• Watch Out for Scammers!

    We've now added a color code for all accounts. Orange accounts are new members, Blue are full members, and Green are Supporters. If you get a message about a sale from an orange account, make sure you pay attention before sending any money!

How far would you shoot with a 2.5-10 power scope ?

Depends on the target size. IPSC? I'd be comfortable out to a 1000 yards provided enough of a tree or the ability to dial that much.
I’ll be hunting with it so game sized targets .... deer .... and then I’ll use it for smaller targets like groundhogs .... but also I have a 12 inch plate at 600
 
Depending on the round, I’d feel comfortable at 1k+ if the tracking and glass is good. At 600, 10x would be a non issue.

I’d never take a shot at a deer at either of those distances regardless of magnification.
 
10x is fine for target shooting inside 1000 yards provided the glass and tracking are good and the target isn't tiny.

The distance at which I'd be comfortable taking a shot at a deer is more a function of the caliber, the weather conditions, the terrain, the back drop, can I get closer, etc and not really related to the magnification of the scope.
 
I’ll be hunting with it so game sized targets .... deer .... and then I’ll use it for smaller targets like groundhogs .... but also I have a 12 inch plate at 600
I don't think deer at normal hunting distances would be an issue. Varmint shooting however would depend on distance. Small target and long distance usually calls for a thin reticle and higher magnification.

Something bowling pin sized at 300 yards isn't a big deal at 8-10 power, at 500 it can be.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Joko111
Depending on the round, I’d feel comfortable at 1k+ if the tracking and glass is good. At 600, 10x would be a non issue.

I’d never take a shot at a deer at either of those distances regardless of magnification.
It’s a nightforce nxs 2.5-10 that I am looking at
 
  • Like
Reactions: Jgunner
i have the nxs 2.5-10 on my 300 BO so shoot everything from 25 yards to 200 yards.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Joko111
I don't think deer at normal hunting distances would be an issue. Varmint shooting however would depend on distance. Small target and long distance usually calls for a thin reticle and higher magnification.

Something bowling pin sized at 300 yards isn't a big deal at 8-10 power, at 500 it can be.
The reticle is pretty thin .... it’s the moar riffle from nightforce
 
10x is do-able for your stated task, but I would strongly prefer more mag myself.
Maybe a vortex razor lht 3-15 or bushnell lrhs?
 
  • Like
Reactions: Joko111
i have the nxs 2.5-10 on my 300 BO so shoot everything from 25 yards to 200 yards.

I’ve used that Nightforce out to 900. I had trouble resolving steel plates at that distance, though beyond 750 it became difficult to spot misses with 5.56mm anyway. If Nightforce had made that scope in FFP I’d still have it.
 
10x is do-able for your stated task, but I would strongly prefer more mag myself.
Maybe a vortex razor lht 3-15 or bushnell lrhs?
I’ll look into the lht .... the lrhs2 only comes in 4.5-18 and that scope is just to long imo coming in at 14.4 inches
 
I’ve used that Nightforce out to 900. Beyond 750 it became difficult to spot misses with 5.56mm. I had trouble resolving steel plates at that distance as well.
I won’t be doing much target shooting and won’t be going past 600 pretty much ever .... I think it sounds like it would work
 
I won’t be doing much target shooting and won’t be going past 600 pretty much ever .... I think it sounds like it would work
If the reticle works for you and SFP doesn’t bother you, then it’s a decent albeit outdated scope for the price.
 
I have used my 1-8 Burris XTRII to hit an 18" plate at 1000 yards on my 6.5 Creedmoor gasser.

It started out as a question between friends as to whether I could do it with just holdovers. That didn't go well. But when I dialed I had no trouble with it.

I wouldn't shoot at a deer that far with it. But I've taken two deer with that rifle at over 500 yards. Perfect shot placement, one round did the trick.
 
How far does the cartridge you are shooting provide humane quick kills on the game you are hunting and give you a reasonable margin of error for movement, wind and range estimation errors?

What kind of game, where and what environment are you hunting in?

For a lot of hunters, the low end is actually more important than the high end. But that can vary greatly.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Joko111 and brianf
This is looking through an NXS 2.5-10x32. silhouettes were larger than IPSC. The one 2mil left of center is ~800 yards IIRC, and the car is well over 1000.
 

Attachments

  • 20171230_133408.jpg
    20171230_133408.jpg
    243.3 KB · Views: 716
This is looking through an NXS 2.5-10x32. silhouettes were larger than IPSC. The one 2mil left of center is ~800 yards IIRC, and the car is well over 1000.
That’s not bad at all! Thank you that’s very helpful
 
How far does the cartridge you are shooting provide humane quick kills on the game you are hunting and give you a reasonable margin of error for movement, wind and range estimation errors?

What kind of game, where and what environment are you hunting in?

For a lot of hunters, the low end is actually more important than the high end. But that can vary greatly.
500 yards for whitetail ... hunt a Christmas tree farm with very open lanes out to 5-600 yards .... there are groundhogs that I shoot as well all the way out to the back
 
500 yards for whitetail ... hunt a Christmas tree farm with very open lanes out to 5-600 yards .... there are groundhogs that I shoot as well all the way out to the back

Deer probably fine, groundhogs you are going to want a lot more magnification.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Joko111
I just took a 2.5-10 off my AR for shooting prairie dogs. At 400yds and beyond they were hard to spot and track. The reticle was pretty thin and was hard to see at lower magnifications
 
  • Like
Reactions: Joko111
I switched to an Athlon helos gen 2 4-20x50 and took it out yesterday. It is an awesome scope for $500 and the reticle is very useable down around 10-12 power.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Joko111
In good conditions the NSX 2.5-10 had worked well for me out to ~800 yards. It's mounted on a 16" AR and that's the absolute limit of that rifle/cartridge for me.

