When it comes to precision optics for hunting, NightForce stands out as a premier brand renowned for its exceptional quality and performance. The best NightForce hunting scopes offer unparalleled clarity, durability, and reliability in the field. These scopes are meticulously engineered to meet the highest standards, ensuring that hunters can rely on them in the most demanding conditions. They are suitable for a wide range of hunting situations as well.
It is essential to always get the riflescope regardless of the application you intend to use it for. A top-notch scope helps with aiming and landing the best accuracy that should work well for you.
Why NightForce for a Hunting Scope?
Unmatched Optical Quality
NightForce hunting scopes are renowned for their superior optical quality. They utilize premium glass and advanced coatings to deliver exceptional clarity, brightness, and color accuracy. This ensures hunters can clearly see their targets in low-light conditions, which is crucial during dawn and dusk when game is most active.
Durability and Reliability
NightForce scopes are incredibly durable. They are constructed with rugged materials and are rigorously tested to ensure they can handle extreme temperatures, moisture, and rough handling. This reliability means hunters can trust their scope to perform flawlessly in any weather condition.
Precision and Accuracy
These scopes are designed with precision in mind. They offer precise adjustments for windage and elevation, allowing for accurate long-range shooting. The high-quality reticles and reliable tracking ensure that hunters can make accurate shots, even at extended distances.
Versatility
The brand offers a range of hunting scopes, catering to various hunting styles and preferences. Whether you’re hunting big game, varmints, or anything in between, there’s a NightForce scope that meets your specific needs. Their versatile reticle options and magnification ranges make them suitable for different types of hunting scenarios.
Innovative Technology
Their scopes feature cutting-edge technologies like zero-stop turrets, illuminated reticles, and first or second focal plane reticles. These advancements enhance the shooting experience and provide hunters with tools that improve their performance in the field.
Solid Reputation
NightForce has built a strong reputation within the hunting and shooting community. Their commitment to quality and customer satisfaction has earned them the trust of hunters worldwide. Choosing a NightForce scope means investing in a product that has been tried, tested, and proven by experts.
Best NightForce Scopes for Hunting
Let’s get into the best models that will help you succeed in your hunting expedition.
1) NightForce SHV 4-14x56mm Riflescope
The NightForce SHV 4-14x56mm scope combines advanced features and robust construction to meet the demands of serious hunters and marksmen.
The SHV boasts fully multi-coated glass, ensuring maximum light transmission, enhanced color fidelity, and superior image clarity. This optical excellence allows hunters to spot and identify targets with precision, even in low-light conditions typical during dawn and dusk hunts.
It is made from solid bar stock 6061-T6 aircraft-grade aluminum. This durable construction ensures that the scope is resilient against impacts and harsh weather conditions, providing hunters with a reliable optic that performs flawlessly, hunt after hunt.
Since it is designed to be waterproof, fogproof, and shockproof, the SHV 4-14x56mm riflescope is ready for any environmental challenge. Whether you’re hunting in heavy rain, humid conditions, or rugged terrains, this scope maintains its performance, ensuring that your vision remains clear and unobstructed.
Further, the scope features zero-tolerance lenses, ensuring that each lens is perfectly aligned for optimal performance. This precision engineering guarantees that the scope provides consistent and accurate images, crucial for making those critical shots.
It is equipped with capped turrets and metal dials that offers 0.25 MOA finger-click adjustments for windage and elevation. These adjustments provide tactile feedback, allowing hunters to make precise changes effortlessly. The capped turrets also protect the settings from accidental adjustments, ensuring that your zero remains consistent.
The 4-14x magnification range offers versatility for various hunting scenarios, from close-quarters engagements to long-range shots.
The 56mm objective lens maximizes light-gathering capabilities, ensuring bright and clear images even in challenging lighting conditions.
All these features make the SHV contend as the top candidate for the best NightForce hunting scopes.
Specifications
- Magnification: 4-14x
- Tube Diameter: 30mm
- Objective Lens Size: 56mm
- Eye Relief: 3.1 to 3.5 inches
- Adjustment Click Value: 0.25 MOA
- Parallax: 25 yards to infinity
- Reticle Focal Plane: Second Focal Plane
- Weight: 28.5 oz
- Adjustment Range: 100 MOA
Pros
- Excellent build quality
- Clear and crisp
- Precise movements
Cons
- The reticle crosshairs are too thin
2) NightForce NXS 5.5-22x50mm Riflescope
The NXS offers an impressive magnification range from 5.5x to 22x, providing versatility for both close and long-range shooting scenarios. This wide range ensures that hunters can accurately engage targets at various distances with ease.
