New scope opinion

[STLHD]

I have a 7mm mag with a 3-9 leupold vx-2 with a duplex reticle that I have hunted with for years that I have become very proficient with out to the 500 yard range through lots and lots of practice. I am looking to put a higher power scope with minute of angle turrets to become a little more precise and maybe extend the range out to 6-700 yards if conditions are good and make a drop chart for the gun.

I am looking at the mark V, nightforce nxs and the huskemaw blue diamond. Obviously the nightforce is the best quality but the weight is concerning since I will be carrying this gun up to the 13,000 foot range when hunting. Are the turrets on the mark v or huskemaw consistent and repeatable when I get my distances dialed in? Is the night force that much better that I should just carry the weight? With the NXS it would take my total gun weight up to around 11 pounds. Thanks for any help.

 

[gillettehunter]

Weight is one of the biggest reasons that I don't I don't own a Nightforce. Last yr I hunted sheep with John Porter. Liked the Huskemawwell enough from pre season practice that I bought one. I also got a March for Christmas. Have not shot the March yet. I'm sure that I'll like it. I killed my ram, antelope and deer w/ the Huskemaw. Preformed well and the glass seems pretty good to me.
I don't like the Leopolds because of the change of focal length as the magnification changes..... Cost me a shot at a bull elk one time. Having said that, one of the best long range hunters thatnI know uses and loves the Leopolds. I used to have Leopolds and had great customer service. Good luck. Bruce

 

[livtoohunt]

Leopold FFP does not change? I have a 4.5-14 and love it! For hunting though I think I would go VX6 2-12 CDS.

 

[cwinner]

I shoot a lot of Leupold scopes, mainly mkIV taticals and agree they are a little bulky and heavy for a dedicated hunting rifle, the night force scopes are worse yet....given this I have a solution for you.

I ordered a VX III long range with a 30mm tube and 40mm objective from the custom shop with a M1 dial and TMR reticle with side focus.....everything you need and nothing you don't, it's a lot lighter and slimmer than my tatical scopes but I have the ability to dial elevation and hold windage with the reticle, the field of view is comparable to the taticals as they all have 30mm tubes.

I mounted with tatical rings on a NEAR 20 MOA base on my browning short action in 284 win and it makes the for the perfect 8# mountain rifle capable of long distance shooting.

Gve the custom shop a call, they can hook you up for a little less than $1k.

 

[MudRunner2005]

I'm a big NF fan. Don't own any yet, but have shot with lots of them. The NXS 5.5-22x56 MOAR reticle has become my next target for my next project, which will be a custom build .280 AI for whitetail hunting and range shooting.

 

[Tikkamike]

I shoot a lot of Leupold scopes, mainly mkIV taticals and agree they are a little bulky and heavy for a dedicated hunting rifle, the night force scopes are worse yet....given this I have a solution for you.

I ordered a VX III long range with a 30mm tube and 40mm objective from the custom shop with a M1 dial and TMR reticle with side focus.....everything you need and nothing you don't, it's a lot lighter and slimmer than my tatical scopes but I have the ability to dial elevation and hold windage with the reticle, the field of view is comparable to the taticals as they all have 30mm tubes.

I mounted with tatical rings on a NEAR 20 MOA base on my browning short action in 284 win and it makes the for the perfect 8# mountain rifle capable of long distance shooting.

Gve the custom shop a call, they can hook you up for a little less than $1k.

I agree 100% i have switched to the same exact scope on several of my rifles except i use the boone and crockett reticle. In my opinion its the best of all worlds with a low price. I have done a little long range hunting/shooting and im a firm believer in you dont need a 20x to make those shots. the low end of a 4.5-14x is far more useable than the high end of a 6.5-20x

 

[MudRunner2005]

I agree 100% i have switched to the same exact scope on several of my rifles except i use the boone and crockett reticle. In my opinion its the best of all worlds with a low price. I have done a little long range hunting/shooting and im a firm believer in you dont need a 20x to make those shots. the low end of a 4.5-14x is far more useable than the high end of a 6.5-20x

See, I don't see how yall are having issues at max magnification....

All my scopes will adjust clearly at max magnification, as close as 100 yards...Yes, even my cheap 32x Konus. And when scanning on max magnificiation, things are just fine, from my experiences. I don't see how so many people are having issues with max magnificaiton. I never have any problems. So for me, I like to have large magnification scopes.

 

[Tikkamike]

See, I don't see how yall are having issues at max magnification....

All my scopes will adjust clearly at max magnification, as close as 100 yards...Yes, even my cheap 32x Konus. And when scanning on max magnificiation, things are just fine, from my experiences. I don't see how so many people are having issues with max magnificaiton. I never have any problems. So for me, I like to have large magnification scopes.

I have no problems with max magnification at all. I am saying its not very useable... yeah you can use 20x at 100 yards easy enough. but you cant use 20x at last light. there are times especially on an overcast evening where last light is quite dark and your 4.5 power is VERY handy. most animals are killed in the first and last hours of shooting light. id much rather be able to see them when they are most active than have a 6.5-20x because itll inhibit me as a hunter. You can be just effective at long range with a 14x and you can a 20x... the scope doesnt make your target any bigger... just looks that way. but you cant shoot what you cant see... I have a 6.5-20x on my lapua and like it and have had no issues with it in anyway but when it comes down to playing for keeps I am going with a scope that has me covered on both ends

 

[BrentM]

I went throught the same questions as you not too long ago. Here is my .001 cents worth of whatever.

I have been a Leupold fan since I was little kid. My first scope was a vari x 3 3.5-10 x40. Awesome hunting scope for short range. Over the years I went with cheap LR scopes such as Simmons, Bushnell, Konus, and Tasco. All failed at some point and became nothing but a higher magnification spotting scope on a rifle.

