In true GD fashion, I intend on actually buying both of these scopes. Vortex  Nightforce The Vortex will be going on my Howa 1500 in 7MM Rem Mag. I hope to be taking this on an Elk hunt in the next couple years. CO or WY, haven't ironed all the details out yet. I don't have any experience behind this scope at all. The Nightforce will be going on a Remington 700 in .308. I'll use this for target shooting and maybe some competition. I've played with a couple SHV's and am familiar with the MOAR reticle.  My questions are 1) Are these 2 scopes the best bang for the buck on the market right now? 2) With the set ups mentioned above, would you keep them set up the same, or switch optics on rifles? Thanks in advance!

I'd pick one and practice.

Yup.  I'd buy a razor or a higher end Nightforce. But just one, quality scope. Both make great stuff.

Save your pennies and buy a second high end scope later.

When will you be buying?

If in the next week or two take advantage of Bushnell's 25% rebate and get a DMR II for the 308 and a LRTSi for the hunting rifle.  Both are excellent and made in Japan.

That's a hell of a deal! I'm a couple months out on even buying one though.

Concerning the Bushnell.

What's everyone's thoughts on http://bushnell.com/tactical/riflescopes/elite-tactical/dmr-ii-3-5-21x-50mm

I've found a few listed for about $1550

Which reticle  is better G3 or Horus?

vortex and nightforce in the same thread. wow.

Those optics are on the same basic level but the Vortex is better IMO.

The Gen II Razor blows both of them away but at twice the cost.  I actually chose it over the ATACR F1 as the Nightforce reticles and 12 MIL turrets suck compared to the Vortex.

The H59 is a good reticle, however, it is pretty busy.  The G3 reticle is very nice though.  GA Precision has the DMR IIi in stock for $1599 and with the 25% off it will be right at $1225 which is a fantastic price for an excellent optic.

I just got my DMR II (ET36215G) in yesterday, so I haven't had the time to take it to the range. I'll be zeroing it in this Sunday. The glass is awesome. I'd say it's not as good as my Razor Gen II, but i'd say it's close. I'll have to compare the two side by side more closely. The Razor 3-18x also costs 500-600 more, so I'd expect the glass to be better. Compared to the H59, I like the G3 because it's simpler, but still provides a "Christmas tree" style reticle that allows for holdover and wind/moving targets. Many will complain that the H59 is too busy, but it comes down to personal preference. Be warned that if you get the illuminated version of the G3, the center of the reticle will be the same thickness throughout, which I believe is .06 in thickness. The non-illuminated G3 has a thinner center which extends .5 mil in each direction from the center and I believe it is about .03. My beef with the Vortex Viper PST was the .06 thick reticle, but it's a compromise you make if you want illumination. I went non-illuminated and she is sitting on a Savage 10FP... until I get a .300 win mag.

I definitely want an illuminated reticle. A buddy of mine is letting me borrow one of his Bushnells until I can get the Nightforce for my Remington. I think it has one of the earlier GA reticle, but I can't remember.

I bought the last H59 DMRII from GAP today.

The SHV lacks features. Go with Vortex. Best bang for the buck IMO.

Nightforce NXS 5.5-22x56 mildot on the Bushmaster and a Razor HD gen II 4.5-27x56 mildot on the Barrett. I definitely prefer the vortex, I can't tell the difference in the glass itself but being first focal plane with a slightly better magnification range puts it noticeably in the lead. That said I think the Nightforce is lighter by a bit and I like their flip caps better than vortex (leupolds are my favorite caps). If the Nightforce was the F1 version with first focal plane reticle it would be a closer match, but then they wouldn't be equivalently priced.

Edit: I'm pretty sure the Nightforce above has a noticeably better adjustment range for elevation.

If we're talking NF SHV vs Vortex razor gen 2, obviously the gen 2 but they're different classes of scopes, and price reflects that.

If we're talking F1 NXS vs Gen2, pick your poison. I like NF turrets, but razor reticle.

If we're talking ATACR vs gen2, the NF is superior IMO. Better turrets and glass, plus the new Mil-C reticle. It's also more expensive, so the decision is yours.

ATACR is more comparable to the Razor Gen II.

I just bought an ATACR 5-25 f1 MIL-C over the Razor  Gen II 4.5-27.  

I like the turrets better, it's lighter, and I'm kindofa Nightforce guy anyway.

The Razor Gen II is a helluva scope, get whichever one you like.

Razor 2 4.5-27, 28.5 mil adj
NXS 5.5-22, 27.3 mil adj

Glass on the Razor II should be noticeably better than the NXS. It's closer to the ATACR. The NXS still has good glass though.

I have 2 Razor HD gen2's and 2 NF ATACR's and shoot them all. Here's my take and uses.

I like the NF for its weight and its reticle. The reticle on the NF is a LOT thinner than the Votrex (MOAR-T for both mine) so shooting at 1000 yards plus, it's no question, I'm using my NF. Also the hash mark increments are finer on the NF which I like.

Hate it say it but I kinda think the Razor might have clearer glass but it's at the cost of heavier. The reticle is thicker and when you zoom all the way in you lose part of the reticle which bothers me a lil bit. For hunting you probably don't need the ultra thin reticle of the NF and would still have the good clarity of the glass.

Side note the controls for the illumination of reticle are much better on the Vortex.

Hope this helps

I have noticed this with as well with the reticle thickness. Kind of why I'm thinking about doing the NF for the target rifle and the Vortex for my hunting rifle. A new contender just popped up that I want to look at as well. I'm a huge Leupold guy, and they now have Xmas tree reticles in the new LRP series. I'm pretty much sold on the NF and Vortex, but still a little curious about the Leupold.

A christmas tree reticle would be a good thing in a Leupold since they have a hard time making a scope that tracks right.

Ohhhhhhhh....burrnnnnn!!!

They don't have any Christmas tree reticles as of yesterday for the LRP line. I had a rep tell me no.

What name do they go under? Who told you?

Very hard to see on mobile.

Linkey

One is called the impact 29 reticle, and the other is the impact 30 I believe.