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Hey everyone,
I hope you're doing well. I'm currently on the hunt to upgrade my scope on my Tikka 308, and I could really use some recommendations. I've been eyeing Nightforce scopes lately, but I'm open to exploring other options as well.
If you've had any experience with Nightforce scopes, I'd love to hear your thoughts on them. And of course, if you have any other brands or models in mind that you swear by I'm all ears!
Thank you and I look forward to hearing your thoughts
upgrading from what????
PERSONALLY I am a bottom end leupold man.... the fanclub of nightforce will be sure to tell you all you require LOL
I’m running a Nightforce SHV 5-20 on my 7mm rem mag and have very been very impressed with it for their “entry level” scope. It’s taken a few bangs and fell off the yet and still shoots true.
I haven’t been able to have a good play with the nx8 or the ATACR but I hear they are very impressive.
On another note I have a vx6 2-12 on the 308 and that’s really nice with the firedot reticle.
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What type of shooting or hunting will you use it for? A scope for the bush is a lot different to a scope for long range shooting/targets.
Ive currently got a Burris fullfield 4 2.5-10Quote:
Originally Posted by Micky Duck
I will be hunting. The areas I hunt are either bush or private land down south so still deciding on magnification rangeQuote:
Originally Posted by Bobba
Nightforce are generally speaking the same sort of weight bracket as a suburban delivery truck, tough as they come and utterly reliable but you can get just as reliable with better glass and lighter weight in the same price bracket.
I would not get rid of my NSX scopes but I also would not fit them to a hunting carry rifle.
Edit, for a general purpose hunting optic I wouldn't feel seen off with a 2-10x42 or thereabouts - its what I have on my carry rifle now as its just about perfect really.
have a look thru a Kahles and you will be hooked
Buying scopes is all about working out what you are happy to compromise on. Things you need to work out:
1. Level of reliability (basically weight)
2. Magnification level. (1-1.5x per 100yds will do most)
3. Focal plane. Most seem to like second focal plane, I’m moving to first these days
4. Price
For my use (bush to open tops - 600yds) I’ve just ordered a Maven 2.5-15x44 FFP. It’s supposedly very robust but a touch heavy (26oz). Magnification range is perfect, and I may not even need the 15x. But that’s the beauty of FFP- the reticle will remain true at any magnification.
It would be great if it was a touch lighter, but I value reliability above weight. Only you can decide what’s most important in your situation
That’s a broad question. All of the top brands offer good glass. I have Swarovski ( Z5’s, Z6 and Z3), S&B, Kahles, Nightforce, March, Leupold, Nikon etc. it comes down to what scope ticks the boxes. In a Centre fire I can’t fault Swarovski Z5 with BT. (3.5 to 18). I like the 1” tube as well on these. But it’s truly a personal decision. ( and budget)
I’m not trying to sidetrack this thread with a Cartridge debate, but you mentioned you are shooting a 308 .
The 308 in a hunting scenario does put some limitations on distance compared to some other Cartridge choice’s.
So magnification , reach out and touch them bells and whistles etc doesn’t need to be high in my humble uneducated opinion.
I’m old so simplicity and optical clarity is at the top of my requirements.
Warranty/ Service from the manufacturer is also a high priority in my view when talking about Scopes that actually get used / abused / dropped / wet / frozen / bounced in vehicles / dust / Kea attacks ( don’t ask me how I know :oh noes: ) compared to Gun Club / Range/ Competition Scopes that are never further than 100m from a car and are shot from covered benches 95% of their lives .
I’m not going to give an opinion or recommendation on an exact model of brand , but you need to be honest with yourself on what job you require the scope to do and not get caught up in hype and excitement ( don’t ask me how I know :) ) of a new optic purchase.
We all get caught up with Magnification but quality Glass trumps Magnification.
Better glass gives you better resolution, think of it as being able to see the bullet holes on paper at 100 mtr.
Yes you need some magnification but for game sized animals out to ??? you said 308 so is that 500 mtr??? then 15x is plenty.
I've shot deer at 230 mtr with 4 power no problem. You can get by with 10 or 12x for shooting to 500 mtr.
Z
The new burris scopes are supposed to be good, unsure of the knock rating.. I have a leupold vx3i and have dropped it off the table and onto the river bed scope down, bouncing around and the zero didn’t budge. I want to upgrade too but I can’t bring myself to swap this scope out..