The MOAR is designed for ultimate precision. It features a floating center crosshair that is two MOA wide and two MOA tall, delivering a precise aiming point. The reticle also includes one-MOA elevation and windage spacings, facilitating quick and accurate adjustments. Additionally, the 20 MOA scale below the center allows for extended range holdovers, making it ideal for long-distance shots.
NightForce’s proprietary ZeroStop technology is a standout feature, enabling hunters to return to their original zero point with ease and confidence. This ensures that you can make elevation adjustments without losing your zero, providing peace of mind during critical moments in the hunt.
The NXS provides generous eye relief, which is crucial for comfort and safety, particularly when dealing with heavy recoil. This feature allows hunters to maintain a clear and full field of view without straining their eyes.
With a remarkable 100 MOA of elevation travel, this scope offers extensive adjustment capabilities, making it suitable for extreme long-range shooting. This elevation range ensures that you can compensate for bullet drop and engage targets at great distances effectively.
Specifications
- Magnification: 5.5-22x
- Tube Diameter: 30mm
- Objective Lens Size: 50mm
- Eye Relief: 95mm
- Adjustment Click Value: 0.25 MOA
- Parallax: 50 yards to infinity
- Reticle Focal Plane: Second Focal Plane
- Weight: 31 oz
- Adjustment Range: 100 MOA
- Finish: Black
- Additional Features: ZeroStop
Pros
- Adjustments are easy with a zero stop bonus
- Feels indestructible
- Very clear image delivery
- Illuminated reticle
Cons
- Heavy compared to competitors
3) NightForce SHV 3-10x42mm Riflescope
The NightForce SHV 3-10x42mm riflescope is a compact, versatile, and accurate scope that provides a practical solution for all sorts of hunting ranging from varmint to big game hunting.
The SHV offers a 3-10x magnification range, providing hunters with the flexibility to engage targets at various distances. This versatile range makes it ideal for both close-range encounters and longer shots, ensuring that you can adapt to different hunting scenarios with ease.
The 42mm objective lens diameter strikes the perfect balance between light-gathering capability and a streamlined profile. It allows for excellent clarity and brightness, even in low-light conditions, ensuring that you can make accurate shots during the crucial early morning or late evening hours.
Aside from being sufficiently sized for maximum light gathering, the lens is fully multi-coated to enhance the light transmission. This gives hunters the visual acuity needed for precise target identification and engagement.
The fast focus eyepiece ensures quick and easy reticle focusing, allowing hunters to acquire their targets swiftly. This feature is particularly beneficial when rapid adjustments are needed in dynamic hunting environments.
The side parallax adjustment feature allows for fine-tuning of the focus to eliminate parallax error at various distances. This enhances accuracy, especially for long-range shots, ensuring that the point of aim remains consistent with the point of impact.
The capped .25 MOA adjustments provide precise and repeatable windage and elevation corrections. The capped turrets protect the adjustments from accidental movement, ensuring that your settings remain intact throughout your hunt.
As one of the candidates for the best NightForce hunting scopes, it is constructed from high-quality aluminum. Its rugged design ensures long-lasting durability and reliability, providing hunters with a scope that can endure the toughest conditions.
Specifications
- Magnification: 3-10x
- Tube Diameter: 30mm
- Objective Lens Size: 42mm
- Eye Relief: 3.5 inches
- Adjustment Click Value: 0.25 MOA
- Parallax: 25 yards to infinity
- Reticle Focal Plane: Second Focal Plane
- Material: Aluminum
- Weight: 22.1 oz
- Adjustment Range: 90 MOA
- Finish: Matte
- Lens Material: Glass
- Optical Coating: Fully Multi Coated
Pros
- Reasonable weight
- Dead on windage and elevation adjustments
- Super clear
- Supreme durability
Cons
- Non-illuminated reticle
4) NightForce NXS 3.5-15x50mm Tactical Riflescope
The NightForce NXS 3.5-15x50mm tactical riflescope offers an extensive range of adjustment to accommodate the most challenging shooting scenarios, ensuring that you can make the necessary corrections for long-range shots.
