Why Nightforce ?

Joined
Jun 27, 2022
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1,264
I sold all of my NF’s about 5 years ago when my brand new ATACR 5-25 took a shit in less than 40 rounds and they didn’t even fix it. NF’s fail too, the ATACR’s have a quite common failure in the parallax assembly which is what mine experienced. It happens in the 4-16 and 7-35 too. 7-35’s have also had other failures.

They aren’t perfect just because one passed a drop test one time.

FWIW there’s a video of someone shooting a Swaro Z5 with a shotgun and dragging it behind a truck that survived, and those are somehow deemed unreliable, but it’s cool when a NF survives the same.
 

ChrisAU

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Jan 12, 2018
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SE Alabama
There's guys who claim NF glass won't let you see horns on a buck at last light at 400 yards well enough to shoot.

The same guys will say that you shouldn't identify an animal with your scope, that that's what binos & spotters are for.

Which is it?

I hunted whitetail 50+ evenings in the last 4 months and never once did my lowly 42mm NXS ever hinder me from looking at a deer in even the worst conditions while it was still legal to shoot one.
 

JGRaider

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Jul 3, 2019
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Not sure what scopes these people around here are looking through, but even the cheap Chicom glass in scopes nowadays will get you past legal shooting light. Same goes for binos.
 

KenLee

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Jun 9, 2021
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South Carolina
Not sure what scopes these people around here are looking through, but even the cheap Chicom glass in scopes nowadays will get you past legal shooting light. Same goes for binos.
Some of us get an extra hour legal time per day on other states. $2500 ATACR NF = $650 Accupoint duplex plus dot in low light usability. Many options are better on the low light list. Some of them dependable. $2500 Leica Magnus blows a $2500 NF away.
 

TxLite

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Sep 6, 2018
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Texas
There's guys who claim NF glass won't let you see horns on a buck at last light at 400 yards well enough to shoot.
This exact scenario happened to me this year with a swaro 44mm z5 trying to count points on a bull on the last day. Ended up letting it walk because I couldn’t be certain it was legal. Was actually wishing I had my 50mm NX8.
 

Grundy53

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Nov 24, 2013
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Washington State
Some of us get an extra hour legal time per day on other states. $2500 ATACR NF = $650 Accupoint duplex plus dot in low light usability. Many options are better on the low light list. Some of them dependable. $2500 Leica Magnus blows a $2500 NF away.

I also am in one of those states. I've never had a problem.

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Longtine

FNG
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Jan 21, 2021
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Texas
I have mostly NF scopes on all my hunting rifles. I have 18 NF's ATACR, NX8, NXS. I also own 2 ZCO's and 2 TT's. One of the ZCO's came in with an issue with the parallex. TT have not had an issue. I have not had one issue with a NF either. I will say from experience they are the toughest and tracking is superb. I was on an elk hunt in New Mexico 3 years ago with my son. We stopped for a break, he leaned his rifle against a rock face. He bumped it and it fell around 30' down banging on other rocks. The bell had a 1/8" indention it from an impact. We got back to camp around lunch. Shot the rifle and the POI had not changed a lick. Sure I think the glass might not be as good as ZCO's or the TT but I have doubts that those two other scopes would have held up to that.

"I don't always drink beer............but when I do......I shoot a Nightforce"
 
Joined
Jan 14, 2022
Messages
94
For the price, the glass is pretty meh. Go look at them at one of the stores that has other glass in that pricepoint and even indoors you'll be a bit underwhelmed for the cost.

But some of those other brands suck as an aiming device and that's quite inexcusable to.

If only someone would make a quality scope with good glass.
You do realize that many optic manufacturers optimize their coatings for the lighting conditions in retail stores right? So when you’re viewing in store it appears “brighter” or “clearer” than the competition. That said, this doesn’t carry over to actual use in the field. Nightforce doesn’t do this either.
 
Joined
Jun 27, 2022
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For the price, the glass is pretty meh. Go look at them at one of the stores that has other glass in that pricepoint and even indoors you'll be a bit underwhelmed for the cost.

But some of those other brands suck as an aiming device and that's quite inexcusable to.

If only someone would make a quality scope with good glass.

Unless you're taking them outside in natural light at the store, then what it looks like in a store with flourescent or LED lighting at all of 200' or so while it's shaking around in your hands means absolutely nothing. Optics with absolute shit glass can appear good under those conditions.

NF consistently has excellent resolution and very good glass overall, that's one thing they can't really be knocked for. I've had a ton of glass behind NV clip ons which really tells resolution and NF is excellent. Is there better glass? Yes. Is NF the brightest or have the best color and contrast? No. Unless you put it beside S&B, Hensoldt, Tangent Theta, etc then you're not going to see better glass.
 

Grundy53

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Nov 24, 2013
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Washington State
You could ha
South Carolina gets an hour before sunrise and an hour after sunset. We milk the goody out of shooting light
I thought you meant an hour total. 1/2 before sunrise to 1/2 after sunset. Which is what my state has. I couldn't imagine add a half hour to either side. I would need nightvision.

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KenLee

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Jun 9, 2021
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South Carolina
I thought you meant an hour total. 1/2 before sunrise to 1/2 after sunset. Which is what my state has. I couldn't imagine add a half hour to either side. I would need nightvision.

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I meant an hour per day longer than most states. I see where I could have conveyed that thought better
 
Joined
Feb 24, 2012
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4,623
Location
Colorado
I like Nightforce for the durability and the turrets. They are the best for dialing in my opinion. I’m you don’t need to dial then another scope would work just fine. If you like to dial I think it’s hard to beat a Nightforce
 

Macintosh

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Feb 17, 2018
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I work for a sunglass manufacturer. We sell a LOT more sunglasses west of the mississippi, and almost none in New England and Appalachia. There's a reason for that...only creepy weirdos wear sunglasses when it's not sunny. Add vegetation that grows several feet in a matter of months, 100% forest cover, humidity, and make shots that thread their way through a gazillion twigs and branches the overwhelming norm, and you have a bunch of people that appreciate glass that helps in low light conditions. If you haven't hunted there much you may not be able to wrap your head around it, that's ok, you'll just have to take my word for it that it gets awful dark sometimes in "legal light", even when that's only 30min after sunset.
I havent spent that much time behind NF glass, what I have isnt fantastic but it's definitely not bad. It's the lack of what I consider hunting reticles that is the reason I dont own a NF or two, not the glass. We dont want the durability to go to their heads, there ARE other things we can still legitimately bitch about! 😁
 
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