honest opinion required on scopes

[sauer]

hiya guys

 

ive been and still have swarovski scopes or schmidt & bender.....never had zeiss but believe they all of the same ilk so to speak.....

 

now i may be a snob but ive always been "taught / told/ brainwashed" that if yer after decent scopes then one of the big german marques

 

swaro zeiss S & B.....

 

but........

 

on picking up my new rifle from Russel Galls place he said i would be better off with a nightforce......

i know they are built robust as hell but has anyone on here actually tried a nightforce and a swarovski side by side at last light ???????

 

hes tried them side by side and prefers the nightforce as better optically AND far better build robustness..

 

 

just wondered what other shave tried / thought??

 

 

 

sauer / paul

[brown dog]

Nightforce's long eye relief = Very narrow FOV.

 

Like looking through a straw.

 

Think you'd need to say what the scope's purpose will be for any more comparisons; but I would say 'trust your instincts'

[Cornishman]

Paul

 

I have done lots of shooting with NXS and Swarovski scopes that are comparable in terms of magnification and have also done some twlight tests alongside a S&B PMII.

 

Others claim to see differences where I can't so maybe I don't have particularly sensitive eyes but for my 2p worth I'd take the Swaro for field work (it's light, the coatings give good contrast in poor light and the glass is wonderful) but the Nightforce for target work (fine reticle, reliable dialling and good glass).

[baldie]

Depends on the nightforce, and what mag range. the lower ones are fine on a hunting rifle, the hi mag ones less so. The glass on a nightforce isn,t in the same league as the german stuff [ i have 5 nxs,s and an S+b] .

Put a zeiss 5-25 x 72 ? [the big one] on a volquartsen .22 of all things today. The scope is the best part of £2400 , and i wasn,t impressed with its optics one bit. A huge dissapointment....glad its not mine.

Never owned a swarovski, but used a few, and i like their lenses, they seem to suit my eyes. I think thats the key, and why different people like different scopes. You need to get the one that your eyes like the best Paul.

[sauer]

yeah i like the analogy of "trust yer instincts"

 

my instincts telling me that my swarovski pvs is more than ill ever need ...i may have ideas of grandeur but i have no plans to go competion shooting and the new boomstick will be for plinking and sporting.

 

i just "assumed" i guess that most would stick with the german stuff.

 

cheers for your opinions guys i was curious

 

 

 

sauer / paul

[Zaitsev]

I have a NXS on one rifle, a schmidt on another, a leupold and an ior.

 

The NXS was bought for high mag and fine reticle, the schmidt for low light and the other two were what was available at the time. They all work for their various applications.

 

The NXS does not hold a candle to the schmidt or the ior for glass quality. I would say about the same as the leupold.

 

Have you considered an IOR?

[sauer]

no i havent considered an IOR , i am not really looking either , it was just when i picked up my ne rifle and the gunsmith was putting on my swarovski and i was quite surprised that he favoured nightforce over swarovski.....

 

got me thinking out of curiousity thats all.......

 

and made me realise that next time im gonna spend big money on new glass i will endeavour as much as possible to try before i buy so to speak to actually see thru them at low light levels.

 

i had a leupold too a vxiii 4.5 x14x50 ir

 

i loved it and the reticule etc but it just wasnt a patch on the swarovski or my hungarian 8x56 S&B..!!!! it was good under the lamp in true darkness and i have a vxi on my .22lr

 

for me and what im using rifles for its often that last 5minutes beofre you pack up where you get the shot......and its gotta be good at dawn n dusk for me........

 

i just like window shopping ( shopping not licking! ) always like looking thru new glass !!!!

 

sauer / paul

[BIGDOG]

i have a swarovski and a schmidt which are fixed 8x56s they are both good scopes in good light and low light but recticle is better on the swarovski, only problem i found as i only shoot foxes and vermin was the recticle was two thick at 200 yards.

after advice from friends and this forum i invested in a nxs and although a lot more exspensive have never looked back .since having the nxs i can if needed shoot vermin 300 yards plus in daylight and shot a dog fox as the sun went down two nights ago at 160 yards which the keeper next to me could not see but through the scope was clear as daylight .

the only negative i found with the nxs was field of view at high mag and weight. these are only my exspiereces with the scopes i have hope it might help.

[sir-slots-alot]

Over the years I have owned many scopes from the top german and austrian manufacturers.

 

Several years back on impulse , I also bought a NF NXS , ( after viewing it at a game fair in bright sunshine)

 

 

I was able to compare three scopes which I had , directly against each other - they were

 

Zeiss 3-12x56 Varipoint

Swarovski 6 - 24x50 PV

NF 5.5 -22 x 56 NXS.

 

The NF was superb for day time target / vermin shooting - built like a brick outhouse - and had a great ret.

 

Optically , for my eyes the german / Austrian glass is sharper and colours appear more defined and richer.

 

After using them all many times , the NF felt somehow abit tacky compared to the Zeiss which oozes class.

 

The Zeiss had a wider field of view and performed better in low light - which was a weakness of the NF.

 

 

 

ATB

Alan

[n8ess]

As you can see from my set-ups I am a Schmidt & bender man so it could be perceived that I am slightly biased, but in my opinion they are the class leaders with regard to glass quality, repeatability, ease of use and ruggedness.

 

I have owned both leupold and Swarovski, the leupolds I have owned had poor twilight performance and fussy eye relief especially when the mag was wound up, the Swarovski which was a 6-24-50pv is a great scope but for me the Schmidt’s do have the edge especially the PM11.

