Rifle Scopes ATACR 7-35x questions

[Antero Vipunen]

Hello,

New member here. I have been lurking here since last year and I also purchased a scope from "Optics for sale" threads.

For me the primary use is long distance (>1000yds) shots both on range and out in the desert.
I'm currently shooting a 6.5CM and plan is to add 338 Lapua at a later date.
I know that I want a reticle with hold marks for elevation and wind, like Tremor3, H59 or Minox MR4.

Father's Day is my opportunity to splurge and I'm very close to ordering an ATACR 7-35x w/ Tremor3. Before I do I wanted to run this by the forum experts:

- Illuminated Tremor3 has only couple of illuminated dots on main vertical line and on 10-mil elevation line. Is T3 really usable in twilight conditions?

- My ATACR 4-16x MIL-R has both red and green illumination and I have found both modes useful in different situations. Green works very well around sunset time. Does the 7-35x have also both red and green illumination? I noticed that NF web site does not really advertise 2-color illumination on any scopes yet some ATACRs have this.

Given my wish list of >25x magnification, hold over reticle and green illumination, is there anything else I should be seriously looking at?

Best Regards,
Vipunen

 

[WtxShooter]

About 95% sure it has both red and green illumination in it as well, but just my 2 cents, but it is by far my best all around scope I own, and I’ve had a TON of different scopes. Still have an ATACR 4-16 with Tremor 3 as well, but my 7-35’s are my favorites by far.

 

[wigwamitus]

Red only, at least in the Nightforce and Leupold implementations I have for the T3.

Many more than a couple of dots.

I use the T3 in all conditions, day and night.

at 12x

at 22x

The only plus for me, for illumination is avoidance of inversion for thermal clipon in rare cases. Both my T3s are illuminated because I was not sure. But if I get another one, I will not pay extra for the illumination if that is an option.

7-35x T3 on 7.62(22) with thermal clipon

==
The main plus of the T3 is the wind dots. Estimate the wind in mph and shoot, no translation to mils.

If you don't want wind dots, look at the Kahles SKMR3 ... fully illuminated tree ...

However, as near as I can tell, the SKMR3 is only in RED color.


==

If it was me, I would go with the T3 due to the wind dots (I did go with the T3 due to the wind dots!! )

 

[wigwamitus]

Update, just looked thru both the NF 7-35x T3 and the L&S Mk6 3-18x T3 and actually the whole reticle is illuminated. The above indicated dots are brighter, but the whole thing is lightly illuminated !!

I tried to take a pic, but I'm not enough of a phone camera operator to pull it off in the dark.

 

[Ravenyzf-r6]

My new one is red and green illuminated.

 

[wigwamitus]

Hum, well maybe mine is too, how do you turn on the GREEN !!??

 

[Ravenyzf-r6]

Push and hold it for a bit. Longer than the turn on/off. Maybe 10 seconds.

 

[wigwamitus]

Wow, there is GREEN in there - who knew !!!

Thanks !!!

 

[Antero Vipunen]

Wigwamitus, Ravenyzf, thank you confirming the "hidden" green mode in 7-35x.

Also good to know that the entire T3 grid is illuminated. Tremor3 reticle diagram on NF site led me to believe that only 11 points marked in red have the illumination.

http://nightforceoptics.com/sites/d...image/public/Tremor3-Illuminated_SM_web_0.png

It definitely sounds like ATACR 7-35x does everything I would need it to do. I'm expecting mechanical robustness similar to ATACR 4-16x.

I will dial through the known NF retailers for prenegotiated Father's Day pricing.

Thank you,
Vipunen

 

[wigwamitus]

As to the T3 grid being illuminated. It is and it isn't. When I turn on the red illumination for the 7-35x T3, the red dots shown in the reticle diagram above are very red. The rest of the reticle is faint red. I'm not sure if it is supposed to be that way? But, the T3 reticle in my L&S mk6 3-18x looks exactly the same way. Let's call it "full" illumination for the dots and "faint" illumination for the rest of the reticle.
Now that is for RED.
For green on the BF 7-35x, I only see the dots with the "full" illumination. No "faint" illumination for the rest of the reticle on GREEN.
Ravenyz-r6 can you confirm?

 

[phlegm]

In the NF I've seen with a T3, only the dots had actual illumination. If the brightness was turned up, the splash made it look like more was lit, though.

I tend to believe that spec sheet that only indicates that the dots are intended to illuminate.

 

[Ravenyzf-r6]

I’ll check when I get home, but memory wants me to say the red was full illumination and green looked more like just the dots. My H59 S&B was only dots on the illumination, which is very nice when you have a reticle with a floating dot center. I’ll try and remember to update later.

 

[wigwamitus]

... the splash made it look like more was lit ...

That could be it ... but unless the illum brightness is different for the green than for the red, this "splash" phenom seems to only apply to the red, not the green.
And again, exactly this same "splash" affect, happens in the L&S mk6 3-18x T3 implementation as well. it isn't just a NF "glitch".

 

[Ravenyzf-r6]

Here are some crappy pics of the reticle illuminated. Looks like either crappy illumination or crappy bleed over. I’m leaning towards bleed over as posted earlier as only the dots appear concise.

 

[Ravenyzf-r6]

Green I feel is the same, but since it isn’t as strong as the red it appears not to be as bad. Kinda disappointing in either case. Feel like my PST has better illumination.

 

[wigwamitus]

Here are my attempts ... first the RED ... I think this is max brightness for the illum. Click on the pics for the largest image. Turn off the lights in your room also, especially for the green one.

==
And GREEN ... again I think this is max brightness for the Illum.

So Rev is correct, the "bleed over" exists in the GREEN illumination as well, but is more faint.

==
Now one question is, is this good or bad ?

One reason I didn't know this stuff, is I never turned on the illumination except a couple of times in the house to see if it worked. I don't use it in the field. Don't need it with NV ... could potentially use it with thermal, to avoid inversions, but haven't done that in the field yet.

So, I can live without it, but is the perhaps unintended "splash" useful ?

it might be for me. I will have to try it with the thermal clipon.

 

[phlegm]

I don't see how this is a problem: Either I see it as a bonus that helps me be aware of more of the reticle, or I turn the reticle to a lower level.

The Horus spec is clearly intended to be just the dots. If I turn the brightness to a level where that's all I see, it's working as intended.

 

[Antero Vipunen]

This thread answers every question in my mind about the NF 7-35x illumination. Thank you for the pictures.

With regards to red vs green illumination, I have noticed that in last minutes of daylight conditions the red reticles in general seem to "spill over" or obscure the dimly lit target even when using the lowest (faintest) settings. Green reticle superimposes better on the target and makes it easier to see both the target and the reticle clearly at the same time. On the other hand when aiming at shadowed targets in otherwise bright daylight red typically works better.

This may be of course just my eyes or the wiring between eyes and brain .

I will be experimenting with the lit T3 to determine whether just the dots or dots + some grids is more usable. Based on pictures brightness adjustment will enable both.

Thank you!
Vipunen