I have a VX5 that has had the same abuse and stood up to it 5 stars.
Good points from GroundControl/ZQ. Also good to know why you are upgrading, i.e. what you're looking for? E.g. a CDS/dial-up could be a good upgrade, but you may not use any magnification beyond 12x. I used a mate's VX-something with CDS during the weekend, but yeah, na, missed at 465m - turns out expensive kit doesn't make me a better shooter/hunter...
Your 2.5-10x sounds bloody perfect to me. If you do upgrade, I could be keen on taking that off your hands! ;)
I've been looking for a higher end Jack of all trades optic for my wife, and the Maven RS1.2 2.5-15X44 FFP in MRAD Nick mentioned above may just be the droid I'm looking for.
https://mavenbuilt.com/products/rs1-...42954112729259
Identify your target beyond all doubt because you never miss (right?) and I'll be missed.
Leupold, Burris, Redfield(essentially Leupold nowdays)
Zero Compromise over nightforce any day of the week.
But for a hunting scope, can't got wrong with the leupold VX5 3-15.
Had mine shooting out to 1100 meters on steel, a few weeks back on my 7mmRM, no rail either just talley rings
Nightforce are generally speaking the same sort of weight bracket as a suburban delivery truck, tough as they come and utterly reliable but you can get just as reliable with better glass and lighter weight in the same price bracket.
Tui ad, ya dreaming mate!
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I've had 2 Burris scopes. First one (1.5-6x42) they replaced no questions when the electrics played up,
Offered me a Signature illuminated 3-15x44 or Veracity 2-10x42 FFP which I really like, 30mm tube but a little heavy at 22 oz.
Leupold is definitly going to be lighter but I really like my Veracity I went with.
I used to run Nikon scopes until they went out of production.
Z
Before you start looking at brands you need to get a very clear picture (no pun intended) on what you actually want in a scope.
The first would be zoom range. This comes down to where you intend to hunt and since you've said you want an all rounder then you should probably go for a bottom magnification of 2.5 to 3. Personally I'm happy with 4x in the bush but that's a personal choice, not what I'd recommend.
Next is top end magnification, for longer range shooting at realistic ranges with a .308 that would be anywhere between 12 and 18 power for up to 500m shots. So with that in mind the middle ground of about 15 to 16 power makes sense, bear in mind that the greater the magnification range in the scope, the higher the price with no other real gains in performance. so a 5X mag rnag is a good compromise, as in 3-15. the next choice would be turrets, exposed dialing turrets or capped. For an all round scope you need to have something which will dial for distance reliably. There was a thread here recently which asked that question, hold over vs dial and the feedback was overwhelmingly dial. I agree. exposed turrets for hunting need a zerostop to avoid accidental adjustment. Or you could go for a capped turret which can be dialed, such as the GPO, they are excellent in this regard. next would be Objective lens diameter. A good quality scope a with 44mm objective is fine, it can be mounted lower over the bore if your rifle has a low comb, like the standard Tikka stocks. 50mm objective lenses will give a slight advantage in low light but it is marginal. Then there's 1st focal plane vs 2nd focal plane. Personally I don't understand why anyone would use 1st focal plane as a hunting scope, its advantage is the fact that the reticle hash marks remain constant through the zoom range, its major disadvantage is that the reticle is way too fine at lower magnifications and therefore very poor in a low light situation, plus I've already said that for longer range shooting dialing for the range is far better than using hash marks for holdover. then there's weight. unfortunately a lot of the mid price $1200 t0 $2200 which qualify under the previuous criterior tend to fail when it comes to weight. For a rifle to be an allrounder which will get carried a fair bit a scope needs to be under about the 675 to 650 gram weight range. Then there's 30mm tube vs 25mm tube. The one advatage a 30mm tube has is a greater range of elevation adjustment and for a .308 shooting out to around 500m its no advantage, so you could save some weight by going to the 25mm tube. Finally warranty, most good brands have good warranty, anything from 10 years to lifetime, I don't get to hung up on this one which is why its last.
So I suggest you make a check list of your criteria and then look at the scopes which fit this criteria in around the $1500 to $3000 price range and you will find whay your looking for.