It delivers crystal-clear images with outstanding resolution and color contrast, allowing for precise target identification even in low-light conditions.
The scope is ngineered for rapid target acquisition and pinpoint accuracy, ensuring that you can confidently take the shot, no matter the circumstances.
This hunting scope is composed of high-strength, lightweight aluminum, providing durability and longevity while maintaining a manageable weight for ease of use in the field.
To make its durability even better, the scope is fully waterproof, fog-proof, and shockproof, ensuring consistent performance regardless of the environment.
It features a unique titanium beta erector spring, delivering three to four times the spring pressure of other scopes, enhancing the durability and accuracy of the internal components.
The ZeroStop technology is a welcome addition that allows a quick and reliable return to zero, giving hunters the confidence to make adjustments without losing their original zero, an essential feature for fast-paced hunting scenarios.
Specifications
- Magnification: 3.5-15x
- Tube Diameter: 30mm
- Reticle: MOAR
- Objective Lens Size: 50mm
- Eye Relief: 3.9 inches
- Adjustment Click Value: 0.25 MOA
- Parallax: 50 yards to infinity
- Reticle Focal Plane: Second Focal Plane
- Weight: 30 oz
- Adjustment Range: 90 MOA
- Finish: Black
- Illumination Type: LED
Pros
- Great glass clarity
- Rugged construction
- Easy zeroing and click adjustments
- Sharp reticle
Cons
- No lens cap
5) NightForce NXS 2.5-10x42mm Riflescope
The NightForce NXS 2.5-10x42mm riflescope combines state-of-the-art technology with robust construction to offer hunters an unrivaled optical experience.
It is outfitted with a large 42mm objective lens that delivers excellent performance in low-light conditions, ensuring bright and clear images during dawn and dusk when game is most active.
The side parallax adjustment makes parallax correction quick and precise, enhancing accuracy at varying distances and ensuring a sharp, focused image.
It is constructed with high-strength materials while maintaining a lightweight profile, making it easy to handle and carry during long hunts. This lightweight design makes it one of the best NightForce hunting scopes.
Another addition is the power throw lever that facilitates instant magnification changes, enabling rapid target acquisition and adaptability to different hunting situations.
The scope is made to work seamlessly with night vision devices, expanding your hunting capabilities into the night and providing a clear advantage in low-light environments.
What’s more? It features ZeroStop elevation, allowing for a rapid return to zero from any condition and distance, ensuring consistent accuracy and confidence in your shots.
The Digillum reticle illumination is another worthy addition. It is incorporated for enhanced visibility and contrast of the reticle, making it easier to aim precisely in varying lighting conditions.
Specifications
- Magnification: 2.5-10x
- Tube Diameter: 30mm
- Reticle: Illuminated MIL-R
- Objective Lens Size: 50mm
- Eye Relief: 3.5 inches
- Adjustment Click Value: 0.1 Mil Rad
- Parallax: 25 yards to infinity
- Reticle Focal Plane: Second Focal Plane
- Weight: 20.5 oz
- Adjustment Range: 100 MOA
- Finish: Matte
- Illumination Type: Digillum
Pros
- Quality is top-notch
- Reticle illumination
- Easy to sight in
- Crystal-clear optics
Cons
- Pricey
6) NightForce ATACR 1-8x24mm Riflescope
This scope features pristine ED glass that offers exceptional clarity, color contrast, and resolution. Whether you’re scanning the landscape at 1x or focusing in on distant targets at 8x, the image quality remains sharp and clear.
Bright daylight illumination ensures that the reticle is easily visible in any lighting condition, making target acquisition quick and precise. The 1x field of view offers a true, wide-angle perspective, akin to using a red dot sight, allowing hunters to engage close-range targets with both eyes open. This versatility makes it ideal for both fast-moving game and long-range shots.
The low-profile adjustments on the ATACR 1-8x24mm are designed for precision without adding unnecessary bulk. The capped turrets protect the adjustments from accidental changes and harsh environmental conditions.
