Here’s the story, make of it what you will;

Weapon is a PMM chopped 10” scar 16 with AAC Brake. Optic set up is a Nightforce NX8 in an Alamo Four Star Mount.

I went to zero my brand new nx8 on the scar and first 5 shots at 50yds were about 12” low and 3” right. I adjusted the elevation turret by 5 mils to shoot again and hopefully be close enough to fine tune the zero. I shot again and while walking to the target to check hits I dialed my magnification down to 1x to just screw around and take some sight pics while walking with the rifle. I noticed that the image was significantly distorted at 1x all of a sudden. This was not the case earlier. I played with the diopter a little thinking maybe somehow I moved it. That didn’t seem to do anything. I immediately contacted NF to see what they thought happened. They didn’t have a clue either and suggested I send the optic in to be looked at.

I was about to take the optic out of the mount and thought, “I’ll set it back to zero on the elevation just as it came out of the box before I pack it up.”.  Surprisingly, that fixed the issue. 1x was back to truly being 1x. I called NF again and told them about it and they said that they had never heard of that and to still send it in. I did so. What followed was bizarre and unexpected.

I received a call later that week from the CS rep I had been dealing with and he told me that my optic was fine and everything checked out. He said something about the way the NX8 is made it should be almost zeroed out of the box and that the fact I had to dial 5 mils to get close was an indication that my rifles barrel to rail alignment was off. He suggested I get a 20moa Mount to fix the problem. ...what?!?

I also own an ATACR 1-8 and another NX8 mounted to 2 KAC rifles. I went to the other NX8 I own and dialed 5 mils on it just to check his theory and sure enough, when I dialed to 5-7 mils or somewhere thereabout, the image at 1x is completely FUBAR.

So just be aware, by NF’s own admission, if you need to dial a little bit of elevation one way or the other to zero your rifle, you’re screwed I guess. I couldn’t believe it and just wanted to let you guys know. This is extremely disappointing to me. Be ye warned.

On ANY 1x optic on a close enough target, you can get an apparent distortion with enough travel dialed on or with cant on the mount as the optical lenses are not in alignment with the tube due to the additional offset. Your eyes are expecting the image to be the same through the tube and around the tube, but in reality to get the rifle zeroed the glass is looking slightly off.

I can see how a scar could exacerbate it with the tall receiver and then the tall mount as well.

Interesting, I have an NX8 on my SCAR 17 and everything is great on it. I am waiting on a stamp to comeback to throw the 13" barrel on it so I guess I will cross that road when I get there. Although I do not expect an issue as I will be using 130gr vs 150gr so my velocity and POI change should not be drastic enough to have to adjust 5+ mils.

I have had a razor 1-6 and Leupold Mk6 1-6 zeroed on this gun with no issue. I have never heard of this at all.

Not a know all scope guy or close but I do believe the further you crank to an extreme end that the scope view will become hindered. I can see the 20moa base enabling the scope to be zeroed with the adjustments close to centered internally. Maybe the issue occurs at 1x in the NX8 due to the extended magnification of an 8x vs the 6x models mentioned.

If dialing elevation compromises the view like that then this sounds like a design flaw.
I can crank to either the top or bottom of my adjustment on my leupold accupower or USO, and there's zero effect on the quality of the image through the scope.

What I’m speaking of is only detectable at 1x just to be clear.

That is how I understood it

ETA: I went and pulled my SCAR out to check it out and I think there maybe something more going on with your scope possibly or your weapon perhaps. I cranked my elevation up a full 10mils and there was no issue with my 1x view up close to distance 100+. I have mine on NF 1.5" rings for what that is worth. Could you post a picture of your 1x view in its "fubar" state.

double tap

Unfortunately for everyone, (especially me), I lack the internet know how of how to get a pic posted on this forum. I can tell you that the image isn’t blurry, nor opaque in any sense, it’s simply not 1x. Smaller than 1x is what I perceive. Maybe. It’s really weird and hard to describe.

Let’s just say my barrel to rail alignment is off...then what? How do folks go about fixing that?

You sure the difference isn't just all in your head?

