NXS or ATACR

I know this gets discussed all the time, but I'm having a lot of troubles deciding what direction to go. I am deciding between a 5.5-22x50 NXS or the 4-16x50 ATACR. I want to stick with SFP. Most of my hunting is done via horseback so I really don't want to jump up to a 56mm objective. This scope will be mounted on an STW so I will be stretching it out there.

It's a pretty simple trade off , NXS has more magnification and lesser glass . ATACR has less magnification, better glass .

NXS all the way!!

I don't hunt off of a horse, how does that influence your objective size decision?

Only the way the larger objective fits in a scabbard. I just placed an order for a 5-25 ATACR. I figured I'll make it work in a scabbard for the added benefits

Good choice, I have a 5-25x56 ATACR and it's a great optic .

A

WeiserBucks said:

It's a pretty simple trade off , NXS has more magnification and lesser glass . ATACR has less magnification, better glass .

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And a 34mm tube on the ATACR.

I'm not sure the glass difference matters much outside the lab. The only time I see chromatic aberration with a 20 year old NXS is at the top of the paper, 600y and beyond. That's academic, as the scoring rings are clearly visible at 15x and they are 1/4". My others don't display this at all, but they are newer builds so the coatings may have changed.

I will eventually own an ATACR, but the 50mm NXSs are awesome scopes that have all the features except locking turrets and generally a used NXS is about $500 less than an ATACR. That's a decent amount of bullets and powder, or a back up barrel...

tag

I vote for the ATACR 4-16x42 F1. Small compact size makes it easy to fit in a scabbard (Eberlestock for me). Capped windage and a locking elevation turret means they won't ever get twisted on accident coming in and out of the scabbard.