An integrated power throw lever allows for rapid magnification changes, ensuring you can adapt to changing scenarios without missing a beat. Easy adjustments on this ATACR is one of the highlights that make it one of the best NightForce hunting scopes.
With 3.7 inches of eye relief, the scope provides a comfortable and safe viewing experience, even with heavy recoiling rifles. You don’t have to worry about a nasty injury on your face.
Specifications
- Magnification: 1-8x
- Tube Diameter: 34mm
- Reticle: FC-DMx
- Objective Lens Size: 24mm
- Eye Relief: 3.7 inches
- Adjustment Click Value: 0.1 Mil Rad
- Reticle Focal Plane: First Focal Plane
- Weight: 21 oz
- Finish: Matte
- Material: Aluminum
- Illumination Type: LED
Pros
- Tough build quality
- Outstanding glass quality
- Zeroing in is a pleasure
- Crisp reticle
Cons
- High-end price
Choosing the Best NightForce Hunting Scopes
Consider the following elements before making a purchase decision.
Magnification Range
Choose a magnification range that suits the type of hunting you do. Versatility is important when it comes to the best NightForce hunting scopes so as to be able to tackle various ranges.
For close to mid-range hunting, a scope with lower magnification such as 1-8x or 2.5-10x is ideal. For long-range hunting, higher magnification such as 3.5-15x or higher is preferred.
Objective Lens
When it comes to objective lens, think about the size and quality of the lens.
Larger objective lenses like 40 to 50mm gather more light, which is beneficial in low-light conditions such as dawn or dusk. However, they can add weight and bulk to the scope.
The lens needs to be of high quality to perform flawlessly regardless of the lighting situation. High-quality glass, such as ED (extra-low dispersion) glass, provides better clarity, color fidelity, and resolution, which is crucial for identifying targets at various distances.
Reticle
Thirdly, consider the reticle type when choosing a hunting scope from NightForce. Different reticle designs MOA, MIL, illuminated, non-illuminated) serve different purposes. An illuminated reticle is beneficial for low-light conditions, while simple crosshairs might be sufficient for daylight hunting.
Construction Quality
Ensure the scope is made from durable materials and is waterproof, fog-proof, and shockproof to withstand harsh hunting environments. Hunting exposes you and your scope to all sorts of conditions so you should be equipped for anything. Aircraft-grade aluminum is a commonly used material because it is lightweight yet rugged. A scope with such a construction will stand the test of time and last for many years.
Turrets
Low-profile or capped turrets are preferred for hunting to prevent accidental adjustments and to ensure durability.
Consider the precision of windage and elevation adjustments and whether the turrets are easy to use in the field. Some scopes offer zero-stop features for quick return to zero.
Eye Relief
Eye relief is also important when choosing the best NightForce hunting scopes. Adequate eye relief typically 3 inches or more is vital to prevent eye strain and to protect against recoil, especially with high-caliber rifles.
Weight
The best NightForce scopes for hunting should have a reasonable weight. Lighter and more compact scopes are easier to carry and handle, especially on long hunts or when traversing difficult terrain. A cumbersome scope will hinder performance and hunting requires you to be agile for it to be a success.
Next Read: 5 Best Scopes for 450 Bushmaster
What Magnification Is Good for Hunting?
A scope with high magnification allows you to take down a target at longer distances. But it can also cause issues at shorter distances in tight spaces. A lower magnification provides a wider field of view. This warrants the argument that the 3-9x may be the best riflescope for hunting.
What Is the Best Reticle for Hunting?
The best reticle for hunting is typically an illuminated duplex or BDC reticle. An illuminated reticle enhances visibility in low-light conditions, such as dawn or dusk, while the duplex design offers simplicity and quick target acquisition with its thick outer lines and thin center crosshairs. A BDC reticle provides additional aiming points for different ranges, helping hunters make more accurate shots at varying distances without needing to adjust the turrets. These features combine to offer versatility, ease of use, and enhanced accuracy, making them ideal for a wide range of hunting scenarios.
Conclusion
We wrap it here for the best NightForce hunting scopes. Whether you prioritize a wide field of view for close-range hunting or precise adjustments for long-range shots, NightForce provides a scope that can elevate your hunting experience with reliability and precision. We hope you have found a unit that suits your needs and preferences.
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