montanas. FFP would be nice but any distance shooting would be at 10x so it really does not matter. It is a shame that NF is phasing them out. I did just order a NF NX8 4-32x F1 mil-c scope for a long range rifle in 6.5 PRC. It will be my first experience with a higher end FFP mil scope and it will interesting to see how it plays out.
 

z987k

WKR
Joined
Sep 9, 2020
Messages
1,849
Location
AK
I voted no. However, I am very happy with the NF NXS 2.5-10x scope. I have them on my four "serious" lightweight hunting rifles. The size and weight is good and it fits neatly on both my two Barrett Fieldcrafts and my wife's Kimber Montanas. FFP would be nice but any distance shooting would be at 10x so it really does not matter. It is a shame that NF is phasing them out. I did just order a NF NX8 4-32x F1 mil-c scope for a long range rifle in 6.5 PRC. It will be my first experience with a higher end FFP mil scope and it will interesting to see how it plays out.
Where did NF say they were phasing them out?
 

X0311

FNG
Joined
Oct 6, 2023
Messages
10
The last NXS 2.5-10x scope I ordered from NF (in 2023), I was told the scope was in "limted production" and it would take 3-6 months to get one. The scope was shipped in 4 months to the day. The NX8 I just ordered is supposed to ship in 30-45 days. No one at NF said they are completely stopping
production of the NXS 2.5-10x, I am just reading between the lines.
 

Floridave

FNG
Joined
Sep 20, 2022
Messages
67
Perfect for me for hunting at the moment is a Leupold vx5-hd 3x15 wind plex retical with a custom CDS dial.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
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