Looking between two scopes for a recent 18" LR-308 build and trying to decide between two models in mind. I'm holding max range on the rifle to 800yds and in.

First up is the Vortex Razor HD Gen 2 3x18-50 FFP wich retails for about $1700.

Second contender is NF NX8 2.5x20x50 F1, which sits right at $2k. (Tremor 3 reticle at a +$200 premium)

Is the NX8 worth the extra $300 over the Razor?

I like the 34mm tube on the Razor, but those things are heavy pigs of a scope at over a pound heavier than the NF.

The NF has an outstanding rep for quality, and the turrets (from some youtube videos) seem like they have better turrets with a more positive feel to them. Is it *that* much of a difference between the two?

How does the glass compare between them?

I don't have anyone I know in my area with those scopes to get hands on either, so I'm kinda SOL there.

The NX8 at dealer cost is my hard limit, so a used <insert scope here> is pretty much out of the question unless it's priced way under.

I've already factored in the price to put either scope in a Badger Ordinance 20MOA Unimount.

"First up is the Vortex Razor HD Gen 2 3x18-50 FFP witch retails for about $1700."

Are those not made somewhere out on the Pacific Rim?  China or somewhere?

They're made in Japan by LOW who also makes the Nightforce scopes.

Optically, the Razor kicks the shit out of the NX8. Its not even close.

But they aren't really direct competitors. The Razor is an excellent competition optic, especially since weight is your friend. The NX8 is far more compact and lighter, thereby making it great for hunting and general use.

The Razor line is made in Japan

The Viper series is usually made in the Phillipines

And everything else is made in China.

So far, it sounds like I have nothing much to gain, besides saying I have a Nightforce, by choosing the NX8 and having a lighter scope.

Unless you have a specific need for a lighter, more compact scope, the Vortex is a superior optic.  The glass is better, and I think it’s a fair trade for the increased weight.  As Rob01 said, you can find them cheaper.  The difference between 18x and 20x is incredibly minimal.

If you want an Vortex alternative that’s very lightweight, but has competitive optical quality, look at the Leupold Mark5 3.6-18x44.  It’s a full 20oz lighter.  
I like Nightforce, but again as Rob01 said, the NX8 is not the same optic that NF built their name on.  I have a NX8 1-8x and have tested the 2.5-20x, and they’re good scopes.  They’re not nearly as good as the Razor, but you’ll still get a good quality scope.  I’m just baffled by how NF did not just go with HD glass instead of just treading water with what they threw in the NX8.  They are directly competing with the Razor, Mark5, Sig Tango6, etc, but they didn’t put in the effort.  I’m guessing they just didn’t want to make something that was too close to the ATACR line for optical quality, but that’s just me speculating.

i thought they did step up to ED glass on the nx8 line

Thanks gentlemen for all the replies.

Have the 3x18x50 Razor HD Gen2 on the way and because of lack of stock on the Badger Condition One mounts, it will be sitting in a Spuhr 20moa mount.

With luck, I'll be at the range next weekend to get everything set up and hitting steel.

"The difference is the NX8 has ED glass in key locations in the optic and the ATACR line has ED glass all the way through"

Nightforce email reply from Dec 2019.

I have a NF SHV and it’s a great scope for the money. The glass is impressive and the only gripe is the crappy eye relief.

I feel like the NX8 is a marginal upgrade over the SHV models. If budget won’t allow a jump to the ATACR... as others mentioned, go Vortex.

@Rob01

Is Liberty GTG? They show 6 weeks to ship but that shouldn't be a problem since my build will take 2 months at the smith.

The NX8 is a massive jump over the SHV.  Much better turrets, zero stop, ED lenses, digilum illumination, smaller, lighter (than most options) and a massive power range.  They aren't even close.

I’ve bought from Liberty and been very happy.  As Rob said, Scott over at Liberty is a good dude.

It is amazing that people will buy Chinese scopes when there are other options.  Remember who gave us the Covid.

But where does the money go?

Why not go for the highest power you can get. If you're planning to shoot out to 800 yards you may find out that 18X just doesn't cut it. Leupold, Vortex NF, S&B, etc. are all great scopes. Seems so many people like to pick the fly sh*t out of the pepper over glass and every little detail that most guys will never notice but will buy a lower powered scope instead of a scope of the same quality with more power. Why not look at scopes in the 25X range? Better to have it and not use it than to need it and not have it.

My really subjective opinion is that the SHV models are designed to fit much more comfortably within the envelope of their optical design than the NX8's, resulting in the SHV being a better $1,000 scope of its given magnification range than the NX8 is a whatever-$ example of their magnification ranges.

Where the NX8 is a big jump over the SHV is in the ZeroStop or ZeroSet on the exposed elevation turrets.   The SHV's are really "meh" at best and I don't think I will ever fully trust the ZeroSet on the SHV in the same way you just run down an NXS or NX8 and expect it to stop where it's supposed to.

But if you keep that limitation in mind or get a model with capped turrets and don't intend to dial a lot, for optics and reliability some of the SHV's are really good deals, with the quality you expect with the name.  It's not apples to apples but that big difference boils down, for most shooters, to $1000-1500 for a turret feature.

Put an NXS style ZeroStop turret on an SHV 4-14x FFP and probably would not bother with an NX8.  I have both.

Totally agree with the above. SHV is my go to sub $1500 scope and one of the best values on the market. If you need more magnification, fair enough, but you really should look at Kahles and other scopes in that range if you think you need 20x + and great features.