Ok I finally decided to add 6.5 Creedmor to my caliber selection and have ordered a couple of rifles in it. Left on my own as a NF guy I would get a NF ATACR 7-35 Mrad with Milxt for it. Or maybe the 5-25 but most discussion I see says why bother. And I have no idea how the NX8 option is in real life but it weighs a bit less which is nice. This is going to be used for a 'prs' like events but not exactly to those rules, but similar except range limited to approx. 600. Anything that would be a similar alternative to consider?

I have the ATACR 5-25. It’s plenty good out to 1,000 yards.

Optically there's a fair amount of difference between the 7-35 and 5-25, the 7-35 being superior. The 7-35 also has a slightly better eye box. A more forgiving eye box is very beneficial for fast postional PRS type shooting where you might not be getting into a perfect cheek weld. More likely to maintain point of aim/point of impact. The NX8 line is a step down in both optic quality and eye box, reason they cost less. In my humble opinion the Minox 5-25 is the scope to beat in the price range of the NF 5-25/7-35.

I agree with offgrid -- the NF 7-35 has better optics than the 5-25. I have two of each. The NX8 scopes are not in the same league.

Tangent Theta is an option.

quote:

Originally posted by offgrid:
the 7-35 being superior

Any idea why that would be?
Same manufacturer, same line, not that much difference in magnification. Would it/could it be, “The higher power scope is going to be used by more demanding shooters; we need to make it better”? That seems odd even as I type it, but ….

I am very curious about such things.

The 7-35 is a different scope. I've spent a lot of time behind both, and shot my fair share of rounds. The 7-35 is just better.

It is what it is.

Thanks for the help. Ordered 7-35.

quote:

Originally posted by fritz:
It is what it is.

fritz, I get the impression you were annoyed by my question, perhaps because you took it as a challenge or that I doubted what you said. If so, let me assure you that that was not my intent. When I question something here it may be because a statement seems unlikely, but if there’s anything I would ever challenge, your observations about long range competition shooting and everything from optics to rifles and ammunition loads would be at the very bottom of that list.

I often express the reasons for my questions, as I did about the Night Force scopes above, but that’s to explain the specifics of my thinking, and not necessarily because I believe they refute something we’ve been told here, such as your comment. In this case you stated emphatically that the 7-35 scope is better than the 5-25, as did offgrid, and he’s another member whose opinions about optics and long range shooting I’m not about to dispute. I value the opinions and knowledge of both of you highly. It’s precisely because I respect both of you and your opinions is why I asked why it might be that the more powerful NF would have been made better by the manufacturer. To reiterate, “why” the one was better was my question, not “whether.”

If I’ve clarified the reason for my “why” question, I’m still very interested in opinions that address the answer. As I think about it, now I’m wondering whether that difference in quality between similar scopes in the same line could be true of other manufacturers. I have two sights myself that fall into that category, and if we ever see summer here again, it’s something I’ll try to investigate myself. For guidance on that project, I assume that it would be best to check the images with the scopes’ magnifications set to the same, for example at 10× with both 3-15 and 5-25 sights—correct? Or would it be better at a different setting?

Thanks again to you and anyone else who might comment on my question.

The ATACR 5-25 is a very good scope. The 7-35 is even better. That knowledge helps me decide which scope goes on which rifle, because I want the best tools within my means for a given task.

I have no idea why the 7-35 has been optics than the 5-25. I don't care, either. Knowing why won't make me shoot any better with either scope. It won't gain me any targets. It won't increase my scores. It won't increase my enjoyment of shooting.

I picked up the 5-25 just a couple of months before they released the 7-35. I tried to tell myself that it didn't matter because I wasn't going past 1200yds, and even past 1000 was rare on this rifle. Then a guy sat down next to me getting ready for a practical rifle match and he had the 7-35. He let me play with it for a while, and the 7-35 did not have the terrible tunneling that the 5-25 does. I instantly got jealous, but I've still been pretty happy with my 5-25.

Eyebox was better too. Dang.. thanks for bringing this up and making me want to sell my 5-25

I have a Vortex Razor HD Gen II 4.5-27x56 on my 6.5 Grendel and a NF ATACR 7-35x56 on my 6.5 CM and I'd say the Vortex is a very good alternative to the NF. It's not better, but it is a "reasonable option" at an even lower price point than the NF. I love 'em both...and since TTIWWP:

6.5 Grendel Spikes Tactical Brown Recluse w/28" Krieger and Deadair Sandman L


6.5 Creedmoor Falkor Omega

I just got back from the range about 2 hours ago where I zeroed in my Nightforce NX8 1-8x LVDO. It's an awesome scope. The only downside to it is that the eye relief at 8x is almost as bad as an ACOG.

The gun is my Franken AR. An old post ban era Bushmaster lower with a fixed stock and a brand new Palmetto State 18" upper and Nickel Boron BCG. The mount is a LaRue non quick detach mount.

Its probably a stretch for me to decide to use a 1-8 instead of a 7-35 NF. But thanks. Me personally in that magnification range if someone is buying 1-8 the ATACR 1-8 is so so much better than the NX8 I would suggest that you save your pennies and get that unless the size difference is absolutely critical.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: hrcjon,