Nightforce 2.5-10x32                

Bridging Urban and Long Range Precision

                                                                             by Mike Miller

            SPECIFICATIONS                                    

When Nightforce sent me this 2.5-10x32 almost a year ago, I was pretty excited. Having used a 2.5-10x24 NXS for many years I already loved the power range, optical quality, durability and frankly what I believe to be the best track record in the scope industry. The 2.5-10x32 with larger objective seemed like a logical step to improve the low light capabilities of an already great scope.

Some things that need notation here are for many years Nightforce brought scope parts into the USA from Japan and assembled here. The parts were made to Nightforce exacting specifications but they where made in Japan. Recently Nightforce started total production of several scope models in the USA. This 2.5-10x32 is made in the USA. To me that’s a plus, with some companies off shoring more and more parts and work it’s nice to see a company bring more work to the USA. Way to go Nightforce.

Nightforce has been my main scope brand since 1999 and in short I have had zero Nightforce blamed failures in over ten years. I wish other brands where close to this record.  It does not matter if it’s a life on the line or a Shooting award if I had to pick one scope off a shelf and depend on it, the next day it would be a Nightforce.

When I say my main scope brand, you need to understand how extensive this is. We are not talking one or two scopes working for over ten years we are talking a bunch of Nightforce scopes:

My CQB AR Carbine has a 1-4 NXS on top of it. That scope has not been removed since I did the 1-4 article a few years ago. It is the best CQB scope I have used.

My AR 18” SPR has been running a 2.5-10x24 since I did the article a few years ago. That scope replaced a MK4 M3 3.5-10 which is a fine scope so you now how much I think of the 2.5-10x24.

My 20” AJ Brown built Remington 700, in 308Win has a 3.5-15x50 NXS on it. That scope is from 1999.

My 300 WM, AJ Brown built, has a 5.5-22x56 NXS on it.

My Desert Tactical Arms 338 Lapua has a 5.5-22x56 on it.

My A. Warner built F TR Rifle has a NXS 12-42 on it. That scope has won several large events and never let me down.  It is the scope I counted on and used to good end results in the 2009 F TR Class World Championships.

I could go on but the numbers are Ten Nightforce scopes, I use fairly regularly with zero failures in a decade. That impresses me.

Testing of the 2.5-10x32:

Optical Quality:  Like with all Nightforce products the optically quality is top notch. Compared to my MK4 M3 3.5-10 the Nightforce won hands down. Light gathering was better than my NXS 2.5-10x24 and equal to my Swarovski 10x fixed Sniper Scope. That’s a pretty good feat for a variable power scope. In short the optics are fantastic on this scope.  Are there scopes out there with better glass? Certainly but the measure of a scope is the totality of its abilities not just glass clarity. When the shooting world comes to understand this we will quit seeing really clear scopes that wont hold a zero and track like a one legged man in a foot race. Nightforce understands this and builds scopes to out last the end user.

Low Light Ability: I never felt the 2.5-10x24 was bad in low light but compared to the 2.5-10x32, it is certainly second place. The new 32mm objective works very well

Tracking: Well I wish other scope companies could get their scopes to track as well as Nightforce. I have yet to encounter a tracking issue with a Nightforce. This scope tracked perfectly.  Enough said.

Durability: My previously well documented ham handed testing approach did no damage to this scope. Several of my students and an US Army Soldier have been given the opportunity to beat this scope up. All gave it their best shot and it came through well. The comments after others used it where basically “Where do I get one” Knowing this scope is also used by Navy SEALS, no doubt its tough.

Fast Eye Focus. This was easy to manipulate and had plenty of adjustment.

Lack of Parallax Adjustment: Generally without an adjustment for Parallax you have to have your eye perfectly centered or you could induce some error. This takes more time on a non Parallax Adjustable Scope. I shot with this scope from 50-1000 yards many times and never noticed any Parallax problems at all. Since I knew several others also testing this scope I asked if they noticed any issues with lack of Parallax Adjustment, none of them encountered any Parallax Issues either.  Since for many years shooters only used non adjustable Parallax and still did very well, it is more of a shooter problem than a scope problem anyway. Line up the same way every time and the shot will be consistent. This is easily done by making sure cheek weld and site picture are the same every time. This scope performed flawlessly without a Parallax Adjustment.

Reticule: Mine came with standard Mildot. It subtends at 10X and sub tensions were exact. One Mil equals one mil at 10X.  Other reticules are available including some new hold over designs (see list under specifications), which really Rock on an SPR.  In this set up I wanted a dual purpose Urban Police Sniper Scope and a Medium Range AR SPR Scope. During these tests I was able to use in both capacities and loved the scope on both rifles. The reticule in this scope is in the Second Focal Plane, which means the reticule measurements are set to be used on one power only. In short, on this scope, one mil only measures one mil at 10X. Don’t fret if you need to dial down for movers simply use on either 5X and have one mil equal two mils or 2.5x equal 4 mils.  What I do is dial down to 5X for movers and then bracket the mover between zero and the first mil line. This gave me a one mil lead. You can adjust as target speed and speed of the round your shooting dictates.

Mount: In this case I used one of Nightforces Unimouts. The mount is probably the toughest flat top mount I have ever used. Having used this mount on a Tubb Spectacular to mount a 12-42 NXS and getting the needed 20 moa angle for long range I can say this mount holds zero and does not come loose. I wish it had a “throw lever” option as the need for a ½ wrench is a pain in the field. The throw lever would be nice for use on an SPR where you may want to change to other site options as mission dictates.  For a rifle that will not have the scope removed in field I don’t think you can beat the Unimount for a flat top AR Style Rifle.

Adjustments: The scope sent to me has .10 MIL click adjustments and a Mildot reticle. This allows the shooter to instantly correct without math for missed shots. I am old school and used to Minutes of Angle but the wave of the future, because it is easier, is the Mil based adjustments. This scope has 5 Mils of travel per turn and a total of 100 MOA adjustment in both windage and elevation. Far more than anyone could need. The knobs on this scope have the “Zero Stop” feature. This allows you to set your zero range and return to it anytime without looking. The knob will just stop at the zero setting. In pure black you can then count up to needed adjustment from zero without use of a light. Tactically this is a plus.

My only complaint on the elevation knob is a lack of a Bullet Drop Compensator Option. With these easy on and off designs it would be nice to have several knobs based on rounds and conditions use/shot in. Just quick change the knob and have tactical accuracy at your finger tips. No need for math or ballistic charts.  Now that can be fixed by a purchase from Kenton Industries, 530 New Los Angeles Ave. Suite 115, Moorpark, Ca. 805-531-0476. They sell BDC knobs for Nightforce Scopes with any information you want etched into the knob.

Over all impressions of this scope are: It is another Home Run from Nightforce.

This scope is available through

CS Tactical

9174 Franklin Blvd. Suite B

Elk Grove, Ca

95758

916-670-1103

Info@CSTACTICAL.com

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