Hi All, this is a decision I'm potentially rushing because I'm looking at Black Friday/Cyber Monday deals. My goal is to really push my hunting range out to 500 yards (from my current ~300 yards). On my Seekins Precision Havak PH2 6.5CM, I currently have an SWFA SS Ultralight. I like how light and low profile it is, but my sense is that to be able to shoot effectively in the field out to where you are getting a lot of drop and drift, you really need to be able to quickly dial, which calls for features like zero stop and zero lock. Also, I'm now prepared to shell out more cash for glass. At the time I had just bought the rifle and was happy to keep the scope budget low as I got it set up.
A few other assumptions ... every authority on long range shooting that I have listened to always emphasizes that you don't need high magnification and really shouldn't use it, even at the range but definitely not in the field due to target acquisition difficulties for follow up shots. I also like to keep the mount as low profile as possible and try not to add too much weight to the rig. So I try to stay away from objective lenses bigger than low 40mms and look for scopes with lower magnification ranges and smaller objective lenses. But most of the scopes out there seem to be higher mag and bigger glass. The selections that meet my specs are pretty limited.
Protection from the elements is also a great benefit, as I tend to be out in rough conditions on my escapades.
Based on all of this, I started looking a few months ago and I decided Nightforce was probably the best option for me. I got pulled away from that search and am coming back now for Black Friday. I believe I had zeroed in on the NXS – 2.5-10x42mm. The NXSs seems to have great reviews ... better than the Leupolds, and it's pretty good on my specs. I did like the Leupolds' greater eye relief, which is a bit of an issue for me with the SWFA ... I have to adjust my check weld a bit.
Any thoughts on my assumptions or selection? Also any advice on reticle selection or any other options would be great. I've never really dialed, so I don't know what I don't know. My only assumption there is that MOA dialing would be preferred, since that is what I think in terms of and I've heard that there is no real advantage for MIL in hunting ... I think Davidson the Gunwerks guy said that.
A few other assumptions ... every authority on long range shooting that I have listened to always emphasizes that you don't need high magnification and really shouldn't use it, even at the range but definitely not in the field due to target acquisition difficulties for follow up shots. I also like to keep the mount as low profile as possible and try not to add too much weight to the rig. So I try to stay away from objective lenses bigger than low 40mms and look for scopes with lower magnification ranges and smaller objective lenses. But most of the scopes out there seem to be higher mag and bigger glass. The selections that meet my specs are pretty limited.
Protection from the elements is also a great benefit, as I tend to be out in rough conditions on my escapades.
Based on all of this, I started looking a few months ago and I decided Nightforce was probably the best option for me. I got pulled away from that search and am coming back now for Black Friday. I believe I had zeroed in on the NXS – 2.5-10x42mm. The NXSs seems to have great reviews ... better than the Leupolds, and it's pretty good on my specs. I did like the Leupolds' greater eye relief, which is a bit of an issue for me with the SWFA ... I have to adjust my check weld a bit.
Any thoughts on my assumptions or selection? Also any advice on reticle selection or any other options would be great. I've never really dialed, so I don't know what I don't know. My only assumption there is that MOA dialing would be preferred, since that is what I think in terms of and I've heard that there is no real advantage for MIL in hunting ... I think Davidson the Gunwerks guy said that.
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