I had multiple Leupolds in 3x9 configuration and still have a 4.5-14 x50 Boone and Crocket in Matte Black mounted to my 204. I really like this scope. It is clear, bright, and solid. I will also switch it to my 3006 if and when I need to take that rifle out for a hunt.

For a LR scope I wound up with a NF 5.5-22 x56 NPR1. The fact the scope is designed for LR and LR hunting the lower end of the power range is not used for shooting. I tend to work from 15-22 for everything. When I bench shoot for tuning I use 22x on the 200 yard zero and dial in for precision. In fact, when I bench shoot the leupold next to the NF at 200 yards I really wish the leu had more power than 14x for precision work. Sure it will see a 12" target very well, but I am not shooting at a 12" target, I am shooting at a 1" square.

To each there own, but most folks who shoot LR want the magnification and repeatable performance of a proven product. When I am shooting 1200-1500 yards I don't question my scope at all. If I do my part and get all the right info in the computer the scope has put me on target every time. At 1200 yards last Sunday I had 5 shots hit verticaly within 2" of each other and dead on. I turned the turrent, handed it to my 68 yr old mother who pinned a rock at 470, dead on.

I also shot a Mtn Lion a few weeks back at 600 yards. At that distance 22x was tight and not easy to find the cat. However, when it came time to send it I reached up and dialed in more mag. I wound up at 20x. I was able to clearly see the aim point and concentrate on what I wanted to shoot at vs the whole target.
My rifle is 11.3 lbs or so. Worth it to me.

 

[CB11WYO]

I've personally had good luck with the Leupolds. Like you mentioned ya gotta have consistent turrets if you intend to dial up your elevation. All my Leupolds have been very consistent. I've got a VX-II that I push out to a mile (60-65 MOA of scope turret adjustment) and it consistently returns to zero for me. Never had a problem (knock on wood ).

I agree on the weight issue as well. NightForce seems to be heavy, nice scopes but heavy. Leupold would be my vote for your needs.

 

[MudRunner2005]

I went throught the same questions as you not too long ago. Here is my .001 cents worth of whatever.

I have been a Leupold fan since I was little kid. My first scope was a vari x 3 3.5-10 x40. Awesome hunting scope for short range. Over the years I went with cheap LR scopes such as Simmons, Bushnell, Konus, and Tasco. All failed at some point and became nothing but a higher magnification spotting scope on a rifle.

I had multiple Leupolds in 3x9 configuration and still have a 4.5-14 x50 Boone and Crocket in Matte Black mounted to my 204. I really like this scope. It is clear, bright, and solid. I will also switch it to my 3006 if and when I need to take that rifle out for a hunt.

For a LR scope I wound up with a NF 5.5-22 x56 NPR1. The fact the scope is designed for LR and LR hunting the lower end of the power range is not used for shooting. I tend to work from 15-22 for everything. When I bench shoot for tuning I use 22x on the 200 yard zero and dial in for precision. In fact, when I bench shoot the leupold next to the NF at 200 yards I really wish the leu had more power than 14x for precision work. Sure it will see a 12" target very well, but I am not shooting at a 12" target, I am shooting at a 1" square.

To each there own, but most folks who shoot LR want the magnification and repeatable performance of a proven product. When I am shooting 1200-1500 yards I don't question my scope at all. If I do my part and get all the right info in the computer the scope has put me on target every time. At 1200 yards last Sunday I had 5 shots hit verticaly within 2" of each other and dead on. I turned the turrent, handed it to my 68 yr old mother who pinned a rock at 470, dead on.

I also shot a Mtn Lion a few weeks back at 600 yards. At that distance 22x was tight and not easy to find the cat. However, when it came time to send it I reached up and dialed in more mag. I wound up at 20x. I was able to clearly see the aim point and concentrate on what I wanted to shoot at vs the whole target.
My rifle is 11.3 lbs or so. Worth it to me.

THIS, is exactly why I choose to have high-magnification scopes. I like to focus in on that 1/2" dot the middle of a 2" square, and see how tight my groups are, especially for dialing in new handloads to see which ones are truly more precise than the other.

Plus, like you mentioned in your hunting example, finding the animal, then dialing up more for precision shot placement is another advantage to large magnification.

 

[fmajor]

I shoot a lot of Leupold scopes, mainly mkIV taticals and agree they are a little bulky and heavy for a dedicated hunting rifle, the night force scopes are worse yet....given this I have a solution for you.

I ordered a VX III long range with a 30mm tube and 40mm objective from the custom shop with a M1 dial and TMR reticle with side focus.....everything you need and nothing you don't, it's a lot lighter and slimmer than my tatical scopes but I have the ability to dial elevation and hold windage with the reticle, the field of view is comparable to the taticals as they all have 30mm tubes.

I mounted with tatical rings on a NEAR 20 MOA base on my browning short action in 284 win and it makes the for the perfect 8# mountain rifle capable of long distance shooting.

Gve the custom shop a call, they can hook you up for a little less than $1k.

No kidding? What an amazing hunting scope this must be. All the stuff that makes great sense in a LRH optic (M1 turrets, side-focus and great reticle), but at a better price and less weight.

As I've read, since the glass is the same as the MK IV, the only other significant difference would be the ability to withstand hefty recoil and price.

Now that's a WIN-WIN deal for sure! All for ~/< $1,000?

 

[R.Morehouse]

Sightron SIII 8-32x56 with the LRMOA reticle. Under a grand and a perfect tracking scope with amazing glass for the price.gun)