No LPV is truly x1 power, it honestly sounds normal and functioning as intended.

Odd that adjusting the diopter does not correct it.

Yep +1, after your description I understand what you are seeing. The NX8 is not a true 1x regardless of what is said. It is easier to pick up at close range versus distance for new eyes as in new scope and first time out we tend to not take the small details in. After you zeroed you walked over and viewed with 1x and picked up the difference I think. I posted some pics below @1x, the targets are 100yrds and the berms are about 150. You can see outside the scope view and when you look in the scope view it looks “smaller” as you described. Here you see it is not true 1x. Also when I mounted my NX8 from factory zero I only required .8 mil of elevation and 1.2 of wind so it was not far at all from factory zero.

I think your good, if you want as close to true 1x then get an add-on mount for the tube or if there is a ring top RDS mount for your mount throw on an rmr, delta point, etc.

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First thing to try would be to re-torque the six screws that hold your barrel assembly in.

No...this is not in my head and this is not a minor issue I’m overreacting to. Guys I can’t stress enough, I’m no Rambo but I have shot variable optics for about 6 yrs now. I’ve seen lots of em come through my safe. This is not right.

Understand that I mean very literally, when you dial the scope to 7 mils or so, and look through it at 1x, it is unusable.

Take some pics through the scope and let’s see what’s going on. I just checked mine, which is not installed yet, but dialed up quite a bit and did not notice any distortion

Unfortunately, and I know this an elementary response but, I don’t know how to add pics to this forum. Sorry.

Post Image

once you have your "direct link" copied.  Come back and click the picture icon at the top of the box that looks like a mountain with a sun / moon.   Paste your link info in there and it should post up your picture.

Wow. Super cool. You have no clue how long I’ve wanted to be able to do that. This (pic above) is another NF nx8 I own that I’m in love with. It has the same issue if you crank the elevation though. It was only .8 or so mils off out of the box though so, no issue.

I’ll get some pics later of the issue and throw them on here.

THANK YOU for showing me how to do that man!!

So did you find that there is no issue after all?

This would have been the first thing I'd check. Loosen all the barrel screws then re-torque them in the correct pattern to verify you barrel is centered and tight.

No there is definitely an issue. Nightforce says it’s a known issue with the nx8 because of its “mechanical center” or something. Whatever. I sold all three of my nx8’s. They all had the same issue when dialing.

Known issue? Well that’s super disappointing. What would be the advantage of a “mechanical center”, since this is clearly a huge disadvantage to it?

Sucks that such a good company let that design out the door. As an aside, my Accupower 1-8x has been great for my uses so far on my 17S.

I wish we could have seen a picture from OP of what he was describing as an unusable 1x sight picture at the described mil adjustments. I could not duplicate any type of unusable site picture at 1x even at 10+ mils of adjustment in either direction of elevation. Since it is a known issue with NightForce going to give them a call and see if they can explain what the visual issue is, will report back findings.

ETA: spelling

So...it's 100% usable, it's just not a true 1x?

I am understanding you to say that literally NOTHING about the optic is "wrong" except that the "1x" becomes "0.9x", so to speak. The reticle, target, all of that is still crisp, etc?

Have I understood you correctly?

I spoke with NightForce yesterday to get clarification on the OP's claim of NF's stance about the NX8 and the "known issue" which they were aware of. This is essentially a summary of the statement from NightForce and our conversation. Also it happened coincidentally that the tech I spoke with was the same individual who spoke with OP and he is aware of the thread. It was stated that while threads are viewed they do not participate in conversation from a company representative standpoint.

