Looking at picking one of these up for my 5.56 ar and needing some clarification on why you can get either capped turrets or zero stop but not both. Is one preferred over the other for general purpose shooting out to 200 yards?

I don't have any experience with Nightforce (good stuff) but for 200 yards I would choice capped turrets. All your shots with 556/223 at 200 yards are easy holdovers, no need for the easy turn turrets that could be bumped out of zero.

With capped turrets the user is not expected to be dialing elevation. Zero stop has little value to the shooter.
With zero stop the user is expected to be dialing elevation. Turret caps have little value to the shooter.

For 5.56 using a low powered optic, either style works about as well as the other. Zero stop makes the most sense when the shooter is bouncing back and forth hundreds of yards between target distances, and desires precision impacts on all targets.

For targets no further than 200 yards, assuming the target area is relatively forgiving in size, it's probably best to zero at a chosen distance which minimizes holdover/holdunder issues and to forget about elevation turrets.

Having never really used a scope before, thank you that makes perfect sense.

I have Nightforce scopes on my varmint rifles and have both types, ie, capped/zero turn. What was said above about not needing the zero stop for your application is definitely true plus you will probably save a few bucks not taking the zero stop option.

If you set and forget your scope then capped turrets make sense. If you'll need to make constant adjustments then zero stop is the way to go. YMMV.

I have 2 NF NXS 1-4X24 capped scopes on 2 of my AR's. I zero them 1.5" high at 100 yards which lets me shoot without holding over out to 250 yards on a decent sized torso target.

What reticle are you buying? I don't think mildot 1-4x NSXs are very common these days, so capped turrets would be the best bet.

I'm liking the FC-3G reticle over the IHR reticle. While I stated general purpose is the role the scope will fill, I don't see hunting being a part of that.

quote:

Originally posted by hlb14:
I'm liking the FC-3G reticle over the IHR reticle.

The FC-3G reticle is designed for a 200 yard zero, with what should be relatively accurate holdovers out to 600 yards.

Not knowing your scope over bore height, your expected muzzle velocity, and the bullet you plan to use -- ballistics are a guess. But with a 200 yard zero, your first zero could be somewhere in the 55-65 yard ballpark, with Point of Impact no more than 1.5" to 2.0" above Point of Aim until the second zero at 200 yards. The peak of your Point of Impact above Point of Aim could be somewhere in the 120-140 yard ballpark.

With this reticle and your intended shooting distances, the zero stop feature would be a waste of money.

I also recommend the FC3 reticle if you buy the NF 1-4X24 scope.