Well, I tried to inject a little humor in a discussion that, in my estimation, always falls just short of actually coming to meaningful conclusions. I see that said humor was lost on some of us... My bad - I'll try harder next time.
But seriously, I've come to believe that the issue of "which scope is the best" only addresses a corollary of the real question. That is, do I want to depend on
a system of moving parts, or do I want to depend on a non-moving graduated reticle, for holdover?
In recent months I have tested the following: (2) Bausch and Lomb 4200 6-24s, (1) Leupold Vari-X II 3-12, (1) Leupold 6.5-20 Vari-X III LR, and (get this!) the aforementioned Nightforce NXS 5.5-22 and Nightforce 3.5-15 NXS. I have come to the conclusion that, in each case, movement of the erector tube is inconsistent at cold or very cold temperatures.
For instance, at 600 yards, wouldn't we all agree that a 1/4 minute click should equal approximately 1.5"? Well, on a number of occasions, I have seen the centers of groups vary from 1/4 to even a 1/2 minute from expected centers after an adjustment... At double or triple that range, we know what the result will be. And this happens on my Leupolds, B&Ls, and yes, even on my beloved NFs...
So, I have come to the personal decision that I don't want to move ANYTHING if I don't have to.
Does this mean I will zero the Wolf for 2 "range ranges", 1 being, perhaps, 0 - 1200 and another, perhaps 600-1800. Maybe. That'd mean I depend on one and only one vertical adjustment to shoot from 0 - 1800 yards at 22x.
Or maybe I'll adopt the S1 method of zeroing the scope at 22x at long range on the main crosshair, which'd let me shoot way out there, but then drop the power to 11x for close shot at 100-500, which would now be on the reticle...
I don't know which method I'll base my future long range shooting on. What I do know is that, as of right now, I don't want to depend on sloppy mechanical adjustments of the erector tube for each and every shot.
That's my goal, that's my humble process right now and that's why the R2 is so important to me right now. Now, if I could just get an R2 in a Supah Snipah...
I'll certainly let you guys know how it goes as the weather warms and I can get out and continue this testing.
Peace and Love...