 

I have looked through a couple Ziess scopes but not in the field under twilight conditions, they are without doubt a quality scope with great glass. My suggestion would be to try and narrow down your requirements with regard to spec and budget, and see if any of the guys on here can help you out with trying in the field.

 

If you are in my area at anytime you are more than welcome to come and have a look through mine.

 

Cheers

 

Neil

[skany]

i had untill recently a 5.5-22x56 whice to be fair seemed to stack up as well as anything else ive looked tru!

 

I then bought a ziess victory 6-24x56 & it just edges the nf as its getting dark & in bright sunlight its a little better too!no better under a lamp id say!

 

I have since bought another victory & moved the nf on to keep the scope formats the same but theres not a lot in it to my eyes!

 

I will say the zeiss is easyer on the eyes tho & has a slightly better fov

 

also looked at/thru a few swarvo z6i's but they arent suited to long range use even with the so called balsitic turrets!

glass looked good as all top end stuff seems to!

 

cheers Andy

[auquhollie]

Paul,

If you want i can give ou a call when i get home and you can come up for a stalk. I have a couple of nightforces and a PM2 so you can try them out against your swaro at last light. You can try and convince me on a true left hander at the same time ?. Something i have always toyed with being a lefty shooting a right handed rifle

 

Ads

[sauer]

no probs Adam, gie me a call when you get home ...when you due in?????

 

looks like im awa monday so see what like...get oot wi you at some point...would be good to compare them just to see what me thinks

 

 

 

cheers

sauer / paul

[auquhollie]

Paul,

Im due home on the 20th so will give you a bell soon after.

 

Ads

[srvet]

Hi

 

I have a NF NXS 5.5-22x50 and a S&B PMII 4-16. To be honest the S&B is better although the NF remains very very good. Both of these scopes will adjust accurately every time and hold zero. If I were buying another scope though it would be a S&B. I also have a Zeiss Diavari on a stalking rifle that optically is about the same as the Schmidt.

 

Cheers

 

S

[Ronin]

Welcome Srvet

 

 

 

glad you finally made the jump

[gunnery]

i use a ior for target shooting good clear glass probly no better than the rest of the top scopes but i would say it can hold its own with them but what i like about them is 35mm tube scholts glass and one complete turn of the turets is 24 moa very hard to get confused when you are going up and down all day with the turets plus they only cost £925 not bad for a quality scope but for hunting i use swasky fixed scope 8x56 brill at night some nights i have used it without lamp if i am lied up waiting for charlie hope this helps

[TonyH]

Out of many I've owned over the years, the only 'scope I still regret wistfully having sold is a Swarovski 8x56 - built like a tank with super glass, and I had excellent factory service when I requested they change the reticle. OTOH perhaps the best (subjectively speaking) view I have currently through a 'scope is with my old, battered, obscure Oriental 4x32 scope that a friend modified with a two-dot Lee reticle, crystal clear and very sharp.... I have no experience of NXS so I'm interested to see these user reports.

TonyH

[Offroad Gary]

i've had s&b, leup, swaro and nightforce. i currently use 6x42 swaro on .22rf, 8x56 swaro on .308, 6-24x50 pvi2 swaro on .243 and 5.5-22x56 nxs np2-dd on my custom 22-250. i find the nxs excellent, but fussy and very susceptible to dimming of your eye isnt in the right place, got rid of one because i didnt get on with it but on a custom rifle with adjustable cheekpiece it works fine, the dot of the np2dd fits just nicely between the eyes of most quarry at ranges further than shots should be taken, you do need time to set it up for the shot to get the best out of it. the swaro variable is excelent, use it for lamping and stalking and it will soon live on a 25-06 fallow culling rifle, looking forward to some long range kills with it. the 8x56 will move to the .243 r93 and i'll be running 70gn bullets, will be good for 300 yard shots with minimal holdover (it has the illuminated ret with the 1 moa dot in the middle, very precise, can shoot 1" group at 300 with my .308 r93).

 

as others have said, you really need to tailor the scope to the need.

[AHPP]

Nightforce have got some lovely specifications but they don't have that 'just right' feel a Schmidt and Bender has.

 

From Schmidt I'd like to see physically smaller scopes and a good MOA reticle.

 

If equipping a target/varmint rifle (which, let's face it, it doesn't matter a great deal if the sight picture is a bit dim) I'd currently go with an NXS because of the MOA/MOA ret/turrets.

If equipping an end of the world/must work always rifle I'd go with a Schmidt and put up with MIL/MIL and it being huge.

 

 

 

I'm thinking largely from the point of view of a jack of all trades scope; if I could only own one (which, when the cost of these things is taken into account, isn't miles from the truth). The NXS 2.5-10x32 is a lovely physical size and mag range and can be had MOA/MOA. Basically, for me, I'd like Schmidt to make a 2.5-10x30something scope with medium profile MOA turrets and an MOA ret in the FFP.

[scotsgun]

Nightforce have a shite after sales service - from personal experience.

 

I'll never buy one again.

[Finman]

I've a S+B 2.5-10x56, a Zeiss Victory Varipoint 2.5-10x50T, a NF NXS 5.5-22x56, a Leupold VXIII LRT 6.5-20x40 and a Leupold VXIII 4.5-14x40. All do a great job on the rifles they're at. The leupolds are the poorest for night/dim light shooting, the Zeiss and S+B are great on the stalking rifles they're on, and the NF is also great on the 6mmBR for all sorts of things. I find its illumination setting fussy (not as easy to adjust for dimness as the other two-S+B and Zeiss) but the NR-2PP reticle is great and the whole 'feel' of the scope is also nice. If you want your rifle to look tactical, get one of them. I find it better than the Leupolds, but not as good as the Europeans.

 

My two cents,

 

Finman