Conversation Summary:
[The NX8 was created with a more CQB role possessing mid-range ability. This was the driving force behind the idea of creating the lightest and most compact LPV possessing a 1x day-light bright RDS feature such as an Aimpoint. With any optic the more exteme the elevation the closer you get to the curvature of the glass which will cause visual changes. In the case of the NX8 while it can be pushed out 500+ it was not created for such purpose but more of a CQB optic role which could be stretched out to three to four hundred yards if desired. Typically you would zero for your 1x at you desired range 50/100 etc and utilize hold overs for the mid-range distances eliminating the need to adjust via click adjustments. If for whatever reason elevation adjustments were required it would be done for the longer distances and the zero-stop could be utilized to return to the set zero which would likely be closer to mechanically centered zero. It was recommended that if OP for whatever reason was needing to apply such elevation that a 20moa base/mount could help with the excess elevation requirement. ]

I think it just came down to the particular SCAR's elevation over bore, mount and a possible barrel issue. I say this given OP having two other NX8 scopes plus an ATACR with no complaints until putting it on the modified SCAR. If you are cranked up an extreme amount of mils for zero and your not right behind, centered up I can see OP having a visual difference on the edges of the glass at 1X. As far as 1x having a smaller appearance to actual visual of the area well that is just the physics in design of any LPV with a 1x.  In my opinion the NX8 is not a general use scope, I think it is a niche purpose driven product. While I was able to produce just at MOA with my SCAR and FGGM 168's I did not buy it for precision especially out to three hundred plus (See Reticle Size at 8x). I bought it for shooting IPSC steel out to 3-350, hog hunting and the ability to have a 1x like field of view before adjusting magnification as needed. Like any product the NX8 has its trade offs. I would prefer a smaller center reticle dot and thinner encompassing circle. The light transmission could be better but at 8x on a 24mm objective that's just the nature of the beast. However for the weight, length and overall glass quality for me the trade offs were worth it.

Either way hope OP finds a better fit for his SCAR and reports back new choice.

Sorry I never got some pics. As you guys know they probably wouldn’t do it justice anyway. I have replaced the nx8 on the scar with a kahles k16i and everything is peachy.

I don’t understand how people are ok with sub par performance from a $1800 optic and rectify that with the statement “it’s a niche optic.”.

No, it’s a 1-8 LPVO. Is it tiny? Sure...so what? I have never cared much at all about the footprint of an optics size on my platform. However the weight is nice. weight is absolutely an issue for me, but there are optics out there that are also very light as the nx8 is. The k16i is also 17oz. And it’s optical performance blows the nx8 out of the water in my opinion.

I believe what is going on is that this is the new hot optic to have and lots of people are making up excuses to quantify their purchase. What does the nx8 do that other competing optics can’t? The only thing I can think of is, it’s small, and it has a really bright illumination span. Other than that, it’s performance is sub par for an almost $2k optic. These are just my thoughts though.

(PS, the illumination on the ATACR 1-8 sucks in comparison to the nx8...just in case you guys were led to believe it was the same as I was.)

Live and learn. Be well.

Like I said the NX8 has its trade offs but stand by that it is a niche purpose driven optic. It is a 1x8 utilizing a 24mm objective in FFP with a non-precision intended reticle. If not for the size, weight and 1x ability via illumination of course there are better options. You could go Elcan Specter, Accupoint 1x8, Razor HD Gen II, hell I here the Primary Arms LPV's are not bad for the buck. However each has its pros & cons, price points and design intentions just like any other optic. If I did not have my SCAR 17 I would not even own this but it fits my wants for the rifle so I do. As for purchase justification, come on bro, one we are posting in tech, two this is the FN section $$$ but mainly I think an explanation for the sake of tech was warranted given that we all were trying to understand your issue clearly and also help figure it out. I am glad you found an optic to serve your purpose though. At the end of the day as long as your equipment supports your purpose and you are training to properly and responsibly use it rock on!

It's not making excuses. It is a niche item. It works very well within its niche.

No other optic rolls all the features it does into something its size. If you want to talk larger, go ATACR. that gets you more optical sexiness, but you pay in size and ounces, as well as giving up a bit of reticle brightness.

Stuffing an 8x erector assembly in an optic roughly one and a third times the length of a dollar bill and barely over 1# has trade offs with current available technology. It just is what it is. But what does it do hat the k16i doesnt? It manages to cram 2x more, in a FFP format into a form factor that weighs the same and is nearly 2" shorter and has brighter illumination. That's massive. Oh, and it also manages a field of view roughly 10% larger than the MK8, which is significantly larger.