The biggest limitation has been the simple mil dot reticle. 1 mil is pretty coarse and makes holding for wind challenging past 500 yards. 0.5 mil subtensions would make it much more usable on small targets at distance. Obviously if you're shooting something with less drift than .223 this is less of an issue.

The Mil-R reticle in theory helps but when I looked at it in a 2.5-10x42 it seemed way too busy and hard to read quickly.

I still like the NF Mil Dot reticle since it's clean and quick to use. For <500 yards and on larger targets it's more than adequate.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Joko111
In good conditions the NSX 2.5-10 had worked well for me out to ~800 yards. It's mounted on a 16" AR and that's the absolute limit of that rifle/cartridge for me.

The biggest limitation has been the simple mil dot reticle. 1 mil is pretty coarse and makes holding for wind challenging past 500 yards. 0.5 mil subtensions would make it much more usable on small targets at distance. Obviously if you're shooting something with less drift than .223 this is less of an issue.

The Mil-R reticle in theory helps but when I looked at it in a 2.5-10x42 it seemed way too busy and hard to read quickly.

I still like the NF Mil Dot reticle since it's clean and quick to use. For <500 yards and on larger targets it's more than adequate.
I think the moar looks better for quick aiming and shooting .... with the floating inner crosshair of the reticle
 
8, 6, 5, 4, and 3" KYL target at 545 yards, taken with my phone through a Leupold on 10X.

I was able to hit all but the 3" with a 223 using 77 RDF.

20190915_102755.jpg


I have shot silhouettes at 1000 using a 1-8X but it isn't easy.
 
For hunting, the rule of thumb is 1x for every 100 yds. I've taken a Mark 4 3.5-10 for prairie dogs and never felt limited and we shot to 600 at least.

With the current options today, the only reason to go with a 2.5-10 is if you are trying to keep weight in check. Otherwise, get a good 3-15 and enjoy the 50% increase in upper end magnification. 3x on the bottom end is extremely useable.
 
For hunting, the rule of thumb is 1x for every 100 yds. I've taken a Mark 4 3.5-10 for prairie dogs and never felt limited and we shot to 600 at least.

With the current options today, the only reason to go with a 2.5-10 is if you are trying to keep weight in check. Otherwise, get a good 3-15 and enjoy the 50% increase in upper end magnification. 3x on the bottom end is extremely useable.
I’m trying to keep the rifle sub 8 lbs ... that’s pretty much the reason I landed on the nxs 2.5-10 .... that and durability and solid solid tracking
 
For hunting, the rule of thumb is 1x for every 100 yds. I've taken a Mark 4 3.5-10 for prairie dogs and never felt limited and we shot to 600 at least.

With the current options today, the only reason to go with a 2.5-10 is if you are trying to keep weight in check. Otherwise, get a good 3-15 and enjoy the 50% increase in upper end magnification. 3x on the bottom end is extremely useable.
The other thing is I have some seekins low rings so I would like a 42 or 44 mm obj ... and I want a scope that is 20 oz or below
 
You'll love it and should go with the NXS for sure. 10x won't limit you whatsoever especially since it has pretty good glass quality. A quality 10x is much easier to shoot well than a fuzzy 12-15x scope.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Joko111
You'll love it and should go with the NXS for sure. 10x won't limit you whatsoever especially since it has pretty good glass quality. A quality 10x is much easier to shoot well than a fuzzy 12-15x scope.
Have not heard anything but good stuff about them .... I’ll be ordering the scope soon
 
10x just depends on how thick the reticle is. My rifle i run 10-12x and gone out to 1,000 regularly, its not hard
 
I have shot Long Range High Power at 1000 yards on 10x. My scope goes to 15x but the rifle was set up for supported prone, directly behind the rifle and I was shooting with a sling. I had to zoom out a bit to eliminate scope shadow and get a good sight picture. The aiming black is big (4 MOA), shooting a 1 MOA-X ring. I can see “X” in the ring.
 
10x top end of the NXS is fine but for your uses the vortex lht 3-15 would probably be a much better option if you don’t mind it being SFP. The NXS is a durable scope but the glass quality is subpar compared to a lot of other options on the market. You may very well find yourself wishing for better glass if you are trying to shoot groundhogs at distance.

I’m not a huge vortex fan unless it has razor in its name but I do have and older LH and a newer LHT. Both are on lightweight magnums and have held up great and track perfectly. The glass on both of those are much better than the NXS glass and they are right around the weight you are looking for.
 
I've gone out to 1k with 2-10 PST gen II with .223. Last Quantified Performance match in Blakely, Georgia, at the Arena training center, one of our squadmates made an 1166 yard impact during a course of fire with a 1-10 Razor gen III running 5.56 ar15 platform. He did dial-up since he was out of reticle (capped turret). Nonetheless, I found that pretty impressive. I don't recall if it was a 16" or 18" barrel, though. I know he was considered General precision and believe they're capped at 18" barrels.