Re: NF zero stop worth 200 more
Yea, a NF has more features, none of which I find a need for in a deer stand. I've hunted for over 45 yrs w/o illuminated reticles. I've never missed a legal shot on a deer because I didn't have an illuminated retical. They are nice to have but not at the cost in weight and $$ IMO.
As for turrets, in a deer rifle, I'll pass on dialing. If you have a decent retical you can hold pretty much anything you need with a decent retical. Finding a good retical that's not someone's interpretation of a BDC is somewhat harder, which is why my deer rifles sport 3-9x42 Swaro Z3s with a BRX/BRH reticle. They have a simple, useful, 0.5 mil aiming points on the vertical. They have good glass, they work easily out to reasonable ranges (under 600) with modern ammo and out to 250 on a 45-70, it weighs 12 oz, cost less than $1000.
I own 4 illuminated scopes, 2 NF scopes (I have a 42 and a 32 that I've run on my TR rifles), a Bushy 3-12 FFP and a SS 5-20. Only the little Bushy has a chance of going on a hunting rifle since it doesn't weigh a ton and doesn't have to be mounted 2 inches above the bore.
My only complaint about NF is the weight, in any of their scopes. I don't even play pretend combat games with my rifles. My scopes don't need to weigh 30oz or more. When it comes to hunting the truth is, in recent yrs, my $219 Bushnell DOA 250 mounted on a cheap Knight rolling block muzzle loader has killed way more deer (at ranges out to 150) than my other rifles combined. (During TN muzzle loader season you can take four does)
<span style="font-style: italic">edit: as an aside, I've got to particular like for Swro other than that they make a retical in a hunting rifle that is just a simple .5 mil has/dot system and not some kind of BDC system that doesn't actually work for anything.</span>
