Looking for opinions on the Nightforce NXS 1-4x24

[AR-10]

I am almost done with my bench gun and am currently in the market for a variable power scope.

In a perfect world I would be ordering a Short Dot, but I don't have that kind of coin to drop right now and I am an impatient bastard so saving up is out of the question.

So, I'm taking a hard look at the NXS w/mil-dots and it's looking like a good alternative to the S&B.

Any of y'all got any trigger time behind one of these Nightforce scopes? Please let me know what you think of it.

Here's the new middy, just need a gas block and a brake and it will finally be finished:

[Aragorn]

I had a 1-4 with the FC-2 reticle. Ran it on a standard length bobro mount. I had it mounted and indexed on the upper receiver with maybe a quarter inch (of the mount) extending onto the forend, and the optic was slid as far back in the mount as it would go. I don't shoot NTCH, but I do get close and I had more than enough eye relief to be comfortable.

The optic would clear my troy folding sights with room to spare to long as I didn't use the crappy NF scope caps. The caps are soft rubber, big and bulky and slow to close again. I put butler creek flip ups on instead and all became well with the world again.

I used the FC-2 reticle and loved it. It's clean, it's crisp, and for a magnified scope it felt very fast.

Length and weight-wise, it's one of the trimmer scope's available.

The magnification ring is stiff to turn, I used a cat tail to speed things up.

Only con I really had with it was that on 1x power it did seem to fishbowl very slightly (though it went away at higher powers) and that it didn't appear to be a true 1x. Things were slightly magnified and when I flipped up the front sight it was huge. Maybe that was just due to the proximity of the sight to the objective, but I don't know. I think the 1x setting is probably closer to 1.1 or 1.2x

I originally bought it thinking that having the versatility to go from no power to 4 power would be a boon. I chose the nxs due to the weight and reticle and nightforce's reputation. I sold it because I found I actually prefer ACOG's.

[Army Chief]

My impressions mirror those of Aragorn's, with the following exceptions:

- LaRue mount, instead of Bobro (in a perfect world, I would actually prefer the latter).
- Samson BUIS. Same problem with the stock NF lens covers, though.
- Also very much like the FC-2. It gets maligned for daylight visibility under illumination, but in actual usage this is pretty much a non-issue for me.
- Also use a cattail, and for the same reason.
- Agree that it is probably closer to 1.1x, but again, this is to be expected, and not a serious consideration.
- Still have mine, though I do like ACOGs when variability isn't essential.

I own a S&B 1.5-4x Zenith FlashDot, and can certainly attest to the quality of S&B optics; that said, for the money, I do think the NF is a very solid proposition. You may eventually find something that you like better, but the NXS honestly doesn't leave a lot to be desired, and the quality is about as good as it gets for domestic glass.

AC

[Paulo_Santos]

Are you sure you only want a 1x4 on a bench gun?

[AR-10]

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Thanks for the input, both of you. Interesting that you are getting a fishbowl effect when this scope is supposed to be a true 1x. Also interesting that you both went with the FC-2 reticle, I am used to mil-dots which is why I was leaning towards the other reticle.

Are you sure you only want a 1x4 on a bench gun?

No, I'm not. Like everything else with these rifles, you do research and talk to as many shooters as possible and just when you think you know what you want, something changes your mind.

I originally was looking at an ACOG but started thinking it would be nice to have something that can handle medium range work and still be good at close range which is why I am now looking at variable scopes - I'm not crazy about the idea of 4x all the time, and mounting a mini RDS on top of an ACOG makes for a system that is too tall for my liking.

If I could afford an S&B, the option would be on the table but I have one more rifle on the back burner and it's a .308 which means it's going to bleed me dry so I just can't do it right now.

The Nightforce I can do, and could even save a few hundred if I went with an ACOG so I don't know what to do now.

[Paulo_Santos]

Personally, a rifle like that is screaming for a 3x9 scope. There are plenty of affordable options, such as the Super Sniper.

[15ICAM]

I had a NF 1-4x24 with MILDOT and did not like it. The reason is that I found MILDOT reticle was too fine to use quickly at 1x and thus slowed me down considerably especially on dark targets. I would have gone with the FC-2 on this scope if I had to do it again.

[AR-10]

Yeah, seems everyone I talk to says the same thing - go with the FC-2.

Paulo, you have trigger time behind one of those SWFA scopes?

How is that 3x at shorter ranges?

[JGifford]

I hate to necro...but it shows that I know how to use the search feature

It's been a few years since this thread obviously, and I am now considering a Nightforce 1-4X.

My VCOG en devour was a huge failure, and I'd like to not repeat it.

Things that matter to me:

Is the reticle CRISP at 1X at say, 10 feet, or is the reticle or target, one, blurry? The VCOG did this and I didn't like it. If you adjusted diopter to fix that, it was blurry at all other magnifications/distances. Does the NSX have this issue, or is the lower spread of 1-4 instead of 1-6 going to cover/prevent that diopter shift?

Will the illumination overpower my M600 Ultra 500 lumen WML at night (I know it's not daylight visible, but the FC-3G reticle is FAST!).

In the daylight, with illumination maxed, if I am looking to a dark window or door, will I then (while the reticle is over the black recess/shadow) see the illumination, or will I get total black-out and have no POA?

Are there any bugs with this thing? (Flickering illumination, magnification walks during use, some other issue?)

How is the eyebox compared to the VCOG or the 1-6 Razor HD or the Leupold MK6? I have experience with those.

Thanks!

[GOST]

I'm in the market for a variable power optic also, looking forward to reading the responses you get.

[SINNER]

I have a NXS 1-4 and honestly as long as these Steiners are around for what they are selling for I will likely not purchase another. The NF is a fantastic optic but the Steiner is better for less. No brainier.

http://mobile.eurooptic.com/steiner1...fle-scope.aspx

Damn went to grab a link and now these are down to 699.00. They were a steal at $800.

[JGifford]

*sigh*
I'm just going to eat Ramen for a month or so. This solves all issues and involves no compromising.

[Slippers]

I'd love to have one of those. Nice snag. :)

[JGifford]

I'd love to have one of those. Nice snag. :)

Not snagged yet. I'm going to have to eat the Ramen for a month or so.

[JGifford]

More research into it, and I am now more torn than ever. NF is probably the route I'm going to go, simply because they don't break. The Z6i and Kahles? They are AMAZING, but I have dug enough to know that some people have broken them when the NSX has held up to amazing amounts of abuse. There is a reason it's a NAVSPEC/issued optic.