Rifle Scopes Need a little NF help

[HomeSlice]

I'm considering dropping the coin necessary to get a NF (gulp).

This is going to go onto a 308 MAK tube gun used for multiple purposes -- primary LR competition (F/TR, etc), secondary coyote blasting up to 400-500 yds. This will be a SFP/MOA scope, not FFP ($, and primary use make me lean this way)

Have questions in a few different areas:

<span style="text-decoration: underline">Magnification</span>
I would normally just go for the 3.5-15x, but I'm a 1000yd virgin. Is the extra 7x of the 5.5-22x a significant advantage at 800-1K for paper punching? Obviously the bottom end is a disadvantage for coyotes if the dog is in close.

<span style="text-decoration: underline">Objective Size</span>
50mm vs 56mm. Doesn't seem like a big deal to me. I think I would go w/ the bigger one in case of low light conditions coyote hunting, but is there any disadvantage? The extra 6mm (12%) doesn't seem like such a big deal to me...

<span style="text-decoration: underline">Zero Stop</span>
Is the zero stop elevation worth the extra $ for these two uses?

<span style="text-decoration: underline">Recticle</span>
Here's where I'm doing some thrashing. I like the CH-2 if it was strictly for target shooting. Looks like the NP-R2 might be a little more useful for coyote hunting, but what are the disadvantages w/ known distance paper? I'm afraid the CH-2 might get lost in the background hunting -- the lines are pretty thin. I can't afford two of these suckers (1 is a stretch), so this worries me quite a bit. Please share your experience with these (or others) for these two use cases.

<span style="text-decoration: underline">Rings</span>
Are the NF rings any good?

Please let me know your thoughts if you have one of these and use it for either competition and/or dog blasting.

Thanks in advance,
-Slice

 

[banshee sws]

Re: Need a little NF help

hard to go wrong with the night force

if you will be shooting more F/TR than hunting i would go with the 5.5-22 over the 3.5-15

yes there will be an advantage having the extra 7x in magnification

nightforce rings are good to go

if it was flipped flopped, and i was hunting more than shooting F/TR , than i would stay with the 3.5-15x50 and not look back

as an idea , i took my wife to a F/TR match , we shot the same rifle, a 24" barreled savage .308, with a 3.5-10x40mm m3 leupold, and after she finished shooting her 20 rounds for score, i got on the gun and dialed everything back down, and said, hey hun, thanks for turning the power setting down for me;

she said ' what's that ? , i haven't touched a thing !'

she shot the entire 1000 yard match, all 20 shots on 3.5 power !

and scored a 190 4x too boot !


obviously not ideal but it can be done -

 

[Rob01]

Re: Need a little NF help

Mag: Go with the 5.5-22. The 3.5-15 will get the job done but guys shooting F/TR like a little more power.

Objective: with the 5.5-22 go with the 56mm. With the higher mag the extra size is better.

Zero stop: a really nice feature under stress. I have them on all my NF scopes.

Reticle: Go with the NP R1. Has 1 MOA marks vertical and 2 MOA horizonatal which is better for holds both elevation and windage. The reticle is plenty fine enough for long range but you are still able to see it fine.

Rings: NF makes excellent rings.